jaclynteachart.files.wordpress.com …  · Web viewBy translating the use of the elements and principles of design in an artwork to the syntax and semantics of a sentence, I aim

Writing Like an Artist: A Look at Literacy

Through the Visual ArtsAction Research Proposal

Jaclyn T. Tyler

State University of New York at Oswego

May 2014

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Table of ContentsAbstract 3

Introduction to Study 4-6

Purpose of study 4

Context of Study 5

Review of Related Research 7-13

Prior Research 7

Research Context 12

Methodology 13-15

Quantitative Data Collection 13

Qualitative Data Collection 14

Data Analysis 15-17

Organization of Data 15

Ethical Issues 16

Validity 16

Conclusion 17-18

Final Thoughts 17

Implications 18

References 19

Appendices 20-24

Appendix A 20

Appendix B 22

Appendix C 23

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Abstract

The art room is a place for students to build fluency in visual literacy through the use of different art

mediums and styles. Growing emphasis on traditional academics has brought the foreign practice of writing into

a world based on visual images. Though writing across the curriculum is here to stay, many art educators are

left wondering about its relevancy to their subject and how to incorporate the practice into their curriculum in a

meaningful way. This research proposal looks to support the theory that fluency in communicating ideas

through multiple literacies, both visual and written, is pertinent as we become more dependent upon multi-

media technologies. Through this research, I hope to seek out how to incorporate and teach successful writing

practices for art students that are both beneficial to understanding art meaning as well as profit their art

making. The project will also address whether or not incorporating different forms of writing will lessen student

resistance toward the practice.

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Introduction

Purpose of Study

In my classroom, I regularly seek to support the philosophy that art is a visual language. As our world

becomes more and more visual, the development of artistic skill and artistic knowledge becomes more and

more important. By translating the use of the elements and principles of design in an artwork to the syntax and

semantics of a sentence, I aim to create an understanding in my students that communicating through art is

equally as effective as communicating by the written word. By creating open-ended lesson plans, I encourage

students to communicate on the issues and realities that they face in our world today. In my classroom, it is my

goal that my students become fluent in this artistic voice, one they may have otherwise never known they had.

I expect this fluency to be demonstrated in both my students’ artwork, as well as in the reflections they

write about their artwork and the artwork of the masters. This written response takes the form of an art

analysis, where students are asked to read a visual artwork and comprehend what elements of art (the building

blocks of an artwork; line, shape, form, space, texture, color, and value) and principles of design (how the

elements are arranged within an artwork; balance, pattern, proportion, movement, contrast, unity, and

emphasis) are used. They are also asked to evaluate how or why, and where the artist used them. The ability to

interpret, negotiate, and make meaning from information presented in the form of an image is called visual

literacy.

Problems occur when students respond in the following ways; “Color was used everywhere in the

artwork,” “Shading was used in the hair and face,” or “Line was used to create unity.” These responses are

problematic because they do not show that the students really comprehend what they see. These responses just

raise more questions. What colors were used and why are they significant? Shading is not an element or a

principle, but a description of one. Therefore, what element or principle are you describing? What types of line

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were used and how does it create unity? And so on. The problem my students have in demonstrating their

comprehension of an artwork through a written response, as well as their aversion and reluctance toward the

practice, is what inspired me to begin this research.

Teaching my students how to write is a skill that I know very little about. I experience contention within

myself when I plan for written responses in my classroom. I struggle with the time it takes away from my

students’ studio practice and with their negative reaction toward completing the task. I struggle with not

knowing how to get the quality responses that I am looking for that show they understand how an artist

communicates visually.

