Accounts of the visual art classroom catering for artistically talented students

Accounts of the Visual Art Classroom: Catering for Artistically Talented Students Fiona Joy Ballantyne Vicig Masters of Education (Research) School of Learning and Professional Studies Queensland University of Technology 2009 Abstract Inclusive education practices call for the diverse and individual needs of all students to be met satisfactorily The needs and experiences of artistically talented students in Australian visual art classrooms are currently unknown This study addresses this gap in research through an inquiry into the experiences of artistically talented students and their teachers in visual art classrooms, by examining the accounts of a group of students and teachers at one high school in South East Queensland This study is significant as it provides teachers, parents and others involved in the education of artistically talented students with additional means to plan and cater for the educational needs of artistically talented students Teacher and student accounts of the visual art classroom in this study indicated that identification processes for artistically talented students are unclear and contradictory Furthermore, teacher and student accounts of their experiences presented a wide variety of conceptions of the visual art classroom and point towards an individualised approach to learning for artistically talented students This study also discovered a mismatch between assessment practices in the subject visual art and assessment of art in the ‘real world’ Specifically, this study proposes a renewal of programs for artistically talented students, and recommends a revision of current procedures for the identification of artistically talented students in visual art classrooms Statement of Original Authorship The work contained in this thesis has not been previously submitted to meet requirements for an award at this or any other higher education institution To the best of my knowledge and belief, the thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made Signature Date Acknowledgements It is a pleasure to thank the many people who made this thesis possible I would like to thank Dr Felicity McArdle and Professor Suzanne Carrington for their encouragement, advice, and support throughout this study You have taught me a lot and your input has been invaluable to the success of this thesis I am very grateful to the people who helped me conduct my fieldwork Particular thanks go to those staff and pupils who shared their experiences with me and gave their time to participate in the study I wish to thank my family and friends for all the time spent listening to me talking about the thesis, for the constant advice, encouragement and patience shown throughout this process Lastly, I would like to thank my husband, David for supporting, loving and encouraging me throughout the writing of this thesis I am so grateful for the hours you spent reading drafts, listening to me talk about the latest development and encouraging me to continue when times got tough I dedicate this thesis to you TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 7  CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE 13  2.1  The arts 13  2.1.1  Learning in the arts 15  2.1.2  The arts in schools 17  2.1.3  Visual art within the arts 20  2.2  Gifted and talented education 22  2.2.1  Inclusive education 23  2.2.2  Intelligence 25  2.2.3  Gifted and talented education in Australia 27  2.3  Talent and the arts 28  2.3.1  Identification of artistic talent 29  2.3.2  Artistically talented students: Teaching and learning 31  2.4  Catering for artistically talented students 35  CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY 37  3.1  Conceptual framework 38  3.2  Research design 42  3.3  Fieldwork 43  3.3.1  The site 44  3.3.2  Stage one – Focus group interviews 44  3.3.3  Stage two: Semi-structured one-on-one interviews 46  3.4  Analysis 49  3.5  Limitations 51  3.7  Ethics 51  3.8  Chapter summary 52  CHAPTER 4: TEACHER ACCOUNTS 54  4.1  Identification 54  4.1.1  Identifying high achievers at Knightsbridge College 55  4.1.2  Characteristics of the artistically talented 58  4.1.3  Defining artistic talent 62  4.2  Teacher experiences 66  4.2.1  Teaching artistically talented students 66  4.2.2  Programming for artistically talented students 69  4.2.3  Assessment 72  4.2.4  Freedom and flexibility 75  4.3  Chapter summary 78  CHAPTER 5: STUDENT ACCOUNTS 81  5.1  Identification 86  5.1.1  Being identified 86  5.1.2  Artistic talent 92  5.2  Student experiences 99  5.2.1  Making art 99  5.2.2  Influences 104  5.2.3  Future aspirations 108  5.2.4  The classroom environment 113  5.2.5  Freedom and flexibility 117  5.3  Chapter summary 122  CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION 125  6.1  Summary of research findings in relation to each research question 126  6.1.1  How are artistically talented students identified within the visual art classroom? 126  6.1.2  What accounts teachers provide of their experiences with artistically talented students in the visual art classroom? 128  6.1.3  What accounts artistically talented students give of their experiences in the visual art classroom? 