LTC 8740 - Day 3

New Symbols designed by my 4th Grade students, inspired by Olivia Gude's presentation at the MU Art Ed Symposium, my favorites include Bacon Crossing, Fainting Goats, Gangnam Style, and No Ballerinas Allowed.

Transmediation as a Metaphor for New Literacies in Multimedia –

Transmediation, as defined by the author -“taking understandings from one system and moving them into another sign system.”

The bulk of education is spent on the mechanics of teaching children to read and write, little time is spent teaching meaning making or meaning comprehension of the complex multisensory world in which they live. The process of transmediation actively involves the analysis of text through varied and complex methods, it facilitates the process of students demonstrating the knowledge and skills they bring in from the outside, and is an excellent platform for students to explore social justice.

Eisner says, “In a metaphoric sense, becoming multiliterate means being able to inscribe or decode meaning in different forms of representation.” (p 22) Yet Semali and Fuyo assert “…emphasis on these multiple forms of representation continues to be seen as innovation.” At the 2013 Art Ed Symposium both Dr. Unrath and Dr. Gude stressed the importance of art educators seizing the opportunity to embrace transmediation as part of the art curriculum. I believe it was Gude who cautioned that some other field of education would gladly latch onto what rightfully belongs to visual arts educators. I could not agree more. “Students bring what they know and have learned in their communities into the classroom.” Again, this is in agreement with Eisner, the idea that meaning depends on what the individual brings to the experience. (p17)

Freedman Chapter 3  The Social Life of Art

The importance of establishing connections between the art of the past to the present assists in helping students understand the complexities of the world. Seeing these connections involves the ability to see how the past relates to the present, as well as to the future. Freedman warns that history is not the past, but a reconstruction of the past. Art history frequently fails to omit details such as social, political, and economic concerns during the time the art was created, so tend to present a very linear timeline. “From this perspective, actions and events seem to be discrete bits of time, independent of the historical and cultural frameworks that make them possible and outside the multidimensional medium of time and space that suspend them.” Art history for postmodern times devotes greater attention to social and cultural issues. In order for art history to make sense it needs to touch students in meaningful ways and establish connections both inside as well as outside the classroom. It is critical that students have context on which to base judgments about art.

Chapter 3 pinged so much off of Eisner that I began writing PING – Eisner all over the notes I was taking. Meaningful connections – PING, inside and outside the classroom – PING, PING. (It was like a pinball machine in my head!) However, there were two things that really got my attention. One was the reference to the bad example of the “art in the dark” art history teaching method. I understood completely, as for nine credit hours as an undergraduate I endured the painful process of sitting in a darkened auditorium, early in the morning, usually after closing down Old Barney’s, my favorite pub. Is it any wonder that the only piece of art from all of that history I remember is The Venus of Willendorf, now known as the Woman of Willendorf? The other, was the passage, “Much of what we teach are remnants of knowledge.” (p 49) I think that art history is an area of personal weakness in my teaching. Freedman tells us that by enabling student to make those connections between then and now creates greater knowledge, and PING to Eisner, I see this as part of that symbiotic relationship – “by responding to the contributions of others, in turn we provide others with material to which they respond.” (Eisner p 57) Does that make sense? I can now see a clear reason for doing a better job in teaching art history and I’m starting to envision some fun and meaningful ways to do so.

Freedman Chapter 4  Art and Cognition, Knowing Visual Culture

“The relationship between form, feeling, and knowing is an important part of cognitive processing.” (p 82) The ability to critically understand visual culture involves the viewer’s ability to relate what they see to previous knowledge. The brain seeks out patterns and relationships to previous knowledge, and it is through this process that learning takes place. It is a natural response to try to interpret the message that an artist is trying to communicate. Visual culture is understood differently depending on the education and experience of the viewer. (PING to Houssen and VTS) In order for learning to take place, students need to participate in interpretation and analysis. Freedman asserts that Postmodern art education should include Constructivism, distributed cognition (“…the understanding that in the real world, objects and people are part of not only what we know, but how we know.” P 83) , and situated knowledge as methods which foster growth.

Although Freedman's style of writing is difficult for me, ( Eisner I would add to my list of dinner party guests, Freedman, not so much) given my previous experience with VTS, I have to say that chapter four was one where I actually understood what she was saying the first time I read it. My brain could see the relationship to what it already understood about constructivism and collective meaning! As a side note, just a few days ago my husband and I were speculating the reasons "why censored imagery of the past that greatly angered some viewers may seem tame to us now." (p 64) My reasonings were pretty much in line with Freedman's, how strange is that?

