Using the Arts in other Disciplines to
foster Transformative Learning
in Higher Education
Associate Professor Digby Warren
London Metropolitan University
presentation to
Lady Irwin College, 16 January 2014
Arts-based Learning
This approach has been called “Arts-based inquiry” – a
term adopted from research literature by Louise Younie
Definition:
“student practical engagement with any art form –
poetry, photography, painting, narrative, sculpture,
dance, music etc. - as they reflect on their experiences”
(Younie 2013, p.25)
Art forms can stimulate “inquiry” in the sense of
seeking to understand in a new and deeper way
Arts-based Learning across Disciplines
Examples
• art / image-making – Medical education, Healthcare,
Marketing, Child Care
• video / photography – teacher education
• film (cinema) – Economics
• music-making – Leadership & Management
• drama – Applied Ethics
• poetry – Business, Healthcare
• story-telling – Social Work, Healthcare
• labyrinth – various disciplines (Dentistry, Law, MBA etc)
See McIntosh & Warren (eds) (2013) Creativity in the
Classroom: Case Studies in Using the Arts in Teaching and
Learning in Higher Education
Power of Creative Methods
Arts-based methods use symbolic objects = multi-sensory,
multi-faceted forms of expression, which can:
• generate rich insights by unlocking unconscious ideas,
feelings or memories
• employ the power of metaphorical thinking at both
theoretic (reasoning) and poetic (imagination) levels
• foster student reflection, self-knowledge, creative
thinking and metacognition (awareness of one’s thinking
and learning processes)
• enable “transformative learning” approaches concerned
with whole person development
Transformative Learning (TL)
• Mezirow’s (1991) notion of “perspective transformation”
= shift towards “more inclusive” perspectives (ways of
seeing) as a result of critical reflection on our existing
beliefs and assumptions; a rationalist model of TL
• holistic notions of TL - “use of all the functions we have
available for knowing, including our cognitive, affective,
somatic, intuitive, and spiritual dimensions” (cited in
Taylor 1997 p.49) = mind, heart, body and spirit all
involved in coming to know/make sense of things
• Barnett (2007) – urges that Higher Education should take
seriously the student as a human being and learning as
journey of engagement, passion, being and becoming
Arts-based Inquiry
• creative methods used as vehicles for exploration of
and reflection on prior experience, e.g.
– using a poem to think about patient care (doctors and
nurses in training) and develop empathy
• activities as direct forms of experiential learning, e.g.
– learning about teamwork via collective music-making
= metaphor for leadership (as “improvisation”) and
teamwork (as “performance”)
– reflecting on one’s life path or ‘script’ through telling
stories based on professional experiences (e.g. child
care workers)
– walking a labyrinth = meditative space for reflection
and creativity
Arts-based Inquiry
Challenges
• metaphors can constrain ways of seeing – consider
limitations of particular metaphors (where appropriate)
• stories can be oppressive, if used to preach or control –
ensure ethical, anti-discriminatory practice
• students feeling blocked by lack of artistic skills or
‘internal critic’ - point of the exercise is engagement
• initial anxiety or some potential resistance – clarify the
purpose of tasks & allow students time to settle into them
• uncovering of unconscious emotions, attitudes or beliefs
can be cathartic but also mixed reactions – acknowledge
the emotional, be available to talk privately to individuals
Arts-based Inquiry
Role of the lecturer
• set clear boundaries and ground rules – safe space,
rapport and trust
• ‘leader and facilitator’, also ‘questioner, challenger,
supporter, clarifier and explainer’
• authenticity – being open and honest inspires
students to be the same
• choose assessment methods appropriate to the
nature of the learning in subject/course
• clear guidance about assessment expectations and
potential learning benefits of creative approaches
Outcomes (from real case studies)
deeper learning:
• increased motivation, participation and enjoyment by
students
• “more democratic” interaction and more co-learning
between students and teachers
• enhanced confidence, resilience and self-belief
• deeper reflection and creativity stimulated
transformative learning:
• deeper awareness of own values, aspirations,
emotions and inert prejudices, and how to deal with
them better in professional situations
• more openness towards others and to alternative
perspectives
Arts-based Inquiry
Assessment example: portfolio of “patch work” texts
1. Formative elements (“patches”) relevant to the subject
matter/course and chosen by the student, e.g.
• a short story or poem (written by the student)
• an article or book review
• visual reflection on a personal experience (drawing, collage,
photograph)
• application of a theory to professional practice
• notes from a field trip or museum visit
patches discussed with peers
2. Summative element: critical commentary
“stitches” together the patches and draws on further
(theoretical) reading to produce a synthesis which
addresses the main aims of the module/course
References
Barnett, Ronald (2007) A Will to Learn: Being a Student in an Age of
Uncertainty. Berkshire: Open University Press
Mezirow, J. (1991). Transformative Dimensions of Adult Learning. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass
Taylor, Edward W. (1997) Building on the theoretical debate: A critical review
of the empirical studies of Mezirow’s transformative learning theory. Adult
Education Quarterly, 48 (1), pp. 34-59
Younie, Louise (2013) Introducing Arts-based Inquiry into Medical Education:
‘Exploring the Creative Arts in Health and Illness’, in Paul McIntosh & Digby
Warren (editors), Creativity in the Classroom: Case Studies in Using the Arts in
Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. Bristol: Intellect, chapter 2