More Humanism To Expect In Art Education

As aim of education is the nation' s expectation of people of certain qualities to be produced by education, so the purpose of art education in Primary and Secondary schools reflects what it expects of art education. Now that the nation' s expectation influences educational concepts and curriculum, so significant is the study of the purpose of art education. For instance, why society has different expectations of art education in different periods? What condition them? And what lies behind the shifts? This treatise deals with the historical changes and developments of the purpose of art education in the past century, the internal cause of those changes and developments and the law behind them, trying to reveal the impact that politics, the economy and culture have on the formation of the purpose of art education. The author tries to prove it the law of the changing and development of the purpose of art education that art education has been changing inevitably from its exclusive concentration on technical learning and training to that on its humanism, that is, its character-building-and-improving effect on students. When the treatise suggests the idea that new purpose of art education in China characterized with its humanism is coming into being, after nearly a century' s development and blessed with other nations' experience in reforming art education, the treatise also reveals the substantial changes in ideas of art curriculum, art teaching / learning and the assessment of art education and, offers the "only" way of reaching the goal of art education.Throughout the treatise, the author argues for humanism in art education and accordingly its character-building-and-improving effect on students, which are viewed as the very ultimate purpose of art education by the author.The author expects better understanding of the contemporary society's expectations and requirements of art education in primary and secondary schools and wishes to better carry out humanized art education.