Creative Research

I could not get the images posted within my paper so if anyone would like a complete research project please let me know and I will be glad to send it to you by e-mail.




Title of Action Research Project

Improving Instruction through Technology


Briefly State Your Hypothesis

This research project tests whether or not students better achieve the instructional objectives in visual arts when the lesson is presented through teacher-made instruction videos, rather than through live teacher presentation.


Briefly State the Type of Data You are Collecting and How You are Analyzing It

Two fifth grade groups were assigned the same objective of creating self-portrait drawings. Group A, the no technology group, was to view the procedure for creating a self-portrait by live teacher instruction. Group B, the technology group, was to view the procedure for creating a self-portrait by viewing a teacher-made video of the instructions.

The instructions included how to create the basic oval shape of the head, intersected with four straight lines that determine where to draw the eyes, nose, ears, and lips. Further instructions were given to show how to draw the facial features themselves - the eyes, ears, nose, lips, eyebrows, scalp, hair, neck, and shoulders - at their proper points. Students used mirrors as a further aid to draw these features.

The works of both groups were compared and analyzed as to how proficient they were at drawing a head, and in placing the features within it. The drawings were analyzed as to whether or not the head was an oval, and whether or not the lines were properly placed: a vertical line dividing the oval into equal halves; a horizontal line through the center of the oval (which designates the placement of the eyes and the tops of the ears); a horizontal line half-way between the bottom of the oval and the eyeline (which indicates where to draw the bottom of the nose and ears); and the horizontal line one-third of the way between the bottom of the oval and the nose-ears line (which tells where to draw the line showing the two lips touching).

The abilities of the two groups were also compared as to how well they drew, with the use of mirrors, their individual eyes, noses, lips and ears on the lines that designate their placement.

Both groups were also compared as to the proper placement of the hair, eyebrows, scalp, neck, and shoulders. I was looking for students who understood the lesson, and therefore drew all the basic lines and drew and placed the facial features correctly. Was there a predominance of work with the proper elements of how to draw self-portraits from Group A, the no technology group, or from Group B, the technology group?



The Problems

Through viewing hall displays of students’ self-portraits from other classrooms, I determined they were in need of instruction on the basic methods that go into creating self- portraits. As some of the hallway images below indicate, the students seemed to have very little knowledge of the basic head shape, how to place the facial features within it, or how to create these features.

Furthermore, in the traditional classroom setting, students’ ability to view the lesson could be hampered because of the seating arrangement. With the aid of a teacher-made video, this problem could be overcome by projecting the lesson on a large screen so that all students could easily see it no matter where they sit.













Collect and Organize the Data/Gather the Data

Two fifth grade classes were given different instructional presentations: Group A, the no technology group, was give a presentation without technology aids; and Group B, the technology group, was given a presentation with technology aids. The artwork from both groups was collected. The artwork within each group was then separated into two groups according to how well the basic oval and lines were created, and how well the facial features were drawn and placed.


Interpret the Data

Self-portraits that were properly created in each group were counted and numbered, as were the self-portraits that were not properly created.

Once the numbers were counted, the percentage of successful and unsuccessful self-portraits in each group was tallied. Group B, the technology group, had nine students who correctly met the objectives and twelve students who did not correctly meet the objectives. Group A, the no technology group, had six students who met the objectives and thirteen students who did not meet the objectives.

The percentage computation of these numbers means that 42.8% of the technology group correctly followed the instructions to create self-portraits, while 31.5% of the no technology group correctly followed the instructions to create self-portraits. Therefore, the use of technology enabled an increase in mastering the objectives of 11.3% of the technology group over the no technology group.


Action Based On the Data/Act on Evidence

The evidence shows that technology can contribute to the improvement of the quality of artwork created in the classroom. When the students observe a teacher-made video presentation of a lesson, they better grasp the lesson and better execute the objectives. In the future I will transform more of my lessons to videos with the expectation of having similar results. This will save instructional time, and the students will learn better from the presentation. Any student who misses the class, or part of the class, can simply watch the videotape at another time.


Reflection/Evaluate the Results

Unlike when I grew up, students today spend a great deal of time exposed to television, video games, computers, and the internet. These students are more attuned to technology, and therefore apt to give greater attention to lessons presented with the aid of technology. Also, not all students are able to observe a live lesson equally in a classroom setting, but with the aid of a instructional video projected on a large screen, every student can easily see the lesson. I think these factors are the reasons for the increase in student achievement of the technology group. The following images are examples of those students from both groups who successfully understood the objectives for creating self-portraits:


Group A: No Technology Group





Group B: Technology Group

A Whole New Mind- Chapter Seven-Empathy

Pink tells about Paul Ekman’s research that people of different backgrounds from different countries read facial expressions in much the same way. This worldwide uniformity for reading faces could also relate to reading works of art in the same way, no matter what the person’s background is. For example, I think Edward Munch’s The Scream (1893) would be interpreted the same way no matter where someone comes from.

Pink points out that women are more hard-wired for empathy than men are, and that men are predominantly hard-wired for understanding and building systems. If this is true, then is it possible that women might make the best teachers on the lower grade levels, whereas men would make the best instructors on the upper grade levels, because younger students might need teachers with more empathy.

Testing empathy is discussed in this chapter, which motivated me to take an empathy test I found by searching for one online. Since women and men are not hard-wired the same for empathy, I thought it would be interesting to take the test both as a woman and a man. I answered the questions exactly the same on both tests, yet scored higher for empathy as a “female.” (I thought it might have been the other way, since women could be expected to score higher.) That test had a built-in bias for more empathy in women.

