Social Justice and Service Learning

Olivia Bonlander

Contemporary Theory and Curricular Practiced of Art Education

Tami Weiss

02/14/20

Social Justice and Service Learning

I really enjoyed these readings especially with the consistent connections to teaching students about new ways to positively interact with their communities. Garber spoke about some specific ways that social justice education can influence societies outcomes. A quote from Garber that I felt was very impactful when describing social justice education was, ‘social justice education can also be thought of as guiding students to know themselves and their worlds and to live and act as part of a community’. I believe creating an impact and connection with the local community can be a game changer within an art education classroom. One project that was listed as an example is the ‘Empty Bowl’ project. This project allowed students to take part in fundraising for a food drive for underprivileged individuals. Students should be able to ‘see themselves as agents of change’ as Garber thoughtfully said. I believe gaining the understanding that they have the ability to make these societal changes is what sparks future community involvement.

There are so many impacts that the arts can have on individuals which can be seen in Taylor’s article. This article spoke more specifically about the incorporation of service learning within the classroom and what this can look like in an art room. One idea that I found interesting was the absolute importance of reflection within these experiences because of the long-lasting concepts that stretch beyond the opportunity. I think this can be easily adapted for the art education studio by transforming into artist statements or even sketchbook reflections. I think that the conceptual idea of reflections within artist statements after projects help students better understand the long-term skills that they develop during a project.

I personally believe that for me these readings were a lot more intuitive and will be very natural when implementing them into my curriculum. I think this may be because of my job with University Housing. I think there is so much variation that can happen within a classroom.