| Suggested Reading available on line:
Burton, J., Horowitz, R., Abeles, H. (1999)
Learning In and Through the Arts: Curriculum Implications in Champions of
Change. Center for Arts Education Research Teachers College, Columbia
University.
http://www.artsedge.kennedy-center.org/champions/exec_summ.html
for more information on Learning Through the Arts see: The Royal
Conservatory of Music site:
http://www.rcmusic.ca/ltta/index.asp
for more information on Niagara Falls Art Gallery & Children’s Museum see
websites:
www.niagarafallsartgallery.ca or
www.niagarachildrensmuseum.ca
Bridging Classrooms and Community: Student and Techer
Development through Arts Based Connected Learning Programmes
A Fledgling Research Proposal
Debra Attenborough
Abstract
Generalist elementary teachers are often at a loss in terms of expertise,
experience and confidence when teaching the arts. There are fewer and fewer
arts specialists within the schools and teachers repeatedly state how unable
and/or uncomfortable they feel when it comes to teaching visual art, music
and drama. As a result, students receive less than adequate instruction in
the arts.
The integrated arts programs offered by the Royal Conservatory’s Learning
through the Arts ä and Niagara Falls Art Gallery
Art Based Integrated Learning (ABIL) provide experiences in the arts with a
focus on both teacher and student development. Both of these programs
provide opportunities for classroom teachers to link the arts with other
traditional disciplines as well as allowing students to have one on one
experiences with artists. This in turn provides students with not only
quality arts experiences but also create confident and creative students and
teachers.
The focus of this study is to investigate the benefits to both teachers
and students of integrated arts programming provided by outside arts
organizations. Specifically, the study will examine whether incorporating an
arts based integrated curriculum into teaching practice will enrich
teacher’s professional development and teacher confidence in the arts, and
if so, how? In addition, I would also like to explore the benefits to
students both as a result of teacher development as well as students
personal interaction with artists. Both the Learning through the Arts
ä and the Niagara Falls Art Gallery ABIL offer
integrated arts based programs that occur in the classroom and provide
integrated arts experiences for teachers and students.
The Research Question
The questions guiding this research focus on the value of integrated arts
programs for both teachers and students. The programs that will be examined
are offered by one community organization and one national organization and
these programs focus on integrated arts experiences for students and
teachers.
The study will explore a number of issues:
Do programs in the arts offered by the two organizations enhance teacher
knowledge, and attitudes towards learning in and through the arts?
Is working with an arts organization outside of the school setting and
effective way to encourage teacher and student development?
What is the impact of the programs on teacher practice?
Do teachers beliefs and practices, as related to the curriculum; change
as a result of these programs?
Do teachers begin to value the arts more as a result of these programs?
Do teachers begin to devote more class time to the arts as a result of
these programs?
Do teachers change their attitude towards using the arts as a teaching
tool?
How do integrated arts programs affect learning communities?
What is the impact of these programs on student attitudes about
themselves as learners? About the arts?
What is the impact on student engagement with the arts?
Background
The Importance of the Arts in
Education for Students, Teachers and Schools
There is a growing consensus that education in and through the arts can
make valuable contributions to both the teaching experience and the learning
experience.
The State of California’s Visual and Performing Arts Framework provides a
significant summary of the impact of arts education. (arts in focus, 2000)
The most important contribution of the arts to education is their ability to
improve the way we teach and learn. Some reasoning behind this lies in the
following facts:
The arts inspire self-confidence and help keep kids interested in
school
The arts help energize the school environment
The arts help kids develop critical skills for life and work
The arts improve student performance in other areas
The arts expose kids to a range of cultures and point of view
The arts can reach hard to reach students (arts in focus 2000)
The arts can help to understand difficult concepts
The arts can make connections between subjects matters
Those of us, who work with children on a regular basis, as well as many
parents, realize that children begin learning through the arts. Drawing
their own representations of life around them, acting out and role-play
everything from gendered expectations to potential career choices. Children
spend hours of their time singing and learning in and through the arts. It
is surprising then that art in schools is usually taught in North America as
something rather precious, separate from education and from life rather than
a natural underpinning of our existence. For example, we often see art as
the Friday afternoon activity at a given school, or the reward for good
behavior in other subjects. Cohen and Gainer (1976) suggest that rather than
being separate, art is an integral part of life and can act as glue,
enriching and binding together many aspects of human experience.
Numerous studies cite the benefits to students of incorporating the arts
in education. Brain research (Jensen, 1998) and multiple intelligence
theories (Gardner, 1993) provide strong evidence for the integration of the
arts through the curriculum. In addition to helping develop brain function,
arts education can offer teachers ways to reach all students (Mann, 1998).
The evidence suggests that students of the arts outperform their non-art
peer on the Scholastic Assessment Test, according to the College Entrance
Examination Board. According to Eloquent Evidence: Arts at the core of
learning, "in 1995, SAT scores for students who studied the arts more than
four years were 59 points higher on the verbal and 44 points higher on the
math portion than students with no coursework or experience in the arts."
Cortines (1999) summarizes to value of the arts in education. He suggests
the arts help develop a young person’s character and values, confidence and
empathy, respect and tolerance. There is extensive research on this topic
and the conclusions of all of this are outlined by Cortines (1999) and
demonstrate that:
That an arts education contributes significantly to improved critical
thinking, problem posing, problem solving and decision making;
That, as with language and mathematics, the crux of an arts education
involves the communication, manipulation, interpretation and
understanding of complex symbols;
That developing fluency in artistic expression and understanding
fosters higher- order thinking skills of analysis, syntheses, and
evaluation;
The arts are multi-modal, addressing and fostering the multiple
intelligences of students (spatial abilities, for example, develop
through drawing and sculpture, mathematical-logical abilities through
producing and listening to music, kinesthetic or physical abilities
through dance, interpersonal skills through drama);
That the arts develop a person’s imagination and judgment.
