Visual inference involves using prior knowledge and contextual cues to make educated guesses about incomplete or ambiguous information. This study explores the role of visual inference as a function of expertise in the context of fingerprint examination, where professional examiners need to determine whether two fingerprints were left by the same…

Changing perspectives of children and recognition of the importance of researching with, rather than on, children, have contributed to a great deal of interest in participatory research methods. While many participatory methods have been developed to incorporate visual elements, uncertainty remains about the role and purpose of the image within…

Employers in the 21st century seek graduates with a demonstrated ability to be independent, self-managing, lifelong learners. In this paper the authors explore student responses to a tutorial activity designed to promote lifelong learning skills. The activity is framed around situated learning theory, and capitalises on the affordances of video…

Media literacy is a topic that is being addressed globally as greater numbers of people become aware of the need to teach audience members how they are influenced by the media. Here, two of its broad categories - captive and voluntary - are identified. Examples of media literacy programs in Canada and Australia are also presented to illustrate the…

Discusses media literacy in Australia, where it is an integral component of school literacies from K-12. Discusses the teaching of analytic skills to develop strategies for thinking about the meanings media transmit and the meanings viewers construct for themselves. Describes classroom activities involving the studies of texts, audiences, media…

Maintains that the various components of philosophical inquiry (reasoning, forming concepts, translating) can serve as useful methods for art education research. Discusses four approaches to philosophical research: analytic, phenemenological, feminist, and pragmatic. Reviews examples of each drawn from recent art education literature. (MJP)

Advocates reconceptualizing visual arts as a core subject embodying key elements of experiential learning and critical thinking through an interdisciplinary approach. Illustrates this approach with a discussion of the interconnected issues surrounding family snapshots (social history, aesthetics, technological advancement). Discusses issues of…