College of Craft and Design offers opportunities to learn outside the classroom
The New Brunswick College of Craft and Design is taking students to Beaverbrook Art Gallery and other locations in which they can deepen their learning experience.
The Foundation of Visual Arts program is taking their history course students to see art pieces in the gallery because they believe it is important to see real examples of the theories they study. This allows students to research and broaden their understanding of the material covered in class.
Students are able to discuss ideas and theories about different art eras, analyze pieces of art, illustrate their points of views, interpret different items, apply theories to real life examples, and even compare works of art from different times.
The opportunity to learn outside of the classroom seems to enrich the learning experiences of NBCCD students by providing a fun experience and giving them more opportunities to understand the material they are covering.
From Baroque to Rococo, and Neoclassical to Romanticisim, there are diverse artistic movements pieces exhibited in the gallery, which makes it possible for students to visit and study at any time.
Bailey Hanson, a student from the Foundation of Visual Arts program, says they have been to Beaverbrook Gallery a couple of times, and that it is a nice characteristic of the class.
“It definitely enriches my experience to see real art in real life, because in our lectures at school we just see photos of it, so we don’t see the real thing.”
When at the gallery, students often have tasks and assignments to complete that are related to the pieces they are examinating and how this connects to the concepts they are currently learning about.
The course professor, Matt Watkins, says it is good to change settings sometimes.
“The day goes by a lot quicker as well when you can get out of the same room and enjoy the museum.”
Watkins also says going to the gallery is important because students can see real examples of what he mentions in class and learn how to distinguish the different art movements the course covers.
Other than outlining what they are learning, when the class goes to the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, the students also practice their presentation and teamwork skills, since they usually present about a certain art piece and are often divided in groups to do some assignments.
Watkins says because the experience of learning outside the classroom is so important, the Foundation of Visual Arts program also organizes field trips to the Christ Church Cathedral, and encourages students to visit the Beaverbrook Art Gallery whenever they can so they can be in frequent contact to real art.
