Piaget:
Piaget is a learning theorist who suggests that student’s progress in a universal pattern of cognitive development that all students’ progress through based on independent exploration (experiment), learning goals based on child’s readiness (curriculum documents) and new experiences (active participation). Piaget states that learners won’t be successful if the learning is too complex (teachers required to scaffold) and that learning should be independent and discovery based with peers as the agents of change (collaborative and inquiry based model). Lastly, Piaget suggests that individual differences should be accounted for (modifications and accommodations)
Vygotsky:
Vygotsky is a learning theorist who believes that development varies across culture and is affected by social interactions with adults who create change. Activities to promote learning should be crafted to current ability set (curriculum) with the adult (teacher) guiding participation and instructions before the learner gradually takes more control of learning (scaffolding learning through guided practice, gradual release and independent practice opportunities). Lastly, Vygotsky’s research indicates that co-operative learning benefits both skilled and less skilled learners (mixed ability groupings).
As much as I thoroughly believe that a combination of both learning theories create the best learning situations in a classroom, specifically when learning about and creating Art, based on the fact that we know that Controversial images can cause just that, a controversy, it seems Vygotsky's theory takes into account learner's cultural sensitivities and focuses on creating a safe space for students. We know that to fully engage and uncover knowledge in an age appropriate and safe way when dealing with controversial, nude and violent images the teacher must take all ethical precautions and prepare students accordingly. Since Vygotsky's method focuses on more activities which are created and promoted by the teacher who ensures that students are supported throughout the learning opportunity through guided participation, it seems that is is more ideal for students to feel more comfortable and successful when discovering difficult topics, such as controversial art.
Bloom's Taxonomy
This image is a healthy reminder that in the Art classroom, all of the stages of Bloom's Taxonomy blend and connect but that our focus as Art instructors should be on getting students to create based on understanding, remembering, applying, evaluating, analyzing and evaluating art information.
