What is Artful Thinking?

Developed by Harvard University’s Project Zero, artful thinking routines use works of visual art to strengthen students’ thinking and learning.  They motivate and engage students in critical thinking activities through close “reading” of a piece of visual art.  For Picture Lab, artful thinking is a natural fit for our lessons, because it allows students to interact with our featured artists by observing, analyzing, making inferences, and finding connections.  Even Kindergarteners do this well!  Artful Thinking is extremely learner-driven as our volunteers take on the role of facilitator.  It is much less about the information they have to pass along and much more about how they can guide students to think critically and creatively for themselves.

So, as you look at the painting by Frida Kahlo, consider these questions:

·      What do you see?

·      What does it make you think?

·      What does it make you wonder?