Research in Visual Arts Education - The National Society for ...

INTRODUCTION
Developing and cherishing multiple visions of teaching and learning in the arts is not a
licence for idiosyncratic, unaccountable practice. We need a healthy cross-fertilization
of ideas and vigorous critical debate within and beyond the professional community of
arts educators to avoid the very real threat of rejection or atrophy through the sheer
irrelevance of too much current practice. 3
Questions about teaching and learning usually have a variety of possible
answers, each of which is likely to harbour new questions. They are typically
oriented towards making good decisions in complex real-life situations
rather than verifying universally true statements. The practical and contextual
character of visual arts education justifies a rational weighing-up
of the pros and cons of various positions, rather than searching for the one
superior approach.
Lars Lindström
Professor
Stockholm University, Sweden
3 Steers, 2007. The ever-expanding art curriculum, p. 151.
12 NORDIC VISUAL ARTS EDUCATION IN TRANSITION