(p. 5)
Many generalist teachers feel that their personal strengths in education
do not lay in the arts, and as a result they either ignore art or turn to
the experts within their own community. It is in this role that the art
gallery/museum can best serve the needs of their local schools. The visual
arts can then provide both unconscious, informal, and formal ways of knowing
through art. (Attenborough, 2002) The arts are often not included in
discussions of "what matters most" and "core knowledge" in education.
Educator Maxine Greene (1995) argues, "it is difficult to accept a call for
excellent teaching and ‘teaching for America’s future’ that pays no heed to
the awakenings the arts make possible. And the arts, of all forms, may
awaken teachers-to-be from the ‘anesthetic’" (Cornett, 1999 p. 2).
Throughout her writing in the 1990s, Greene has focused on the relevance
of creativity, the arts, and the imagination. She suggests that the
imagination is a means through which we can assemble a coherent world, and
that through imagination and creativity (arts) we are able to give credence
to alternative realities. Through Greene’s assertions, we can see that the
arts, in general, can provide a vast range of possibilities, an opening up
of options. Using art as the basis for learning allows us, through arts
experiences of our own, to broaden our horizons. (Attenborough, 2002)
According to Greene (1995) "at the very least, participatory involvement
with the many forms of art can enable us to see more in our experience, to
hear more on normally unheard frequencies, to become conscious of what daily
routines have obscured, what habit and convention have suppressed" (p. 123).
Elliott Eisner (1972) introduced similar ideas in Educating Artistic
Vision, when he suggested that the prime value of the arts in education
lies in the unique contribution the arts make to an individual’s experience
with and understanding of the world.
In The Power of Arts to Transform Education (1993) the J. Paul
Getty Foundation suggests that,
The arts contribute to an overall culture of excellence in a school.
They are an effective means of connecting children to each other and
helping them gain an understanding of the creators who preceded them.
The provide schools with a ready way to formulate relationship across
and among traditional disciplines and to connect ideas and notice
patterns. Works of art provide effective means for linking information
in history and social studies, mathematics, science and geography,
opening lines of inquiry, revealing that art, like life, is lived in a
complex world not easily defined in discrete subjects. (p. 2)
Few changes take place in human behavior, including those changes that we
call learning, purely on a thinking level. Perceptions and emotions set
their own conditions for the process of change. In turn, perceptions and
emotions are the stuff from which the arts are made, and are basic to
creative behavior (Madeja, 1973). In my experience, hands-on, interactive
art experiences can help people to see relationships and that all learners
are capable of creative activities, not just those born with talent. There
is more attention paid in galleries and museums to what Glaser and Zenetou
(1994) call "shared cultural knowledge" and it’s role in a pluralistic
society. They also suggest that "museums should be further appreciated as
repositories for this ‘core knowledge’ at a time when information has become
overwhelmingly complex and standards for excellence have become diffuse" (p.
119).
Wilson, (1999) suggests that there are three vital ways that the arts
improve schools. Firstly, the arts improve the school climate by creating an
organization that looks, sounds and feels different. Secondly, the arts
challenge students, in terms of not only artistic skills but also the way in
which each small element is connected to the creation of a complex but
coherent whole. Finally, the arts turn schools into communities where
students, teachers and administrators support each other, increase
collaboration, create and perform together. Wilson (1999) ends his analysis
be saying that, "the arts transform learning and schools." Examples of these
statements can be found in the study by Gourey, Bosseau and Delgado, (1985)
which found that students reported significantly improved attitudes relating
to self-expression, trust, self acceptance and acceptance of others.
Integrating the Arts in
Education
The premise for integrating the arts into the curriculum is all aspects
of life are linked together through art. It is disruptive to disassociate
art from other subject areas in life and in schooling. Integration of the
arts with other disciplines is paramount, and art becomes the cement to
re-form life into a unified whole. (Attenborough, 2002) Although some arts
educators cite a tension between integrating the arts into the curriculum
and promote a strong, disciplined-based arts specific curriculum, others
suggest the integrating the arts throughout the curriculum is beneficial.
Newsom and Silver (1978) suggest, "non-artistic disciplines have
discovered unexplored territories in the visual arts and have revealed the
inherent capability of the visual arts to be all things to all disciplines,
in short, it can well be argued that the study of art is the most fruitful
interdisciplinary study available to the academic world at all levels from
elementary through graduate school" (p. 23). The curriculum should be
concerned with a variety of life experiences for the child to find the
information relevant, and each life experience has a visual aspect to it and
can, therefore, be related to art in some way. From infancy we begin to
learn with our senses, for those of us with the sense of sight, visually
learning is a primary source of our cognitive life but we learn throughout
our early childhood through all of our senses and the arts enable us to do
that. We begin to make associations and learn new concepts through sight and
images. Throughout our lives we are bombarded with visual images through the
media as well as from many other sources. Arts specialists have always known
that the arts provide alternative ways of knowing that occur apart from
language, which entails teaching with, about, in, and through the arts
(Cornett, 1999 p. 5).