Through this study, I hope to accomplish three important tasks that I feel are necessary to effectively

incorporate writing in the art room. Firstly, I aim to research, develop, and practice pre-writing strategies to

promote greater student success rates on writing tasks. It is my belief that student failure to succeed on

previous written art analysis is due to lack of instruction on how to communicate interpretive knowledge

sensibly in sentence form. Secondly, I intend to explore and use different forms of writing with students, such as

creative writing activities, to provide multiple ways to show their understanding of art meaning. By

implementing creative forms of writing, I believe that art students will see more clearly the connection between

the studio and written practice. Lastly, by the use of both the pre-writing activities and the multiple forms of

writing, I hope to monitor and address student attitudes toward writing in the art room. I anticipate that when

students are able to achieve success on written activities where they are allowed to think both critically and

creatively, writing in art will no longer be viewed as an irrelevant and daunting task, but one that can enhance

their creative abilities and improve their art making.

Context of Study

The study will take place at G. Ray Bodley High School where I am currently employed as an art teacher.

Students enrolled in Studio in Art, a full year course designed for students who intend to take multiple art

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courses during their high school career will be participants in the study. Students enrolled in Foundations in Art,

a half year course designed to provide the very basics of art instruction to students who are required to fulfill

one credit in art/music for graduation, will participate in the study as well. These two courses contain first year

high school art students of grades 9-12 with a full spectrum of both artistic and cognitive ability. Next year, I will

teach two sections of Studio and Art, and two to three sections of Foundations in Art (to be determined). The

total number of participants would fall between 75-90 students.

Currently, the writing practices in my classroom are performed in the following ways. The written art

analysis section of the Pre-SLO examinations given at the beginning of each course serves as a starting point for

assessment. Here, the students are asked to describe at least three elements and/or principles of design used

within the given artwork and how or why they are being used. Throughout the year, students are taught how to

use the elements and principles of design in their own artwork and are asked to reflect on their use in written

form on their project rubrics. Their written responses reflect in their overall project grade. Students also

complete art analysis assignments throughout the year by writing analytical responses to questions asked

regarding famous artworks. Artworks are chosen to reflect similar concepts used in the projects they are

completing in class. Students will also complete written critiques, where they will exchange artworks with a

peer in class and reflect on the techniques used by their peer. The final assessment of written analysis is

culminated in their Post-SLO examination at the completion of the course. While these writing activities are

important to student comprehension of visual literacy, the majority of student responses which contain poor

use of grammar, incomplete thoughts and sentences, and an inability to communicate complex thoughts in

written form on these tasks must be addressed. This, as well as an overall negative attitude toward writing, and

the growing need for student ability to analyze visual imagery, is what has inspired me to research the following

texts.

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Review of Related Research

Prior Research

An action research study piloted by Mamur (2012), observed 12 pre-service teachers of the Art Crafts

Education Program. The aim of the study was to determine the effects of visual culture, gathered through the

images of everyday life, on a person’s point of view as well as their personality. The data obtained in this study

was collected through observation, interviews, and document analysis. The 12 prospective teachers discussed

the negative affect that today’s visual images can have on the identity of a child. The students acknowledged

how children often emulate characters seen on television and in movies, and how the media often blurs the

lines between truth and fiction, as well as incorporating other harmful messages. The purpose of Mamur’s study

was to inspire her students to think critically about visual culture in art education. This, she hoped, would aid

them in making an informed decision about their own pedagogy before they set out to teach art in a classroom

of their own. (Mamur, 2012)

Chung’s (2005) research also supports and strongly urges the need for incorporating visual literacy into

the art curriculum by providing a study on the effects of cigarette advertisements. His research sheds light on

the questionable realities portrayed through visual and textual manipulation in media advertising and the

impact that they have on children. In 1998, internal documents were released that proved tobacco companies

were targeting 13 and 14 year old children as consumers (Chung 2005). The blatant targeting of youth by visual

media advertising should be enough to convince educators to explain visual literacy in their classrooms. Chung

(2005) offers the results of his study teaching visual/media literacy to 11 Junior High students as they

deconstructed cigarette advertisements.

