Art Teacher Survey What artworks are students being shown in art classrooms today?

1. Art Teacher SurveyWhat artworks are students being shown in art classrooms today? Stephanie Jordan ARE6905 4/7/2010

2. What has changed? • Originally: A study on students’ preferences for artworks. Do students prefer to learn about historical or contemporary works? • What’s New: Art Teacher Survey. What are teachers showing students today? What types of artworks?

3. Importance • When viewing artworks, student perceptions and interpretations is “highly dependent on past experiences and training” in art (Hamblen, 1984, p.21). • The ability to respond to artworks is thought to be a learned experience, strongly influenced by a person’s artistic training and background (Jeffers, 1997, p.57). • This could mean that student success on assessments such as NAEP, where specific artworks and tasks are chosen for students to complete, is largely dependent on past art education. • In order to understand students’ scores, we need to know what is being taught and shown in classrooms.

4. Purpose of study: • The purpose of this study is to explore art educators’ approaches to teaching art. Specifically, I seek to examine art teacher’s selection of artworks for use as exemplars and feelings towards using various types of artworks in instruction through the use of a questionnaire • Research Questions: • What are art educators showing their students? Are the examples shown predominantly teacher/student works, historical works or contemporary works? For what purpose are the artworks being shown? Are art educator’s more “School Arts,” “Modern,” or “Post-Modern/Contemporary” in their selection of artworks?

5. Review of Literature Hamblen, K. A. (1984). Perception as a function of learned expectations. Art Education, 37(3), 20-25. Jeffers, C. (1997). Discovering a Gap: A Comparison of Personal and Educational Aesthetic Preferences of Students and Teachers. Studies in Art Education, 39(1), 57-73. • Artistic Perception as a Learned Experience • Hamblen (1984) in “Artistic Perception as a Function of Learned Expectations” & Jeffers (1997) make the case that: • a person’s past encounters with art play a fundamental role in shaping their future artistic perceptions and responses. • And “where students are” in the arts is largely based upon their past artistic training and experiences (Jeffers, 1997, p.57). • In agreement with Deweyan belief • So, what art educators do is very influential! What artworks art educators choose to show as examples and the nature of lessons/assignments is powerful in shaping students’ feelings about art. • This begs the question – What types of artworks are teacher showing their students? What and how are art educators teaching art?

6. Review of Literature • Origin of my survey • More formalized extension of Patterson’s playful self-assessment • Scores fall in 3 categories: • School Arts • ‘Modern’ - using ‘Fine Arts’ ex’s (DBAE?) • ‘Po-Mo’ - using contemporary and visual culture ex’s • Though humorous & tongue in cheek, Patterson’s questionnaire illustrates a divide between schools of art educators who vary in their approach to teaching.

7. Review of Literature Although breaking down all art teachers’ personal teaching styles into just a few categories is overly simplistic, it could help to make clear some fundamental differences in practice, approach and philosophies… • School Arts (‘Art Project Mogul’): • Efland (1999) defines it as characterized by strict rules, a particular aesthetic style, and common themes (holidays, seasons, masks, collages). • Mass-produced, worksheets • Unlike an artistically authentic experience, Giles (1999) explains that school art is unrelated to actual practice of professional artists and does not draw on students’ life experiences. • Discipline Based Art Ed (‘Modern’) • Hamblen (1988), DBAE is centered on four areas of learning: aesthetics, art crit, art history &studio production. • “back-to-basics” approach developed in response to approaches that emphasize studio production, creativity and personal insight (Hamblen, 1988, p.23). • strong emphasis on Western fine art classics and wide variation among student outcomes in not common. • Post-Modern/Contemporary (Contempo, ‘Po-Mo’) • Fuses “the visual and the conceptual” in a way that students “gain the capacity to reflect on cultural issues related to self and society” (Gude, 2004, p.8) • 3 Main criteria according to Gude (2004): • themes that relate to students lives and the communities in which they live • studio experiences based on diverse practices employed by contemp. artists • art as inquiry into understanding one’s self and others in a way that generates new insights

8. Review of Literature • Past Research and Surveys: Laura Chapman & Claire Golding • 3 ‘Teacher Viewpoint Surveys’ (1979, 1990, 2005) • 2005: Survey published in March School Arts. If interested in participating, instructions were included and responses needed to be mailed by March 31. Results published in Sept • Teachers were asked: • which of 22 art forms listed the respondents were planning to include in their teaching that year (basic design, drawing, painting, etc), • which ways teachers “enrich their programs” (field trips, visiting artists, art festivals, etc.), • the problems art educators are facing (time shortages, large class sizes, inadequate planning time, shortage of physical space, budget problems, etc. • how respondents use the Internet and technology for class • the resources used to show students works of art • the incorporation of art history, art criticism and integration of other subject areas • Teachers were also asked about about their own art making, personal trips to galleries or museums, and participation in professional organizations