LTC 8740 - Day 2

A Popplet of Chapter 3

                    

“Not only do artists feed the consciousness of others; the work artists engage in feeds their own consciousness.” (P 69) I love that we experienced this today in our chair drawing exercise.  Just as Eisner says, we dealt with materials albeit simple ones, made judgments and comparisons of our quick sketches, and reflected on the choices that we made. Being paired with similar chair drawers afforded the opportunity to consider what made us envision that particular chair. And, as Eisner says, here I am hours later still contemplating, still wondering, and contemplating the way I could use a similar activity with my own students.

As I read Chapter 3, again, I kept a running mental tab, evaluating my own strengths and weaknesses. I mentally applauded that just last week I purged almost all of my old examples, files, and lesson plans. After thirteen years I no longer felt comfortable feeling comfortable. I laughed when I read, “The surest road to hell in a classroom is to stick to the lesson plan, no matter what.” (P 48) Who hasn’t traveled that path at least once? Doggedly determined to make it work when you know beyond reasonable doubt, that it’s just not going to, but #$@* it, you’re doing it anyway.

Chapter 4 What the Arts Teach and How it Shows

Before identifying the cognitive abilities students are likely to develop as a result of studying in and through the arts Eisner introduces four forces that affect what students learn:

·      The experience of working through the activity and with the materials

·      The connections the teacher establishes

·      The thinking that is promoted and / or discouraged

·      The climate of the classroom, or in Eisner’s terms, the ambiance

What the arts teach:

·      Attention to relationships – how do the parts relate to the whole

·      Flexible purposing – the ability to see work as a conversation, to pursue unexpected outcomes as a result of thought and feeling.

·      Using materials as mediums –using skillful thought and sensitivity to guide technique.

·      Shaping form to create expressive content – the ability to evoke an emotional response as a result of manipulating a medium.

·      The exercise of imagination – developing the capacity to see the world in unexpected ways, to ponder ‘what if?’

·      Learning to frame the world from an aesthetic perspective – making sense of the world through the frame of an artistic lens.

·      The ability to transform qualities of experience into speech and text – the freedom to use speech, written and / or spoken to describe their need noticing, and to acquire an understanding of “art as a cultural artifact.” (P 89)

It has been years since I seriously paused to consider what the arts teach. It’s something I do 184 days of the year and as one of my classmates mentioned, I know it’s about more than making pretty things to hang on the wall! This chapter offers some valuable advocacy tools, most of which fall right in line with the Common Core, and STEAM.

I got hung up on “Materials become media when they mediate.” (P 80) Then, being the jester that I am, I got side-tracked wondering what other words would work if I used that sentence structure as a fill in the blanks response with the rule being that all of the words had to start with the same letter. __________ becomes __________ when they _____________. My own little imagination spark!

Chapter 2 Finding Meaning in Aesthetics (Freedman)

Freedman offers a background in the history of meaning in aesthetics, and offers a serious argument for understanding aesthetics in Visual Culture today. A great deal of this chapter is concerned with the origins of formalism and the lack of their relevance to post modern art and post modern viewers of art.

 My district is guilty of being very formalist with art curriculum. As both Freedman and Eisner have noted, schools tend to seek out a magic / scientific equation for making education work. They fail to take into account the fact that this model is highly ineffective, and that human beings bring humanness into the balance.

Barrett –

“Whether art seems confounding or readily understandable, it has potential for provoking and sustaining interesting interpretations. (Principles for Interpreting Art p 2)” As I read the Barrett articles last night the words “delicate dance” kept bubbling to the surface. It’s so important that we impart these skills to our students, that they learn what it takes to become good interpreters. They must be able to make sense of the images / art that they encounter, and they must have the tools for understanding the interpretations of others.  One of my most favorite all time quotes is from the Smith-Shank book, Semiotics And Visual Culture: Sights, Signs, And Significance introduction - "un-interrogated responses to visual input are dangerous to democracy." Does it get any more important than that?

LTC 8740 - Day 1

Image borrowed from http://lego.marknam.com/

                               

The Role of the Arts in Transforming Consciousness

 Life is defined by the way man interacts with and responds to the world. The unique character of an individual is developed through sensory interaction with the world and the culture, or shared way of life of his environment. The culture of mankind develops and advances through the formation of concepts. Concepts allow man to imagine and create new possibilities, which are then shared. Eisner also speaks of culture as “the medium for growing things.” (p.3) Therefore, educational experiences teach people how to become, or grow into, who they are. The evolution of a culture is dependent upon imagination. The arts facilitate the process of imagination. Art education provides a safe place to dream, to ponder, to create, evaluate, share, and respond. Eisner describes this act of response as symbiotic, and attributes this cycle to the growth of a culture. After listening to Sir Ken Robinson’s talk in class, as I read Chapter 1, I couldn’t help but wonder, the effect of standardized test prep on “the child’s ability to develop his or her mind.” (p. 24) A first grade teacher in my building recently shared that the rigor of the first grade general education curriculum leaves no time for project-based activities. Students are too busy learning the mechanics of paragraph writing, basic fractions, and memorizing the names and attributes of complex shapes. In first grade?! If the art room is the only place at school where students are encouraged to imagine, then, I feel a lot of pressure to step-up my game and do the very best that I can. My students deserve that, and our culture is dependent on it. Thanks, Eisner, one more thing to keep me awake at night!

