ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to define aesthetics and explain its purpose in the choice-based art curriculum and develops instructional resources for teaching aesthetics. It explores best practices for teaching students aesthetic inquiry methods. Aesthetic inquiry encourages students to articulate definitions of art, search for meaning, and broaden their perspectives by learning other people’s views about what art might be. In teaching a choice-based art curriculum, educators ask students of all ages to contemplate art’s meaning through aesthetic inquiry. Aestheticians construct new knowledge and theories to aid society in determining which artistic products to value and preserve. Life provides special moments when people feel physically and emotionally moved by an artwork and have an aesthetic experience. Teachers set students on the path to aesthetic literacy using diverse inquiry methods. Aestheticians develop aesthetic categories to investigate art’s meaning and teach viewers to value art beyond personal preferences.