Using art as one springboard for integrating the subjects that children
will be exposed to during their school life will, necessarily, make the
experiences of learning much more relevant. Rudolf Arnheim (1989), in
Thoughts on Art Education, suggests;
"Attention to the whole and to its constituent qualities is one of
the important lessons the arts can teach. The fragmentation of content
in forms that do not yield for the child a feeling for the whole are not
likely to be particularly meaningful. Too much of the teaching and
curricula in our school has this disembodied, fragmented character" (p.
5).
Art is a way of bridging this kind of fragmentation. (Attenborough, 2002)
Contradictions
Many educators believe in the value of arts education in the classroom,
however the realities of curriculum reforms and increased emphasis on the
basics and standardized testing have relegated the arts to an inferior
position. In the study conducted by Upitis, Smithrim, Patteson and Meban
(2001) it was found that teacher believe in the value of the arts, indeed,
98.7% of the teachers either "strongly agree" or "agree" that the arts are
fundaments to quality learning. However, despite that belief, few than half
of the teachers (41%) schedule in time for the arts on a daily basis. They
also found that most teachers (again 98.7%) believe that students can
express knowledge and skills through the arts, but only 18.5% frequently use
the arts as a teaching tool. (Upitis et.al. 2001).
The new Ontario Curriculum incorporates considerable attention to the
arts (visual, drama, dance and music) however; the reality of classroom
practice is that, for the most part, a minimum amount of time is spent on
any one element of the arts.
There are numerous obstacles to developing integrated arts programs
including time commitments, logistics and skills. However the programs being
studied here demonstrate that the possibilities for arts integration do
exist.
The Common Curriculum in Ontario (1992) encouraged teachers with a method
of connecting not only disciplines with expectations, but also disciplines
with each other. The new Ontario curriculum (1997) is not set up for
integration and provides standards or expectation that appear to be
discipline bound. However, innovative teaching practice has found ways
around this.
Integrating the Arts
with the Curriculum
According to a number of arts proponents (Kindler, 1987; Amber & Strong
1981) the fundamental assumptions of integrated arts programs as follows:
there is a similarity across the arts
incorporating the arts into other subject matter areas accelerates
and facilitates the learning process
the arts promote creativity
integrated arts programs are more economical than separate
instruction in each area
There are number studies underway in the United States (Burton, Howowitz
& Abeles, 1999) and also in Canada that have documented the effects of arts
programs on students (Wilkinson, 1997-– 1998; Wilkinson, 1996) there
has been some research done which examines the effects on teachers as they
collaborate on developing arts based integrated curriculum (Upitis, 1998)
but more is needed.
Benefits for and cautions about the integration of the arts throughout
the curriculum have been expressed since the 1980’s. Collins and Chandler
(1993) suggest and immersion model of the art which illustrates how
knowledge can be "interwoven into the tapestry of human experience (p. 199).
Grouer, Irwin, de Cosson, and Wilsom (2001) state that although debate
exists within arts education as to the extent to which integrative
activities and curriculum should be conceived and nurtured, curriculum
integration is an accepted model for classroom instruction.
Substantive research demonstrates the value of incorporating integrated
curriculum and creating a climate of collegiality into the existing school
curriculum (Drake, in press, 2000; Hargreaves & Fullan, 1992; Fogarty, 1991;
Jacobs, 1989). Research indicates that not only students but teachers as
well benefit from integrated curriculum (Drake, 1993; Jacobs, 1989).
Incorporating curriculum integration into practice is not the only way to
change teacher culture. Indeed, Hargreaves and Moore (2000) stress that
integrated curriculum is one of the most ambitious, yet also contentious,
aspects of current approaches to educational reform, in that tries to
connect classroom learning to the lives and understanding of all students.
On the positive side, they suggest that through the application of
integrated curriculum we can bring teachers together by bringing content
together. "Integration, it advocates say, provides opportunities for
information exchange among teachers about commonly held interests and
talents, as well as about the teaching goals, themes and organizing concepts
in their subject areas" (Gehrke, 1991 p.113).
Integrated curriculum as defined by Jacobs (1989) is a knowledge view and
curriculum approach that consciously applies methodology and language from
more than one discipline to examine a central theme, issue, problem, topic
or experience (p. 8). This definition reflects a general consensus of the
meaning of integrated curriculum. The understanding and application of
integration can vary from teacher to teacher and classroom-to-classroom, it
is certainly not consistent. The basic assumption of curriculum integration
is that knowledge is connected. If integration incorporates linkages between
fields of knowledge, or disciplines, then the process of applying
integration into the classroom creates an environment that nurtures
real-life connections. According to Drake (2001) integrated curriculum can
offer a number of advantages to both teachers and students, such as seeing
the big picture, increased relevance, real-life context, and encouraging
higher order thinking skills. Shoemaker (1994) suggests integrated
curriculum is defined as
…education that is organized in such a way that it cuts across
subject-matter lines, bringing together various aspects of the curriculum
into meaningful association to focus upon broad areas of study. It views
learning and teaching in a holistic ways and reflects the real world, which
is interactive" (p. 2).
Integrated curriculum comes in many forms (examples of integrated
curriculum models are outlined in depth in Fogarty, 1991). Curriculum models
that use the term integrated vary from what can be called
multi-disciplinary, to fusion and transdisciplinary models (Fogarty, 1991).