9. Chapman & Golding’s 2005 Teacher Viewpoint Survey

10. Review of Literature • Chapman & Golding, 2005 ‘Teacher Viewpoint Survey results indicate: • To introduce students to works of art most teachers use large reproductions, approximately half use films, videos, art textbooks, or websites, less and less teachers are utilizing slides, and the amount using small reproductions is increasing. • Results about computers and technology show that only about 1/3 teachers have a projector that connects to a computer, around 4 in 10 have access to a computer with a CD drive, and about 60% have an overheard projector. • Program enrichment findings show the majority of teachers hold student art exhibits or festivals (90%), 45% arrange field trips to museums or galleries (16% less than in 1990), 37% invite artists to visit or exhibit in the school, and 31% state multicultural education affects their work. • Art Criticism the majority of teachers teach it (only 8% report never doing so). Most use it as a means of discussing or looking at art, and 39% use it during classroom critiques. • Art involvement outside of school - 67% personally visit museums or galleries 1–5 times per year, 20% attend 6 – 10 times per year, 54% have created their own original works but do not exhibit, and the number of teachers who do not create their own artwork, although a small percentage, has doubled since 1990.

11. Review of Literature • Chapman & Golding, 2005 ‘Teacher Viewpoint Survey • Unaddressed: • Results that teachers are introducing students to works of art through large and small reproductions, film and video, and websites; but what types of images are they showing? • 45% plan field trips; but to which museums/galleries? Are these collections mostly historical, cultural artifacts, contemporary, or both? • 31% state multicultural education affects their work; but in what ways? How is multiculturalism incorporated into their teaching? • Most report they teach art criticism; but is this process taught formally? Are professionals works examined as well as student works? Is reflective thinking emphasized? • Many indicate art history is used in connection to creative activities; but what is the nature of these types of activities? • Most report they create their own art. Do teachers show their own artworks to the students? And if so, does this include those not created for the purpose of exemplars for specific creative projects?

12. Review of Literature McKenzie, R. G. (2009). A national survey of pre-service preparation for collaboration. Teacher Education and Special Education, 32(4), 379-393. • Procedure • A XX-item questionnaire to send to potential participants. • Would include cover letter that describes the nature of the survey and options for sending in the completed survey (electronically or by mail) • Inform participants that all responses will remain confidential • Multiple Choice, Yes/No, 4-Point Likert-type scale questions. • Partly modeled after McKenzie’s (2009) survey

13. Methods • Research Methodology:Descriptive Research • Procedure: • In order to conduct this research and obtain information about what teachers are currently showing their students, a survey instrument (questionnaire) was developed. • Participants indicate their responses to short answer, multiple choice,4 point Likert-scale, and Yes/No questions • Addressed topics such as the types of artworks currently used as exemplars, intent behind the selection of artworks for presentation, and feelings towards several statements about instructional practices. • Also, background information (survey taker’s educational background, years teaching art, the region they teach in, and the grade levels they teach) • Instrument to be sent electronically in pdf. • Cover letter will describe nature of the survey, guarantee confidentiality, and contain instructions for participating.

14. Methods • Sample Population: national sampling of art teachers at all grade levels, K-12, both public and private schools. • Data Analysis: Data collected from completed questionnaires would be statistically analyzed • Percentages of teachers using various types of art in instruction would be calculated • Means could be calculated for art teachers’ degree of agreement or disagreement to several statements can be determined • From the demographic questions, results could be compared for trends: • How do those with degrees in art education compare to those with degrees in other areas? • How do results from teachers at the elementary level compare to those from middle or high school teachers? • Public versus Private schools? • Newer versus more experienced teachers? • Urban versus Suburban versus Rural? • How do beliefs and practices differ according to US region?

15. Methods • Instrumentation:An original survey and accompanying cover letter • Cover letter to include: • Art Educator, • Thank you for participating in this brief survey. By answering the following questions to the best of your ability, you will help us create an informative image of current practices and beliefs of art educators in the art room. Please note that all data obtained from this survey will be kept strictly confidential and any reports of results will not include any names or indications of identity. • To participate in the survey, complete the attached file (.pdf) by clicking the boxes corresponding to your preferred answers. Please double-check your answers by verifying that the check marks appear in the appropriate box for your intended response, and save the completed file. You can reply to this email and attach your completed survey.

16. Methods • Instrumentation: The Questionnaire • A lot more difficult than I thought! • Keep it brief to encourage participation • Easy and inexpensive to send out / return completed • Avoid transparency: Keep it impartial, avoid making it seem like it is passing judgment on the participant’s teaching practices • Limit it to questions about the presentations of artworks for use as exemplars in instruction • Include questions asking about the participants use of and feelings towards teaching practices from each of several “schools” of art education.

