Problems and strategies in the teaching of visual arts appreciation and criticism to students with intellectual disabilities

This paper reports on a professional support and research study on special school teachers teaching students with intellectual disabilities (ID). The aim of the study was to identify problems in and effective strategies for teaching visual art appreciation and criticism to ID students. A survey, several interviews (with teachers and students) and classroom observations were used as tools to investigate the problems as well as to identify effective teaching strategies. It was found that the ID students’ difficulties in communicating, the teachers’ lack of training in visual arts appreciation and criticism, and their conservative teaching approaches were the major problems to be overcome. It was evident that the teachers’ knowledge of the subject matter and their planning of teaching strategies should be enhanced. Suggestions for effective teaching thus include linking art appreciation and criticism to art making, using everyday life examples, providing more opportunities for art interpretation using non-verbal means, and reconsidering the nature of art appreciation and criticism.
本文針對一項特教教師教導智能障礙學生 (ID) 的專業支援與調查研究提出報告。研究目的是找出教導 ID 學生視覺藝術欣賞與批評時衍生的問題與應變之策。本研究透過一項問卷調查、教師與學生數次訪談以及課堂觀察等研究工具，發掘問題並尋求有效的教學策略。主要的問題在於教師缺乏視覺藝術欣賞與批評的相關訓練、ID 學生的語言溝通障礙、教師保守的教學方式。研究結果發現，教師對課程題材的知識與教學策略的規劃能力還有待加強。提昇教學效益的建議包括：連結藝術欣賞批評以及藝術創作；應用日常生活中的案例；讓學生有機會進行更多非語言的藝術詮釋，並重新思考藝術欣賞與批評的本質。 Copyright © 2013 NTAEC.