Bonds, Cox and Gantt-Bonds (1993) take the concept of integrated curriculum
even further and define it as synergistic teaching. They describe
synergistic teachers as:
…teaching that goes beyond the blurring of subject area lines to a
process of teaching whereby all the school subjects are related and taught
in such a manner that they are almost inseparable. What is learned and
applied in one area of the curriculum is related and used to reinforce,
provide repetition, and expand the knowledge and skills learned in other
curriculum areas (as cited in Lake, 1994, p. 5).
Although there are numerous benefits in the application of integrated
curriculum by teachers, the structures of schools and teacher culture may
serve to discourage teachers from participating in curriculum integration.
In addition, many individual teachers are uncomfortable with the idea of
integrated curriculum. According to Drake, (1998) teachers worry that the
integrity of the disciplines will be lost in integrated curriculum. There
are a number of reasons for teachers’ reluctance in incorporating integrated
curriculum into their practice. These include: insufficient understanding of
all of disciplines to effectively lead students toward a thorough knowledge
of important concepts (Simon, 1993); inexperience with integration and
interrelationships among disciplines in teachers colleges (Mason, 1996);
concern with how to assess subjects (Mason, 1996); time commitment needed
for building an integrated curriculum, particularly the first effort (Drake,
1993) and loss of professional role. Integrated approaches to curriculum can
offer a number of benefits to both students and particularly to teachers.
However, without the structure built into the school system to support these
initiatives they are difficult to successfully implement. Teacher
preparation programs outline possibilities of incorporating integrated
curriculum, model curriculum integration and also provide opportunities for
making connections not only between disciplines, but also between
colleagues. According to Freeman, (1995) " when teachers attempt to
structure learning experiences for students in ways that are inconsistent
with educational norms and other organizational constraints in the schools
or district, those innovations are generally short lived and unsuccessful"
(p. 12).
DeCorse (1996) investigates the responses of teachers regarding the
obstacles to conceptualization and application of curriculum integration.
These teachers suggest that some of the significant obstacles to integrating
curriculum include the fact that teachers do not embrace the fundamental
assumption that curriculum is the "real job" of teacher (p.3). In addition,
teachers come to the classroom with no concept of how to integrate other
ideas into what they are teaching and are not confident that they know
enough about subjects other than their specialty.
Making connections between the arts and other disciplines within the
curriculum requires collaboration between arts specialists, within the
school setting or from outside organizations, as well as with other teachers
from other disciplines in the school. Art educators must work
collaboratively with teachers from other subject areas is art is to become a
relevant and strong aspect of the school curriculum.
Cornett (1999) cites a number of reasons supporting integrating the arts
into and across the curriculum:
The arts are fundamental components of all cultures and time periods
The arts teach us that all we think or feel cannot be reduced to
words
When students engage in the arts they have the opportunity to "be
smart in different ways." (Gardner, 1993)
The arts develop the brain.
The arts provide avenues of achievement for students who might
otherwise not be successful.
The arts develop a value for perseverance and hard work.
The arts are a necessary part of life.
There is a strong positive relationship between the arts and academic
success.
The arts offer alternative forms of assessment and evaluation.
The arts can be a "feel good" alternative for students who turn to
drugs and other destructive means to "get high".
The Impact of
Integrated Curriculum on Students
Research also demonstrates the value of incorporating integrated
curriculum into the classroom. Most important is a body of research that
suggests that students who participate in integrated approaches do as well
as, or even better than, students who learn through traditional approaches (Vars,
2000). This research should appease stakeholders who worry that students who
are involved in interdisciplinary approaches will not be able to compete in
high stakes testing. More relevant for students, studies conclude that
students who participate in integrated programs consistently out-perform
students in tradition classes on national standardized tests, state-wide
testing programs and program developed assessment (Hartzler, 2000). In
addition, integrated curriculum infuses a climate of collegiality into the
existing school curriculum (Drake, 2000; Hargreaves & Fullan, 1992; Fogarty,
1991; Jacobs, 1989).
Description of the Programs under study
Niagara Falls Art Gallery &
Niagara Children’s Museum – ABIL (Art Based Integrated Learning
Arts Based Integrated Learning provides students, teachers and parents
with the tools to connect and integrate the curriculum through the arts. The
focus of the program is to encourage partnerships between the school, the
home, and the community through arts based education. The ABIL program also
provides the opportunity for continuous learning through the use of
community resources and the application of arts tools, concepts and
techniques. When a person is provided with a firm grounding in arts
connections and integration the lessons learned in school to its
applications in daily living the arts can become an integral and useful part
of one’s life.
School connections through the ABIL program aim to:
provide students with the various pathways of how the tools, concepts and
techniques of the arts can be applied to explore, connect and integrate the
various disciplines.
assist students with building confidence in using the arts as the method
of exploration and understanding of the world that surrounds them through
both the learning process and the product.
assist students in understanding that art is the basis of all learning
and its applications are useful in day-to-day living.
further connect and integrate the school into community programs and home
activities.
facilitate an understanding among teachers and parents that art is a
legitimate method to study the world around us and is an important part of a
successful lifestyle.
assist teachers with the realization that they naturally teach using art
tools, concepts and techniques.
assist teachers in removing the barriers that has arisen between the arts
and the other disciplines and to connect and integrate them.
Art Based Integrated Learning recognizes that teachers connect and
integrate the disciplines in various ways and that they may choose to teach
art only as a separate discipline or to connect and integrate the various
subjects. Whatever a teacher’s choice is, Arts Based Integrated Learning is
adaptable to the circumstances of the individual classroom.
