Abstract:

A qualitative study of three working artists examined cognitive decision-making in the artistic process and found that metacognition, particularly in the form of inner speech, a type of self-talk, played a key role in artistic practice. The study applied Vygotsky’s learning theory as its theoretical lens to determine whether the cognitive processing of artists could contribute to an innovative approach to art education also applicable across disciplines. The study found that inner speech use gave the artists greater control of their art making processes and enhanced their critical thinking, problem solving, self-reflective, and self-regulatory capabilities. The study revealed inner speech to be an underutilized pedagogical tool that could enhance approaches to art instruction and production and across content area learning. An extension of the study is a metacognitive instructional model based on inner speech entitled “ARE” or “Act/Reflect/Evaluate.” The presentation will share the components of the model and application to different age groups and disciplines, including art. The study and pedagogical extension represent a multi-disciplinary pedagogical approach to suit our expanding educational needs.

Keywords:

art, art education, artistic process, inner speech, metacognition.