The activity asked students to judge the advertisements based on the visual subject matter, the

advertising techniques used, and what they believed was the implied message. One student said the following

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about her advertisement, “There’s a rodeo and people are having fun. One of the men [cowboys] is smoking

and the other is looking at him…I think the ad would make people think that smoking is ‘cool.’ Make people feel

fit-in, and look mature” (Chung, 2005, p.21). Chung asked his students, ‘“Based on what the ad tells you, if you

used the product you would…” Beth said, “Have fun, feel good, and look cool and mature.” David added, “Feel

happy, pleasure, joyful, and fit-in”’ (Chung, 2005, p.21). Students dialogued about how cigarette advertisements

often portrayed healthy, happy, young people.

Chung (2005) explained to his students that ad designers are masters in visual literacy. They understand

and use the elements and principles of design to persuade people to consume their product. The students were

then asked to redesign their chosen advertisements to reflect the truth about smoking cigarettes. Students used

Adobe Photoshop and the same advertising techniques to create new images that were concerned with social

accountability (Chung, 2005). The dialogue, written, and studio activities in Chung’s study provided his students

with the critical knowledge and ability to live in an image-saturated world, in which, they found themselves

targets.

Chung (2005) developed both a written and a studio component for his students to complete in order to

assess their comprehension of the new material being taught. Expressing comprehension of art meaning is what

inspired me to look into this next study. The National Writing Project (NWP) is a compilation of educators across

the nation seeking to improve upon the practice of writing through all school ages and disciplines. Their strategy

is to provide teachers with high-quality professional development. Students whose teachers participate in the

program have achieved higher scores in writing performance, as 16 research studies have shown. (NWP, 2009)

The NWP believes that, “If you can express it in writing, then you know it” (NWP, 2009). The project

offers research and insight into strategies that will help educators teach writing more effectively by contrasting

them with familiar and/or out-of-date techniques that do not work as well. Two approaches that will help my

students to express their understanding of visual literacy through writing are; to provide strategies to guide their

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different writing tasks, and to ask them to think about what they write through brainstorming, free writing, role-

playing, discussion and other prewriting activities (NWP, 2009).

In education, much emphasis is placed on cross-curricular writing activities. However, writing in the art

room is still met with much contention from both students and faculty. “But it’s art, so why do we have to

write?” is a phrase that is coined across art rooms at all education levels, and is a source of inspiration for this

next study. Borg (2009) conducted research that aimed to describe what it felt like to be a writer of a doctoral

thesis in the emerging disciplines of art and design, which have no real traditions of either research or writing.

His study led him to examine the rich history of art as a field of study and its struggle to reach an equal social

standing as other, more traditional subjects.

In October 1960, the first Coldstream Report of the National Advisory Council on Art Education was

published. It offered proposals for a new award to be known as the Diploma in Art and Design. Nikolaus

Pevsner, a member of the council, believed in the Renaissance thinking that to reach equality with more

traditional subjects, the new program would have to contain a theoretical element. He argued that no artwork

itself could be considered research without written explanation (Borg, 2009). This changed the relationship

between art practice and theory profoundly by declaring that the work done by an artist could not be

interpreted, given academic weight, or be accurately assessed without written explanation and analysis. The

report concluded that practice alone, a creative work of art, would not be sufficient enough for the award of a

Ph.D. (Borg, 2009).

While today’s research-based Ph.D. in art and design follows the requirements laid out in the

Coldstream Reports, it remains a controversial issue. Over the course of three years, Borg observed and

interviewed four doctoral candidates in Fine Art Practice, and four doctoral candidates in Design. Though the

majority of the candidates successfully completed their doctorate, each one of the candidates, especially those

in the Fine Arts Practice, struggled to frame their practice within a research report. Borg (2009) summarized

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their difficulty with a description of artist Bridget Riley’s study of the effects

varying patterns of paint might create. The end result of her study was not

written knowledge, but a painting.

Kill (2006) also referenced the Coldstream Reports in her paper which

studies the tensions between the academic and studio practices in the arts.

Kill (2006) conducted a series of interviews with undergraduate Fine Art and Art and Design students at Bradford

College to understand the students’ thoughts on the relationship between theory and practice, or making and

writing. Many students echoed the opinion that writing is alien to the Studio and should be resisted (Kill, 2006).

