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Implementation of the Grade Four Saskatchewan Arts Education Curriculum: An Action Research Study February,
1997 CHAPTER 1: AN INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 2: A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
CHAPTER 3: THE METHOD OF THE STUDY
CHAPTER 4: ANALYSIS OF THE DATA
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
APPENDIX A: The Foundational Objectives APPENDIX B: Ethics Approval APPENDIX C: The Action Research Spiral The Journey to This Point As a young graduate from the University of Regina in the Spring of 1990, I eagerly anticipated my first teaching assignment. I had many ideas I was eager to explore with the Grade 4 classroom of my dreams. Throughout the summer that followed my Convocation, I waited somewhat impatiently for the call beckoning me to my first teaching position. Late in August, that much anticipated call arrived. The Grade 4 classroom of my dreams had suddenly become a Music Room in my reality; nevertheless, I was eager to begin my new career. I spent the long Labour Day weekend that followed studying a Music Curriculum Guide that I had uncovered in the Music Room of my school. (The absence, however, of any music resources and the availability of beakers and Bunsen burners in it led me to believe that I had, in fact, been assigned the Science room!). I was hopeful that the guide would give me some clear direction as to what an elementary music program should include. I was utterly disappointed. The document, with the published date of 1967, was older than I was! I hastily set up a meeting with the Arts Education Consultant, to seek her expert advice on the subject. She calmed me by lending me her Draft copy of a new Arts Education Curriculum guide for Grade 4. This document appeared to follow a learning process that I had been introduced to during my teacher education program. This represented familiar territory! My immediate challenge was to take the wisdom that I expected to find in the document and apply it to my classroom setting. I counted on the document to aid my expertise in the area of the arts, and I anticipated that the guide would ensure that the lessons I taught in Arts Education would be relevant, meaningful, and insightful. The quest for knowledge in this area is how my journey into teaching began. Five years into that pilgrimage, the staff at my school volunteered to be an implementation site school for the new Arts Education curriculum. Experienced with some practices that had worked exceptionally well, and with others that had worked not-quite-so-well, I found that, as the itinerant music teacher in the school, I had somehow become the resident 'expert' on the new curriculum. Other teachers expressed their interest in working together with me to assist them in planning their Arts Education programs. Indeed, I regarded other teachers as resources in themselves who could offer me new ideas and insights. One colleague on staff expressed an interest in team teaching. Two other teachers were excited about sharing teaching strategies for Arts Ed. Another felt that her abilities in the arts were limited and anticipated the benefits of exposing her classroom to the expertise of others who might have more ability. We began the year with a group of five teachers who were interested in an exchange of knowledge, resources, and enthusiasm for the new curriculum. These events marked the beginning of the Thursday "Arts Ed Afternoons". These afternoons involved the gathering of like-minded teachers who met with each other to brainstorm ideas, themes, and lessons, both in and for Arts Education. Lessons were planned to be either team-taught or led by individual teachers to integrated groups of children ranging from Grades 2 to 7. These Thursday afternoon sessions took on many different forms during the year, as teachers who felt comfortable within the parameters of the program elaborated on their ideas. Others, who felt less sheltered by the process, dropped out of the program. After some introspection throughout the year as to the successes and weaknesses of the program, ideas for positive change for the year to follow were suggested. Some teachers wanted the opportunity to study Arts Education curriculum in more detail, and discuss it with colleagues, for they had criticisms of the new program. All teachers were excited about the many conversations with their colleagues which had been sparked by trying out the new Arts Education curriculum, and which had affected varying aspects of learning and teaching. We agreed that an action-research approach to the teaching of the Thursday Arts Ed. afternoon would use our own teaching of Music, Visual Art, Drama, and Dance as a vehicle by which we could further study the curriculum document and, in fact, look at the broader realm of our teaching practice. This common commitment to an action research approach provided the ground from which we launched our Arts Education teaching thoughout the next term. This study documents the twists and turns; high roads, and low-roads of the journey's path throughout the 1995-1996 academic year. A Brief Overview of the new Saskatchewan Arts Education Curriculum As a result of the development of new and relevant curricula throughout the late 1980's and early 1990's, Saskatchewan's Department of Education has earned a reputation for being at the forefront of curriculum design and development. When it comes to the education in the arts, Saskatchewan stands as a model. One large urban school system designated 1995 - 1996 as the year for system wide implementation of the curriculum. Inservices on the new curriculum and various workshops describing activities relating to the four strands of Drama, Dance, Music and Visual Arts were presented to all teachers. Teachers began to become familiar with the Arts Education curriculum document, and soon many different interpretations as to the 'correct' implementation method were gleaned from a variety of teachers coming from differing backgrounds and abilities. In actuality, there is no one correct method of implementing the Saskatchewan Arts Education curriculum. Teachers work in their own classrooms, with itinerant specialist teachers, and with each other to test out the ideas between the covers of the curriculum document, and by taking risks in trying new ideas, they determine the methods which work best for them in teaching this new curriculum. This study purposed to examine one situation, where a group of teachers worked collaboratively in the implementation of the new Arts Education curriculum. Their reflective, action-oriented research approach to this new curriculum is the focus of the study. The Significance of the Study Because the Saskatchewan Arts Education Curriculum is so new, there has been little research on the implementation process of the curriculum to date. This study attempts to describe one situation where the implementation of the curriculum is being accomplished successfully in an innovative way, while at the same time, taking a critical look at the curriculum document itself. It is hoped that through the process of planning, organizing, observing, and critically reflecting, valuable insights into teaching of the arts specifically (but not exclusively) will become clear. These insights will provide the collaborative team and other teachers and administrators with enriched understandings as to teaching of the arts with the assistance of the new curriculum guide. These insights may also act as a road map directing new ideas on the road to curriculum implementation. The Research Question How is the Saskatchewan Arts Education Curriculum most effectively used as a tool for teaching the arts? Opinions on this matter vary. Many teachers do not feel comfortable in their own artistic abilities in the areas of Drama, Dance, Music and Visual Art. Some feel comfortable in one strand, but not others. Many feel that they lack teaching competence in most areas. This insecurity creates an unease when it comes to teaching this new, innovative Arts Education curriculum. My study documents the implementation of the Arts Education Curriculum in one corner of our school. A collaborative action-research approach was taken, with the teachers acting cooperatively with one another in the capacity of teacher-researchers. The research question was posed as a series of interconnected questions:
The teacher-researchers sought answers to these questions by participating in the study. The teaching of the curriculum was accomplished through a collaborative team approach, whereby the participating teachers collaboratively planned themes and specific lessons that were taught the following month. Following each lesson, they recorded their thoughts on the success (or limitations) of them, the educational implications that each lesson held, and any other relevant thoughts, in professional journals which were quite often the stimulus for dialogue between colleagues. Discussions on these processes proved insightful as to the value of the program, and the general success of the curriculum as a guide. A formal interview at the end of the year with the participants helped to further formulate conclusions about the process. The Use of Action Research in the Study Elliott (1984) defines action research as "the study of a social situation with a view to improve the quality of action within it" (p. 1). Action research, which is research into one's own practice, is a process by which professionals, and teachers especially, are able to study their work with the intent of improving it through their actions. The methodology of action research is based on a spiral of self-reflection, a process by which a plan is devised, acted on, observed, and reflected upon. A revised plan is then set in place and the spiral begins again, with adjustments made along the way. Action research was an appropriate research tool for this study because the method provided a specific framework to enable those of us involved involved in the Arts Ed afternoons to address the needs we had already indicated as interests and concerns: primarily, the improvement of our own teaching of the new Arts Education curriculum, and secondly, the transferability for teaching in other curriculum areas. Action research is most effective when it involves participants working collaboratively. This philosophy harmonized with the collaborative nature the Arts Education afternoon had already established in the school. Kemmis (1984) outlines favourable conditions to aid in a successful action research project. He claims that since group process is paramount to this type of research, important presuppositions surrounding the mutual trust of the people involved is crucial. This includes the encouragement of new ideas by members of the group combined with ample opportunities given to invent and elaborate upon them. Kemmis also identifies the necessity for flexibility within the group, with time allowed for experimentation and a willingness to admit limitations (especially on the part of administrators). "Knowledge by the participants of the fundamentals of group process" (p. 65) is necessary in any collaborative action research based study. In considering the fact that two out of the three members of the group had worked together for the first year of the Arts Education afternoon, the foundations dealing with the intricacies of the collegial interpersonal relationships had been established. The participants followed a common agenda as to the purpose of the process, one which held importance to them all. Overview of the Study The second chapter of this study offers a review of the literature in several areas. The background that led up to the development of the Saskatchewan Arts Education curriculum is discussed. As well, literature concerning action research as a method of study, and perspectives on Arts Education from the United States and Canada are presented. The chapter concludes by discussing three recent Saskatchewan studies that have considerations for the new Arts Education curriculum. Chapter Three describes the process by which the study was undertaken. The fourth chapter presents the data that was collected throughout the year, and offers analysis. In the final chapter, the findings that came as a result of the data analysis are presented. Conclusions that were derived from these findings are stated, and