Showing papers in "Australian Art Education in 2016"

John Dewey and Reggio Emilia: Worlds apart - one vision

Abstract: The Reggio Emilia educational project is internationally renowned for an early childhood pedagogy that centralises visual arts as a graphic language within multi-disciplinary projects. Loris Malaguzzi, the first director of the Italian project, is credited for introducing ateliers (art studios), as well as an atelierista (visual arts specialist) within each preschool. This paper suggests that Malaguzzi's conception of the atelier as a place for art focused, hands-on collaborative research with children may have been inspired by John Dewey's (1900) discussions about art laboratories as a unifying force for democratic and transformative education. Contemporary educators are invited to reflect on their own visual arts practice in light of the shared vision of these two educational philosophers.

Interpreting the Anzac legacy: Reflexive accounts of artistic practice

Abstract: This paper will explore the journey of two visual Artists and a Project Manager working with a secondary school on two government funded projects commemorating the Anzac legacy. The process of conceptual development, creation and negotiation will be investigated within the context of the career stages of each participant. The complexities of working with the school community whilst also maintaining the integrity of the participants’ respective vision will further contextualise this discussion.

Home is where the art is: Using design-based research to support arts engagement in Australian home education

Abstract: Home education is increasingly recognised in Australia as a legitimate educational option. Given the significance of the Arts as an integral component of a quality holistic education, developing insight into how this rapidly growing educational sector is engaging with the Arts is a timely issue. This paper explores a doctoral project which is focusing on understanding and supporting arts practices in Australia's home education community. Motivated by a desire for research to have a beneficial impact, the researcher is working with home educators to develop an arts website and communication space that responds to the needs of home educators and is underpinned by the principles of quality arts education.

Transformative learning: Ecologies of practice in art and design education

Abstract: This research paper focuses on the quality of engagement of Preservice Art and Design Educators (PADE) with knowledge and transformative learning in tertiary art and design curriculum and field-based experience. The research scaffolds participant knowledge as an oral narrative from research interview data supported by a strong practical focus on learning from experiences gained in the field. This research project aimed to come to an understanding of how the specific potential of professional industry experience in the final year worked to generate teacher case-based knowledge. Case studies were selected as an appropriate methodology to report on research interview data conducted with graduates given their recent experience with changing variables of being, firstly, a student and subsequent engagement with a profession. The case selected for analysis explored the teaching and learning practices undertaken during a professional experience semester-long internship in a western Sydney school. Through a close study and evaluation of a pre-service art and design teacher's experience of teaching a Stage 5 Visual Arts unit of work, the discussion reveals assumptions and perceptions about learning. This kind of evaluative and reflective practice-led research has the capacity to deepen understanding of personal teaching practices and inform tertiary teacher education. The importance of teachers' case-based wisdom of practice and interconnectedness of learning within localised, specialist contexts in visual arts is highlighted as a marker of quality engagement with knowledge. Ecology is applied as an organising construct for the research, emphasising a personal approach to interconnection for planning curriculum projects whilst learning in the domain of art and design. Publishing impact and quality data concerning the transformative potential of art and design education is significant within neo-liberal educational agendas in Australia.

Considering a methodology to provoke respectful conversations about creativity with arts educators

Abstract: While the space remains fragile for arts learning in school settings, the need for creativity and creative learning is emphasised in curriculum documents. Alongside this tension, what creative learning and teaching means continues to be unclear for many educators. In this paper we report on an innovative methodology developed and implemented for a project to explore connected understandings of creativity and creative learning amongst arts educators. The methodology, while succinct and efficient, also provided abundant, meaningful data. It also offered various ways for participants to engage in collegial discussions that provoked deep questions and thoughtful conversations about creativity and arts learning.

From the classrooms of Stanford to the Alleys of Amsterdam: Elliot Eisner as pedagogue

Abstract: This paper was originally published as the first chapter of 'Aesthetics, Politics, and Educational Inquiry: Essays and Examples' by Tom Barone (New York: Peter Lang) in 1996. This book remains a seminal text in the development and growth of arts-based research and art education, and this chapter is a delightful wander through the streets of Amsterdam with Elliot Eisner, Tom's one time mentor, lifelong friend and esteemed colleague. It tells of experience and introspection, of teaching and learning and of the personal and professional perspectives of two highly influential scholars. It is reprinted here with permission in its original form.

Beyond the school gate: A study of arts engagement and employment in post-secondary school years

Abstract: Creative industries are key drivers of modern economies; however, analysis has traditionally advanced a market-failure model of arts and culture (Potts, 2012). A negative socio-economic paradigm can have an adverse effect on post-secondary school students' career choices and continued engagement in the arts. This article reports on the findings from the first stage of a longitudinal study that tracks the life trajectories of a group of young people who at some time in their school years were winners and finalists in a university funded art prize. The participants, now in the early stages of their tertiary studies and careers, were surveyed in order to learn whether they had continued to engage in visual arts practice, continued on to further training in the arts or work in creative occupations. Participants in this study offered insights into their motivations to pursue arts-based careers as well as their understanding of the challenges that face those who desire a career in the Arts.