Humanistic psychologist Carl Rogers once stated that if he were a teacher, he would ask himself, “Can I discover the interests of each individual and permit him or her to follow those interests?” and “Can I be creative in putting [students] in touch with people, experiences, books—resources of all kinds—which stimulate their curiosity and feed their interests?”
Klipfel (2015) draws the conclusion that Rogers’ philosophy on education has much to do with the construct of “authentic learning,” in which a teacher becomes a facilitator of learning who encourages students to explore their interests. According to the author, it follows, then, that those who assume this learner-centered role as educator also would provide for students “the resources and materials necessary for them to learn about their interests” (p. 22).
Furthermore, Rogers hypothesized that when teachers have a desire to discover their students’ interests, those students, in turn, begin to engage in significant learning, which “leads to more lasting learning because that learning carries personal meaning for the learner” (Klipfel, p. 23). The author calls students’ desire to discover more on one of his or her interests “authentic engagement.”
An opportunity to see authentic engagement among art history students
In June 2017, the 10th installment of graphic novels — written and illustrated in collaboration with officials at the Louvre Museum in Paris — will be released. The Cross-Eyed Mutt, by Etienne Davodeau, is published by NBM Graphic Novels, which describes the work as “a raucous satirical comedy that asks: ‘Who decides what makes a work of art worthy of being in a major museum?’”
Current titles published by NBM, all fictional but with elements of art history woven throughout, include The Sky Over The Louvre, Phantoms of the Louvre, An Enchantment, The Glacial Period, The Museum Vaults, On the Odd Hours, Rohan at The Louvre, Cruising Through The Louvre, and Guardians of The Louvre.
Goldsmith (2011) emphasizes the significance of this series as examples of how interest in fine arts can be fostered with books such as these in graphic novel format. “Fine art doesn’t have to be approached without imagination on the part of either the storyteller or the viewer” (p. 25).
See what reviewers are saying about each book in the Louvre collection. (Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the webpage and click “More Author Gallery” to find them all.)
Louvre collection titles, authors, and ISBN numbers
1) The Sky Over The Louvre, Bernar Yslaire and Jean-Claude Carriere, ISBN: 9781561636020
2) Phantoms of The Louvre, Enki Bilal, ISBN: 9781561638413
3) An Enchantment, Christian Durieux, ISBN: 9781561637058
4) The Glacial Period, Nicolas De Crecy, ISBN: 9781561638550
5) The Museum Vaults: Excerpts from the Journal of an Expert, Marc-Antoine Mathieu, (No ISBN, available only as an e-book)
6) On the Odd Hours, Eric Liberge, ISBN: 9781561635771
7) Rohan at The Louvre, Hirohiko Araki, ISBN: 9781561636150
8) Cruising Through The Louvre, David Prudhomme, ISBN: 9781561639908
9) Guardians of The Louvre, Jiro Taniguchi, ISBN: 9781681120348
10) The Cross-Eyed Mutt, Etienne Davodeau, ISBN: 9781681120973 (Release date: June 2017)
REFERENCES
Goldsmith, F. (2011). Picture it: The diverse possibilities of graphic novel literature. Young Adult Library Services, 9(4), 24-26.
Klipfel, K.K. (2015) Authenticity and learning: Implications for reference librarianship and information literacy instruction. College & Research Libraries, 76(1), 19-30.
