The Art Engager

Today I’m doing a deep dive on the most famous and well-known thinking routine of them all - See Think Wonder. I’m going to share with you how you can use this thinking routine in your art discussions and why it’s one of the best routines for getting started with Visible Thinking in the Museum - my method for engaging and connecting with audiences, art and ideas. It’s actually the first thinking routine that I teach when I do a training with teams of educators or guides in a museum and the first routine that I teach on my popular VTMO course. STW is a GREAT thinking routine to use when you are new to Visible Thinking and a really good one to use at the beginning of a guided tour or museum programme. But what is it, how can you use it and, importantly, what's so special about it? All will be revealed today in episode 16!LinksSupport the show The Ultimate Thinking Routine List Visible Thinking in the Museum Online (VTMO) Course

How can you improve your questioning skills without resorting to reading long lists of tips and techniques and do's and don'ts? What can you use to help you create, sort and evaluate better questions? The simple answer is: ART. I’ve been using artworks for years to help me to brainstorm, sort, re-word and improve my questions.Artworks (and objects) provide an engaging and focused way to work on your questioning skills. I’m not an ‘expert questioner’ by any means and have found that this is a skill that I have had to consistently work at to improve. But by using artworks, I really enjoy the process too. In today’s episode I’m going to share with you some practical ways you can use art as a tool to become a better questioner! NOTESSupport the Show: https://buymeacoffee.com/clairebownWikiart.org - https://www.wikiart.org/ How to Ask Brilliant Questions Masterclass https://thinkingmuseum.com/product/how-to-ask-brilliant-questions-that-get-results/

Today I’m sharing 5 simple slow looking ideas for the summer. In our fast-paced society, we scan, we skim and we scroll. We have forgotten what it’s like to really look at something.Slow looking is a wonderful alternative to life in the fast lane. The 5 activities I'll be sharing in this episode are simple, effective ways to slow down, improve your observational skills and focus and notice more details around you. You can use these slow looking activities throughout the summer - either on your own or with friends and family and children. All of the activities are designed to help you develop your ability to see - and in doing so, spark creativity, curiosity and improve focus.By the end of this episode you’ll have a range of great ideas to keep yourself and others engaged in slow looking in a range of different environments (outside and inside), some involve art and some do not. All are designed to help improve your observation skills and help you to slow down and relax.Which activity are you going to try? I’d love to hear how you get on with any of this activities, Please share your thoughts, photos, sketches and or notes via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter using the hashtag #summerslowlookingLINKSSupport the show https://www.buymeacoffee.com/clairebownThinking Museum website https://thinkingmuseum.com

Today I’m talking all about how to use the ‘Unveiling Stories’ thinking routine to investigate multiple layers of meaning with a photograph. This is part of a new series of episodes on the podcast where I share a thinking routine with you and all the insights for how you might be able to use it with an artwork or object with groups - either in-person or online.Unveiling Stories was our ‘thinking routine of the month’ for June in my Membership Programme. Every month we have a specialist thinking routine online class that gives us the opportunity to discover a new thinking routine or to dig a bit deeper into one we already know. Discover in this episode:What is ‘Unveiling Stories’ thinking routine?5 Steps of Unveiling Stories About ‘Unveiling Stories’How we structured the discussion using 'Cross-Border Love' - a photograph by Roland SchmidMy key takeaways and tips for using this thinking routineLINKSSupport the showRoland Schmid, ‘Cross-Border Love’ (25 April, 2020 )Courtesy of World Press Photo https://www.worldpressphoto.org/collection/photo/2021/41420/1/Roland-SchmidThe Thinking Museum MembershipULTIMATE THINKING ROUTINES LIST

Many of us are experts in our field - possibly art historians, historians or archaeologists - and want to share that incredible knowledge with the groups we lead in our programmes.But knowing what information to share, how to share it and when to share it is often tricky – especially on interactive, discussion-based programmes. And what happens when you add too much information? And how much is too much?Sharing information that is engaging and memorable (without overloading your participants) is a great skill to master.In this week's episode I'm sharing some thoughts on information delivery and 6 best practices for how to share your knowledge AND keep your audience engaged and curious (as opposed to bored and frustrated).Make your knowledge work for you. Learn how to use information as a tool to create curiosity and engagement in episode 12!LINKSSupport the showMini-Course From Monologue to dialogue: How to Share Information to Engage and delight your Audience available in my membership programme Patterson Williams, Object‐Oriented Learning in Art Museums Nina Simon, Museum 2.0, 2010, Making Museum Tours Participatory

