AESTHETICS AND EDUCATION
DEFINITION
OF AESTHETICS
The term
Aesthetics is derived from Greek word Aisthanesthai
which means to perceive. It points
to the relationships that human senses (visual, Tactile, olfactory, taste and
auditory senses) build when they grasp nature or art. It is the sum total of
feelings aroused by the sensual experiences, the character of the experience of
the things themselves and the subjective judgment of desirability related with
perceiving physical entities or actions. Desirability condition of Aesthetics
is pegged on empiricism, and as such it be can be re-defined as the
Philosophical study of Beauty.
CRITERIA
FOR BEAUTY
I. Platonian threefold criteria: Plato
posits a tripartite criteria for beauty; Proportion, Harmony and Unity.
a. Mathematical Proportionality as a
determinant of Beauty: What is beautiful is thus
mathematically proportional in its constituent elements. The bigger the
difference in ratios the uglier an entity, the smaller the ratio equivalence
the more beautiful an entity.
b. Harmony as a determinant of Beauty:
In
regards to harmony, the different parts of an entity must necessarily function
together for that entity to be perceived as beautiful. The Platonian concept of
harmony is based on co-relationality and co-functionality of the parts in a
whole.
c. Unity as a determinant of Beauty: The
concept of unity infers the oneness of beauty. Whatever is beautiful is such
that it is not disjointed and disintegrated but possess unity as a
transcendental property.
II. Beauty according to Aristotle:
According to Aristotle beauty is Order, Symmetry and 'Determinateness'.
a.
Order
as premise of Beauty: Order of things that exist
according to Aristotle's supreme genera
includes Quantity, Quality, Place, Time Relation, condition, Action,
receptivity, position and substance. The supreme genera in which Aristotle
ordered reality is a significant criteria for determining what is beautifully
because then everything should be placed or conceived to be placed in its
correct category. For instance ugliness implies confusing time with space, or a
thing X being located in a wrong place or at a
wrong time, What is beautiful is beautiful therefore that which is in its right place
and being present there at the right time with the right condition, performing
the correct action.
b. Symmetry as a premise of Beauty: Aristotle
envisions two aspects of symmetry as a foundation of Beauty: The mathematical
symmetry and the ontological symmetry. From mathematical perspective, Aristotle
considers the circle to be the most perfect form; the heavenly bodies must
therefore all orbit the earth in perfect, circular uniform motion. The symmetry
of circularity is determined by the equivalence of the semicircles which must
of necessity be equal or appear to be equal to each other. The central line or
diameter in Aristotelian circle is therefore a determinant factor in beauty. Further
the beauty of a circle is based on its continuity. It has neither beginning nor
end and so is beauty. From ontological perspective, Act and potency determine
the beauty of a an entity in that the
being-ness of any entity is a circularity between transitions from act to
potency and from potency to act .
c. Determinateness as Premise of Beauty: The concept of determinateness as a
criterion of aesthetics is premised on the nature of the relation between Genus
and Species. Genus and differentia are best viewed in terms of
determinable and determinate yet a determinate is neither a conjunction of its
determinable. Neither is it something else distinct from its determinable. The
beauty of an entity is thus the associative relation between the Genus and the species
of an entities which are commutatively the determinate and the determinable.
AESTHETICS IN EDUCATION
a. Curriculum content that promotes beauty:
An aesthetical curriculum lays emphasis on knowing by perceiving. Beauty is perceived first as an empirical
predicate then assessed as a mental object. As such curriculum would not miss
content in the physical sciences which are simply an expression of the beauty
of the natural world. It should also include cosmetics, and creative arts and
crafts to sooth the visual percept, performing arts and music as extensions of
langue to entertain the acoustic percept, Domestic and catering sciences to
evoke the power of taste. Thigmo
sciences and arts like acupressure, acupuncture, massage and spa to activate
the power of the touch. Children at
their earlier years need to be exposed to adequate play, and the older ones and
adults to sports and physical fitness to sensitize the senses otherwise beauty
curriculum can either be boring or can lead to addiction.
b. Method of delivery of an aesthetic
curriculum. Apart from content itself, the way in which content is
delivered can either be aesthetic or otherwise. A teacher is good not by how
much he knows but buy how he delivers what he knows. A good delivery involves
using diverse and creative approaches; monotony leads to aesthetic lethargy and
disinterest in learning. Tonal
variations for instance are not just used in music festivals but also in a
class room delivery. An aesthetic teacher pats his student on the back, greets
them, and maintains respectful physical contact with the learners. Teaching
aids should appeal to most or all the five senses and should have aspects of
proportionality.
c. Learning Environment: Learning
environment is a space specifically set aside for the specific reason of
learning and instruction. Its comportment, structure, content and divisions
affect the learning process. It is directly an aesthetical space and being so
it influences the efficacy of learning through the perception the learners
attribute to it. In Educational set up for instance an ugly classroom might be
one in which there is disproportionate arrangement of lockers and chairs let's
say absence of rows, or most of the chairs being heaped on one side while
leaving an empty unused space. It can also be a dirty and disorderly learning
environment activates a feeling of disgust.The stronger the feeling of disgust
the more the concentration on resolving the disgust than on learning.
d. Grooming for Educational ends: A
teacher or a learner worse dress code is ugly would be considered as one whose
ratio of clothes do not match, or whose colors are not harmonious with each
other. A neatly clad teacher or learner exudes confidence, which is necessary
for effective learning. Indecent dress codes are not just unethical but also unaesthetic
because they invoke both conceptive and
perceptive disgust.
AESTHETICS AND CREATIVITY ILLUSTRATED IN SCHOOL SET UP
A1. NEAT CLASS ROOM IS AN AESTHETIC CLASS ROOM
A2. CONSIDER THIS
B. AESTHETICS IN PERFORMING ARTS
D. TEACHING AIDS