recommendations for further research are suggested. CHAPTER 2: A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE The Saskatchewan Arts Education Curriculum Guide Two separate committee's findings led to the decision by the Saskatchewan Department of Education to develop the innovative Arts Education curriculum. In May 1981 the Minister of Education's Advisory Committee on the Fine Arts in Education released its final report. It contained forty-five recommendations for improving the teaching of the arts in Saskatchewan schools. One of its recommendations was that an entirely new curriculum be developed, and that "curricula in the fine arts be designed on a conceptual base and include sequentially structured activities encompassing the content to be learned" (1981, p.24). The report called for the curriculum to be comprised of "the three modes of learning: Creative or Productive, Responsive or Critical, Historical or Cultural" (1981, p.24). Guidelines for the development of this new curriculum were included in the report, along with a recommendation that the arts receive greater emphasis in preparing learners for a changing world. From 1982 until 1984, the Minister of Education's Advisory Committee on Curriculum and Instruction Review undertook a province-wide study of education. The committee's final report, Directions, recommended that Aesthetic Education be a part of a Kindergarten to Grade 12 Core Curriculum for all Saskatchewan students. (The High School Review Report, completed in 1993, ultimately excluded Arts Education from Core Curriculum for Grades 10, 11, and 12.) The combined impact of the report of the Advisory Committee on the Fine Arts in Education combined with the Directions report sparked the formation, in the Fall of 1986, of a committee to advise the Saskatchewan Minister of Education on curriculum development in the areas of each of the four strands of the arts: Dance, Drama, Music, and Visual Art. (The term 'aesthetic' was replaced by the term 'arts education' because it was thought that the term 'aesthetic' appeared to be too removed from the ordinary practical thinking of many Saskatchewan people.) Each of the four arts strands was developed by a team of specialist writers/developers. Drafts of each document were regularly taken to a Minister's Advisory Committee on Arts Education as well as to the Indian and Metis Education Advisory Committee for review, advice, and comment. From there, the program underwent a two-year pilot during which suggestions and comments were gathered from selected classroom teachers throughout the province. These comments and suggestions were incorporated into the curriculum during the revision process. In 1991, the curriculum guides for Grades 1 to 5 were published, and a year later the Grade 9 guide was published. 1994 saw the publication of the Grade 6, 7, and 8 documents, as well as the Kindergarten guide. The Saskatchewan Arts Education Kindergarten to Grade 12 curriculum was complete when the secondary school Arts Education curriculum guides were published in September, 1996. The overall aim of the Arts Education program, as stated on page six of the Grade 6 Curriculum Guide, is "to enable students to understand and value arts expressions throughout life". This one aim describes the main outcome for students and stands as the primary reason for including Arts Education in the Core Curriculum. It is consistently stated throughout all Arts Education Guides from Kindergarten through Grade 9. This aim is intended to be achieved through the attainment of the following goals, which are repeated in each level of the curriculum document: By participating in Arts Education, students will:
The vehicle by which the aim of the Arts Education program is carried out is through the study of the four strands of Arts Education: Dance, Drama, Visual Art, and Music. Foundational Objectives (see Appendix A) describe the required content of study for each strand. These objectives are broad in scope and are developed over the course of the entire year. The foundational objectives develop out of the Saskatchewan Goals of Education, which state that "a body of knowledge and a range of skills and attitudes are necessary to function in a changing world" (Saskatchewan Grade 4 Arts Education Curriculum Guide, page 7). The foundational objectives are designed to include "the development of knowledge, skills and attitudes in the areas of perception, procedures, conceptual understanding and personal expression" (Saskatchewan Grade 4 Arts Education Curriculum Guide, page 8). A balance in focus is achieved by structuring the Arts Education curriculum into three components. The Creative / Productive Component includes the exploration, development, and expression of ideas in the language of each strand or art form. The Cultural / Historical Component deals with the role of the arts in culture, the development of the arts throughout history, and the factors that influence the arts and artists. The Critical / Responsive Component enables the students to respond critically to images, sounds, performances, and events in the artistic environment, including the mass media. The activities suggested in the Arts Education curriculum guide incorporate the six Common Essential Learnings (an initiative defined by Saskatchewan Education). These six basic understandings are Communication, Numeracy, Critical and Creative Thinking, Technological Literacy, Personal and Social Values and Skills, and Independent Learning. They refer to elements of each subject area intended help students better understand the subject matter and better prepare them for future learning both within and without the educational system. Other initiatives have also been set out by the Saskatchewan Department of Education and are in place in all recently developed curriculum guides, including the Arts Education document. The Adaptive Dimension refers to activities in the classroom that are adjusted to accommodate the diversity in student learning needs. Saskatchewan content is included wherever possible in the suggested activities of the guide. The integration of Indian and Metis content and perspectives is recommended by the Saskatchewan Learning report, Directions. Gender equity initiatives are designated to ensure that all Saskatchewan students receive a quality education, regardless of their sex. The use of resource-based learning is suggested to assist in the development of the abilities and attitudes for independent, life-long learning. The bulk of the Arts Education curriculum document is divided into the four strands, and offers foundational objectives (see Appendix A), sample units of instruction, and tools for assessment and evaluation specific to each of Dance, Drama, Visual Art, and Music. The Action Research Process - A Historical View The concept of action research was formally developed by Kurt Lewin, a social psychologist, in 1944. World War II was the historical setting within which Lewin worked. Many of the social problems provoked by the war, such as racial supremacy and the rise of industrialization created a rich environment for the study of social science (Kemmis, 1984). A new approach in the solving of societal problems grew from the dissatisfaction and inadequacies of traditional research methods. Action research shifted the emphasis from the manipulation of people to the empowerment of them to solve their own problems. Lewin applied his theory in a variety of contexts including integrated housing, the socialization of street gangs, and the cause and cure of prejudice in children (Kemmis, 1984). Soon after it was developed, Lewin's action research theory was introduced into the education field by Stephen M. Corey at the Teachers' College at Columbia University in the United States. Action research became the basis of many of the College's projects in curriculum, teaching practice, and supervision. After a decade of growth, however, educational action research declined in the late 1950's (with the exception of a few projects in the U.S.A.), as the technical/empirical research movement became the predominant model of research throughout the 1960's. A renewed interest in educational action research began to arise in the late 1960's, sparked by the work done by British teacher-researchers. Research conducted by Lawrence Stenhouse postulated that "all teaching ought to be based on research and that research and curriculum development are the preserve of teachers" (McKernan, 1991, p. 11). Stenhouse further suggested that in this paradigm, the curriculum becomes a means for studying the problems and effects of teaching. Therefore, by this process, the teacher gains an increased understanding of his or her work, which translates into improved teaching. The Ford Teaching Project conducted in Britain between 1973 and 1976 under the direction of John Elliott and Clem Adelman supported Stenhouse's theories advocating action research completed by teachers and offered further significant teacher-researcher developments. This rejuvenated the notion of action research as an acceptable research strategy. It also aroused the desire of teachers to improve their practice by being directly involved in a research role. The teaching community was becoming a powerful force which demanded to be viewed as "professionals", as opposed to merely "technicians". Action research has regained considerable credibility as a research strategy throughout the Western world. In the late 1980's, the work of Stephen Kemmis through Deakin University in Australia has continued to support action research by teachers. He, along with his colleague William Carr, have contributed a wealth of information to the field of action research. In 1990, the First World Congress on Action Research was held in Australia, which sparked the research interest of many. An Overview of Action Research According to Lewin, action research "consists of analysis, fact-finding and conceptualizing about problems: planning of action programs, executing them, and then more fact finding or evaluation: and then a repetition of this whole circle of activities; indeed, a spiral of such circles" (Carr and Kemmis, 1986, p.164). Through the spirals of these activities, action research creates groups of investigators who are committed to learning about and understanding the problems and effects of their own strategic action. Participants in a National Invitational Seminar on Action Research (held at Deakin University in Australia, May, 1981), agreed on a definition of action research:
Kemmis and McTaggart (1981) compiled a list of the key points surrounding action research. They posit that action research is a participatory approach to improving education by changing it and learning from the consequences which develop, through a self-reflective spiral of planning, acting, observing, and reflecting. Due to its collaborative nature, it establishes self-critical communities of people who theorize about their practices. Action research is open-minded, and requires that all people involved put their practices, ideas and assumptions about institutions to the test by gathering compelling evidence. Action research involves keeping records in which personal progress and reflections are kept through which situations are critically analyzed. This all combines to give a reasoned justification of work to show others. Kemmis and McTaggart (1981) outline four steps in the action research cycle. The process begins with the plan, whereby members of the action team question and analyze their particular practices, and begin to search for ways to improve what is already happening. The second step is known as the action, during which the researchers deliberately enact their plan in a careful and thoughtful manner. Through the process of observation, the action team closely monitors the impact of its actions by collecting data pertaining to the results of those actions. Personal journals may be maintained to record observations. During the reflection step, researchers reflect of what is happening in their project, and develop revised action plans. At this point, the first cycle ends, and a new cycle of action begins based on revisions to the first cycle. This is what is known as the Action Research Spiral. In recent years, since 1991, reflection has been broadened to include narrative accounts that enable researchers to 'story' their reflective activities to engage greater