Assessing the Construction and Practice of Visual Culture Based Art Curriculum

[[abstract]]This study hopes to incorporate the Big Ideas of contemporary art education into audiovisual learning and assess the construction and practice of visual culture art curriculums. In the end, this study aims to offer a solid foundation on which to build practical teaching methods for domestic art education. It is hoped that through positive visual learning strategies, students will improve their visual literacy. In addition, this study also seeks to provide a frame of reference and relevant suggestions for future art education courses. The conclusions of this study are as follows: The content of this curriculum revolves around four major points. First, more emphasis should be laid on learning through videos. This will improve students’ visual literacy and reduce the negative impact of large quantities of daily visual images on students’ value systems. Second, a meaningful link has to be forged to connect visual art, information technology, global cultural diversity, and students’ community life so that the curriculum will dovetail well with the concepts of contemporary art education. Thirdly, other subjects/courses should be incorporated to retain the autonomy of art subjects and to keep pace with the interdisciplinary trends of visual culture based art education. Fourthly, a stronger link has to be established between students’ social experiences and their personal lives so that they are provided with support for maintaining good interpersonal relationships. Six main concerns are raised about current difficulties in the practical application of art education: first, the promotion of this curriculum will be difficult for want of teachers’ specialty expertise in art education; second, teachers’ inadequate interdisciplinary knowledge is a major obstacle to the curriculum’s development; thirdly, the lack of teaching equipment and aids has posed a serious challenge to the curriculum’s implementation; fourthly, teachers’ ability to manage the classroom will be a determinant of the curriculum’s progress; fifthly, the pressure of academic pursuit will still hinder this curriculum from being normalized in teaching. Ultimately then, the success of this curriculum will be determined by the decisive factor of each instructor’s attitude toward teaching. This curriculum has three effects: first, it facilitates the teaching and learning of professional visual image concepts; second, it effectively prompts students to pay attention to issues in their immediate surroundings and society as a whole; thirdly, in this kind of curriculum, students learn to utilize information technology mediums to create films that manifest concern for society. In response to the aforementioned observations, suggestions are as follows: Four suggestions are proposed for the improvement of practical teaching: first, art teachers must adopt a positive, active attitude toward teaching, cultivate their professional skills whenever possible, and inject more energy into teaching so as to demonstrate the educational efficacy of the curriculum; meanwhile, these measures will also help teachers receive support from multiple groups, including parents, society, school, and administration authorities; second, because the art-based integrated curriculum involves multiple fields, art teachers should take the initiative to seek channels for advancement in their fields while on the job, and also find time to supplement their studies with education and training in other specialties; thirdly, when teachers incorporate Big Ideas into the curriculum, they need to grasp the essential principles of these concepts and allow flexibility and adjustment regarding their practical application; in this way, the value of teaching will be maximized; fourthly, art education classrooms have a pressing need for professional teaching evaluations, which can provide specialist assessments of every aspect from an academic point of view, including teachers’ specialty expertise in art education, course qualities, and students’ learning effectiveness. Such assessments will not only bridge the gap between academic theory and practical implementation, but also serve as the best communicative platform for exchanges between teachers and school administrators. There are also suggestions regarding the concerned educational authorities and teacher cultivation/progressive training organs: first, subject/course boundaries in traditional teacher education curriculums should be done away with in order to meet the interdisciplinary needs of contemporary art education—the practical and actual needs of the classroom must not be overlooked; second, the teaching equipment and resources of different subjects/courses should be integrated so as to be available to all— in this way the problem of limited resources will be resolved; thirdly, teachers should be encouraged to participate in different kinds of art education seminars both at home and abroad; channels for exchanges between art teachers should be reinforced to ensure that their academic principles follow current trends, as well as to narrow the huge gap between theory and practice; fourthly, effective programs should be introduced to train contemporary art educators; meanwhile, efforts should also be made to maintain the supply-demand equilibrium of art teachers so that new generations of art educators can have access to classrooms. Suggestions for further study: First, the research target can be expanded to the countryside where the digital gap is wider. Second, focus can continue to be placed on the development and implementation of this curriculum, but the design of other courses related to visual culture is also needed.