Journal of Reflections
Learning Area Visual Arts & Design 1, Semester 1 - April 2020
WEEK 1.
How Does Your Positionality Bias Your Epistemology? - David Takacs
David Takacs 2003 paper “How Does Your Positionality Bias Your Epistemology?” from The NEA Higher Education Journal really resonated with me and made me reflect on how my own life experiences have affected how I view the world.
I was born into a very privileged white middle-class family with a stable income. I attended a private school and am fortunate enough to be able to develop my education to a Graduate degree. I have not been exposed personally to racism, inequality or physical misfortunes like war or poverty. Yet I am also deeply aware of the misfortunes I have experienced.
I spent my entire primary and secondary education feeling like there was something “wrong” with me because I was different. It wasn’t until I was 20 years old when I was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome.
Despite not knowing exactly what was wrong with me in my schooling life, I feel my teachers and peers could have done more to make me feel more accepted and empowered. I kept to myself, I sat alone in the corner in most of my classes (except art) and my grades reflected my poor mental health. I was aware that I saw the world differently but was never encouraged to express, explore or share that view. I feel if I had been given that opportunity, I would have been able to become more comfortable and accepting of who I was at a much earlier age.
This is a huge part of my reasoning for wanting to become an art teacher. I want to give students a chance to explore and expand their individual world views and share them with others. Through the exploration of other artists and how they have used their differences and lived experiences as strengths within their art (such as Vincent Van Gogh and Frida Kahlo), I aim to create an inclusive and comfortable environment where my students can discuss and acknowledge how we each come from different backgrounds and experiences, and develop more well-rounded views because of each other.
Martina Riedler’s “Exploring the visual culture approach to art literacy and education in terms of the condition of post-modern children” from International Periodical for the Languages, Literature and History of Turkish or Turkic discusses embracing visual and popular culture within art education, and potential positive and negative consequences of doing so.
Popular culture allows young people to establish a sense of identity and discover the person they want to become. While sheltering young people and preserving their “time of innocence” may once have been possible, the world is ever changing and developing, and as should how and what educators teach.
I believe visual and popular culture should be embraced more within art education. It is important for students to see how art and creativity is relevant in their everyday lives - through film and television animation, video games, music videos, book covers and illustrations, etc. When I was undertaking my Visual Arts degree, I was often asked the question “but how will it be useful?” The lack of understanding of how art affects everybody’s day to day lives is something that needs to be addressed in art education. Recognising the art that we are exposed to on a daily basis and using that as an educational resource will make learning more relevant to students' lives.
Teachers and educators have the opportunity to learn from students by using their interests as learning resources. An equal partnership between students and teachers when discussing how they want to learn would allow students to feel valued and heard. By embracing student’s areas of artistic interests, whether that be a particular style from an animated television show or comic book, students will be more engaged with their work. The distinction between high art and low art (of which popular culture is often seen as) needs to be blurred to foster a stronger focus on enjoyment, expression and developing creativity. Andy Warhol, Kaws and Takashi Murakami are examples of artists who have embraced visual and popular culture within their artistic practices - why can’t it be done in the classroom?
R. Keith Sawyer’s “Teaching creativity in art and design studio classes: a systematic literature review” from Educational Research Review analyses the pedagogical practices found in art and design studio classes that are discussed in 65 articles.
Sawyer explains that it is an educator’s job to prepare graduates to think creatively. But what exactly does it mean to be creative? Is creativity a way of living or thinking? And how do we as educators teach creativity? Can you teach someone to be creative or is it a natural instinct? When I discuss my art with others, I am often responded with “I wish I was creative! I can’t even draw a stick figure!” In this case, I can assume they have confused ‘creativity’ with ‘technical-skill’, but the definition still remains unclear to me. It is my understanding that teaching creativity means to teach an individual to think in a different way.