dialogue on the actions being experienced. This expansion has come about as narrative approaches to educational research have moved into greater prominence and credibility. Some Canadian Approaches to Arts Education As diverse as the geography is in Canada, with the ruggedness of the Rocky Mountains contrasting with the serenity of the Maritime islands, and the bleakness of the Arctic tundra reaching down into the vastness of the prairies, such is the variance in educational curriculum policy throughout this country. Education is a concern that falls under provincial jurisdiction, and therefore can vary from region to region. In Saskatchewan, curriculum development is handled by the Provincial Department of Education. Provincial legislation dictates that the curricula produced by this department is taught throughout Saskatchewan schools. In contrast, until just recently, Ontario's Provincial Department of Education published only guidelines for specific subject areas; local school divisions were responsible for curriculum development. Saskatchewan's Arts Education curriculum stands as a model for curriculum development throughout the country. In developing their own Arts Education curriculum, which was published in 1995, British Columbia's Department of Education used sections from the Saskatchewan curriculum in their documents. The school division of London, Ontario uses the Kindergarten to Grade 5 document as an activity guide. The Government of the Northwest Territories has adopted the full Kindergarten to Grade 8 program for all of their schools. While these cross-provincial/territorial actions indicate full recognition of the Arts Education curricula as documents at the cutting edge, the assessment of its usefulness as implemented has not been undertaken. However, a whole-scale curriculum evaluation of Arts Education is currently in the planning stages. An American Perspective on Arts Education Whereas Saskatchewan has been the first governmental education department to publish a document outlining objectives in the area of the Arts, that is not to say that there has been no movement by other educational districts to be active in the Arts Education arena. In the United States, the "Goals 2000: Educate America Act" (approved by Congress in 1994) established the Arts as a required area of study in American schools. The National Consortium of National Arts Education Associations was struck to address this priority, and consisted of the American Alliance for Theatre and Education, the Music Educators National Conference, the National Art Education Association, and the National Dance Association. The group's task was to develop a collection of voluntary standards in the Arts that American could follow. This project was part of a larger effort to develop standards for K-12 education in subjects such as History, Science, Language Arts, and Geography, and defined the Arts to include Dance, Music, Theatre, and Visual Arts. After twenty four months of engagement on the topic, the group presented a set of standards which reflect the considerations of the represented organizations as well as the views of educators, parents, artists, professional associations in education and the arts, public and private institutions, philanthropic organizations, and leaders form government, labour, and business. These standards represent a consensus of what all the interested parties felt students should know and be able to do as a result of their K-12 school Arts experiences (MENC, 1994). Indeed, inquiries about the Saskatchewan Arts Education document have not been confined to Canadian interest. Armed with its own web site, the Saskatchewan Arts Education Curriculum, and information pertaining to it, is accessible via the Internet, and has been downloaded across the continent and beyond. The Saskatchewan Department of Education fields several calls a week from American school board representatives, who request permission to use portions of the document in their own systems. All of this suggests the confidence that exists in North American educational fields for the value of the Saskatchewan Arts Education curriculum. Recent Saskatchewan Research in the Arts Education Arena As a result of the recent publication of the Saskatchewan Arts Education curriculum, there has been a movement from the University of Regina to research the document and study the philosophies surrounding it. Shelley Desrosiers, Antionette Herivel, and Dennis Schaefer are all scholars who have recently completed Master's theses concerning the broad subject of Arts Education. Desrosiers (1996) investigated the challenges the elementary classroom teacher faces when implementing the new Arts Education curriculum by employing a collaborative action research approach. In her findings, she identified that teachers require practical inservices with hands-on and ready-to-use resources to ensure the success of the curriculum. She also posited that the demands that the teacher faces in the classroom leave little time to devote to the new curriculum, whether that time is spent after school learning about it and planning new lessons within its context, or finding time in the actual class schedule for the teaching of Arts Education. She further concluded that the success of the curriculum assumes that teachers undertake a degree of risk in implementing subject matter which they may not have experience in. Herivel's (1996) thesis is an autobiographical inquiry, whereby she explores the process of living and growing as a working artist through a diary combined with personal narrative. A teacher by profession, Herivel sees her Art as a vehicle for the internalization of her inner feelings: a creative outlet based on daydreams which balances the reality and confusion of everyday life. She suggests that her reflective style is rich with educational implications for building the self-esteem of students. Schaefer's (1996) thesis is also a qualitative study that uses an interview technique to explore aesthetic experience and its connection with everyday life. He claims that to be successful, all Arts Education efforts should include an understanding of the permeating aspects of the aesthetic dimension in the world around us. For an Arts Education program to be meaningful and valid for its students, he states, a framework must be established that is participatory, connective, and inclusive in nature, and must acknowledge the connection between aesthetic dimension and everyday experience. CHAPTER 3: THE METHOD OF THE STUDY This action research study ran the duration of the 1995-1996 school year. My role was as the Project leader; it was my responsibility to ensure that monthly meetings were held, journals were kept up to date, and everybody was kept motivated. I participated with two other teacher-researchers, who offered their insights through journal writing and in interview sessions. Approximately fifty grades three and four students also contributed to the study, through their participation in the lessons planned for them by the teacher-researchers, and through their own journals entries. Prior to the commencement of the study, permission was obtained from the Ethics Committee of the University of Regina (see Appendix B). It was granted on the conditions that the participants of the study were kept anonymous. Student participants were required to have written parental consent. All data was to be destroyed at the conclusion of the study. Approval for the study from the administration of the school was also obtained. The School The school in which the study took place is a K-8 school with a rich diversity of children attending it. It is located in an older neighbourhood in the core area of the city. The district is in transition, with many of the older properties being rejuvenated by owners attracted to the lower cost of housing in the area. This transitional aspect of the region has implications as to the make up of the school population. A transient clientele is also attracted to the lower cost housing, resulting in a large number of transfers on and off the school register in any given school year. The school has been designated as a Community School, due to the fact that at least twenty-five percent of the school's enrollment consists of children of Aboriginal heritage. The school therefore employs four Teacher Associates and a Community Coordinator (all of Aboriginal ancestry) who assist teachers in home visits, cultural understanding, and community outreach. Special funding has been allotted to the school for special community initiatives, such as food hamper distribution, and a Breakfast, Snack and Lunch Program. Many of the families of the children receive Food Bank referrals from the Community Coordinator. The school is a dual-track school, meaning that French Immersion classes are offered as an alternative to classes in the regular English stream. The philosophy of the school is to integrate the French classes with the English ones at every possible opportunity. The school's proximity to an affluent neighbourhood (from which many of the French Immersion children are bussed in) brings children of varying socio-economic status through the school doors; thus, here is a school that celebrates the variety of its students' many diverse cultures, and where an observer may find children of all socio-economic conditions working alongside each other with little prejudice as to status, race, or religion. Many high profile artists in the areas of Drama, Dance, Music and Visual Art live in the community. The Arts are, indeed, highly valued by a majority of the region's residents, to the extent of which a yearly Festival for the Arts is held in the community by members of a very strong Community Association with the help of many other volunteers. Neighbouring schools in the area have traditionally been involved, with my school taking a very active role since the Festival's inception. The Participants in the Study The study took place over the course of the 1995-1996 school year. Three teachers, whose assignments were Grade 3/4 French Immersion, Grade 3/4 English, and Itinerant teacher in the school committed themselves to the ten month study. Due to the fact that the anticipated enrolment in June 1995 of students from the two participating classrooms was predominantly at the Grade 4 level, the Grade 4 Arts Education curriculum was selected as the basis for the study. The two classrooms of students were both Grade 3/4 split classes. Although seemingly similar, there were variances between the two classes. The English class contained an average of 26 students, although 5 left the community and 3 moved into the area part-way throughout the year. Its population consisted of 19 Grade 3 students, and 7 Grade 4 students. Roughly one third of the students appeared to be of Aboriginal heritage. Many of the students relied on the Breakfast and Lunch programs at the school (which supplies meals to children in need) and received food hampers. In contrast, the French Immersion room had a population of 22 students, 1 of whom moved into the area in the January 1996. (In fact, only three students had been new to the class since Kindergarten.) The classroom had 7 Grade 3 students and 15 Grade 4 students. The vast majority of the students came from middle-class homes, and none seemed to require the food programs the school offered. None of the Immersion students was of Aboriginal ancestry. Jennifer Pearce was the teacher of the 3/4 French Immersion classroom. The 1995 / 1996 school year was her fifth year teaching, having received a teaching contract immediately upon finishing her University degree. Jennifer had requested placement at the school, after having completed her Pre-Internship there and appreciating its rich diversity. She brought strong organizational skills to the group, and it was she who had a large part in setting up the Arts Ed Thursday afternoons in its initial year. She was also able to visualize plans, and identify what would work, and what was necessary to make other plans a success. Jen, an extremely talented and capable teacher, felt comfortable with most of the Arts Ed strands, but was, nonetheless, somewhat hesitant about the Dance strand. The teacher of the 3/4 English class was Lindsay Warner. Lin brought experience to the group, having taught 21 years in the system at 7 different schools. Her global and humanistic approaches drew her to