Perspective-taking is about seeing a situation or understanding a concept from an alternative view point, such as that of someone else. It is a skill that needs to be encouraged - particularly in children. Your brain has to work quite hard to get good at perspective-taking. And in the opposite direction of what it is hard-wired to do - which is to place YOU at the centre of everything. Engaging in perspective-taking means moving away from this starting point in order to understand others. THE GOOD NEWS is that like most things, it gets easier with practice and our perspective-taking skills do improve.  In today's episode I'm going to introduce you to 4 thinking routines that are specifically designed to foster this disposition. You can  use these thinking routines with artworks to create discussions that consider multiple solutions to a problem and look at situations or people from multiple perspectives. LinksSupport the show https://buymeacoffee.com/clairebown Ellen Galinsky ‘Mind in the Making’

So, this week in honour of our 10th episode I’m talking about 10 common traps to avoid when asking questions! For some people questioning comes easily. But for the majority of us, we are not asking enough questions AND we’re not phrasing them in the best way. The good news is that we can all become better questioners with time and practice. To become a better questioner, it’s really important first all to avoid these 10 common mistakes. Which ones of these are you guilty of? I’ve certainly done a few of these in the past! And stay tuned until the end where I’m sharing a follow-up exercise you can do to work on your own questioning skills!LINKSSupport the show https://buymeacoffee.com/clairebown

Welcome back to the Art Engager podcast! Today I’m talking about building rapport and creating a great group dynamic in the 'new now'. Creating a great group dynamic is even MORE important now after the last year or so. We will need to take extra care to create social comfort and psychological safety, we will also need to build trust and social interaction. In this episode I'm talking about :what group dynamics arethe different types of groups you might come acrossthe roles people play in groupsthe size of groupshow to use spaceI'll end by talking about how to still create a great group dynamic even when you’re wearing a face mask, so stay tuned for that at the end of this episode. So, the big questions for today’s episode are:how we are going to lead engaging in-person group experiences around art and objects going forwards?how might we make our audience, our participants feel socially comfortable – what will group dynamics look like now? And how CAN we create a great group dynamic with awareness and sensitivity for how people feel right now. Throughout this episode think about how some of the ideas might work for you or how they could be adapted to your organisation or environment. There is unfortunately not a one-size-fits-all approach to this, but I'm hoping some of these suggestions might help you to think about how you can lead engaging, enjoyable and safe group experiences going forwards. LINKSPriya Parker, ‘The Art of Gathering’ Refresher Course for Teams https://thinkingmuseum.com/refreshercourse/ULTIMATE THINKING ROUTINES LIST

Today I’m talking all about how to use the ‘See Think Me We’ thinking routine to create personal and community connections with artworks. This is part of a new series of episodes on the podcast where I share a thinking routine with you and all the insights for how you might be able to use it with an artwork or object with groups - either in-person or online. See Think Me We was our ‘thinking routine of the month’ recently in the Visible Thinking Membership. Every month we have a specialist thinking routine online class that gives us the opportunity to discover a new thinking routine or to dig a bit deeper into one we already know. Here’s how we used See Think Me We thinking routine to discuss Kerry James Marshall's ‘SOB, SOB’ (2003). LINKSKerry James Marshall, ‘SOB, SOB’ (2003) https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/sob-sob-7874Andrew Wyeth, ‘Christina's World’, (1948) https://www.moma.org/collection/works/78455Amy E Herman, 'Visual Intelligence: Sharpen Your Perception, Change Your Life' Visible Thinking MembershipULTIMATE THINKING ROUTINES LIST

Slow looking is not only an important part of my work, it is also a personal practice - something that I’ve been doing regularly for the last few years. I’m really interested in developing my observational skills and I’m also fascinated by what happens when we spend a longer period of time looking at something. Our general approach to looking is, however, flawed and we try to look at things as briskly and efficiently as possible. We need to slow our looking down and give our brain the time and space to focus on what is in front of us. Developing a daily slow looking practice will enable you to improve your observational skills and start noticing more details. And if we are better at this ourselves, as educators, then we are in a far better position to guide others through the process of slow looking too.So, here are 6 ways you can start to develop your own daily slow looking practice - I’ve included a number of ideas, some outside, some inside, some to do with art, some not. The idea is that you pick one of these activities and you do it every day for a few days and see what happens. After a few days you should start to notice a difference! LinksThe Intelligent Eye, David PerkinsHow to Use your Eyes, James ElkinsOn Looking: 11 Walks with Expert Eyes, Alexander Horowitz