Pink's A Whole New Mind Chapter Eight

Pink’s A Whole New Mind, Chapter Eight, Play

In talking about how play is important, Pink points out that that physicians “who spend at least three hours a week playing video games make about 37 percent fewer mistakes in laparoscopic surgery and perform the task 27 percent faster than their counterparts who did not play.” I was introduced to video games by my daughters. My own experience is that the games may or may not have benefited any of my abilities, but I can say the puzzle games, which are more intellectual, held my interest more than battle or racing games.

Pink also talks about how the workplace can be more productive if it is more light-hearted. I think this is especially pertinent to art subject matter, because along with the serious aspects of the objectives comes the built-in aspect of having fun.

This chapter makes me think of the phrase used when one is stressed: “If I don’t laugh I could cry.” It seems to me this type of humor or play helps to keep one healthy.

Pink points out on page 203 that “we rarely laugh alone.” This reminds me of the time when I went to see The Exorcist, expecting to experience some frightening moments. Instead, I laughed during the scary scenes because I was caught up in the laughter all around me.

I find laughter does not come to me as easily as it did when I was younger, and that I am careful who I joke around. Maybe I need to locate a laughter club such as the one Dr. Kataria created.

Gardner's Chapter 2

Some thoughts on Gardner’s Chapter Two, The Disciplined Mind

Gardner’s ideas in this chapter can be applied to art teaching in the following manner: In art, the disciplined mind studies, examines, and experiments to discover and/or advance a concept. The artist may endeavor to take a idea to its fullest potential, hoping not to overlook any possibilities for the concept, or want to explore the many different directions the concept may take.

I think teachers can have some influence on students’ ability to develop a disciplined mind. Teachers can help them to find the subject area, such as history, science, literature, music, or art, in which to use the disciplined mind.

Could it be that the person who has not developed a disciplined mind is the person who is without meaning or direction in his/her life?

On page 34, Gardner points out the importance of placing students in situations to determine if they have grasped or retained a concept, thereby helping them to develop disciplined minds. In my graduate psychology class, this would have been referred to as transference of knowledge. In my classes, I try I try to develop units that encourage the transference of knowledge.

At the end of this chapter, Gardner tells how Artur Rubinstein needed to practice at the piano daily to stay on top of his game, and when he didn’t his abilities suffered. Through this constant practice, he was also able to renew his craft, thus revitalizing himself. This could be said for anyone no matter the profession.

On leaving this chapter, I would like to say how my “disciplined” mind does not memorize all the information I would like it to, but at least I know where to put my fingers on the research.

Class Notes for 3-13-10

In John’s class, we saw the beginning of an art exhibit for the visual art teachers. We had discussions for possible dates and sites for the show. Several people brought in examples of their work, which enabled us to have some idea of the nature of what will be exhibited, and determine the best way to display all the pieces. Because there will be many different types of work, we could find it difficult to make all the artworks fit as a cohesive unit.

In Lisa’s class, it was a relief to get an understanding of the research project. The group I am in chose to study how technology can impact student achievement. We decided to try to determine how lessons can be impacted with the use of videos. We will select two classes to teach a lesson to. One group of students will experience a lesson with the help of a movie, and the other group will not. The comparison of the two groups should be interesting.

Gardner Chapter One

Gardner makes the point that it takes time for the disciplined mind to master even one way of thinking, and notes that it took him a decade to hone his psychology thinking skills. For some reason, this message caused me to remember the old saying, “Those that can do, do, and those that can’t do, teach.”

Of course, teaching is a profession that requires doing, where there are skills that need to be mastered, and I believe it takes a great deal longer than ten years to do so. In fact, it’s a never-ending process.

But the old saying holds some truth for me in that I am no master of any one art medium. If your course of study to become an art teacher was anything like mine, you were required to study all the art mediums in order to be able to expose students to every form of art. This type of education doesn’t allow one to master any one medium very well, and as a teacher, it is hard to find the time to do so. I have tried to concentrate solely on watercolors for about twenty years, and I still feel as if I haven’t truly mastered this medium. To master it to my satisfaction would take my total devotion for at least a decade.

Research for My Artwork

In an earlier blog, I stated that my present artwork has been influenced by the dilapidated rural farmhouses and barns of Georgia. When researching for my graduate thesis to learn how such structures have been used by previous artists, I discovered that ruins from antiquity were incorporated into paintings as early as the 15^th century. Here you can observe how Far Filippo Lippi used such ruins, in this case, of a stable, for the birthplace of Christ, in Nativity,

1465-70.

In the artworks of this time period, ruins played supporting roles for Christian themes. Later, ruins from antiquity became the main subjects, such as in Harbor Scene with Classical Ruins, by Antonio Zucchi.

Even later, around the 17^th century, artists residing outside the areas of Greece and Rome began looking for dilapidated structures for subjects to use in their works. The buildings they most often used were abandoned castles and cathedrals. Jacob van Rosedale’s, The Jewish Cemetery, 1655-60, is such an example.

But even these artworks didn’t express what I wished to convey in my work. I wanted to produce images of objects that would be considered less important which have been abandoned and left to deteriorate. The following photos that I have taken are examples of the type of structures I look for to use as subjects:

Artists who have used such subjects include Andrew Fisher Bunner and Paul Strand. Bunner did a drawing of a collapsing shed, and Strand photographed ghost town buildings in New Mexico.

During the development of this theme of artwork for a series, I set an arbitrary goal of about fifty paintings to exhaust the subject matter. When asked why I wanted to do so many works, my reply has been that artists often create many images in a series, and that there seem to be an endless number of dilapidated buildings that I would like to use as subjects.

I also want to be sure this theme will be developed to its fullest, because in the past I have prematurely ended a theme to my regret. What direction I will take with my work is uncertain, but it seem certain that I will always be looking for new directions. In the future, my direction may change to incorporate dilapidated structures other than those found in rural areas, but the direction should not be forced, but left to evolve.