teach in Community schools in all but four years of her career. Although Lin transferred to the school the year of the study, she was an eager and enthusiastic participant who was flexible enough to adapt to many plans that had already been established. She abounded with ideas, either those she had already attempted or those she had just dreamed up. Lin felt that Arts Ed was an area of strength for her, having taught Music in her own, and other, classrooms. Lin felt comfortable with that strand, but felt less at ease with the Dance strand. I was the other member of the group. My areas of specialization for my Bachelor of Education were Music and Visual Art, but having also studied the other areas of Arts Education, I felt comfortable teaching all four of the Arts Education strands. As an itinerant teacher in the school, I taught a variety of subjects to most of the classrooms in the school. I was in the sixth year of my teaching career during the year of the study. Having realized the wonderful experience the first year of the Arts Ed Thursday afternoons had become, I became interested in studying the complexities of this approach. As a result, I acted as the team leader for the project, calling noon meetings for planning, conducting interviews, collecting data, and keeping everyone on the same path throughout our journey. Having worked together for the previous four years, Jen and I had become good friends as well as colleagues. Lin was a newcomer to the group, and although she was unknown to either one of us at the beginning of the year, she also became a trusted associate as well as a good friend by the year's end. The Time Line of the Study The teachers met at the beginning of the year to plan monthly themes, and to set a schedule for teaching. A letter of parental permission allowing children to participate in the study was agreed upon at this time. After the initial meeting, teachers intended to get together to plan once a month. Once themes were agreed upon, lessons were planned by the individual teachers in the four areas of the Arts, keeping the monthly theme in mind and using the foundational objectives (see Appendix A) as a basis. A typical Day 4 afternoon involved two of the teachers preparing a lesson in one of the four Arts Ed strands. (The third teacher received preparation time for that day.) Each of the teachers taught their lesson twice, to one class during the hour before recess, and to the other group the hour after recess. Several times throughout the year, the teachers team taught to the combined 3/4 English and French group for the entire afternoon. Teachers kept a weekly journal recording the successes of the lessons, areas of possible improvement and any other relevant thoughts. Journals also included reflections on the curriculum limitations and strengths. These journals stimulated discussion at the monthly planning meetings, which often reflected on the different aspects of teaching, lessons, and curriculum itself. With the teachers having reflected on their activity during the month, the action research spiral (see Appendix C) of planning, action, observation, and reflection began again. Armed with new insights, the teachers then proceeded to plan the next month's theme, lessons, and schedule. Every opportunity to participate in areas of professional development related to Arts Education was taken advantage of, through workshops given at the School Board Office, and through special Arts Education Implementation sessions, which were held four times throughout the 1995 - 1996 year. The students' response to their Arts Education was an integral part of the study. Students kept personal journals in which they responded to various questions relating to their attitudes towards Arts Education at three different points in the year: September, January, and June. Input from the students gave some direction to teachers as to what was truly important in Arts Education, where the students felt most at ease, and where they felt less comfortable. This data was valuable to the teachers in determining which areas needed to be emphasized in their programs. At the completion of the year, the participating teachers were interviewed by the principal researcher to assess the overall success of the year, and to help draw conclusions for the study by considering the questions which prompted the study. Determining if the Arts Education curriculum was meeting the learning needs of the students, verifying if the cycle had extended beyond the Arts Education afternoon, and ascertaining the areas of strength and weakness in the Arts Education curriculum were areas of particular interest for the purposes of the interview. Using the teachers' weekly journals, a chart representing the weekly lessons was constructed. This matrix listed all of the foundational objectives for Grade 4, and was cross-referenced with the dates of the weekly lessons. It visually displayed how the foundational objectives had been taught throughout the year. Methods of Observation, Data Collection, and Analysis Students response journals provided a source of data representative of the 'clients' of Arts Education. Student responded to the questions posed of them at three points in the year - September, January, and June. All responses to the questions were tabulated. These responses were analyzed, themes recurring in the journals were noted, and generalizations to each question were made. The three teacher researchers also kept journals. These journals were kept on a weekly basis, and included reflection on successes and limitations of lessons taught, ideas for improvement, and other relevant thoughts. The personal reflections in the teacher journals were tabulated. Themes from these reflections were noted upon analysis. The matrix of foundational objectives was also constructed from the teacher journals. It identified when each foundational objective had been taught throughout the course of the year. Upon analysis, it showed which strands had been more or less frequently taught, and which foundational objectives had been heavily favoured, or ignored entirely. Each of the monthly meetings was tape recorded. Although it was intended that transcriptions of these meetings were to be made, the recordings were of poor quality and virtually inaudible. A final interview between the three teacher researchers was held in July. This interview was recorded and (successfully) transcribed. The transcription was then studied and themes within the context of the conversations were noted. These results were compared with themes noted in the teachers' journals. This data was compared, themes were matched, and all aspects of it were considered. It was from this information that the questions prompting the study were considered. CHAPTER 4: ANALYSIS OF THE DATA The journey to deeper understanding of the curriculum passed by the pool of observation into which the narrative ran into from four distinct feeder streams. In this study, many forms of research data were collected and considered. There was narrative specific to Drama, Dance, Music, and Visual Art from teachers (represented in this chapter by Courier New font) which came as a result of the teachers' interview. The teacher-researchers kept weekly journals describing the success and weaknesses of the lessons. These journal thoughts of the teachers are represented by Script font. The Grade 3 and 4 students also kept journals in which they recorded their thoughts concerning Arts Ed. In this chapter, the students' reflections are indicated by Modern font. A matrix was charted which showed visually, week by week, which foundational objectives had been taught by each teacher. Information which described how the curriculum was taught throughout the year was taken from this matrix. The entirety of this data will be presented in this chapter within the context of each of the four Arts Education strands. Drama Drama was a strand taught fourteen out of the thirty one weeks that the Arts Education classes were held. Lessons is this strand began with activities which included drama warm-up activities (as students took on the role of various objects), grab bag skits, (whereby students created a drama based on the props they received in a bag), and Reader's Theatre (through which students learned to develop the dramatic aspects of their speech). At Christmas, the classes combined to perform a Musical, which featured several selected students who took on the roles of the main characters, and incorporated singing, choreography, and costuming. Drama activities throughout the rest of the year included some drama-in-context (through which all members of the group assumed a role and worked together to develop a dramatic situation), and some puppet theatre. Drama was the strand that the students indicated they enjoyed the most, and a strand that all three of the teachers felt comfortable with: presumably, these factors led to its frequent teaching. Eight out of the ten foundational objectives outlined in the curriculum document for Drama were covered throughout the year through the weekly lessons that the teachers taught. Most often, the lessons were based on several objectives. Throughout the year, however, none of the teachers had stated that foundational objectives 9 and 10 had been the basis of their weekly lessons. These two objectives were, "The students will become aware of drama in their homes, schools, and surrounding communities" and "Students will become familiar with the drama and dramatic artists". The omission of these two foundational objectives came up in the interview. Lindsay: The foundational objectives are really broad. Melanie: Some of them are too broad, like the ones that go on for sentences at a time. There's one, the ninth one in Drama; it goes on for three sentences. None of us understood what it meant, and coincidentally, none of us have it covered. In considering the Drama lessons taught throughout the year, however, these foundational objectives had indeed been taught, as they essentially referred to the awareness of Drama in the students' communities. The teacher-researchers failed to see that the experiences such as the invitation of Renee (from a local Dance company) to work with the students for the Dragon Dance, of the Community Festival for the Arts (where Dramatic artists from the community came to the school to put on performances), and other situations where invited guests had performed for the entire school, had been experiences rich in cultural understandings. The teachers assumed that because they hadn't conceived a lesson surrounding the objective, and then specifically wrote it down in their journal as having 'taught' it, that it had not been addressed, when in actuality, it had. Another concern raised in the interview was what they perceived to be inconsistencies of the foundational objectives across each strand.
The teacher-researchers expected that there was to be some consistency from strand to strand with regard to foundational objectives. While there are similarities in style which bond the strands of Arts Education, each strand does remain unique and distinct. To expect that each strand should have similar objectives may be demanding that the integrity of the strand be compromised in some way, or that the foundational objective may not truly represent the strand. There could be, however, some general objectives which might be common for the strands. These objectives could include reflection and response, and would still respect the uniqueness of each strand. Early on in school year, Jennifer and Melanie saw some distinct differences between the two groups of students. There was an obvious variance in oral reading levels, in that the English class was weaker. The differences in the make-up of the two classes (the English class being predominantly grade 3's, and the French class being mostly Grade 4's) explained this. Another difference between the two groups was in their ability to risk-take. This difference was most obvious in the Drama strand where risk-taking is critical for successful participation. Many of the English students were uncomfortable in assuming a role, and were unable to make suggestions to assist the Drama.
This sentiment was reinforced in the teachers' journals. At the end of September, Melanie recorded some first month thoughts in her journal.
Jennifer's journal entry from early in September concurs with these thoughts.