Community connections through the ABIL program encourage:
effective exhibitions, performances, and programs that connect and
integrate with school curriculums and home activities.
assist community services in connecting or integrating the arts with
their programs.
facilitate an understanding in the arts community that children’s
activities should be as valued as adult activities.
create on-going community participation and support of the ABIL programs.
facilitate community arts development through the use of ABIL programs.
The ABIL program also attempts to create links to home through:
Providing home activities that connect to the curriculum.
assisting families by providing connected or integrated activities
that the parents, children or the whole family can participate in.
providing parents with information and access to teaching pathways
that increases their involvement in their child’s education.
assisting adults with continuous learning through the arts.
assisting adults in obtaining the background to gain confidence in
the participation and use of the arts in their daily activities.
Learning Through the Arts™
Learning Through the Arts ™ is a school and teacher transformation
initiative developed by The Royal Conservatory of Music, Canada. The program
is designed with the focus of engaging students, teachers and artists deeply
in the learning process, through carefully designed math, science, history,
geography and language units that incorporate performing and visual arts
components into the learning process.
This goal is achieved through a structure program of teacher development
that include the involvements of artists who work along with teachers to
develop curricula. (Upitis, Smithrim, Patteson & Meban, 2001) The framework
of the model for Learning Through the Arts initiative includes:
A research-based instruction model where LTTA teachers learn to use
participatory music and arts activities to present the core curriculum
LTTA offers schools a comprehensive implementation programme that
includes extensive professional development, in-class facilitation,
curriculum integration models, student assessment tools, program
evaluation, and managerial expertise.
LTTA is a school-wide program. Every teacher and student
participate. Each year, teachers take part in five half days of
professional development. They gain practical experience with new
instructional methods through nine in-class workshops given in
partnership with trained artists-mentors.
LTTA provides innovative models for integrating different strands
of the curriculum. This allows students to understand the connections
between different areas of knowledge, and helps teachers implement
today’s more comprehensive curriculum.
LTTA evaluation tools allow teachers to better understand their
students/ unique talents and strengths
LTTA showcases engage parents in their children’s learning, and
provide an opportunity for all students to experience pride of
achievement.
Teacher Professional
Development
There are a number of practices that support teacher development beyond
the traditional and formal single day in-service workshops that often seem
to be the focus of teacher development programs. "Unconnected to classroom
life, it is often a mélange of abstract ideas that pays little attention to
the ongoing support of continuous learning and changed practices"
(Lieberman, 1995, p. 591). Although staff learning still takes place
primarily at a series of workshops, at conferences, or with the help of a
long-term consultant teacher development is much more than this (Lieberman,
1995; Hargreaves 1994: Fullan, 1982).
According to Fullan and Hargreaves (1992) teacher development goes beyond
changing teacher behaviours in the classroom to actually changing whom the
teacher is, tying together both beliefs and values to behaviour. Teacher
development is more than a simplification definition of merely providing in
servicing, it is a process of personal development and an important step
forward in efforts to improve practice. Self-confidence is based on these
values, attitudes, and beliefs about one’s practice. Certainly, erosion of
self-confidence can be the result of negative attitudes that are directed
toward teachers in our contemporary climate of distrust. There are a number
of ways to improve teacher self-confidence through professional development.
Fullan and Hargreaves (1992) specifically cite practices that incorporate
in-school professional development and collaborative projects.
Experiences of teachers and learners demonstrate that learning occurs
though active involvement. Teachers need to experience professional
development as learners. Lieberman (1995) suggests that processes,
practices, and policies built on this view of learning are at the heart of a
more expanded view of teacher development that encourages teachers to
involve themselves as learner. This concept of changing the focus of
teaching to learning for teachers is a valuable one in the design of
in-service programs and school structures.
Lieberman (1995) further proposes an approach that goes beyond new ideas
and frameworks for understanding teaching practice. That is, to actively
being involved in decisions about the organizational support for learning in
the school, including support systems and partnerships that provide
opportunities for learning and innovation that involve groups both inside
and outside of the school. One particular area that Lieberman (1995)
highlights is the concept of adopting new approaches to subject matter,
including innovative approaches to teaching and curricular change. This is
supported by the earlier work of Hargreaves (1992) that confirms that
teacher development must be reconnected to curriculum development, in order
to ensure a sufficiently broad and significant area about which to
collaborate. In a study by DeCorse (1996) a number of teachers were
interviewed and discussed their practices and ideas about curriculum reform
in general, and the role of pre-service education in the formulation of
their beliefs. DeCorse concluded that there are a variety of approaches to
curriculum reform, including: curriculum integration, co-operative
teacher-generated curriculum, and holistic philosophical approaches to
change. All of these approaches can lead to successful implementation of
curriculum reform.
Collaborative teacher cultures do not occur without concerted effort. The
process of developing a collaborative teacher culture is considerable work
and needs to be nurtured not only by the teacher participants, but also by
administrators and education leaders within the school structure. Wideen
(1992) asks, "How do successful school improvement projects come about? And
how does a school initiate change and build it into its ongoing life?" (p.
123). He suggests that no change can occur in schools without teacher
development and suggests that no major reform in our school system will
occur without the support of the front line people who will eventually make
it work. Drake’s (1998) research also supports this theory. She suggests
that schools that successfully effect change do so by establishing a
collaborative culture. In particular, an important aspect of teacher
development is that teachers learn through participating in change.
