Self-Portraiture in the Information Classroom

Abstract

Arts-based pedagogy is a methodology that integrates artistic practices with other domains to enhance student learning, and it has been shown to engage students and deepen their knowledge acquisition, help them connect theory and practice, inspire positive mood and social learning, and more. Though arts-based pedagogy is not yet widely used in LIS courses, it aligns with skills that information professionals today are asked to develop, such as creativity and design thinking. This short communication offers two arts-based approaches that instructors can use to imbue their classes with creativity in the form of self-portrait drawing. The first is an hour-long reflective drawing activity appropriate for the beginning or end of a course, and the second is a longitudinal activity in which self-portraits are used for taking attendance. These are “small teaching” approaches that can be readily integrated within an existing course without much effort.