One of the pedagogical practices addressed within this review was the constructivist idea of a learner-centred approach rather than a teacher-centred approach. Projects and assignments are often open-ended to encourage experimentation and mistakes. My transition from secondary school art classes to studying visual art in university left me feeling very lost and unsure. I was struck by the lack of formative tasks given by my teachers in comparison to what I was used to; the work I made was determined by myself, reflecting real-world art-making. This is something that lacked in my secondary education that would have been highly beneficial. These open-ended tasks teach other necessary skills such as self-discipline, time-management, planning and motivation. A learner-centred approach would allow students to create what they want, resulting in higher engagement and motivation within the classroom. Too often in secondary school did I find myself making artwork to fit a very structured task that I ended up throwing away afterwards because of my lack of enjoyment for it. I am curious as to how I would find the balance between open-ended tasks, yet also be able to provide enough structure for those who need it, whilst having to adhere to prescribed curriculum outcomes.
WEEK 5.
The subjectivities of ‘included’ students with disabilities in schools - Ben Whitburn
Ben Whitburn’s research paper, “The subjectivities of ‘included’ students with disabilities in schools’ from Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education re-theories inclusive education and discusses the issues students with disabilities face within schools.
Throughout reading Whitburn’s paper, I was struck by how often the term “normal” was used by Whitburn and his interviewees to describe equality and others who did not have a disability. In my opinion, the issue is not how students’ disabilities are being accounted for, but rather how having a disability is viewed on a whole. As someone with a disability myself, I often find myself “masking” my actions or behaviour to fit in with what society has deemed as “normal”. In reality, there is no “normal,” just standards and expectations created by society and peers.
When I was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, I was afraid because I had not been educated about what it was; I was only aware of the stigma around it and autism. I felt ashamed of my diagnoses at first, for knowing I did not fit society’s norms.
I believe that rather than changing the way we accommodate students with disabilities in order for them to feel “normal”, we should instead use them as an opportunity for students to learn and become familiar with their conditions. Humans often fear what they don’t understand, so by educating students and communities about these differences and showing how no two people are the same, perhaps then we can change these predetermined notions of “normality”. This would create an environment where these students would feel included for who they are and how they learn.
I acknowledge that changing the view of society as a whole is an overwhelming task - racism is still an ongoing issue in our present lives - however, starting within a school environment when students are young and impressionable will have beneficial results. Learning to accept their peers for who they are and the differences they may have will be valuable for not only the wellbeing of all but will also help them develop into caring, respectful adults.
WEEK 7.
Examining Practice in Secondary Visual Arts Education - Donna Matthewson Mitchell
Donna Matthewson Mitchell’s “Examining Practice in Secondary Visual Arts Education” from Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, addresses the gap between knowing about teaching and doing teaching, as well as addressing issues such as how Visual Art education is not highly valued within schools.
This paper encouraged me to think differently about how I approach being a teacher as well as being an artist. Matthewson Mitchell explores practice as an ongoing way of living and expression, rather than just an approach to doing something. It is determined and affected by time, place, experience and circumstances.
I resonate with this within my artistic practice in particular. I have always used visual art as a method for self-expression. After being diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, my artistic practice shifted towards exploring what this meant and focusing on self-identity. This practice is largely affected by what is directly happening in my life.
I can see this happening within my teaching practice too. The current global pandemic and the shift to teaching and learning online has forced me to change how I think about being a teacher in the future. How can I use current and future events and circumstances to my advantage in a learning environment?
I have begun to acknowledge that these two practices should not be seen as separate, but should instead affect and influence each other. Matthewson Mitchell discusses practice as an encompassing action, generated by thoughts, ideas, perspectives and beliefs that exist both intellectually and emotionally. Having Asperger’s syndrome has directly influenced my artistic practice; how might it affect my teaching practice? How might my morals, values and beliefs change how I run my classroom?
Recognising that a teaching practice is not only a career but a way of living, will drastically change how I think about what it means to teach. I am beginning to accept that it will be difficult to separate my teaching life from my personal life, as my life experiences, such as the one we are all experiencing now, will and should affect how I teach.