The need to modify the lesson plan to suit the particular needs of the group was highlighted. Although appearing to be at the same grade level, the two groups differed in ability and make-up. There was the need, therefore, for the lessons to be adapted for each classroom. It was apparent that the students who had come to grade 3 or 4 with prior Arts Education experience were equipped with the tools that enabled them to successfully participate in the lessons that were planned. Some background and experience was necessary before the students were able to risk-take and thereby fully participate in the Dramatic situation, and indeed many of the Arts Education activities. Jennifer's class had received more extensive Arts Education the year before, and were thereby better prepared to risk-take. Lindsay's class did not have this background to draw from, and that attributed to the discrepancy between the two classes that was perceived at the beginning of the year. It also attributed the progress that Lindsay's class made throughout the year as they improved after their ability to risk-take had begun to develop. Despite their unequal levels of participation, Drama appeared to be a favourite strand of the students in both classes. In their September Journals, a third of the students chose Drama as their favourite strand.
Indeed, at the end of the year, the students' enthusiasm for Drama had not diminished. In the June journals, close to half of the students wrote that Drama was their favourite strand, and that their favourite activity had been "The Littlest Christmas Tree" Musical play. 16 students responded that they wanted to learn more about Drama.
It was interesting to note that in his September journal, CN, a particularly challenging Grade 4 boy from the English class wrote,
In the early dramatic exercises, his participation was limited and very self-conscious. His sentiments appeared to change after he was selected to play Santa Claus, a major role in the Christmas Musical. In his journal entry for June, CN claimed that
This clarified the importance that roles play at this age. CN had no background in Drama prior to the beginning of the year. In taking on a major role in the Musical, he experienced a great deal of public success, and earned the respect of his peers as an 'actor'. Throughout the rest of the year, CN was an eager leader in Dramatic situations, and was depended on by other members of his group who looked up to him. His participation underlined that growth in self-esteem and success were two factors in learning. Dance This strand was an area that only one of the three teachers identified as being comfortable teaching. The teachers participating did not have any background in Dance. Inservice training was considered as inadequate and minimal. As a result, Dance was taught by only one of the three teachers; once in September, twice in February, and twice in March. It was, however, incorporated in to integrated thematic units throughout the year, which included the Christmas Musical. I taught Dance lessons throughout the year that included a lesson on Creative Dance, Metis Dancing (focussing on the Rabbit Dance and the Duck Dance), and Jive Dancing. Having little background training myself, I relied on ready-to-use suggestions taken from inservices and helpful kits. Because the teachers identified Dance as an area of weakness, and to balance the lack of emphasis, an integrated unit involving the study of all the strands was undertaken in April whereby the teachers participating in the study sought the assistance of and collaborated with Renee, the Artistic Director of a local dance company. She co-planned with the teachers the focus of the unit, but acted as the primary leader throughout the project, with the teachers acting as assistants, and engaging in the activities as full participants. This was an intense project, and ran everyday for two weeks in April. The group began the project conceptualizing a Dragon, and spent time designing and prepared costumes that they would wear throughout the duration of the project. Much of the rest of the project was spent in the study of various styles of Dance, from traditional pow wow, to modern social dance, to creative dance. Prompted by Renee, the students choreographed the final "Dance of the Dragon". Their membership constituted the body of the dragon, and their movements gave life to it. Lindsay commented on the Dragon Dance project in her journal:
Lindsay was assured that she could teach Dance under Renee's model. She began to see it as a step by step process for which she had a frame of reference. By transfering it to a context in which she was familiar, she was able to see how she could teach Dance herself. The value of the project was re-emphasized during the interview.
The process of the Dragon Dance was as important a learning tool for the teachers as it was for the students: the teachers participated in the entire process, and by watching, thinking, and trying it themselves, they felt more confident about their own potential to teach Dance at the end of the project. They also became more comfortable with the language of Dance: the words in the Glossary of the curriculum document came to life after they had been used in context. Dance vocabulary is a language unto itself, and takes some learning before it can be properly used. Teaching Dance went from being overwhelming to quite possible, once the teachers saw the identification of a purpose, and a sequence that they could follow. The teachers talked about the difficulties in teaching a subject they did not feel completely comfortable with. None of the teachers had experienced Dance as part of their school curriculum, nor had they any personal experience with formal training outside of school. Only one of the teachers had received any University classes devoted to the instruction of Dance. It was a complex challenge to become comfortable with a new art form and a new language.
To feel comfortable teaching any lesson, a teacher must feel some degree of competency with the subject matter. Not only was Dance entirely new subject matter, but it was indeed a new language. Furthermore, the method of teaching Dance was completely new and unique. Certainly a teacher couldn't simply lecture on how to change levels (as in Creative Dance). Teaching Dance required full participation from the teacher, quite often as a model. It required the teacher to take a risk in physically participating with her class, as the most obvious member, in a manner she was not accustomed. Assuming that she could muster up the courage to do such a task, a second risk is involved in that the students must accept her portrayal as genuine, and be willing to act likewise, for it is in the acceptance from the students that the teacher will feel that her risk-taking has been a worthwhile effort. The necessity for risk taking in Dance was obvious, a fact noticed by teachers and students alike. In her students journal, MM wrote:
At the beginning of September, Melanie picked up on this and wrote:
AT seemed to have a particular reluctance opening up in Dance; his immediate response to the activity was to cry, and he refused to participate at the first Dance strand lesson. Not surprisingly, in his September journal, when asked about his least favourite part of Arts Education, he wrote:
The teachers discussed this in their interview. Melanie: By and large, except for AT hating Dance in the beginning, most of the students enjoyed all aspects of Arts Education.
The reality was that although the French students had participated in several Dance experiences the year prior with their former teacher, the English students had not been exposed to any Dance experiences. Although an active pow-wow dancer outside of school hours, creative dance was the first Dance lesson that AT, a student in the English stream, had encountered in school. The loose structure of the creative process was diametrically opposed to the pre-determined steps he was used to following in pow-wow. Through the year, AT had the opportunity to participate in more structured Dance activities. He enjoyed Metis dancing, where the dances have specific steps that are to be followed to experience an authentic dance. He was an active participant in jive dancing, where he learned and practised various steps and moves in a sequence. Coincidentally, Renee, the leader of the Dragon Dance, happened to be AT's aunt. He therefore had a great deal of trust in her, and was able to enjoy a more creative process, one that ended up being very positive for AT. By the end of June, AT wrote in his journal that he did not dislike any part of Arts Education, and that
SM was another student who had a particularly hard time opening up to Dance. SM is a child who is border-lined autistic. He was, physically, the largest student in the class, due to the fact that he repeated a grade; and, although he was the oldest in the class, the way he occupied his time was socially delayed. He counted his teachers as closer friends than his fellow students, and on the playground, he was a loner who wandered the grounds, often mumbling to himself. When not troubled, he was cheerful but became frustrated very easily, and did not cope well with unexpected change. His reactions were often masochistic, and unpredictable. Melanie commented about this in a April journal entry after jive dancing had been taught.
The dance experience had the potential to overwhelm SM. It was quite different than any Arts Education class that he was used to, both in content and in structure, and he was therefore wary of the situation. He had to take a moment to analyze it, and prepare for it. SB eased the uncertainty by literally extending her hand, and indeed, friendship, to assist him. He sensed that others were enjoying the experience, was invited into the dancing area, and he trusted his partner in the situation. By perceiving the situation as friendly, SM was able to participate and enjoy the experience. For days after the lesson, SM asked in the hallways when the next Dance class would be. When asked to write about what he learned in Arts Education in the past year, SM wrote:
SM had learned the biggest lesson that existed for all of us, students and teachers alike. Music The matrix identified that Music was concentrated on specifically at two points in the year. Once was during November and December, as the school prepared for Christmas Concert time. (Although other methods of celebrating the Winter Festive Season have been undertaken in the past, there has been a backlash in the community if no Christmas Concert is offered in December. Traditionally, music has been the vehicle of celebrating the season, and the parents and members of the community come to expect this annual event.) The two classes combined to participate in a musical entitled "The Littlest Christmas Tree", which consisted of five chorus songs and ten speaking roles which thematically linked the songs together. The chorus included choreography as they sang, the children's arms bursting at the songs' climax, or their hands up-lifted during tender moments. Although the preparations in these instances were geared towards a polished, final product, the process itself yielded positive results as well. Students developed their voices, made decisions on choreography, and designed and created their own costumes. Music was also concentrated on later in the year. April and May provided opportunities for sung vocal performance at the Music Festival (a city wide event that provides for participation of school aged children at the local high school) and Arts Festival (a time when the community hosted and gathered for a week-long celebration of local talent in the arts). The classes once again combined to create one massed choir, and prepared "The Surprise Symphony", and "Rockin' Robin" for performance. Choreography was again added to provide visual appeal. These were two instances of major public relations for the school with the community; a time that the community was welcomed into the school and the students collectively put their best foot forward. Music is strong in its performance role and has been traditionally accepted as part of the school curriculum. That they did it primarily through Music is a testament to the power of this strand. In the interview, both Lindsay and Melanie expressed that Music was an area of strength for them. Both of the teachers received formal piano training as children, and both had taught music extensively in past years. Not coincidentally, it was these two teachers who taught the Music strand in the school year. Four other Music lessons were taught throughout the year. The first music lesson was not taught until the end of October (by Lindsay), and she taught Music again in February. Both lessons centered around the teaching of new songs. Melanie taught Music in January and February, focussing on the cultural / historical component. In preparation for Music Festival, Melanie taught Music several times in March, April and May. These were lessons rooted in the creative / productive component. All of the Music strand's eight foundational objectives were covered, and each was taught at least six times throughout the year. Melanie wrote in her journal that although the lessons around Christmas Concert were identified as falling under the Music foundational objectives, that "the play brought in all four aspects of Arts Ed: Music (singing), Dance (choreography), Drama (the play), and Visual Art (the costumes and scenery). Some students were initially disappointed at not getting a speaking role, but got over it when choreography was added to the Music and they realized that their contribution was important. The students ... enjoyed the opportunity to perform at the Concert, and during the noon hour at the [hotel] as well". The critical factor for the students was for them to perceive that their participation was of great importance, whether they were cast as Santa Claus, the chorus member who had the responsibility of holding up a prop at just the right moment, or the student whose efforts resulted in the creation of beautiful costumes. Jennifer also commented in her journal about Christmas Concert:
This was also discussed during the interview:
The shared responsibility in the special performance reaped shared benefits. The cooperation between the collaborating teachers diminished the stress of 'directing' a performance on one's own. The students appeared to appreciate the efforts that had gone into the production, both on the part of the teachers as well as their own contributions, and seemed proud of their accomplishments. They looked forward to the performance opportunities, where they could present what they had worked so hard on, which was something that they knew was of quality. The students also enjoyed chance to perform at a local hotel over the noon hour, for which they were paid in sandwiches! The students' response journals reinforce their pride in their performance. At the end of the year, many of the students identified the Christmas Play as their favourite part of the year, offering responses such as:
I also noted some reaction from the students in January, as they were studying the lives of composers. I read to the students some humourous anecdotes about the lives of some composers. Afterward, the students played a Composer Bingo.