One student replied that, “Essays are like a burden, like baggage that you have to carry…but sometimes they are

the force that pushes you along. But when it pushes you it’s the research, not the format, that’s the good thing”

(Kill, 2006 p. 314).

With this thought in mind, Kill inspired her students to consider the format that their writing took. Her

research pushed the boundaries of the academic essays required by the Coldstream reports to allow for a

multidisciplinary approach to student writing that could include poetry, dialogue, performance, artist books, or

video, etc. As a result of her research, art students developed unique forms of writing and expressed the desire

to continue writing, thus, diminishing the much felt opposition to the practice. (Kill, 2006)

I am sure that this practice-theory split is the cause of my own lack of training in writing practices

throughout my experience as a pre-service teacher in the field of art education. If art students, especially those

on an education track, are not taught how to write in art, as well as how to teach it and appreciate it, then what

can we expect writing in the art room to look like at the primary and secondary levels of education? This is the

question that I hope my research will help to answer as I incorporate practices from the following two studies

into my classroom.

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Bridget Riley, Metamorphosis, 1964

The first study conducted by Barnes (2009) at Colorado State University with pre-service art teachers,

has the most connection to my original research question. Barnes (2009) noticed her art students’ fear and

resistance toward writing and their low achievement scores on writing tasks. The goal of the research was for

students to write a well-organized critical analysis essay of an historical artwork. A research team including an

English professor, middle and high school English teachers, and an assistant art professor, scored the pre- and

post-assessment essays written by the prospective art educators. (Barnes, 2009)

After completing the pre-assessment, a group activity ensued. The activity was developed to help

students organize collective information into a formal written analysis. The activity began with colored sticky-

notes. Each student was responsible for writing six sticky-notes reflective of the artwork being viewed. Since no

two sticky-notes could be alike, students were required to dialogue about what they were recording to avoid

any repeated information. When each student recorded six comments on their sticky-notes, they were then

asked to arrange them on a chart under one of five essay paragraph headings- introduction, information, visual

elements, interpretation, and conclusion. (Barnes, 2009)

In the pre-assessment essay writing samples, students showed that they could locate the basic visual

qualities within an artwork, but the majority of the essays lacked any interpretation of these qualities as well as

essay structure; including an introduction, thesis, supporting details, and conclusion. Their post-assessment

writing, which took place after the sticky-note activity, scored much higher and students displayed better

organization and articulation skills. Barnes’ philosophy does not see a theory-practice split between making and

writing, but perceives writing as a benefit to the process of art making. Although her activity is heavily based on

the writing component, it still has many studio connections. (Barnes, 2009)

While the formal writing of an art analysis inspired this search into literacies in the art room, studies like

Kill’s (2006), on the incorporation of different forms of writing in the art curriculum, enabled me to appreciate

this next and final study by Mackenzie (2012), who combined art making with creative writing and the

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performance arts. Mackenzie (2012) conducts her study through a project given to her graduate students. Their

first task was to research myths from around the world and mythic “hero” themes (Mackenzie, 2012). From

there, the students visualized and drew out their own mythological creature. The visualization continued when

they were asked to combine their creature with their own human body to create a hybrid character. Students

were introduced to Broadway’s The Lion King’s costume designer, Julie Taymor, and were told that they would

be creating their own body puppets. (Mackenzie, 2012)

Then came the real art making. The students created their costumes with the use of various materials

to transform themselves into their mythological creature. When the costumes were complete, they wrote a

narrative about their created character. The project came to a dramatic close when the art room transformed

into a stage and students performed their narratives while masquerading in their mythic body puppet costumes.