17. Methods:The Survey Instrument

18. Methods:The Survey Instrument

19. Methods:The Survey Instrument

20. Results • Results from this brief survey could provide us with an interesting and informative perspective on how art educators introduce art to students in art education today. • Until data is collected, it is only possible to speculate on the findings. • Hypotheses: • the majority of art educators do not use a significant amount of contemporary art examples in their instruction. • most art educators utilize predominantly student and/or teacher examples of specific projects and professional art examples from history (specifically, I feel that Modern art, roughly Impressionism through Pop Art, is shown most often). • choosing works that illustrate the use of a specific element or principle, or provide framework to introduce new techniques and processes will be the intent guiding many teachers’ selection of artwork. • results will show teachers’ hesitance to incorporate current events and social issues into their teaching. • there will be interesting differences when comparing the results from those with degree(s) in art or art education to those without, to those new in the career versus those with more experience, those teaching in public schools versus those in private schools, those in urban areas versus those in suburban or rural areas, and between the five regions of the United States.

21. Conclusion & Reflection After viewing the disheartening results of NAEP arts assessment 2008, and viewing the sample questions, I became interested in what teachers are actually showing their students today? Students were asked to analyze and interpret a Kollwitz and a Schiele. It is my feeling that whether or not a student has been shown similar works can have a large effect on how they score on those questions. How can we assess a national sampling of students on responses to artworks when we have little idea as to what types of artworks these students have been shown in school? How can we select artworks for use in assessments without much knowledge of students’ training in and exposure to artworks?

22. Conclusion & Reflection While NAEP assessments in the arts are needed to see where students are in their art learning, it is equally as important to see where art teachers are in their teaching. After researching, I was surprised to find little work has been done on this topic. The product of my research: A survey designed to find answers to such questions.

23. Conclusion & Reflection • Implications: • Results from this proposed survey would create a picture of what goes on in art classrooms today • Could aid revisions of responding questions and selection of artworks for questions on future NAEP arts assessments • Help us better understand students’ scores on recent assessments • Areas for Future Study: • Still feel it is important to gain information into the artworks art teachers are using or are not using as exemplars, but maybe go deeper • An additional questionnaire could be developed to send to higher ed institutions to see what approaches, philosophies, and/or ideas are being emphasized in college art ed programs?

24. References • Chapman, L. H. & Golding, C. M. (2005). Teacher viewpoint survey. School Arts, 104(7), 61-62. Retrieved March 20, 2010 • from Education Full Text database. • Chapman, L. H. & Golding, C. M. (2005). 2005 Schoolarts teacher viewpoint survey: the results. School Arts, 105(1),51-54. • Retrieved March 20, 2010 from http://www.davispublications .com/Portal/SchoolArts/Samples/SA_0905/SA_0905_Sample.pdf. • Efland, A. (1978). The school art style: a functional analysis. Studies in Art Education, 17(2),37-44. • Giles, A. (1999). “School art” versus meaningful artistically authentic art education. NAEA Advisory, Winter. • Gude, O. (2004). Postmodern principles: in search of a 21st century art education. Art Education, 57(1), 6-14. Retrieved • March 18, 2010 from Education Full Text database. • Hamblen, K. A. (1984). Perception as a function of learned expectations. Art Education, 37(3), 20-25. Retrieved March 19, • 2010 from ERIC database. • Hamblen, K. A. (1988). What does dbae teach? Art Education 41(2), 23-35. Retrieved March 19, 2010 from ERIC database. • Jeffers, C. (1997). Discovering a Gap: A Comparison of Personal and Educational Aesthetic Preferences of Students and • Teachers. Studies in Art Education, 39(1), 57-73. Retrieved February 28, 2010 from ERIC database. • Keiper, S., Sandene, B.A., Persky, H.R., and Kuang, M. (2009). The nation’s report card: arts 2008 Music and Visual Arts • (NCES 2009-488). National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, US Department of Education, Washington, D.C. • McKenzie, R. G. (2009). A national survey of pre-service preparation for collaboration. Teacher Education and Special • Education, 32(4), 379-393. • National Assessment of Educational Progress (2008). 2008 grade 8 sample questions booklet. US Department of Education, • Washington, D.C. • Patterson, J. (2008). Are You po-mo or ?. Art Education, 61(2), 17. Retrieved February 28, 2010 from Education Full Text • database. • Roberts, T. (2008). What’s going on in room 13? Art Education, 61(5), 19-24. Retrieved March 19, 2010 from Education Full • Text database.