Foundations of Education

Developing pedagogy in Graphic Design Education.

The years I have spent studying Education and Instruction at the University of Wyoming with Cochenour, Amstutz, Sun, Rezabeck, Ragan, and Day have developed the foundations of my understanding about teaching and learning. I was fortunate to be a full-time instructor at a community college during my graduate studies – this enabled me to practice my education with daily observations and immediate feedback. My own experience as an educator in the visual arts has crystallized my learning and convinced me of the relevance of the formal principles and practices of instructional design.

Graphic design has been described as the art of visual communication. This is a particularly difficult subject to teach. Because so much of a child's education in the early years is devoted to acquiring the skills of language and mathematics, students gradually learn, unconsciously, that the "normal" way to think is linear and sequential, that the pathway to understanding moves from beginning to end. Our own education, as adult instructors is based in the same liner world-view. But arts education must cultivate the whole person, gradually building many kinds of literacy while developing intuition, reasoning, imagination, and dexterity into unique forms of expression and communication. This process requires not merely an active mind but a trained one. Teachers of art and design must learn to successfully communicate an understanding of abstract imagery that cannot be verbally communicated to students.

Yet a sequential and constructivist method of instruction may be the most effective method of teaching abstract understandings in a college environment.

Learning is not an automatic consequence of teaching - Rob Roy Kelly

My orientation towards graphic design education is profoundly influenced by the writings of Rob Roy Kelly. Kelly (1925-2004) developed some of the best graphic design programs at colleges and universities nationwide, many of which became a blueprint for programs at other schools. These schools were influenced by his innovative ideas on formalism, teaching, and curriculum development. Kelly wrote extensively about graphic design teaching and learning over his 30-year career as a design educator. Although Kelly’s own formal education included few educational theory courses, his writings closely parallel my University of Wyoming education in learning, development, educational theory, and visual literacy.

Kelly's descripton of his approach to graphic design education resonates for me: “Student learning is best accomplished through theoretical or hypothetical problems where visual acuity is engendered, process is emphasized, curriculum is sequential, and problem objectives are based on how students learn.”

Reality is constructed rather than discovered.

The philosophical perspectives of constructivism views learning as a process in which the learner actively constructs or builds new ideas or concepts based upon current and past knowledge. In other words, "learning involves constructing one's own knowledge from one's own experiences." This perspective is compatible with Benjamin Bloom’s model of the levels of thinking. Both have had a strong impact on instructional design and are especially relevant to the mastery of a craft.

Pragmatism proposes that knowledge is acquired through experience, but that reality is constructed rather than discovered. This philosophy resonates with art education which attempts to develop reasoning, imagination, and expression.

Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences provides a basis for understanding how to approach instruction for art students, the majority of whom, I believe, benefit from multi-faceted instruction methods.

My approach to graphic design education blends these perspectives with Kelly’s approach. The result is a structured, sequential curriculum based on learning objectives and supported by a blend of delivery methods. Each problem presented to students must incorporate objectives, process, terminology, limitations, and criteria; these are the basis for instructional criticism and evaluation of student work:

Evidence:

Learning Project Report: Teaching 2-Dimensional Design
A paper written reporting the outcomes of applying one of Rob Roy Kelly's methods of abstract visual learning to a course I taught in 2-dimensional design. For ADED 5050: Learning Theories for Educators, Dr. Qi Sun, professor. Department of Adult Learning and Technology, University of Wyoming College of Education

Theory of Multiple Intelligence website
Multiple Intelligences website created by Rachel Nye, Sharon Kaldor, Michele Bonnette, & Renee Tafoya for ADED 5050: Learning Theories for Educators, Dr. Qi Sun, professor. Department of Adult Learning and Technology, University of Wyoming College of Education

Northwest College Student Learning Outcomes in Art and Graphic Design
A set of standards I developed for Northwest College Visual Arts Department, establishing educational goals, definition of standards, terminology, and criteria.

Valuable References:

The Writings of Rob Roy Kelly

International Visual Literacy Association

The National Standards for Arts Education

Educate [from L. educere to lead forth] v. To develop and cultivate mentally or morally; fit for a calling by systematic instruction; teach; also to train, discipline, or form. (See educe: To draw forth, as something latent; bring out; elicit; evolve.)

Education n. 1. Act or process of educating; discipline of mind or character through study or instruction, also, a stage of such a process or the training in it; as, to receive a college education. 2. A science dealing with the principles and practice of teaching and learning.

Pedagogy n.  The art, practice, or profession of teaching; esp., systematized learning or instruction concerning principles and methods of teaching. The word "paidia" refers to children, which is why some like to make the distinction between pedagogy (teaching children) and andragogy (teaching adults).

Graphic design n. A form of visual communication, the act of selecting, creating and arranging marks on a surface to communicate a message. These marks may be letterforms (Typography) or of other media such as illustration or photography. It encompasses the creative work done in many media, such as print, digital media, motion pictures, animation, product design, packaging, and information signs. Graphic design as a practice can be traced back to the origin of the written word, but only in the late 19th century did it become identified as a separate discipline.