I reiterated the success of this lesson in the interview:
The students appreciated the fact that each composer had come to life to them by the retelling of a humourous anecdote or true story. By seeing the composers' image on the bingo card, a face was (quite literally) matched with the music. The composers became real people to the students. I commented in my journal about the students' abilities around the time of the Music Festival.
After the students presented at the Music Festival, I noted that:
We had attempted something quite unique in our inclusion of choreography with the choral selection, and had been unsure as to how the piece would be received. Although it would likely not have changed the style of performance that we had chosen, it was reaffirming for us that the adjudicator appreciated and commended the final effort that was put forth. It was assurement from an outsider that what we were doing was of value, which is something that teachers do not hear enough of. Indeed, when asked on June 5 to reflect on their favourite part of the year, 10 students wrote in their response journals that it had been the time they spent at the Music Festival.
The experience had been affirming for the students, too. Visual Arts Visual Arts was the strand most taught throughout the year. All the teachers indicated plenty of confidence in the strand, and all had experience teaching it in the past. It had been a strand that had been taught long before the inception of the Art Education curriculum, and the teachers * Reflecting the level of comfort the teachers had with the strand, students participated in Visual Art lessons 20 out of the possible 31 weeks that Arts Education lessons were given. These lessons were taught, however, by two out of the three teachers; I did not teach any Visual Art lessons throughout the year to the Grade 3/4 classes. All foundational objectives were covered by the lessons taught. At the beginning of the year, when asked what Arts Education was, many of the students believed that it was synonymous with Visual Art.
For many of the students at this point in their education, Visual Art was the primary exposure they had received in Arts Education. Music had been the my responsibility as the Music Itinerant, and therefore had been removed from within the walls of the classroom. The English students had prior Arts Ed experience in only Visual Art, and although the French students had participated in other strands, their main focus has been in Visual Art as well. The obvious repetition of the word 'art' in both terms also created a confusion about the subject. The Visual Art lessons fell primarily in the Creative / Productive strand, and tended to focus on an end product, be it a painting, a native beaded bracelet, or a piece of stitchery. There were lessons throughout the year, however, which focussed on the study of artists, and response was often included in the lesson. Nevertheless, this strand out of the four, however, was quite often taught in the 'traditional' manner. In the interview, Jennifer suggested a possible theory as to why this was the case.
For the teachers, the easiest part of Arts Education equated with what was the most familiar. All the teachers had plenty of experience coming up with Visual Art lessons that had worked in the past, and when pressed for time, they relied on these 'tried and true' activities to fill time, even though they may not have been quality lessons. While the teachers were discussing their most successful lessons throughout the year, Lindsay identified that hers had been in Visual Art. She began by reading the students a children's story about the garden in which Monet painted, and followed it up with a video on the life of the artist. Afterwards, the students identified the characteristics of Monet's painting, and attempted to copy these characteristics in a watercolour painting of their own. Lindsay: Monet's Garden. That was probably my most successful lesson.
Lindsay's journal reinforced her enthusiasm in the lesson.
The children were motivated by a new medium, and a less restrictive technique than the teacher-emphasized realism that they were used to. Jennifer identified that her most successful lesson throughout the year had been in Visual Art as well.
Her journal reinforced her perceived success of the lesson.
As with the composers, the students became enthralled with the lives of the artists they were studying. The students were able to put 'Monet' and 'Emily Carr' into a context, which enabled the process to take life. The similarities between the two lessons which had provided success for the teachers led into a discussion on structuring a lesson versus the extreme of leaving it open-ended.
The teachers noted, as they had in Dance, that the students needed a structure to follow in the beginning in order to focus their creating. Because they had flagged these lessons as their most successful, they concluded that assisting students with the parameters of an assignment actually freed the imagination of the students to create. It gave the children a spring board from which their own ideas could jump. They realized that this had implications for further instructional planning. The teachers, however, had a problem with one particular foundational objective in the Visual Art strand.
We interpreted that the foundational objective implied that the art created should be realistic, and realized that some of the skills that they reinforced would not lead to the ability to depict objects accurately. They were concerned that the curriculum placed too much emphasis on realism. This question came up at another point in the interview.
The students were able to visualize the traditional forms of a Dragon, and create the necessary manifestations to suggest this to their audience. They did, however, leave some room to include representations that they felt were or ought to be included in the body of a Dragon. Lindsay noted the discrepancy between realism and abstract in her journal, during an activity that involved that creation of animal masks.
Perhaps the sparkle of the sequins was too great a temptation to resist using, or it may have been the vision of the student to include glitter in an animal mask. Indeed, in the end, it remained the prerogative of the student to interpret a subject in either an abstract or realistic way. Visual Art became a highlight of the year after the students learned Pysanka, the art of Ukrainian Easter Egg Design. Pysanka was taught as a month long theme, and began with the study of the Ukranian people and traditions. The children learned the meaning of the various symbols, colours, and egg divisions that make up a Pysanka. The children designed their own egg on paper, coloured them in the appropriate colours, and explained the meaning that it had taken on, as determined by the symbols and colours the student had chosen. At this point, the students were ready to transfer their design onto a real egg, using the traditional kiska and beeswax, and began dying their eggs the specially chosen colours. Despite the occasional but unmistakable cracking sound, many of the students chose this Visual Art activity as either their favourite part of Arts Ed in the year, or stated that it was a topic they were interested in learning more about.
The students
appreciated the gift they had been given from another culture, and
were curious to learn more about the art from. The group's desire
to master the technique enabled them to concentrate for entire class
periods without becoming restless.
The students were eager to complete their egg so that they would be able to realize the final design. Once they had finished, they were enthusiastic about beginning the process again, to tell another story through the design of an egg. Collaborating to Implement The three teacher-researchers were devoted to the benefits of collaborating to implement the curriculum. Aware at the beginning of the year that they had differing strengths and weaknesses, they realized at the conclusion of the year that each others talents and deficits had balanced out well throughout the year. It was during the interview that I discovered that I hadn't taught Visual Art.
The balance of personalities was an even balance as well. Jennifer brought organization and foresight to the group, and an ability to solve problems that arose. Lindsay provided a wealth of resources, extreme flexibility, and boundless enthusiasm. I had knowledge of the curriculum that assisted the others. Because of a personal stake in the program, I was responsible for the administration of the meetings and journals, and tried to keep everyone motivated. Jennifer made an astute observation about one of the primary reasons that the process worked for us.
