Effective pedagogy for improving critical thinking. Many people reason poorly, by almost any measure of reasoning. Although there is evidence that people can be taught to think critically, educators don't really know how. They don't know what works, what doesn't, and why. This study will systematically examine the effectiveness of different techniques for teaching reasoning and will cross-validate an Australian test of reasoning - the GSA - with an international standard. The expected outcomes o ....Effective pedagogy for improving critical thinking. Many people reason poorly, by almost any measure of reasoning. Although there is evidence that people can be taught to think critically, educators don't really know how. They don't know what works, what doesn't, and why. This study will systematically examine the effectiveness of different techniques for teaching reasoning and will cross-validate an Australian test of reasoning - the GSA - with an international standard. The expected outcomes of the study are data about what improves reasoning and about the success of the GSA. The significance of the study lies in the potential benefits these data will have to students and employers.Read moreRead less
Aesthetic Education and Public Galleries. To study how galleries can enhance the quality of public engagement with the works of art on show. All galleries want to do this, but there is much uncertainty about how to understand 'quality of engagement' and about what galleries could and should do to enhance this. We shall provide conceptual analysis and a practical model for the provision of aesthetic education in public galleries. This will be a substantial contribution to a widely acknowledged p ....Aesthetic Education and Public Galleries. To study how galleries can enhance the quality of public engagement with the works of art on show. All galleries want to do this, but there is much uncertainty about how to understand 'quality of engagement' and about what galleries could and should do to enhance this. We shall provide conceptual analysis and a practical model for the provision of aesthetic education in public galleries. This will be a substantial contribution to a widely acknowledged problem. We hope to provide a workable model which can be used in gallery practice.Read moreRead less