(Mackenzie,2012)

Through observation, Mackenzie found that by combining language arts literacy to the process of art

making, the outcome was transformative learning on both an individual and group basis. Individually, students

were able to transform into something other than themselves, and most every student surprised their

classmates within their role as a mythic creature through their performance. (Mackenzie, 2012)

Research Context

While these studies come close to fulfilling the questions posed earlier on incorporating writing into the

art room both successfully and meaningfully, there are still stones yet to be turned. For example, the studies

conducted by Mamur (2012), Borg (2009), Kill (2006), Barnes (2009), and Mackenzie (2012) collected data

regarding the attitudes and writing abilities of students at the college level. While some of these studies were

developed to help aid future art educators for primary and secondary level instruction, data on student writing

does not exist for these age groups.

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The majority of these studies relied very heavily on concept and barely began to scratch the surface with

explanations of the research methods used and data collected. Studies that did offer some explanation of data

were either singularly qualitative or quantitative. With studies like Mackenzie’s (2012), based solely on

observation, validity comes into question due to a lack of varied research methods.

My study would help fill in the gaps left by this prior research by addressing the effect of the practice

theory-split at the secondary level of education. I hope to find answers to what high school art teachers should

be doing to prepare their students for success in both making and writing practices for higher education in the

art related fields. My study would also show how secondary level students can display their understanding of

visual literacy in a variety of written forms, and whether or not incorporating different forms will lessen student

resistance toward the writing practice. With the use of both quantitative and qualitative data collection, I hope

to find answers to these questions with a valid study.

Methodology

During my research I will focus on student scores on writing tasks, observations, interviews, and

questionnaires as means to collect data. These varied forms of data collection will help me answer the

following: whether or not implementing new writing strategies will help all types of student learners become

better writers; whether or not students are comprehending and using visual literacy through their writing and

art making; and whether or not using different forms of writing will aid in student understanding of art meaning,

as well as diminish negative reactions toward the practice.

Quantitative Data Collection

Scores on the written analysis portion of the Pre-SLO examination given at the beginning of each Studio

and Foundation in Art courses will serve as a pre-assessment for individual students. Students will then be

scored on multiple writing tasks throughout the remainder of the year. Their scores on these tasks, culminating

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in the final written portion of the Post-SLO examination, will show whether the student achieved success and

growth in their writing abilities and comprehension of visual literacy. Throughout this period of data collection,

students will complete a number of pre-writing, collaborative, and creative writing activities in a sequential

order that will build on previous knowledge.

These scores will then be compared to student scores from previous sections of Studio and Foundations

in Art courses who did not receive this method of scaffold instruction. This data, that inspired the research, will

serve as a control from which to measure the new data. Whether or not these new strategies are improving

student understanding and writing ability will be determined by whether an increase is seen in student scores.

Qualitative Data Collection

Observations (Appendix A) will occur when students are given writing tasks to complete in class. The

form of writing activity taking place (analysis, critique, creative, etc.) will be noted in a journal and student

comments and body language will be recorded. Any differences seen in student behavior from the beginning of

an activity to the end will also be documented, as well as my own opinions on how successful I believe the

students to be with the activity and what could be done to make the activity better for future practice.

Student interviews (Appendix B) will be conducted at the beginning of each course to document the art

student’s initial reactions to writing in the art room. The group of selected students to be interviewed will span

all artistic, cognitive, and grade levels. The interviews will be one on one to elicit honest responses that are not

influenced by peer opinions. They will be conducted to document whether students believe that visual literacy

is important, whether or not they see a connection between writing and art making, and whether or not they

feel that writing has a place in the art room.

At the end of the year, students will be asked to address these questions a second time. The

questionnaire (Appendix C) will assess whether there has been a change in student opinion about writing in the

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art room after having completed various written and visual assignments throughout the year. The questionnaire

will also ask them to rate which assignments they believed were most helpful to understanding visual literacy, as

well as which assignments were the most enjoyable to complete. This will aid in the future success of the study.

Data Analysis

Organization of Data

Data collected will be separated into two main categories, quantitative and qualitative, and colored

coded based on scores and student behavior/opinion. Quantitative data will be coded with an open circle ( ).

From there, student scores on written assignments will be colored coded based on their scores. Scores in the

80-100 range will be marked by the color green. Scores in the 65-79 range will be marked by the color blue.