It was at this point that it was decided that collaborating on the teaching of Arts Education had been an effective method of approaching the implementation of the curriculum. CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Throughout the journey, many conclusions became apparent, some early on in the journey, and others not until pausing for a moment of reflection. Some conclusions came as the result of asking questions, some arose from the study of the data, and others came as the result of the journey itself. This chapter will return to the questions posed in the first chapter of the study, and armed with the data that was collected throughout the year, will reflect upon these. Other questions that arose along the journey's path will be considered as well. The chapter will continue with a summary and conclusions that arose from the study, and concludes with recommendations for future paths the journey might take. Discussion of the Research Questions One of the questions this study proposed asked if the aim of the Arts Education Curriculum met the learning needs of the students. To consider this question, it is necessary for that aim to be revisited. The overall aim of the Arts Education program, as stated on page five of the Grade 4 Arts Education curriculum guide, is "to enable students to understand and value arts expressions throughout life". This over-arching aim describes the main outcome for students and the primary reason for including Arts Education in the core curriculum. It is an aim with a dual purpose: it calls for students to appreciate the arts realm that they are currently studying, while developing an ability to value the arts in future years. The reactions of the students to the Arts Education curriculum provide insight as to the success of the aim. It is clear that the Arts Education curriculum definitely had an impact on the students in this study. When questioned at the end of the year, a vast majority of the students identified Arts Education as 'fun'. Although an ambiguous term in the adult world, to the average nine or ten year old, 'fun' is a positive label of affirmation. Perhaps Arts Education was considered fun because it was a non-traditional subject, which allowed the students to get out of their desks in the exploration of certain topics. Perhaps the thought of no Arts Education homework at the end of the day was an appealing consideration. It may have been that students revelled in a non-traditional form of study. Whatever the case, the students anticipated the Arts Education experience each week. All students displayed an appreciation for the arts that developed steadily throughout the year. For a majority of the students, however, the year of the study was their first year of comprehensive Arts Education. These students showed the greatest improvement, indicating that the program was filling a void in their learning experience. Indeed, Arts Education appears to have met a learning need of the students. The overall aim is intended to be achieved through the meeting of five more specific goals (as listed in this study in Chapter One, page 13). The vehicle by which these goals of the Arts Education program is carried out is through the study of the four strands of Arts Education: Dance, Drama, Visual Art, and Music. The curriculum's foundational objectives describe the required content of study for each of the strands. If the foundational objectives are the criteria by which the students study the content of the strands, then by evaluating the students' successful participation in each of the foundational objectives, teachers can assume that through the participation in lessons planned around the foundational objectives, the goals of the curriculum were met. By meeting the goals, the overall aim of the curriculum is achieved. Since the students expressed their overwhelming acceptance and appreciation for what they learned throughout the school year, the Arts Education curriculum appears to have met the learning needs of the students. One of the recommendations of the Directions report was that the arts receive greater emphasis. Certainly, this goal was accomplished. Students who had no prior exposure to Drama or Dance participated in activities in these strands. In the time preceding the Directions report, this would not have been the case. It seems that the Arts Education program did indeed enable the students to understand and value arts expressions. Whether they continue to value these expressions 'throughout life' as stated in the curriculum's aim is difficult to assess at this point. This would require a long term project studying the effects of the curriculum on the attitudes of its students. The second question that was posed at the outset of the study asked how successful lessons are that are planned within the context of the Arts Education foundational objectives. In answering this, two topics are addressed: how the curriculum document itself was used, and how the teachers organized their individual lessons. As was stated throughout the study, the teachers involved in the study felt that the foundational objectives were too many, and too broad. In some cases, the foundational objectives weren't even clearly understood by the teachers: specifically, several in the Drama strand. Some interview discussion provides insight on to the planning of Arts Education lessons using the guide: Melanie: I know for me that what I sometimes did was plan a lesson, and then went back to the Guide and then found the foundational objective that it fell under. Of course, every now and then, I would look at them first and get an idea for a theme or a lesson. Jennifer: I did pull things from the in-services we went to and they were planned according to the curriculum guide. Several issues were made clear by these comments. The teachers perceived that the text was designed to lead them through their teaching of Arts Education. They endeavoured to focus on the foundational objectives and considered the curriculum as the 'gospel' from which they could not stray. They admitted, however, that regardless of how they approached the document, that they did not always use the text in that way. The teachers quite often planned the lessons that they wanted to and simply used the foundational objectives to justify their teaching. The manner in which the teacher-researchers approached the curriculum as a document was not clear. Stinson (1985b) states, "curriculum comes to form as art does, as a complex meditation and reconstruction of experience. It can be likened to any art form. It would rest upon the principle of developing experience" (p. 567) and further claims that curriculum exists only as it comes through people. Whereas the teachers were eager to include in their program aesthetic experiences based on personal growth and development that were child-centered, the teachers were also used to traditional curricula which was institutionalized in nature, and had been constructed to enable the continued functioning of the institution of Education. Therefore, the teacher-researchers perceived that the critical element in the curriculum was the foundational objectives: they expected the document to prescribe their teaching. This had come about through years of utilizing curriculum that had been institutionally based. The teachers conceded, however, throughout the year to not using the curriculum in the way that they had originally perceived. They admitted that they often planned Arts Education activities that they thought would be of benefit to the students and assigned the foundational objectives to them in their teacher journals. Had the teachers been using the document as institutional text as they had perceived it, they would have been more driven by the foundational objectives to lead the direction of the lesson, instead of assigning these objectives after the lesson had been thought out. The teacher-researchers were pulled by perceiving the text as institutional curriculum, and using it as aesthetic curriculum. Good organization on the teachers' behalf was critical to the success of a lesson. Lindsay brought up that key issue during the interview. Lindsay: The Sorcerer's Apprentice. Oh right. That was my least successful lesson. Jennifer: Were they just not into it?
Lindsay commented on that particular lesson in her journal entry for that date. "The first class (Jennifer's) was not very organized on my part. As a result, the kids were restless, and then didn't listen well. The second class was more organized and went better." Lindsay was highlighting the importance of the teacher to be prepared for the lesson. Although organization is desired in the teaching of a lesson in any subject, Arts Education seems to require explicit organization more so to ensure a smooth lesson. For example, when painting, a procedure for the retrieval of paint and the washing of brushes is critical simply to avoid mess, just as the clear organization of the steps involved in a folk dance in the mind of a teacher is necessary in order to teach it. If the teacher is not organized, both in her physical space as well as in her mind, the students will have problems following. If following the teacher becomes too great a task, the students will quit listening. The teacher's lesson is in jeopardy when the students have lost interest. In the interview, I mentioned that I felt that, for my behalf, the format of the afternoon allowed for better organization. Melanie: You know what I appreciated, was the opportunity to teach the same lesson twice. What you forgot to plan the first time you could get organized, or approach differently the next time. The afternoon
had two sessions. The teacher was able to adjust for the aspects
of the first lesson that were poorly organized before she had to
teach it again. Most often, armed with the knowledge of strategies
that had (or had not) worked out well earlier, the teacher could
modify the organization of the lesson and provide a more successful
learning opportunity for the second group. If necessary, the lesson
could also be modified to suit the ability of the class. The Arts Education curriculum is consistent with other documents recently authored under the direction of the Department of Education, in that it describes core curriculum, the common essential learnings, and the adaptive dimension. It also describes other Saskatchewan Learning initiatives such as Indian and Metis perspectives, gender equity, Saskatchewan content, and resource-based learning. What the teacher-researchers identified to be the critical elements of the curriculum, however, were the foundational objectives. The teachers perceived that the foundational objectives was the aspect of the curriculum that gave them direction as to what they should be teaching. The teachers were accustomed to curriculum documents prescribing what they were to teach, and in the foundational objectives, the teachers found their direction for Arts Education. Unfortunately, it was the parameters of these foundational objectives wherein the teachers identified so many concerns. Jennifer: I really did not think that we needed so many foundational objectives. The thing that I'm reading through: there are 48 in each strand. Melanie: They're actually the same from Grades 1-5, but we're supposed to be teaching the specific ones for our grades ... like, "Create Dance compositions that have Binary form".
The teachers identified that covering the number of foundational objectives identified in the curriculum in depth was practically impossible, even as they recognized that they were a group who made it a priority to teach the Arts Education curriculum. Thirty three foundational objectives are established for the Grade 4 year. There were thirty one weeks that the Arts Education program ran. Although the teachers most often taught several foundational objectives during a lesson, the teacher researchers determined that there was not much room in the school year to return to reinforce a foundational objective once it had been taught. They felt that although they may have been able to focus on a particular foundational objective in any given lesson, they weren't able to return to that foundational objective and reinforce it to give it as much depth as they might have liked to. The discussion of foundational objectives continued in the interview. Jennifer: There's the general [foundational objective], and then for each there are four at the Grade itself. Lindsay: I think they want to show development: to develop a theme over several years, and to build on it. Melanie: You have to. If all of a sudden you get the kids in Grade 4 and you try to teach them 'Dance in the Binary form', they'd go nuts. It has to be cumulative. Jennifer: It's still pretty overwhelming right now. And our students haven't have the cumulative exposure to the curriculum yet. And it isn't even written like that. There is the understanding that we teach all of the foundational objectives in a year. The Math curriculum is cumulative as well, but there are certain objectives that are written at each grade level that you know you must teach. The teachers identified that for the curriculum to be a success, the students must experience a cumulative exposure to it. The students must develop positive attitudes towards Arts Education, at the same time they develop the skills to build on. As with any other subject, if the necessary groundwork has not been developed in prior years, a student will be unable to continue successfully past a certain point. The year the study took place was one of the first years the curriculum had been implemented in the school system. Many of the students had little prior experience in Arts Education, and therefore had no background on which to build. It was therefore difficult to teach some of the more complex Dance or Drama concepts, as the students had no frame of reference on which to build. At the same time, the teachers felt compelled to teach as many of the foundational objectives as possible, in order to pass their students on to the next grade in good conscience. They realized that they were responsible for providing the experience that next year's teachers could build on. The final question that this study originally posed asked if the teaching of the Arts Education curriculum had any broader implications for the teaching of other subjects. The implications for the teaching of other subjects was not immediately obvious; however, the project had some important 'trickle-down' effects that influenced other aspects of school life. The most notable discovery was that the grouping of the English 3/4 class with the French 3/4 class for the duration of the Arts Education afternoon created harmonious bonds for the children. In other years, eruptions between the French and English classes had occurred. It was noted this year, however, that playground skirmishes between the two classes were rare, and that in fact, several friendships had developed as the result of mixing the two classes. It seemed that the collaboration of the two grade 3/4 groups had been a positive experience for the children. The divisions between them had been erased, and they were able to relate more effectively with each other in the classroom. This translated to effective relationships outside the school walls as well. Jennifer: It was good for the students to get to know each other from the two classes. Perhaps they won't find a new best friend, but they may seek each other out on the playground, or when they do mix later, doing Track, or at Dances... Melanie: It was good for kids like SE and CN. Whenever I saw the groups combined, those kids would gravitate to each other. Jennifer: So it wasn't French Immersion on one side...
