"In a time when images play an increasingly central role in both everyday life and education, it becomes essential to explore their impact and pedagogical potential. This paper offers a comparative analysis of national curricula in Slovakia and the Czech Republic, with a focus on how visual literacy is supported and where the curriculum provides space for students’ direct, embodied engagement with cultural artefacts.
We distinguish between mediated image perception – such as photographs of artefacts – and multisensory, real-life encounters that occur in galleries, museums, or sacred spaces. We examine to what extent such experiences are institutionalized in curricula, and how teachers can leverage them to foster students’ affective, ethical, and spiritual competencies.
The paper also highlights the pedagogical traditions in both countries that encourage moving beyond the classroom into culturally and symbolically rich environments. One of the central questions raised is how to integrate the power of images – as carriers of meaning and transformation – into systematic teaching strategies that account for students’ well-being, resilience, and holistic development."
Saturday November 1, 2025 12:00pm - 12:25pm MDT TBA
