Research Methods

              In deciding to apply art-based research as a method for my research and investigation, I first wanted to find a definition that clearly stated what the method entailed. One, because the information that I had on the topic made it seem so limitless that there was no set criteria and that it could be whatever you wanted it to be, which really didn’t appeal to me. And two, because I needed some sort of a direction, vague as it may have been, that I could begin to focus my research towards. I found the exact definition I was looking for in Handbook of the Arts in Qualitative Research: Perspectives, Methodologies, Examples, and Issues by J. G. Knowles and A. L. Cole (2008). In this text, there is a chapter authored by Shaun McNiff in which he defines art-based research as, “the systematic use of the artistic process, the actual making of artistic expressions in all of the different forms of the arts, as a primary way of understanding and examining experience by both researchers and the people that they involve in their studies” (p.29). I felt that this definition gave me enough of a direction of what I wanted to accomplish with research. I would use an aesthetic process to create artistic learning based on a set of given information that is meant to improve my teaching practices.

                I also felt that an integral part of my research would be keeping a narrative journal that essentially explains my thinking process, the images that are created, and the knowledge that was created. I was very influenced by an article by T. Moen (2006) about the narrative research approach. In the article, Moen explains that narrative research helps create a frame of reference that can be referred to throughout the process of the research (p.57). This frame of reference allows for each aspect of the research to be validated in relation to the research as a whole Instead of breaking down a complex issue into separate unrelated segments (p.59).

Knowles, J. G., & Cole, A. L. (2008). Handbook of the Arts in Qualitative Research: Perspectives, Methodologies, Examples, and Issues. Thousand Oaks, California. Sage Publications, Inc.

Moen, T. (2006). Reflections on the narrative research approach. International Journal of Qualitative Methodology, 5(4), 1-11.

Waldrep Summary and Reflection: Previous Research

In the research I have completed so far, I came a across the book Art-based Research by Shaun McNiff (1998). This book has been a great introduction to the concepts of art-based research and the possibilities it holds. In the book, McNiff describes his goal as attempting to give arts-based research a level of prominence equal to that of scientific research methods. He defines art-based research as, “a method of inquiry which uses the elements of the creative arts... including the making of art by the researcher, as ways of understanding the significance of what we do within our practice” (p.13). By creating and accepting these new ways of learning, new knowledge will have equally been produced. McNiff details that the, “greatest challenge presented by art-based research is the boundless possibilities” (p.15). Where scientific research can be approached with a sequence of standard procedures, art-based research has no set design and can be approached in many ways. So while there is no step-by-step guide on how to work through art-based research, McNiff details several different examples that illustrate how this method has been utilized by actual researchers. This book will be instrumental in my understanding and application of this research method.

McNiff also authored an article in the text Handbook of the Arts in Qualitative Research: Perspectives, Methodologies, Examples, and Issues by J. G. Knowles and A. L. Cole (2008). McNiff provides this quote from Pablo Picasso in his text, “I never made a painting as a work of art, it’s all research” (p. 29). This quote perfectly illustrates the cognitive characteristics that are inherent in creative production. There is a unique type of learning that is formed by such activities which should be harnessed by the intellectual research community.

Knowles, J. G., & Cole, A. L. (2008). Handbook of the Arts in Qualitative Research: Perspectives, Methodologies, Examples, and Issues. Thousand Oaks, California. Sage Publications, Inc.

McNiff, S. (1998). Art-based Research. London: Jessica Kingsley Publisher.

Tardy week 2 Research Reflection

 Sorry everyone for this being so late.     

                 The questions that I am researching are thus: “What evidence demonstrates impact on student learning due to professional development?” and “How can teachers assess that evidence?” Basically I am looking to find information about how teachers can define and calculate the improvement of their students’ learning after completing a professional development exercise. What types of assessment would show such improvement? Would the evidence be empirical, qualitative, or both? What areas of student knowledge need be assessed? As a beginning teacher, professional development is a characteristic that I hope will always be important to me. I hope I am always looking for ways to improve my methods and teaching practices. I also feel that self-assessment is a very important quality in an educator.  While it is obviously important to participate in professional development, it is all for not if you do not evaluate the effectiveness it has had on your students. I think it would be wise to have a certain criteria set as a goal to meet as a result of your professional develop. As if to say, “By my completing this developmental exercise, I will see this improvement in my students work and knowledge.” Then through self-assessment, comparing the actual results of the students work compared to that set goal. Was “this improvement” met?

                “Art educators need ongoing professional development in order to keep abreast of changes that affect learning outcomes of their students” (F. Sabol, 2006, p.2). We must as professional educators always look to improve our methods and assure that the products of these improvements indeed affect the learning outcomes of our students.

Sabol, F. R. (2006). Professional Development in Art Education: A Study of Needs, Issues, and Concerns of Art Educators. Retrieved from http://www.arteducators.org/learning/professional-development

Welcome to ARE 6746 Blog

Hello, ARE 6746 students.

We moved the blog outside of Sakai based on your feedback. Remember that the main information about your blog post assignments (you can read it here) still apply. The purpose of this post is to highlight some features about this new blog.

1. Make sure you are signed in to the blog using the email address that you gave to Leslie. She manually added each of you as authors to the blog. When you go to http://are6746.blogspot.com, click "Sign in" in the top right hand corner. If your email address appears in the top right hand corner, you are already signed in.
2. To create a new post, choose "New Post" in the top right hand corner. Give your blog the proper title according to the assignment paper that I linked to above.
3. Write your post.
4. Embed images and video when necessary: Click on the image icon in the toolbar above
   

which will generate a window that looks like this
If the image you would like to add is on your computer, choose "browse" and find the image on your computer. Then choose "Open." If the image you would like to add is on the web, copy and paste the web address into the box beside "URL." Then choose the orange box at the bottom of the screen that says "upload image."

Your image will appear in your blog post. Often the image will be inserted at the very top of the post. You can move the image wherever you want by clicking and dragging or by cutting the image and pasting it into a new location.

In order to upload a video from your computer to your post, you chose the video icon (just to the right of the image icon), which will generate the following window:


Click "browse" and find the video on your computer. Type in the video title and check the box to the left of "I agree to the Upload Terms and Conditions." When you click "Upload Video," your video will be inserted into your post.

If you'd like to embed a video that is online at a site such as youtube, you can follow the directions here. An embedded video will look like this:




5. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT! When you are finished with the text and images in your post, you must add 2 labels to your post. One label must be your first name (see the labels listed at the bottom of this post to see the label I've created for your name). The other label should be the assignment (e.g., Research Reflection Week 2, Research Reflection Week 3, etc.). If you are posting but it is not in response to a specific assignment, just label it with your name. This will allow for easy sorting both by person and by assignment.

You can see where the labels go on the right side underneath the editor. When you have added your labels, click "Publish Post" (big orange button on left under editor).

I hope this helps us get off to a good start.