Teacher Development
through Integrated Curriculum
Research indicates that it is not only students who benefit from this
type of curricular approach but teachers as well. (Drake, 1993; Jacobs,
1989) For example, teachers from four secondary interdisciplinary teams
reported an increased sense of belonging and support when they collaborate
with peers regularly (Burns, 1995). Hargreaves (2001) suggests that
integrated approaches allow teachers to contextualize their curriculum to
their students needs and enable students to become more engaged with the
learning process. One of the more valued aspects of creating integrated
curriculum is the creation a climate of collegiality. One of the rewards
identified by teachers come from working collaboratively, often for the
first time, with other teachers (Drake 2000)
Is there a way of incorporating integrated curriculum to change school
structures into a collaborate environment which reflects the realities of
teacher lives in this political climate? Elmore, Petersen and McCarthey
(1996) studied teacher training in integrated programs. Their thinking
shifted from thinking of the curriculum as an object to thinking of
curriculum as an activity. Similarly, Lake (1995) describes two studies
where teachers discuss the value of incorporating curriculum integration
into their practice. Edgerton (1990) found that after one year, 83% of the
teachers involved in an integrated curriculum preferred to continue with the
integrated program rather than return to the traditional curriculum. In a
related study MacIver (1990) found that teachers appreciated the social
support of working together and felt that they were able to teach more
effectively when they integrated across subjects and courses. They
discovered new interests and teaching techniques that revitalized their
teaching. In the conclusion of the Sands and Drake study (1996), one teacher
states,
"I would not trade the experiences of co-teaching this interdisciplinary
course for anything in my professional career. While each of us would be the
first to say that we aren’t were we need to be, I have a deep sense of
commitment towards continuing the team effort to refine our practices in the
block. In fact, I can’t imagine not being allowed to continue to put my
efforts into the ongoing development and refinement of this course." (p. 6)
Lake (1994) identified the research related to integrated curriculum as
being centered around three major categories: historical perspectives on
curriculum integration and curriculum integration and an educational
innovation; descriptions of thematic units or types of integrated curricula;
and the impact of curriculum integration on learners. Many of the sources of
literature on integrated curriculum are written by classroom teachers or by
researchers whose practice originated in a classroom setting (Lake, 1994).
In her research, Lake (1994) found that the majority of research on
integrated curriculum focused either on how to implement an integrated
successfully or teachers’ experiences by way of descriptions of integrated
units they had taught. There were fewer studies documenting the
effectiveness of an integrated curriculum on content learning and attitude.
What is missing in the literature is an analysis of whether teachers
participating in the development and application of integrated curriculum
experience a more positive teaching climate. Drake and Burns (in press)
suggest that a significant result of teaching in interdisciplinary ways is
teacher renewal.
Method
To understand the experiences of teachers and students working with both
the Learning Through the Arts and the Arts Based Integrated Learning
programs a qualitative research design will be used that incorporates
features of case studies. This study will be approached from a qualitative,
constructivist perspective. This research approach will be used to gather
descriptive, perceptual data from teachers and students who participate in
both of the community organized programs. The sample will be draw from
teachers and students in the Niagara Region where both programs are in
place. Participants will be drawn from both the Niagara District Catholic
School Board and the District School board of Niagara (public). A
combination of instruments from which to gather data will be incorporated
into the study including: survey, in depth interview using open-ended
questions, field notes and classroom observation. It is hoped that these
will provide thick, rich descriptions and an analysis of common themes.
Meriam (1988) defines the case study as a process and suggests four
essential properties of a qualitative case study:
the study of a particular situation, event, program, or phenomenon
a thick description of the phenomenon, including as many variables
as possible
the discovery of new meaning and understanding of the phenomenon
under study
a reliance on inductive reasoning; although a researcher might have
a working hypothesis, it is subject to reformulation as concepts
"emerge" from an analysis of the data
As a research tool, case studies enable researchers to understand complex
social phenomenon. This study will focus on the phenomenon of a particular
process within the school sitting and will be concerned with interpreting
that phenomenon within a bounded context using a variety of instruments
associated with qualitative inquiry.
Teacher and Student Data
The focus of the research will be on a purposive sample of a teacher and
student population who are participating in the program during the 2001-
2002 school year. Initially, I will identify a sample of 24 – 30 teachers
and 24 – 30 students from a variety of elementary grades across two school
boards who have participated in the Learning Through the Arts program; the
Niagara Falls Art Gallery Art Based Integrated program, both programs and
students who have participated in neither program. It is hoped that 5 –6
teachers and 5 – 6 students from each of these area will be incorporated
into the data.
Data collection will occur between September 2002 and January 2003. Data
will be collected through: classroom observation; researcher field notes;
teacher surveys; and in-depth, open-ended interview questions. The results
of the data collection will be examined and both positive and negative
aspects of the programs will be included in the analysis.
Data Analysis and Interpretation
The qualitative data analysis that will be used in the analysis of data
is known as the constant comparative method (Maykut & Morehouse, 1994). In
this form of analysis data will be transcribed, coded and emergent themes
and patterns identified.
Implications of the Study
The arts are not only valuable as a way to examine a culture’s history
but also an important aspect of all human development. This study will
examine how the arts can be not only incorporated and integrated into the
elementary curriculum through outside organizations, but also how these
programs can increase teacher collaboration and development, as well as
encourage student success and engagement through the arts. These programs
attempt to increase teacher and student confidence in and with the arts
through arts based activities that expand beyond the traditional boundaries
of discipline-based education. The emphasis is on creating cross-curricular
connections and this study will attempt to analyze those connections.
