I chose to do my critical summary on Maxine Greene and a focus on aesthetic experience. I chose this topic because I have never really understood how big of a role the arts play in education until this year as I have been taking classes that require experimenting with the arts for student’s engagement. I am also interested in Greene’s thoughts and theories on aesthetic education and want to learn more about how much of an impact this has on a student. To develop my ideas and gain a general understanding I looked at a book review of Maxine Greene’s book, “Variations on a Blue Guitar: The Lincoln Center Institute Lectures on Aesthetic Education” reviewed by Rosalie M. Romano. I also may go find a physical copy of the book at the library by Maxine Greene to deepen my understanding for this topic
This book review of Greene’s book it states that “it is a philosophical call to bring arts into the classroom, deepening the experiences and animating a sense of self that connects … engagement” (Romano, 2001). Also, it is stated that this book by Greene is about how arts can shape children’s development both emotionally and intellectually and works towards a “meaning of aesthetic education”. Greene’s definition of aesthetic education is also included which is, “education for more discriminating appreciation and understanding of the several arts” (Romano, 2001). Just by reading this book review I am eager to learn more about how aesthetic education impacts students in the classroom and learn how beneficial it can be. I am already making more sense of my current classes involving the arts and understanding why we are doing the things we are doing.
My next steps will be to answer the questions I have such as, how the arts impact children emotionally and intellectually, what the benefits are to using aesthetic approaches, what Greene means by “aesthetic moments”, and any more questions I may have while continuing my research. I will also search for more articles and read them and possibly read Greene’s book as it sounds interesting.
Resource: Romano, Rosalie (2010)
“Variations on a Blue Guitar: e Lincoln Center Institute Lectures on
Aesthetic Education by Maxine Greene,” Journal of Educational Controversy:
Vol. 5 : No. 1 , Article 23.
Available at: h ps://cedar.wwu.edu/jec/vol5/iss1/23
This sounds like an interesting topic I too have never learned about how much aesthetic education impacts children’s development both intellectually and emotionally and I am curious as to how that works. It would be interesting and very beneficial in the future.