The educational resources that I have been developing for the Wits Art Museum draw on learner-centred, activity-based teaching practices in which learning is understood as embodied, experiential and situated. This approach is underpinned by constructivist theories of teaching and learning which conceive of learners as active learning agents who construct their knowledge through making sense of their experiences in the world in and beyond the classroom. These methodologies enable learners to continuously interpret (and re-interpret) the world around them through their participation in interactive and engaging activities. The education resources aredesigned as booklets in which participants write their responses to the artworks on exhibition. Thus the booklets are only ‘complete’ once the learners contribute to the text by inserting their opinions and recording their personal engagement in their books. This reinforces the interactive nature of the approach to teaching and learning adopted in these materials.
A reproduction of page three of the Negsingyawo-Migrant Journeys Education Resource.
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Children of different ages were actively engaging with the Doing Hair: Art and Hair in Africa Education Resource during the Family Festival held in October 2014.
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Learners must have opportunities for personal reflection, drawing, writing, and speaking.
The education resource is designed to be used in the museum, in conjunction with looking at a specific exhibition. It guides learners through working alone and in small groups in the exhibition space. The focus is on thinking about the context of the production and display of the artworks, and a reflection of one’s own subjectivity and context in relation to the work. Activities include: