LOIS HETLAND
PROJECT ABSTRACT:
I conducted a year-long action research study with my second and fifth graders in a suburban Boston public school during the 2019-2020 academic year. Teaching for Artistic Behavior pedagogy (TAB) had captured my interest while student teaching, and I was eager to explore its impact on students’ engagement in my own classroom. Eight students participated, and each agreed to my documenting their work, recording their comments, being interviewed (one for each individual and one group interview), and responding to survey questions. Analysis coded students’ work habits and understanding of the Studio Habit of Mind, Engage & Persist, revealing four findings evident in the students’ behavior: Intrinsic motivation, Self-directedness, Collaboration, and Risk-taking, play, and exploration. The study illuminates how TAB pedagogy supports students in developing the disposition to Engage & Persist.
REFLECTION:
Throughout my action research study, there were times when it was difficult to split my attention fairly between my students and my research. This made me question whether it was worth spending my time and effort on collecting data. What I learned throughout the process of data collection, analysis, and writing about my findings, is that I do action research to become a better teacher. I did this to reflect on my pedagogy and improve my teaching practice. I stopped asking “What can I do differently?” and started asking “How can I change what I’m doing to help my students learn better?” My focus shifted from myself and how I teach, to my students and how they best learn.
JAYME’S M.Ed PODCAST EPISODE
KEY RESOURCES:
Teaching for Artistic Behavior (TAB)
The website for Teaching for Artistic Behavior, Inc. This site houses the mission and vision of TAB, resources for further reading, and information on how to set up studio centers.
Engaging Learners through Artmaking: Choice-Based Art Education in the Classroom (TAB) 2nd Edition (2018) by Katherine Douglas and Diane B. Jaquith
Studio Thinking from the Start: The K-8 Art Educator’s Handbook (2018) by Jillian Hogan, Lois Hetland, Diane B. Jaquith, and Ellen Winner
Studio Thinking 2: The Real Benefits of Visual Arts Education (2013) by Lois Hetland, Ellen Winner, Shirley Veenema, and Kimberly M. Sheridan
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Jayme Ellis is an elementary art teacher in a suburban Boston public school district. She received her BFA in Art Education from MassArt in 2017. Through the use of Teaching for Artistic Behavior pedagogy (TAB), her students are regarded as artists who make their own choices. Jayme returned to MassArt for her M.Ed to learn how to conduct action research about student engagement in her TAB studio.
CONNECT:
