Abstract
Historically the voices of primary and secondary art educators have been underrepresented among narratives associated with the fields of visual art and education. This research uses narrative inquiry methods to share meaningful stories of practicing art teachers throughout North America. The purpose is to provide a realistic portrait of the day-to-day lives of select art educators; the intent is to amplify their voices and experiences in locally-specific contexts, yet inspire global reflection on what it means to be an art educator in the 21st century. In this project, a pair of researchers consulted with the National Art Education Association in selecting participants with an aim for inclusivity. Elementary and secondary art teachers working in various geographic locations, socio-economic sectors, and instructional contexts were included. Interview-based narrative inquiry methods and observations were used to collect stories from participants. All data sets were analyzed and synthesized into corroborated stories of practice. In this paper, one member of the research team shares the stories he collected from instructors working in the following contexts: (a) with digital media, (b) at a fine arts school, (c) in a migrant farmworkers’ community, (d) with students with disabilities, and (e) in Advanced Placement programming. Data analysis revealed that (a) various approaches may be used to cultivate effective instruction, (b) proactive problem solving toward overarching goals is beneficial, and (c) even successful teachers face daily frustrations. The implications suggest that the sharing of professional stories may be useful in searching for meaning in collective experiences for art educators.
Presenters
Jeffrey BroomeAssociate Professor, Director of Doctoral Program, Department of Art Education, Florida State University, Florida, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2021 Special Focus - Voices from the Edge: Negotiating the Local in the Global
KEYWORDS
Art Education, Narrative Inquiry, Primary and Secondary Art Teachers