Scores in the 45-64 range will be marked with the color yellow. And scores in the 45-0 range will be marked

with the color red. Scores of students with IEPs will be marked with an asterisk (*). This will allow me to see

whether improvement is being made with all types of learners. The goal will be to decrease the overall number

of scores marked by yellow and red as well as see individual student improvement on writing scores.

Qualitative data will be marked with a closed circle ( ) and will also be color coded. Student responses

to writing in the art room will be coded by whether they are positive, negative, or neutral. Positive responses

will be marked by the color green, negative responses will be marked by the color red, and neutral responses

will be marked by the color blue. Responses to activities starting out negative and then turned positive, or vice

versa, will be marked by both colors in the corresponding sequence. The goal will be to see an increase in the

color green as the year progresses.

Writing activities will also be categorized by form. Activities that are more analytical based will be

marked with the letter “A.” Writing activities that are creative based will be marked with the letter “C.” This

coding will determine which type of writing activities students score higher on, and which they enjoy better

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overall. Areas where I see a need for improvement on instruction during the activity will be marked with the

color yellow. This will help me tailor the activities to better suit student needs.

Ethical Issues

While conducting this study, ethical issues must be taken into account during activities specific to

teaching visual literacy. Even though a large portion of this study is designed to create awareness of the dangers

of the media/advertising industries, and to teach social accountability to my developing artists, I must be careful

not to discriminate against students who may have different views than I do on what is socially acceptable. I

also must be careful to facilitate discussions in my classroom by creating a safe environment from the start

where students are able to have their own opinions free from harassment by peers. This will be addressed

through a discussion at the beginning of the year as well as following through with disciplinary action when

appropriate. Measures will also be taken to ensure whether student photographs and video/audio recordings

are allowed by referring to the list of parental consent forms generated at the beginning of each school year.

Though individual student scores and IEPs will be taken into account during data collection and analysis, names

of students will not be published in any form to ensure student rights and protection.

Validity

Validity of the study comes into question when considering the control group from which new data will

be compared. Issues with writing abilities in my classroom were noticed early on in the current school year and

efforts have already been made to solve these problems. Before beginning my research I had already developed

a few worksheets to help break down the art analysis into more manageable steps. Some of my efforts had a

negative effect, as students found one worksheet to be too confusing, while other efforts were very successful

and have already shown improved scores. I have also used some of the writing strategies found in my research

with the classes that make up my control group. As a teacher, I had to forfeit perfect data to benefit the

students that I am currently teaching. Even though my control data will not be entirely pure, I still have hope

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that by creating a more logical sequence of pre-writing, formal analysis, and creative writing activities that

correspond more closely with our art making, I will see a significant enough change in student scores and

attitudes to know whether or not the study is both valid and a success.

Validity can also be assessed by whether or not a positive increase is seen in both the quantitative and

qualitative studies. I expect that if student scores increase, student attitude toward writing in the art room

would become more positive. I would also expect that an increase in the amount of positive responses toward

writing activities, as noted in my observations, would also reflect in an increased number of positive responses

on the end of the year questionnaire in comparison to the responses seen in the interviews given at the

beginning of the year. Any differences to these predictions should be taken into account and addressed.

Conclusion

Final Thoughts

The influence of images has increased to the point where the television and the internet are the main

source for information on current events, and children spend more time in front of screens than they do in front

of their teachers. For this reason, it is our responsibility as educators to teach our students how to weigh

through the images produced by popular culture and mass-media technologies to find meaning. If we fail to

incorporate visual literacy in education, how can we expect our future generation to become critical, intelligent,

and responsible citizens of an image-saturated world?

The tools and skill-sets used to critically look at and understand a work of art are the same skill-sets used

to deconstruct an advertisement, or any other image created by popular/visual culture. The purpose of this

proposed study is to investigate the importance of learning visual literacy by teaching students what to look for

in an image, as well as how to express their understanding through writing.

