Instructor Highlight | Karly Etz, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor | Art History | Susquehanna University

Template: Context Spheres

Example: Monet Context Sphere

Video: Karly shares how she uses context spheres with art history students

Detailed Walkthrough

Dr. Karly Etz uses context sphere in Lucidspark to help students contextualize their learning and think about the larger historical and social context.

In Dr. Etz’s class, students start by adding the main object, topic, or painting (in this case) being studied in the middle.  Then, students look at the immediate surface level information about the artist and what was happening in their personal life that may have had a direct impact on the painting. As students move outward, each ring in the sphere encourages students to go beyond the obvious influences and identify larger outside influences such as the artist's local community, city, country and the world as a whole.

Once students have completed their context sphere, either individually or in groups, they have an organized visual reminder essential to crafting a well-rounded class discussion of the topic, object, or historical event.