Exploration 6: Reciprocal-Reflexivity (Action Research Plan)

When I began this course, I had a hard time envisioning the role Action Research could play in my online teaching. In fact, I was simply approaching this course as a means to understand and implement new and innovative methodologies to inform, improve and expand upon my current practices (i.e. action research;). Looking for simple technologies or techniques to implement, I did not see my activities as "research" for change. Little did I realize, that this was exactly what was taking place. As Karen Keifer-Boyd articulates in Critique, Advocacy, and Dissemination: I've Got the Data and the Findings, Now What?, action research is "a conscious effort to change conditions...a form of intervention into the public pedagogy of objects, signs, ideas, and practices of our everyday world" (Keifer-Boyd, 2012, p. 198). 

As a teacher, I desire to ignite an interest for art and art history within my students similar to and even greater than the one I experience. I want my students to leave my course as museum goers, supporters of the arts, locally and globally, and mindful of past, present and future cultures and how they are represented through the arts. Ultimately, I want them to be comfortable and confident with their new and/or expanded knowledge in such a way that allows for them to think, speak, and interact critically with the art they encounter and, in some cases, create. For students to explore and develop a voice of their own is the underlying goal of the courses I teach. Until now, I have encouraged this through discussion post interaction. Throughout this course, I have been slowly implementing and interjecting new technologies for students to explore as tools for reflection and expansion upon what they are learning. Through voluntary student participation, I have been able to explore and examine the potential of these media to motivate online dialogue making visible the networked ripples and interconnections of conversations beyond blog posts and replies. 

For this final exploration, I offered an opportunity for students to reinforce the knowledge they have gained in Art History 253 (a survey of Renaissance to Modern Art introduces students to the major stylistic tendencies and shifts within Western art history) as well as explore how art is an agent for change in the world, the United States and their own personal experiences. Utilizing the Art for Change Webquest I created for A ED 811, I asked students to complete a series of activities (that included readings, explorations, videos, searches, and reflections) that examine the communicative power of art. As this assignment was voluntary (and offered as extra credit), participation was (surprisingly) low. However, even the sparse participation has been extremely beneficial in working through the effectiveness and clarity of the webquest, namely the flow of the quest and how students can post their contributions and interact with others in this space.  

Getting Started for several of the students was actually the hardest part. None of the students had participated in an Webquest prior to this assignment and without clear guidelines or expectations, several expressed frustration and confusion as to how to begin the quest. Students were first asked to read an article on Achieving Social Change Through Art and watch a video of Iranian female artist, Shirin Neshat. While doing so, they were to reflect on these questions: 

How does or can an artist use his or her position as an artist to start conversations, challenge thinking, and reverse stereotypes, injustice or discrimination

What qualities and characteristics does art have that make it an ideal conduit for change?

Do you see instances where artists go too far in their efforts to challenge perspectives? Or even the opposite, artists who are too conservative in their work?

Where do you see art utilized to bring about change like this in the US? Are there existing social issues in the US that call for this extreme activism? With these questions as your base, compare and contrast her work with that of  an artist working in the US today. 

These responses were documented in blog format, some posted directly to the Webquest blog, others emailed their responses to me. Here is a sampling of their reflections: 

One student reflected "artwork has a magnificent impact to political and social change in America and in other countries. An artist can use his/her position to ignite conversation and debate on specific topics through the development of a unique style and purpose in each creation. Political art is one of the most powerful forms of art due to its ability to express the issues or topics of the governmental realm of the country. An artist can depict objects or use arbitrary colors or develop emotional paintings in order to start conversation and challenge the daily thought process of an average citizen."

Another expressed that art "must have slight controversy to it or it will not bring about deep thought and emotion."

Another described Neshat's work as "capturing the raw emotion of the public, in particular women."

Common ideas that appeared in these posts include: audience, impact, subject matter (i.e. "villain and hero), standard for art, "ever changing ideas," challenging injustices, conversation starters, therapeutic, and advertising.

One student observed that "our culture is by far more conservative than other countries, possibly because of the freedom[s] we possess, which makes the need for rising to issues seem unimportant or unnecessary...[when] in fact, art that expresses the struggles and obstacles of the government are [in her opinion] the strongest and most appealing art...." 

