Local to Global: Teaching Critical Thinking through Art—the Gallery’s first MOOC

Julie Carmean, manager of national teacher programs, National Gallery of Art, and Sara Lesk, manager of Art Around the Corner, National Gallery of Art Using Harvard Project Zero’s Artful Thinking Routines and the Gallery’s collection, Julie Carmean and Sara Lesk transformed research into practice by creating the Gallery’s first Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). The MOOC provides pre-service, K–12, and museum educators with a free opportunity to bring critical thinking through art to students around the world. In this conversation, held on January 27, 2020, as part of the Works in Progress Lecture Series, Julie and Sara present an overview of the history of the project, a glimpse inside the course, and current data from online learners and discuss the project’s future.