This paper begins by discussing the problem of preparing students to teach visual art when its terrain and boundaries are vague and when the debate about its nature as a cognitive/non-cognitive experience -one crucial to educators -has not been satisfactorily resolved. It goes on to explore the concern with establishing what constitutes "Art" and what does not, as evidenced in the range of questions posited by student teachers in visual art in a term essay. A distinction is drawn between the question "What is art?", which has to do with universal principles, and "Is this (specific object/artifact) art?" which not only makes implicit reference to the questioners lack of trust, but also characterises an evaluative stance. It is then argued that a preoccupation with evaluation, evident in a study of student teachers, at best inhibits, and at worst aborts aesthetic engagement. Suggestions are then offered on ways of moving student teachers -a great number of whom have not taken art after primary school -beyond an evaluative position to one of confidence and competence in their teaching of Art.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.