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Implications

I intend to share the results of my study with the art department within my district. I anticipate that by

introducing visual media literacy early on, students will become more aware and critical of the images that

surround them. And by introducing writing activities early on, students will become familiar with the practice

taking place in the art room and will have greater understanding of its connection to their studio work, and thus,

less resistance to it.

This research has the potential to positively impact multiple fields of study within the district as well. It

would be safe to assume that other special area teachers, and possibly even some content area teachers, would

experience similar anxieties about including writing in their curriculum. These teachers could benefit from my

research on pre-writing strategies, as well as on student reactions toward writing activities as I explore different

forms of writing. I would hope that this study would also inspire more cross-curricular discussions between

departments, as writing is not the only practice that should be shared between the disciplines. Overall, this

research study has the potential to develop both students and faculty into well-rounded, critical thinking

individuals who possess both fluency in multiple literacies and readiness for this ever changing, image-saturated

world.

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References

Barnes, N. (2009). Hands-On Writing: An Alternative Approach to Understanding Art. Art Education, 62(3), 40-46.

Borg, E. W. (2009). The experience of writing a practice-based thesis in Fine Art and Design (Doctoral

dissertation). University of Leeds. Retrieved from http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/3745/

Chung, S. (2005). Media/Visual Literacy Art Education: Cigarette Ad Deconstruction. Art Education, 58(3), 19-24.

Kill, R. (2006). Coming in from the Cold: Imperialist Legacies and Tactical Criticalities. International Journal of Art

& Design Education, 25(3), 308-317.

Mackenzie, K. (2012). Imagination and Transformation: Performing a Universal Narrative Theme. Art Education,

65(3), 12-16.

Mamur, N. (2012). Perceptions Concerning Visual Cultural Dialogues of Visual Art Pre-Service Teachers.

Educational Sciences: Theory and Practice, 12(3), 2166-2173.

National Writing, P. (2009). National Writing Project 2009 Annual Report. National Writing Project. Retrieved

from http://www.nwp.org/

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Appendix A

Observation

Type of Data: - QualitativeType of writing activity: Informal written critique. “A” - Analysis basedOverall student response: - GoodCurrent level of effectiveness: - Needs Improvement

Observations Comments

I introduced the type of critique that we would be partaking in today and one student responded to her peers, “Yes, this is my favorite kind of critique!” Peers agreed

I think that students like to read what their peers have to say about their artwork. I think that students like the informality of the critique. I think that students like to write short comments about every artwork instead of writing more about just one. I think that students like written critiques better than verbal critiques which make them nervous. I think that students like that comments are anonymous.

I went over the criteria for the types of comments that are appropriate for this activity. I explained that you should think about what you want to hear about your artwork. Both what you did well and what you could work on to get even better. I explained that comments like, “This looks cool,” are not helpful to the artist. If you think something looks cool then explain why using the elements and principles of design. Students listened to my instruction and then started writing comments on each other’s artworks.

In hindsight, this was way too teacher led. Students had participated in this kind of critique once before and could have recalled and shared the expectations themselves. I could have asked students what they wanted to hear about their artwork and led a student discussion on comments that are and are not constructive.

Students quietly worked from artwork to artwork. Everyone participated. I could hear pencils writing rapidly on paper. I noticed that students seemed going quickly from one artwork to the next.

This class is almost twice as large as the other section that I teach. I noticed a very different change of pace. My other class took their time looking at each artwork, where this class was moving much quicker. I think that I should have students number their scrap paper 1-10. This way, students are only responsible for writing 10 comments, instead of for every peer. Maybe they will slow down to look and write more critically.

As students worked, I walked around and read I am hoping that by limiting the number of

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their comments. I saw a lot of comments like the following, “I like the colors that you chose.” And only some comments like, “The blues and whites that you chose create great unity throughout the artwork.” Since most comments did not meet the requirements set at the beginning of the activity, I reminded them to be more descriptive. I saw no comments about things that the artist could have done to make their artwork even better.

comments that students are required to write, the time increase will encourage them to analyze more critically and write more descriptively. I also hope that by allowing the students to talk about the kind of comments they hope to see on their artworks before the critique begins, students will feel more of a responsibility to provide constructive criticism regarding how the artists could have made the artwork even better.

