Action Research

I am interested in developing an Integrated Arts Education unit with a disposition of Inquiry. I think that the Arts provide a perfect vehicle for carrying an Inquiry approach, leading the exploration, discovery and creation. The Arts have long held the position as the Voice that challenges the status quo. A Post Modern stance that allow us to see from a variety of perspectives, engaging with concepts through many lenses.

What happens if we …?

How will it change if it is ….?

I made a mistake, but now it will become a ….

Inquiry develop creative and critical thinking and encourages students to engage, persist, follow notions, make mistakes into opportunities, envision and to create. Would this kind of approach in Arts Education then have an impact on the student submissions into the local Science Fair?

Sharon Friesen talks about Inquiry as a disposition in this video:

This would be a way to develop material to support the new Sask curriculum – anyone want to collaborate with me? We could play together…

This video was made by two high school students as a response to the Eisner article “Ten Lessons the Arts Teach“. It is an excellent example of students thinking critically and creatively as they analyze the lessons and reinterpret it using images of their own world and of their own making.

Kudos to their teacher, Ms. Weber who had the good sense to take a question posed by a student and to turn it into a learning moment. Ms. Weber helped identify a process and guided the students through an exploration about what we have to learn from the Arts. They looked at their real world and made it make sense.

Today I spent about 5 hours working with a teacher, side by side, problem solving and trying out media tools and social networking together.  Our primary focus was learning how to upload images and getting comfortable on the Ning.  We both had headaches by the time we finished but with it came a feeling of accomplishment. She seemed to feel over the barrier that had been holding her back from engaging with documentation.

Time is the biggest factor when trying to learn new technology – that and the need to make it personal and meaningful to your practice.  I might be a strong advocate for our division’s laptop program and be spreading the word on the value of documentation in the arts, but this drive will only go so far in making change happen. I have found that the teacher needs to feel confident in the procedure, ready to take risks with the tools and feel that the effort will be worthwhile for their practice. No one wants to waste their time. Time is precious.

I realized today that sometimes my job is about holding hands. I don’t mean that to seem condescending – this teacher is intelligent, creative and gifted in her work.  What she needed was time to focus on the task, encouragement to explore and take risks and to support the problem solving.  Holding hands indicates a side-by-side, trusting relationship.

This image was created at www.wordle.net and is composed from the text of my Inspiration blog page. This unique tool captures a word based image that relates repetition of language to the size of the font (implied importance). An interesting way to analyze thoughts, to glean meaning from the message.