Curriculum integration is not a new idea, however integrating the arts
throughout the curriculum is relatively new. Using music, drama, dance and
visual art to learn the fundamentals of other disciplines increased student
engagement and both teacher and student relevance levels.
It is hoped that this study will demonstrate that it is possible to have
an effective partnerships between community resources, teachers, and
students as a way to enrich the curriculum.
It is hoped that collaborative efforts between teachers and community
resources will enhance teaching practices and infuse the classroom climate
with an air of excitement. In addition, teachers’ assumptions about the role
of the arts will change and relevant connections can be made between the
various art forms and other disciplines within the curriculum.
It seems apparent that incorporating integrated curriculum with its
inherent need for teacher collaboration into teacher development programs
could assist in creating a more positive teachers’ culture While there are
numerous studies on the lived experiences of teachers in terms of teacher
culture and professional development, (Hargreaves, 1992; Fullan & Hargreaves,
1993; Lieberman and Grolnick, 1997) they do not cross into the experiences
of teachers specifically incorporating integrated arts curriculum for
professional development. . I believe that this study will provide an
original contribution to the literature on teachers’ professional
development in conjunction with providing integrated arts into the
curriculum. In particular, the relationship between teachers, students and
school with the community.
Finally it is hoped that the results of this study will encourage school
administration, teachers and parents to select and implement effective arts
programs for their schools and their students and provide a model for school
boards across the country.
References
Amber, N. M. & Strong, B. R. (1981). Arts in the classroom: What an
elementary teacher can do. Washington, D.C.: National Endowment for the
Arts.
arts in focus (2000). Arts Education Task Force of Arts for Los
Angeles. Los Angeles: Museums without Walls.
Arnheim, R. (1974). Art and visual perception: The new vision.
Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Attenborough, D. (2002). There’s more to it than just looking: The art
museum as an integrated learning environment. In Gaudelius, Y. & Speirs, P.
(Eds.), Contemporary Issues in Art Education (p. 84 – 96). New
Jersey: Prentice-Hall.
Bonds, C.; Cox C., III; and Gantt-Bonds, L. Curriculum Wholeness
through Synergistic Teaching. The Clearing House 66/4 (March/April
1993): 252-254.
Burns, R. C. (1995). Dissolving the boundaries: Planning for
curriculum integration in middle and secondary schools. Charleston, WV:
Appalachia Educational Laboratory.
Burton, J., Horowitz, R., Abeles, H. (1999). Learning in and through
the arts: curriculum implication in Champions of Change. Center for Arts
Education Research Teachers College, Columbia University. http://www.artsedge.kennedy-center.org/champions/exec_summ.html
Cohen, E. and Gainer, R. (1995) Art: Another Language for Learning.
Portsmouth, NG: Heinemann.
Collins, E.C & Chandler, S. (1993). Beyond art as product: using an
artistic perspective to understand classroom life. Theory into Practice,
32(4), 199-203.
Cornett, C. (1999). The arts as meaning makers. Upper Saddle
River, New Jersey: Merrill-Prentice-Hall.
Cortines, R. (1999) Introduction to Gaining the Arts Advantage:
Lessong from school districts that value arts education. National
Endowment for the Arts.
DeCorse, C. (1996). Teachers and the integrated curriculum: An
intergenerational view. Action in Teacher Education, 18(1) p. 85 –
92.
Drake. S. (2001). Castles, kings....standards. Educational Leadership,
59(1), p. 38 – 42.
Drake. S. (2000). Integrated curriculum. A Chapter of the Curriculum
Handbook. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development:
Alexandria, Virginia.
Drake, S. (1998). Creating integrated curriculum: Proven ways to
increase student learning. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin Press, Inc.
Drake, S. (1993). Planning integrated curriculum: A call to adventure.
Alexandria, Virginia: Association for Supervision and Curriculum
Development.
Edgerton, R. Survey Feedback from Secondary School Teachers that are
Finishing their First Year Teaching from an Integrated Mathematics
Curriculum. Washington, DC, 1990. (ED 328 419)
Eisner, E. (1972). Educating artistic vision. New York: Macmillan.
Elmore, R. F., Peterson, P. L., & McCarthy, S. J. (1996).
Restructuring in the classroom. New York: Teachers College Press.
Eloquent evidence: arts at the core of learning. Hhtp://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/progfessional_resources/advocacy/evid/p6.html
Fogarty, R. (1991). The mindful school: How to integrate curricula.
Palantine, Illinois: Skylight.
Freeman, C. (1995). Toward a theory of thematic curricula: Constructing
new learning environments for teachers and learners. Education Policy
Analysis Archives, Vol 3 No. 14.
Fried. (1992). In Fullan, M. & Hargreaves, A. (eds.) (1992). Teacher
development and educational change. Washington, D.C.: The Falmer Press.
Fullan, M. & Hargreaves, A. (eds.) (1992). Teacher development and
educational change. Washington, D.C.: The Falmer Press.
Fullen, M. (1992). Successful school improvement. Philadelphia:
Open University Press.
Gehrke, N. (1991). Explorations of Teachers’ Development of Integrative
Curriculums. Journal of Curriculum Supervision 6/2 p. 107 – 112.
Gardner, H. (1993). Creating minds: an anatomy of creativity seen
through the lives of Freud, Einstein, Picasso, Stravinsky, Eliot, Graham &
Gandhi. New York: Basic Books.
Glaser, J. & Zenetou. A. (Eds.) (1994). Gender perspectives: Essays on
women in museums. Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Institute.
