| Drawing on Jerome Bruner's ideas about folk pedagogy, this research explores how Chinese aesthetic education is perceived and valued through arts teaching and learning at two elementary schools in Taiwan: Sun Elementary School, a Tayal aboriginal school in the mountains, and Key Elementary School, a Taiwanese school on the plain. Specifically, this project explores seven arts teachers' perspectives on and approaches to guiding children to understand, experience, and appreciate the arts as they interact with arts curricula in school and local culture. In order to gain a deep and holistic understanding of the arts teachers' folk pedagogy of aesthetic education, qualitative research methods were employed in this research. Data collection included semi-structured and open-ended interviews, participant observation, informal conversations, and artifact collection.; Situated in natural environments and surrounded by unique local cultures, both schools share a respect for nature and a concern for local culture. While at Sun the three arts teachers' shared view emphasizes the cherishing of Tayal culture through arts learning, at Key the four arts teachers' shared view emphasizes the integration and appreciation of the arts in everyday life. These seven arts teachers' folk pedagogy emerges from the following cultural values: first, the importance of connecting beauty and arts learning through a deep appreciation of artistic forms, feelings, goodness, and cultural meanings; second, developing children's aesthetic feelings through seeing, hearing, moving, and feeling, and perceiving the elements and expressiveness of the arts; third, cultivating children's character, especially morality, goodness, and self-esteem; and last, integrating the arts into everyday life.; The shared views between the two schools and among seven arts teachers provide a broad picture of these folk beliefs in Taiwan. This research will encourage Taiwanese arts educators to explore and value their folk pedagogies. It will provide educators with different lenses for examining aesthetic education in Asian culture. |
