Slow Looking

Shari Tishman is Senior Research Associate at Project Zero, a research and development center at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she also serves as a lecturer on education. Her work focuses on the development of thinking and understanding, and learning in and through the arts.

"All too often, we traverse our rich and wondrous world like stones skipping across a pond. Slow Looking, Shari Tishman's brilliantly curated exploration of thoughtful attention to the things around us, celebrates the importance of sensory lingering in art, science, and our everyday lives."—David Perkins, Professor Emeritus, Harvard Graduate School of Education, USA"Shari Tishman has been at the center of Harvard Project Zero's important research in arts-based learning for many years. She has also worked directly with visual arts educators in both school and museum settings to develop practical applications that serve a diverse range of learners. Slow Looking presents relevant and important insights distilled from deep experience and thoughtful reflection. Tishman’s lively and direct prose argues for the value of slow looking through compelling examples that will make this book an inspiring and useful catalyst for those of us committed to living more slowly, seeing more deeply, and learning about our complex world."—Ray Williams, Director of Education and Academic Affairs at the Blanton Museum of Art, University of Texas at Austin, USA"Slow Looking strikes the perfect balance between practicality and philosophical depth. Tishman writes fluidly and moves easily among descriptions of classroom technique, phenomenological analysis of observation, and the intellectual history of student-centered education. Slow Looking will be a continual source of inspiration in my own teaching and scholarship – it is highly recommended."—Joshua Canzona, Reflective Teaching, 2017"[Tishman] defines ‘slow looking’ as a mode of learning, a means of gaining knowledge through observation. . . . The goal is to move beyond the first impression toward a more immersive experience [that] benefits our cognitive activities of critical and creative thinking."—Clare Kunny, caa.reviews, College Art Association"A rewarding classroom practice . . . Slow Looking strikes the perfect balance between practicality and philosophical depth. Tishman writes fluidly and moves easily among descriptions of classroom technique, phenomenological analysis of observation, and the intellectual history of student-centered education."—Joshua Canzona, Wabash Center"Using an interdisciplinary lens, this engaging and informative book explores the historical foundations of slow looking, its application in various fields, and strategies for educators on how best to implement slow looking in settings where meaningful learning is the priority. The book offers rich insights into the practice of slow looking in diverse contexts."—Servet Altan, LSE Review of Books

• AcknowledgmentsChapter 1 Introduction: Slow MattersChapter 2 Strategies for LookingChapter 3 Slow in PracticeChapter 4 Looking and DescribingChapter 5 Look for Yourself…and Visit a Museum!Chapter 6 Looking Goes to SchoolChapter 7 Science Learns to LookChapter 8 Slow Looking and ComplexityChapter 9 Conclusion: Thinking Through SlowIndex