Minnesota Summit on Learning & Technology

Visual Thinking Strategies

Brad Hokanson

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Keywords: visual literacy, evidence based thinking

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Abstract

VTS is a way to facilitate discussions of works of art that develops a set of thinking skills and behaviors that transfer to oral, written, and cognitive skills in other fields. It builds on evidence-based reasoning to examine aesthetic work and can employ that same reasoning structure in anatomy, urban design, or human interaction. In contrast, while critical thinking is revered in education, it often does not well address the visual fields.

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Author Biography

Brad Hokanson, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Brad Hokanson is a professor in the College of Design at the University of Minnesota. He has a diverse academic record, including degrees in art, architecture, urban design, and he received his Ph.D. in Instructional Technology. He teaches classes on visual and critical thinking and received an Imagine Grant to develop his work in the area of Visual Thinking Strategies.