Introduction
The video below serves as an introduction to Maxine Greene and her theory of "wide-awakeness":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=natBgku8IKs
Task
Maxine Greene's theory:
Maxine Greene's teaching theories focuses on using the arts in content in order to foster learner engagement. Through dance, music, literary, and other artistic forms, students will be able to view their world with a renewed perspective.
What is a renewed perspective?
-"Renewing our minds requires us to engage in self-reflection, introspection, and the pursuit of knowledge. It involves questioning our assumptions, examining our biases, and being open to new perspectives. This process allows us to unlearn harmful habits, reframe our thoughts, and adopt healthier and more empowering mindsets"
henry, S. (2023, November 12). Renew your mind: Unpacking the meaning of Romans 12:2. Medium. https://medium.com/@stonehenry1986/renew-your-mind-unpacking-the-meaning-of-romans-12-2-59e8b4183f5f#:~:text=Renewing%20our%20minds%20requires%20us%20to%20engage%20in,thoughts%2C%20and%20adopt%20healthier%20and%20more%20empowering%20mindsets.
The concepts that Greene coined with her theory is aesthetic education, social imagination, and wide-awakeness.
What is aesthetic education?
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"An intentional undertaking designed to nurture appreciative, reflective, cultural, participatory engagements with the arts by enabling learners to notice what is there to be noticed, and to lend works of art their lives in such a way that they can achieve them as variously meaningful."
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Through aesthetic education, students will be able to create, evaluate, and experience the beauty in both nature and interpersonal relationships.
About aesthetic education. The Maxine Greene Institute. (n.d.-a). https://maxinegreene.org/about/aesthetic-education#:~:text=For%20example%2C%20in%20the%20first%20chapter%2C%20Defining%20Aesthetic,that%20they%20can%20achieve%20them%20as%20variously%20meaningful.%22
Denac, O. (2014, November 6). The significance and role of aesthetic education in Schooling. SCIRP. https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation?paperid=51211#:~:text=The%20most%20important%20aims%20and%20goals%20of%20aesthetic,nature%20and%20toward%20the%20beautiful%20in%20interpersonal%20relationships.
What is social imagination?
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Being able to see the connection between one's personal life and the effect of larger social contexts
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If a person can see the relationship between these two, they will be able to link their individual issues to public issues.
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The overarching idea of this is how our society and the community we surround ourselves with shape the person we are.
Team, M. (2023, January 16). Exploring the significance of sociological imagination. Meridian University. https://meridianuniversity.edu/content/exploring-the-significance-of-sociological-imagination#:~:text=Sociological%20imagination%20is%20a%20concept%20that%20refers%20to,how%20our%20environment%20and%20society%20influence%20our%20lives.
What is wide-awakeness?
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An "awareness of what is to be in the world" (Greene, 1995, pg.35)
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It is being fully present and engaged in the content that is being taught along with awareness of their surroundings.
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Encourages active engagement, social responsibility, and critical thinking.
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What is active engagement?
- "Anything students do to actively participate or interact with their learning and/or materials" Active engagement. Active Engagement - Instructional Strategies (PENT). (n.d.). https://pent.ca.gov/is/is/activeengagement.aspx#:~:text=Active%20engagement%20includes%20anything%20students%20do%20to%20actively,or%20watching%20a%20person%20model%20or%20do%20instruction.
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What is social responsibility?
- "Social responsibility is an ethical concept in which a person works and cooperates with other people and organizations for the benefit of the community." Wikimedia Foundation. (2024, July 3). Social Responsibility. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_responsibility
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What is critical thinking?
- "Reasoning, problem-solving, and decision-making, plus analysis and evaluation of information" Ferlazzo, L. (2021, May 3). Eight instructional strategies for promoting critical thinking (opinion). Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/opinion-eight-instructional-strategies-for-promoting-critical-thinking/2021/03#:~:text=Although%20critical%20thinking%20often%20defies%20straightforward%20definition%2C%20most,multiple%20sides%20of%20an%20issue%20can%20be%20explored.
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Process
The following videos describe aesthetic education, social imagination, and wide-awakeness.
Maxine Greene in 1998: Imagination - YouTube