Abstract:

Inquiry-based learning (IBL) has been advocated as a learning approach that helps students foster the necessary skills and dispositions for the 21st century. This can be accomplished through holistic, student-centered processes that balance rigour and joy of learning. Studies found that the quality of teaching and learning experience is key to the successful implementation of IBL (Costes-Onishi et al., 2020). Essentially, an ordinary learning environment must be transformed into one that is complete, rich and fulfilling, and create something Dewey describes as the “Aesthetic experience”. Uhrmacher (2009) identifies connections, active engagement, sensorial engagement (full use of the senses), perceptivity, risk-taking (experimentation), and imagination as key aspects in creating this aesthetic experience.

Research in teacher cognition has the underlying assumption about teacher professionalism in their competencies to make reasonable judgments and decisions in the school environments (Fang, 1996). Consequently, teacher thoughts and beliefs guide teacher classroom behaviour and pedagogical decisions. This study aims to explore Singapore teachers’ current state of beliefs, skills and knowledge about aesthetic experience and how that influences the successful implementation of IBL in lessons. We examine the following:
(1) relationships between beliefs and practice;
(2) connections between knowledge and beliefs; and
(3) influences of learned skills on beliefs and practice.

This paper presents the Phase 1 preliminary findings of the study, which focuses on primary school teachers of Music, Visual Art and Social Studies. In Phase 1, 40 teachers are involved in semi-structured qualitative interviews (15 Visual Art, 15 Music, and 10 Social Studies). Following analysis of the interview data, teachers are categorized into one of three IBL groups (structured, guided, or open) and evaluated for aesthetic teaching based on literature-generated codes. We then coded for current beliefs, skills and knowledge about aesthetic experience and inquiry and further analysed whether teachers regard them to constitute an educative experience.

Preliminary findings shed light on the current state of teacher understandings about creating aesthetic experience in IBL and how they are currently being enacted in practice through specific underlying beliefs, skills and knowledge. However, there are still gaps in teacher practice whereby teachers rarely infuse aesthetic experience at a deep level during the IBL process, despite expressing desire to provide holistic and student-centred learning environments. This can lead to unsuccessful IBL outcomes. The findings suggest that the lack can potentially be addressed by enhancing existing curriculum frameworks through teacher training to develop deeper discernment on areas where aesthetic experience can be fully realised. The findings show that this sensitivity to AIIBL can be developed regardless of IBL approach (structured, guided, or open).

Keywords:

Aesthetic experience, inquiry-based learning (IBL), student-centered pedagogy, teacher professionalism, teacher training.