Visual journaling towards greater meaning making in the secondary art classroom

Abstract

Sketchbooks have long been used in art classrooms; however, the structured assignments often leave students feeling disconnected to both the sketchbook and the art classroom. Recent shifts in educational pedagogy encourage educators to find ways to connect course content with lived experiences. This cultural, social and personal connection results in a deeper understanding of course concepts. Within the art classroom visual journals have emerged in response to this shift in pedagogy. The visual journal is a place for the student to explore self and the internal and external environments that shape the self. The student's quest for personal and aesthetic meaning making through visual journaling evolves the student's concept of self and offers opportunity for synthesizing and integrating lived experiences. The purpose of this paper is to explore visual journaling as an educational pedagogy that promotes meaning making in students.