One essential question I had when I started my research project was whether or not what I present in my methods class will carry over into student teaching, and then into the classroom of beginning Art teachers. If I threw out the idea by modeling it would it come back in the form of student practice? Preliminary anecdotal data is showing me that this may indeed be the case. So much so in fact that I've found myself reminding students that when they design a feedback activity to administer to their students it can be a visual format and not just a written format! Oh the irony! Not only are most of my students asking the students at the Lab School, their elementary practicum location, to write as part of their Art lesson - but they're doing the same in my methods class with their peer teaching. Which leads me to the question - can it really be this easy?
I'm sure there are big steps in between where the writing will be lost, but I can assure you that my current research population seems to be fully embracing the idea of writing as another way of reflecting and/or expanding on their visual learning/expression. What I need to do now is find new creative ways to help students transition this into the classroom so their Art lessons don't appear to be more about literary narrative than visual narrative. (Okay, those of you going "what's wrong with literary narrative" - remember I teach ART!) It seems clear that I need to explore new strategies to infuse the kind of writing into our instruction that will reinforce the parallels between the various narrative forms without taking away too much Art-making time.
So my research seems to have acted as a boomerang and what I threw out as a lark is coming back to me, leaving more questions in its wake.
7 comments:
Well, that's an excellent problem to have I would say. I think you're in a great position to examine ways to find balance.
Also, it's a great opportunity to keep working on the intersection of the two disciplines and collecting data on how writing informs the experience of creating and viewing art. How does it change the way your students see their work and the work of their students?
I agree with Jason that this is an excellent problem to have!
Of course, I also think that it is wonderful to see the influence you have on your students. I know it would not take someone long to recognize Cindy's influence in my classroom (beyond book clubs) as she was my methods teacher.
As I read your post I was struck by your concern about keeping art making and writing seperate. I remember that you teach ART, yet I surprised by this concern. I wonder if the focus of your students on writing in their lessons is somehow hindering their ability (or the ability of their students) to create/interpret art. Is it a problem to have them pair writing and art making? Are they neglecting art making in favor of writing? Maybe I'm confused about the premise of your research which I believed was to help students use writing (in an organized format) to reflect on art. Possibly my questions are not relevant, but you have me wondering...
Rebecca, your comments are totally relevent (thank you very much!). My concern lies in the fact that in some instances students are inserting a writing activity in place of an art-making activity - into a place where the art-making activity would help students better understand the process in which they've been engaged. I want the writing to enhance the art-making and viewing process, not overtake. It would be like asking students in a creative writing class to make only picture books (and I mean picture books with no words), while the activity would be useful, it would distract from the main purpose of the class.
Does that make any sense at all?
That makes perfect sense! Thank you for clarifying.
It sounds as though your students have found a new "sweetheart" in writing; since it is new and fresh and exciting they have given up eating, drinking, sleeping, and all the essentials (art making in their case) in favor of this new love. Like most of the infatuated, they will need guidance to understand that all things in moderation is best...thankfully you're there to provide that guidance.
Woo-hoo! This is great news! What I think would be terrific is to think about *adding* the other types of writing you want to use along with the narrative that they're already using. It would be *terrific* if kids were writing in multiple genres at any point in their education, but the fact that they'd be able to do that in art would be a terrific bonus!
p.s. I'd be interested to see what you think about Jason's (jc clarke's) question at the end of his comment below.
In response to Cindy's interest in Jasons question - this is a question I've asked myself. Honestly I'm not sure. My instinct tells me that at this point in time I think the writing is being done to just meet a literacy requirement. My ultimate goal would be to see students develop their strategies to the point where there IS an impact on the art-making process or the art itself.
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