As quoted in Keifer-Boyd's article, "Critical action research toward social justice advocacy emphasizes a 'commitment to social transformation, challenging power relations, showing solidarity, recognizing and using emotions, being the change you want to see, and building spaces for critical dialogue'" (Keifer-Boyd, 2012, p. 198). This initial exploration illustrates the beginning of this process for my students. They are beginning to pinpoint areas in which art can function as an agent of change, examine how it serves to function this way in their own experience, and start to dialogue (ideally) with one another about art's role in this capacity. With the reading and video as a prompt, students take a closer look at the role of political art in the US and abroad while comparing, contrasting and critiquing its effectiveness. 

Unfortunately, the blog forum on the Webquest was not conducive to student interaction. Therefore, students worked singularly and did not interact with one another. I am still exploring how to foster a more participatory culture within this space.

In the next step, Make Change Happen, students were asked to brainstorm and reflect upon social issues where immediate change is necessary. This activity allowed for students to brainstorm issues, select one of personal interest, and explore ways in which that issue is already being addressed in art, by activist groups, etc. Students discussed a variety of topics: politics, inequality, discrimination, rape, bullying, education, war, poverty, arranged marriages, human trafficking, homelessness, propaganda, hunger, respect, and stereotypes, just to name a few. Students could utilize any form to display their brainstorm and reflections. Here are a few examples: 

"DISCRIMINATION: an unjustifiable reason why someone is denied or allowed certain things;
based on gender, race, sexuality, or economic status, etc." 

"EDUCATION: a vital part of childhood, enabling children to mature into productive members of society. Unfortunately, it has become so far removed from its original intent, it has become something that does more harm than intended -- as it places more emphasis on teachers and school systems than the students it should be helping." 

"BULLIES: people who put down and make fun of others to cover up their own insecurities. Not OK in any setting."

The research unearthed by this step of the process indicated that students moved outside of the bounds of the webquest and its resources for their information. Students looked to social networking sites (Facebook), non-profit groups (American Civil Liberties Union and Students First), as well as popular artists such as Banksy. Students also made connections to artists working in other industries, such as fashion. 

The Next Step, students were asked to further reflect on their research using these questions:

What do you SEE?

What do you THINK?

What do you KNOW?

What do you FEEL? 

Students were then asked to create a piece of digital art that addressed the issue they selected and articulated their responses to these questions. They could utilize the internet for tools and websites useful in creating online/digital art and could display their work in any (but not limited to) of the following forms: slide show, video, single image, sound bytes, voice, text, etc. Asking students to translate the information that they had gathered into an art form of their own was both intimidating (for some) and challenging (as many are not self-described "artists"). As this project was optional, most skipped this end exploration. However, a few did give additional voice to their causes. 

Instead of creating her own piece, one student selected this image by Banksy to illustrate her "cause."

In reflecting upon my current methodologies and this project, I was struck by an observation Keifer-Boyd made of student participation with avatars in virtual environments: "Most students find that the chat discussion removes some of the obstacles found in face-to-face discussion, such as having too little time for all to speak, too little time to reflect prior to contributing before the topic changes, or being too self-conscious to speak out. Those who have found their voice privileged in physical encounters are often initially resistant to the dialogue in virtual text-based approaches" (2012, p. 200). Many of my students, as well as myself, are still learning to navigate the virtual classroom. Finding a comfortable space to speak out, participate, and engage is challenging in that it requires a desire to connect with those around us, confidence in what you have to contribute and the assurance that you are participating in a safe space. Online courses offer flexibility in schedule and the opportunity for students to complete course work in a fashion that best suits their lifestyle and schedules. Within this structure, it is easy for students to remain disconnected from one another.  Instead of being discouraged by the low participation, I am challenged to investigate more inclusive methods into my "research" that will motivate students to interact with one another and collectively develop their "voice" while at the same time "making visible inequitable power relations, dialogue, reflection, and collective production" in an effort to "[change] perspectives" (Keifer-Boyd, 2012, p.  198).  

Resources: 

Keifer-Boyd, K. ( 2012). Critique, advocacy and dissemination: I've got the data and the findings, now what? In S. Klein (Ed.), Action research: Plain and simple (pp. 197-215). New York City, NY: Palgrave.