Walker, M. A. (2014). From theory to practice: Concept-based inquiry in a high school art classroom. Studies in Art Education, 55(4), 287-299.
This article was an inquiry into the effectiveness of the teaching methods of a specific high school art teacher. The author’s research questions were:
The research methodology used was a mixed methods qualitative study that combined survey and case study. The researcher considered phenomenology during her observations and notes and used triangulation to analyze her data. Data Collection Who: The author studied 26 students between the ages of 14-19 and their high school art teacher. The students were racially diverse and had varying levels of experience in art prior to this class. The researcher met this teacher during his presentation during the 2007 NAEA conference. What: The author collected data using a questionnaire given to students at the beginning and end of the study, observing in the classroom, conducting interviews with the students and the instructor, student artwork, video, audio, and student and teaching reflective writing samples. The researcher interviewed the teacher and 14 of the 26 students, recorded class discussions, photographed student artwork. When: This study was conducted over 5 months. Where: The study was conducted at a public high school with a mostly white and middle class demographic. It is the only high school in the district, but the teacher studied is not the only art teacher in the building. I think the methods used were able to answer the research questions. The author concluded that students in Mr. Miller’s class grew in their level of engagement, more diverse in the depth of concepts they tackled. They chose more unconventional materials, and used a more sophisticated decision making and problem solving process. From student interviews, she found that students felt valued, developed a stronger sense of self, better problem solving skills, and a better ability to apply what they had learned to themselves and other classes. Even though Mr. Miller does not self-identify as a TAB teacher, the goals of his teaching are very similar or the same. He wants his students to be creative and make postmodern art that is expressive and meaningful. He believes his teaching style represents a paradigm shift away from traditional skills and elements and principles focused curriculum. In his class, students choose their own materials and process to answer an essential question. They also work reflect on their work through writing before and after making what Miller calls their “artifact”. This study definitely shows that Mr. Miller’s teaching style and philosophy does increase student growth and artistic thinking. The limitations of the study are that it is only in one classroom with one teachers. The study is unable to answer if other teachers could replicate the results by using Mr. Miller’s teaching style, or if the other teaching styles could be used with similar results. However, this study is a powerful indicator that a focus outside of skills/formalism is a benefit for student creativity. It would be interesting to see a longitudinal study of Mr. Miller’s students to see how they reported their satisfaction with their art class later in life. It would also be interesting to see how they reported feeling after switching to a more traditional class.
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AuthorMorgan Singleton is a secondary art educator with a Master's degree in art education. Archives
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