 Visions and Versions of Arts Education

There are many different versions of Arts Education today, each developed to serve the needs of different times, each with different aims: • Discipline Based Arts Education (DBAE) – teaches students to “think like artists” (p. 26) focused on – the construction of art, the appreciation of art, it’s place in culture, discussion and evaluation. • Visual Culture – promotes an understanding of pop culture in addition to fine arts. Art is valued as a way to comprehend and better the world. • Creative Problem Solving – focuses on design, students are taught to think like designers. • Creative Self Expression – arts explored as a therapeutic outlet. • Arts Education as Preparation for the World of Work – arts viewed as a “skill set” (p 34) to prepare for workplace success. • The Arts and Cognitive Development – Use of the arts to promote critical thinking skills. • Using the Arts to Promote Academic Performance – Not genuinely supported by data, a last ditch effort to try when everything else has failed. • Integrated Arts – use of the arts to establish connections across subject areas. Eisner offers five principals for Guiding Practice, and recommends that they be used to best serve the needs of the situation. The Arts Should: • Be valued for their distinctive nature. • “Foster the growth of artistic intelligence.” (P 43) • Teach students how to create and respond to art, and the role of arts in culture. • Help students become aware of their own individuality. • Teach students to view their world through an artistic lens.

 A product of Old School art education, my own teacher preparation was heavily grounded in the teachings of Lowenfeld, and I can’t help but be a big fan of creative self-expression. (Ah, sweet nostalgia! After reading Alex’s imagination spark I find myself wondering how the world would be had technology not evolved. Hmmm…) However, I recognize that students today need a healthy dose of Visual Culture, and I can’t argue with Integrated Arts as long as all areas are valued equally. Eisner’s principals seem to blend the best of the various visions and versions successfully.

 Teaching Visual Culture

 The Freedman chapter was indeed dense material, and, like Kathy said, I found myself reading and rereading because I found it to be so profound. “People can be included or excluded through discourse. They can gain power by adopting a discourse viewed as legitimate by people who have power.” (P 3) It has been my personal experience that art’s education is viewed of as a nice extra activity…a good way to engage students so that the real teachers get a break. It has also been my experience as the world begins to realize the importance of imagination and creativity, the arts may well be teetering on the brink of gaining that power! What an exciting time to be involved in the role of arts education. Not that I need ‘the power’, but it would be great if I could get others to share my passion or at the very least, appreciate it as being valid! I particularly like Freedman’s description of “discursive relations” and the fact that they are “fluent and expansive rather than formulaic.” YES! YES! YES! Curriculum should be living and breathing and reflective of the world and popular culture. To teach with a shallow and restrictive set of dated guidelines does no good to anyone, and, in fact, seems counter-productive, sucking the very life-blood from the creative soul.

 Imagination first, Lesson Spark Unlocking the power of possibility Practice #11 Swap Bodies, Lose yourself in a Role I envision this as a lesson for 5th grade. I would begin the activity by having students fill out a worksheet answering questions about their dreams, aspirations, fears, and a favorite memory. Next, I’d have them brainstorm the ways that people can be different. Hopefully they would touch on appearance, gender, age, abilities, race, personal interests, etc. I think I’d have them do an image search and collect a bank of different people. Students would then select a person different from himself or herself and imagine that they were that person. (Pretty certain that I’d have to emphasize that they weren’t picking a specific person or I think I’d end up with a room full of Taylor Swifts, Drakes, and a Kardashian or two.)  I would give them time to practice playing with their new role, and then have them repeat the worksheet activity, answering the same questions. Art making could involve an exploration of identity in their new body.

STEAM

Collaboration, communication, play...Why is it so difficult for the rest of the population to do, or even recognize the signifigance, that which comes naturally to us right brained folks?

Perfect Illustration

One of my Facebook friends posted this image, I wish I were able to credit it's creator. It neatly scaffolds right into the 'What's on My Mind' unit my fifth graders are working on. I love it when things fall into place like that!