Gourey, F., Bosseau, J. and Delgado, F., (1985). The Impact of an
improvisational dramatics program on student attitudes and achievement.
In Schools, Communities, and the Arts: A Research Compendium. Tempe, AZ :
Morrison Institute for Public Policy Arizona State University. p. 52.
Greene, M. (1995). Releasing the imagination: Essay on education, the
arts, and social change. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
International Journal of Education & the Arts
Grauer, K., Irwin, R., de Cosson, A. & Wilsom, S. (2001) Images for
Understanding:
Snapshots of Learning through the Arts™ International Journal of
Arts Education. Vol. 2 No. 9., 2001. available: http://ijea.asu.edu/v2n9/
Hargreaves, A. & Fullan, M. (1998). What’s worth fighting for out
there? New York: Teachers College Press.
Hargreaves, A. (2001). Beyond subjects and standards: A critical view
of educational reform. Ontario ASCD, p. 46 – 51.
Hargreaves, A. & Moore, S. (2000). Curriculum integration and classroom
relevance: a study of teachers’ practice. Journal of Curriculum
Supervision, 15, No. 2 Winter 2000, p. 89 – 112.
Hargreaves, A. (1994). Restructuring restructuring: Postmodernity and the
prospects for educational change. In P.P. Grimmett and J.P. Neufeld,
Teacher development and the struggle for authenticity, (p. 52 – 78). New
York: Teachers College Press.
Hartzler, D. H. (2000). A meta-analysis of studies conducted on
integrated curriculum programs and their effects on student achievement.
Unpublished Ed.D., Indiana University.
Jacobs, H.H. (ed.) (1989). Interdisciplinary curriculum: design and
implementation. Alexandria, Virginia: Association for Supervision and
Curriculum: Development.
Jensen, E. (1998, April). Teaching with the brain in mind. Alexandria, VA:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Kindler, A. (1987). A review of rationales for integrated arts programs.
Studies in Art Education, 29 (1), 52-60.
Lake, K. (1994). Integrated curriclum. School Improvement Research
Series. Northwest Regional Education Laboratory. http://www.nwrel.org/scpd/sirs/8/c016.html.
Lieberman, A. (1995).. Practices that support teacher development:
transforming conceptions of professional learning. http://www.ehr.nsf.gov/EHR/REC/pubs/NSD_EF/lieber.htm
Lieberman, A. & Grolnick, M. (1997). Networks, reform and the
professional development of teachers. IN A. Hargreaves, (Ed.) Rethinking
educational change with heart and mind, The 1997 ASCD Yearbook:
Alexandria, Virginia: The Association for Supervision and Curriculum
Development, p. 192 – 215.
Madeja, S. (1973). All the arts for every child: Final report on the
arts in general education project. New York: The JDR 3rd Fund
Inc..
Mann, L. (1998) Arts education: A cornerstone of basic education.
Curriculum Update newsletter, Association for Supervision and Curriculum
Development. Spring 1998, p. 1 – 8.
Mason, T. (1996). Integrated curricula: potential and problems.
Journal of Teacher Education, September-October 1996, Vol. 47, No. 4,
p.263 - 270.
Maykut, P. & Morehouse. (1994). Beginning Qualitative Research.
London: Falmer Press.
Merriam, S. B. (1988). Case study research in education. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Newsom, B., & Silver, A. (Eds.) (1978). The art museum as educator: A
collection of studies as guides to practice and policy. Los Angeles, CA:
University of California Press.
The power of the arts to transform education. (1993). Los Angeles,
CA: J. Paul Getty Trust.
Sands, D. & Drake, S. (1996). Exploring a process for delivering an
interdisciplinary preservice elementary education curriculum: teacher
educators practice what they preach. Action in Teacher Education, V.
18, Fall 1996, p. 68 – 79.
Shoemaker, B. (1989) Integrative Education: A Curriculum for the
twenty-first century. Oregon: Oregon School Study Council. 33/2, 1989.
Simon, N.S. (1993). Prospective elementary teachers’ knowledge of
division. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 24, 233 –
254.
Upitis, R., Smithrim, K, Patteson, & A., Meban, M. (2001). The effects of
an enriched elementary arts education program on teacher development, artist
practices, and student achievement: baseline student achievement and teacher
data from six Canadian sites. International Journal of Education & the
Arts. V. 2, No. 8, 2001.
Upitis, R. (1998). Preservice and Inservice Teacher Education in the
Arts: Toward a National Agenda. In B. Roberts (Ed.) Connect, combine,
communicate: Revitalizing the arts in Canadian schools. Sydney, N.S.:
University College of Cape Breton Press. P. 131 - 152.
Vars, G. (2000). Editorial comment: On research, high stakes testing and
core philosophy. The Core Teacher, 51(1), p. 7 – 17.
Wideen, (1992). In Fullan, M. & Hargreaves, A. (eds.) (1992). Teacher
development and educational change. Washington, D.C.: The Falmer Press.
Wilkinson, J. A. (1997&ndash: 1998). Learning through the arts
assessment (interim report). Unpublished manuscript.
Wilkinson, J. A. (1996). Literacy, education and art partnership:
Assessing principles and processes effecting a community-system level
initiative to integrate the arts across the curriculum: Executive summary.
Toronto: OISE and The Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto.
Wilson, B. (1999). Sidebar in Gaining the Arts Advantage:
Lessong from school districts that value arts education. National
Endowment for the Arts.
|
