Presentation of the European GRUNDTVIG project

“ARTiT” (2012)

Alexis Kokkos

The goal of the ‘ARTiT’ project...

…was to offer adult educators a methodology including guidelines and tools that would enable them to develop training modules, based on the use of art, that would support adult learners’ creativity and critical thinking skills.

Partners of the project:

• Hellenic Adult Education Association: Coordinator

• ABF Workers’ Educational Association (Sweden)

• University of Roskilde (Denmark)

• VUCFIN Ringen Glamsbjerg (Denmark)

• University of Pitesti (Romania)

• Hellenic Open University

The Projecthas been implemented

in various settings of adult education:

• Second Chance Schools

• Organizations of Adult Education

• Enterprises

• Centres of Professional Training

• Prisons

• Universities

• Museums

• Dewey

• Gardner

• Freire

• Frankfurt School

The project is based on the ideas of:

STAGES OF THE METHOD

Stage 1:

Determination of the taken for granted, stereotyped assumptions concerning a

certain topic

Stage 2:

The participants express their opinions about the topic

Stage 3:

The educator examines the answers and identifies critical questions that could contribute to the critical and creative

approach of the topic

AN EXAMPLE FROM THE TOPIC: “Relationships between genders”

Critical Questions:

a. How do we perceive unpaid work at home?

b. How do men perceive the inequality between the female-male role?

c. What do men think when they realize their spouses actually work more than them?

d. Why are there inequalities between male and female roles?

e. What do we think of men taking over female roles?

f. What do we think of the “female mystery” nowadays?

g. Is manhood in danger in our days?

h. How does the gender inequality affect sexuality?

Stage 4:The learning group identifies several works of art as stimuli for the elaboration of the critical questions (the works of art are related to the critical questions)

Use of works of art from: • Painting• Sculpture • Photography• Literature, poetry• Theatre • Cinema• Music

Stage 5:

Each artwork is analysed and connected to the related critical questions.

Suggested Critical Questions Table 1

Proposed works of art a b c d i f g h

1. Girl Peeling Vegetables, Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin (FA)

2. The Laundress, Ştefan Luchian (FA)

3. Rest in the field, Camil Ressu (FA)

4. Life, Pablo Picasso (FA)

5. The Wave, Camille Claudel (FA)

6. The Rape, Edgar Degas (FA)

7. Diego and I, Frida Kahlo (FA)

8. Ali: Fear eats the soul , Rainer Werner Fassbinder (F)

9. Dogtooth, Yiorgos Lanthimos (F)

10. Ginger & Fred, Federico Fellini (F)

11. Reconstruction, Theo Angelopoulos (F)

12. The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath (L)

13. The eyes of the poor, Charles Baudelaire (L)

14. Freedom of love, André Breton (L)

15. Eveline, James Joyce (L)

16. Like a rolling stone, Bob Dylan (M)

FA: Fine Arts, F: Films, L: Literature, M: Music

Girl Peeling Vegetables, Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin

The Laundress, Ştefan Luchian

Rest in the field, Camil Ressu

Life, Pablo Picasso

The Wave, Camille Claudel

The Rape, Edgar Degas

Diego and I, Frida Kahlo

Example of a poem which is related to the topic “Intercultural Relationships”

Once upon a time,an old Japanese legend

goes as toldby Papa,

an old woman traveled throughmany small villages

seeking refugefor the night.

Each door openeda sliver

in answer to her knockthen closed.

Unable to walkany further

she wearily climbed a hillfound a clearing

and there lay down to resta few moments to catch

her breath.The village town below

lay asleep exceptfor a few star like lights.

Suddenly the clouds openedand a full moon came into view

over the town.The old woman sat up

turned towardthe village town

and in supplicationcalled out

Thank you peopleof the village,

if it had not been for yourkindness

in refusing me a bedfor the night

these humble eyes would neverhave seen this

memorable sight.Papa paused, I waited.

In the comfort of ourHill top home in Seattleoverlooking the valley,

I shouted"That's the END

A BEDTIME STORY: Mitsuye Yamada

Stage 6:

• Critical review and enrichment of the participants’ initial opinions

• Comparison of the participants’ initial opinions with those resulting from the discourse

RESULTS FROM THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EUROPEAN PROJECT “ARTiT”

Table 2: Learners’ answers on Q: “Did you like ‘ARTiT’ ?”

Answer % N

Not at all 34%

77%

60

Little 43% 77

Somewhat 16% 29

Much 4% 7

A great deal 3% 5

TOTAL 100% 178

At the beginning of the project:

Table 3: Learners’ answers on Q: “Do you like art?”

Answer % Ν

Not at all 2%

43%

4

Little 17% 31

Somewhat 24% 45

Much 33%

57%

64

A great deal 24% 45

TOTAL 100% 186

At the end of the project:

Table 4: Learners’ answers on Q: “Did you like the training through the use of works of art?”

Answers % Ν

Not at all 3% 66

Little 3% 79

Somewhat 13%

81%

23

Much 44% 5

A great deal 37% 5

TOTAL 100% 178

Table 5: Explanation of the answer on Q: “Did you like the training through the use of works of Art?”

Explanatory comments %

The method was very satisfactory. 27%

Helped to understand better and deeper the different subjects.

24%

Led us to a new way to approach the subject.

14%

Promoted a creative/critical way of thinking.

11%

Provoked a more participatory and open learning process.

10%

Led to an unprecedented deeper understanding of art.

10%

Critical comments 4%

TOTAL 100%

Indicative Learners’ comments:

• “I was not interested in art, but it was interesting to realize that there are many things that I can learn from it.”

• “I was surprised to see how we can interpret a painting and how we can make conclusions from this very interesting subject.”

• “I like it because I understood the meaning of the artwork and I have discovered new ideas and opinions”