When comments were complete students went back to their seats and read their comments. I saw many smiles and heard some laughter. One student asked, ‘“Who wrote, “Dang girl, great detail in the sunglasses?”’ The guilty student laughed, raised her hand and said, “That was me!”

As their teacher, I love to see that my students enjoy an activity. I think with a few tweaks this critique can become as critical and constructive I had hoped it would be.

Appendix B

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Focus Group Interview Questions

1. How would you describe today’s culture?2. How important do you think art is in today’s culture?3. How much screen time do you think you have on a daily basis? Do you think this is good or bad in

anyway? Why or why not?4. Have you ever felt negatively persuaded, or had any kind of a negative emotional response, to an image

you have seen on TV, (a commercial advertisement, a cartoon, a program, etc.)? Describe this response.5. If so, have you given any thought regarding the creation of that image? Who was responsible for its

creation and why? What is the image communicating? What do you think is the purpose behind the image?

6. Do you think it is important to learn how these images are created and how to interpret them to find meaning?

7. As an art student, do you think it is important to know how to communicate a message to your viewer? Why or why not?

8. Through your artwork, what kind of a message do you want to give? What is the purpose of your artwork? What would you like it to be?

9. Do you think that famous artists in history communicated through their artwork? If so, provide an example.

10. How important do you think it is to look at, analyze, and understand art history? Why or why not?11. In terms of communication, how important are words to an artist?12. Do you believe that writing and research have any place in the practice of an artist?13. What skills do you think are necessary for a good artist to have? What skills do you think are necessary

for a good writer to have? Do you see any connection between the practice of making art and writing?14. Do you think writing can inspire art? Do you think that art can inspire writing?15. How much writing do you think should take place in your art classroom and why?

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Appendix C

Student Questionnaire:

The purpose of this questionnaire is to help me improve as a teacher by evaluating your understanding of visual and written literacy.

Directions: Use the scale below to respond to the following statements about visual literacy. Please respond to each statement as honestly as possible by circling only one number per statement.

1 2 3 4 5l-------------------------------l-------------------------------l--------------------------------l-------------------------------l

Strongly Disagree No Agree StronglyDisagree Opinion Agree

1. Visual images (artworks, advertisements, media, movies, magazines, etc.) contain messages. 1 2 3 4 5

2. It is important to understand how to “read” a visual image. 1 2 3 4 5

3. It is important to be able to communicate to others through visual images. 1 2 3 4 5

4. I am confident that I can locate elements and principles of design in a visual image. 1 2 3 4 5

5. I am confident that I can interpret the use of the elements and principlesof design in an image. 1 2 3 4 5

6. I am confident that I can use the elements and principles to communicatein a visual image of my own creation. 1 2 3 4 5

Directions: Please respond to the following questions regarding writing in the art room. Please respond to each statement as honestly as possible by circling only one response per statement.

1. Do you think that writing reinforces understanding of a concept? Yes No Maybe

2. Do you think that writing about art could improve your ability as an artist? Yes No Maybe

3. Do you consider yourself a good artist? Yes No Maybe

4. Do you consider yourself a good writer? Yes No Maybe

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Directions: Please give your honest opinion to the following questions regarding writing in the art room.

1. What skills do you think are necessary for a person to have to be good at art and why?

2. What skills do you think are necessary for a person to have to be good at writing and why?

3. Do you think art students should be writing in the art room? Why or why not?

Directions: Please circle the writing assignments that you found helpful to your understanding of visual literacy. Please put a star next to the writing assignment that was the most enjoyable to do and an X through the assignment that was the least enjoyable to do.

Key: Helpful

Enjoyable/Favorite

Unenjoyable/Least Favorite

Rubric Written Responses Sticky-Note Discussion

Written Critiques Travel Journal Critique

Creative Writing Artist Readings

Art Analysis Design Briefs

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Art History Research Paper Other:

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