129  6.1.4  What new understandings can be brought to the teaching and learning of artistically talented students in visual art? 131  6.2  Significance of the study 135  6.3  Limitations 135  6.4  Final concluding comments 136  REFERENCE LIST 138  APPENDIX 146  APPENDIX 147  APPENDIX 149  Accounts of the Visual Art Classroom: Catering for Artistically Talented Students In 2007 students from Knightsbridge College were involved in a community art exhibition called “Kaleidoscope” A community art representative and the curator of the exhibition chose student work from the grade 12 cohort to represent the school in the exhibition Student artworks were professionally displayed and exhibited in a prominent community area The choice of works for this exhibition sparked interest from teachers and students at Knightsbridge College A number of student artworks that were chosen by the curators of the exhibition were not awarded high marks when they were assessed by teachers; however they were chosen to represent the school in a public forum Similarly, some works that received high marks when assessed by the teachers were not chosen for the exhibition It seems that in this case what constituted quality art in the school setting was different from what constituted quality art in the “real world” This experience highlights a number of points of interest with regards to the identification of excellence in student art and student artists and how excellence in art is catered for in the school setting This scenario served as inspiration for this research and informed the design of this study CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Inclusive education practices call for the diverse and individual needs of all students to be met satisfactorily The needs and experiences of artistically talented students in Australian visual art classrooms are currently unknown This study addresses this gap in research through the exploration of teaching and learning experiences in one visual art classroom Students who are talented in visual art are often not catered for in programs for high achievers (Clark & Zimmerman, 1992; Crocker, 2000; Zimmerman, 2004) Most schools identify high achieving students through the use of IQ or standardised tests that are language and logic centric (Gardner, 1993; Wright, 2003) These identification procedures often fail to identify students who are talented in visual art (Crocker, 2000; Gardner, 1993) Visual art is an important component of school curriculum that incorporates unique and important teaching and learning that is not accessible through any other learning experience (Emery, 1998) Visual art is distinguished from other disciplines through its own pedagogical structure and knowledge base (Hurwitz & Day, 2001); it is a visual language that helps students to perceive, express, communicate, interpret and understand the world (Barrett, 1998) The Queensland Government’s framework for gifted education states that students who excel or have the potential to excel in one or more ability areas require specific educational provisions to engage in learning and develop their abilities (Department of Education and the Arts, 2004) While there is a considerable amount of literature regarding gifted and talented students in general, there is a paucity of research into the experiences of artistically talented students and their teachers in regular visual art classrooms Many schools conduct programs for students who are identified as high achievers across a range of subject areas Research has found that students who are talented in visual art are commonly left unidentified and, therefore, are not catered for in specialist programs (Clark & Zimmerman, 1992; Crocker, 2000; Zimmerman, 2004) Most research about artistically talented students has been conducted in America and has explored the characteristics of artistically talented students (Clark & Zimmerman, 1984, 1988; Zimmerman, 2004), their specific educational needs (Clark, 1987; Hurwitz & Day, 2001), identification processes (Bachtel-Nash, 1988; Brown et al., 2005; Clark, 1989, 1995; Clark & Zimmerman, 1992, 2001, 2004) and the notion of the child prodigy (Golomb, 1995; Winner, 1993; Winner & Martino, 2002) The majority of literature about artistically talented students has researched students and teachers from exclusive programs specifically designed for the artistically talented This study will investigate the accounts of artistically talented students and their teachers in the regular visual art classroom setting It is essential to investigate the experiences of artistically talented students and their teachers within the regular visual art classroom, as this is the most common learning environment for visual art students Furthermore, there is a gap in research addressing artistically talented students and their teachers in Australia in general An investigation into the experiences of artistically talented students and their teachers is necessary as it is unknown how high school aged artistically talented students are catered for in visual art classrooms in Australia Students are commonly identified as high achievers in core curriculum areas such as mathematics and English and schools often provide these students with special programs suited to their specific learning needs In the same way, it is crucial that students who are artistically talented are identified so that their specific educational needs can be assessed and catered for specifically One way to find out about students’ experiences is to include them in an inquiry into the needs and experiences ... How are artistically talented students identified within the visual art classroom? What accounts teachers provide of their experiences with artistically talented students in the visual art classroom? ... provide of their experiences with artistically talented students in the visual art classroom? 128  6.1.3  What accounts artistically talented students give of their experiences in the. .. investigate the experiences of artistically talented students and their teachers within the regular visual art classroom, as this is the most common learning environment for visual art students Furthermore,