In their journals, both Melanie and Lindsay noted the blossoming friendships that were evident at the end of the year. Melanie noted her observances of the students after the Music Festival:"On the way home from [the high school], we stopped in the park to relax. It was wonderful to see the kids playing together so nicely, intermingling French and English." In her last journal entry, Lindsay wrote,"The two classes have become quite a cohesive, friendly group throughout the year. [Tie-dyeing] was an enjoyable way to celebrate a year's worth of Arts Education, and the T-shirts looked beautiful hanging on lines at the front of the school!" By the end of the year, barriers had been broken down in a school which separates like aged children by the language the receive instruction. By integrating the children in Arts Education classes, the students, regardless of language, were able to call each other by first name instead of using the hurtful playground slangs that had been the practice previously. The study also resulted in some strong friendships within the action-research team. These friendships grew out of close collegial teaching relationships. It will never be known if the relationships made would not have happened anyway, but it is speculated that they would not be as close. Working with other teachers requires an intense relationship, built on trust. Communication between the co-operating teachers was like speaking in shorthand by the end of the year. Melanie commented in her journal about the group dynamics. "It is necessary to undertake a project like this with people you trust. Jennifer and I have been good friends for some time, and we have been lucky that Lindsay is a kindred spirit, and flexible and easy to work with. She brings a lot to the team." This was considered in the interview, as well.
The teachers, by working together so closely throughout the year, had developed strong personal as well as professional ties. They had relied upon each other, struggled at times, made decisions, and supported each other. The necessary trust that had grown between them in their professional relationships was the foundation for the basis of their friendships. Further discussion arising from the data The teachers realized that the balance of lessons that they taught throughout the year weighted heavily on the Creative / Productive component. This component is intended to be balanced equally with the Cultural / Historical and Critical / Responsive components. In analyzing their teaching, however, the teachers realized that their activities were very performance or production based. There may be two possible reasons for this shift in focus. The arts are a very powerful public relations link to the community of parents and other stakeholders. Offering up an exciting Christmas program sends the message to the community that things are going well in the school. Seeing art up on the walls of the school creates the appearance of a positive learning environment. As well, having a finished project, be it a Dance, or a play, seems to laud credibility on the process. When there is something to show for the work that has been put in to a process it is therefore justified. The teacher-researchers identified that prior exposure to the Arts Education curriculum was an essential pre-requisite in ensuring the success of the program. At the beginning of the year, we noticed a greater capacity of the French class with regard to the development of their skills in the area of Arts Education, particularly when compared to their English counterparts. Early in the year, this was attributed to a perceived academic advancement of the French students: they could read and write better, and were overall more articulate in their verbal ability. After some further consideration, the difference was thought to be due to a difference in age, as the English class was predominantly Grade 3 and the French class was mostly Grade 4. Finally, it was noted that the experience and exposure of the French class to Arts Education the year before had been substantially greater. This accounted for the disparity in ability between the two groups, and explained that although at different levels at the beginning of the year, at the end of the study, the two classes seemed to have reached the same level of advancement. Jennifer: What we noticed more at the beginning and less at the end was the difference between the two classes. The class I had was with Margaret last year, and they had Dance opportunities, and Drama opportunities, whereas I would think that the class you had, knowing the two teachers that class came from, had more structure, much more Visual Arts.
As a result,
although the English students were strong in Visual Art, they were
weak in the other three strands, particularly Drama and Dance. They
did not have the broader Arts Education experience from the year
prior which would have been a base upon which to build in the year
of the study. The English students had to play catch-up with the
French students, developmentally speaking, with respect to their
risk-taking ability, and their willingness to participate and interact
with others in a non-traditional manner. The action research spiral, a continuous planning, executing, fact-finding, and evaluation, was indeed carried out several times throughout the year. The spirals of activities, however, were less related to the research and understanding of the problem as they were devoted to the week-to-week planning of the arts education classroom activities. Despite all best efforts, planning meetings of twenty minutes were the norm, as teachers scrambled to fit yet another lunch hour meeting into an already hectic schedule. The teachers wanted their time to be used efficiently; banter surrounding theories of education was not at the forefront of one's thought when six weeks of activities needed to be planned before the bell announced the impending arrival of 28 students into the classroom. As a result, the monthly meetings (which occurred at least once every six weeks) served more as an activity planning session than a reflective time. The reflective time came in July, after the school year had ended, away from the paper work of the classroom, at a time when everyone could focus their thoughts on the matter at hand, with no bell to interrupt, and no bleeding noses demanding attention. The deeper question that the teacher-researchers were addressing through their action research was the success of the Arts Education program. Through our monthly meetings, we continually reflected upon our teaching strategies by addressing concerns that we encountered throughout the month, and developed strategies for improvement. One area of concern that we seemed to encounter each month was Dance. As a result, this was an area that we called in outside expertise to assist us. Through the action research cycle, we attempted to improve our program to suit the learning needs of the students. In the situation of this study, the teachers involved worked cooperatively in a collaborative atmosphere. Whereas I was the primary researcher, and drove the motivation for the study, the three teacher-researchers worked together to share ideas about curriculum. We joined our resources as we joined our classrooms. Indeed, this required cooperation, in that each member of the team was required to pull their own weight and maintain their share of the duties. Collaboration was a larger framework whereby we worked through situations as a team, each with an equal vote. The teachers agreed that the collaborative approach by which the Arts Ed curriculum was implemented ensured a degree of success in the Arts Education program. Jennifer: You put more effort into planning lessons. If you were planning a half hour lesson here or there, you're not going to put a great deal of effort into it, but when you are planning a whole afternoon, where you repeat it... Lindsay: And your colleagues will see the results... Jennifer: Exactly, you're going to put a whole lot more effort into making the lessons a success. It's worth going the extra mile to find something creative because you have to go through it twice. Even if I had planned it well, if it was a boring activity, who wanted to do it again? The teachers identified that their collaborative effort was a motivating factor when planning. They felt that they put their best efforts forward in planning lessons when they were accessible to other teachers. The teachers also appreciated that by working with other colleagues, the insular qualities of teaching were diminished. A teacher most often finds herself as the lone adult in the classroom for the greater part of the day. Further, the teacher is solely responsible for the subject matter that is planned and carried out in the classroom. The collaborative nature in the efforts that the teachers in this study undertook provided for dialogue surrounding the planning of instruction, which created a more cooperative atmosphere. The action research
team questioned whether it was feasible for a classroom teacher
to teach all four strands of the Arts Education curriculum. Within
our collaborative group, none of the three teachers taught all of
the strands throughout the year. Working within the parameters of
this model, it was not necessary. The teachers taught the strands
they felt comfortable with. Not all teachers are comfortable with
each strand; however, all teachers began to feel comfortable with
all the strands by the end of the year. This model of implementation
made it possible for teachers to teach within their limits, and
grow professionally at a comfortable pace. Melanie: I didn't teach
a Visual Art lesson all year! Through the collaborative model, the students reap the benefits of the talents of several teachers. As few teachers may possess ability in all four of the strands of Drama, Dance, Music, and Visual Art, it is of benefit for teachers to team up the offerings of their talents. The collaboration benefits were also evident in approaching the curriculum, as was mentioned in the interview.
In the experience of the teacher-researchers, the implementation of the Arts Education curriculum was enhanced and strengthened through the collaborative approach that the teachers took. Collaborative action research was an ideal tool for research in this situation. Teaching is a profession that requires a great deal of cooperation and collaboration amongst colleagues, and good teachers are constantly reflecting on their practice with the intent of improving it.
The method of study, action research, was therefore a natural one for teachers. Good teachers have an inherent nature to improve the level of instruction that they provide for their students, and are continually actively engaging in reflection on their practise in order to provide the best learning environment for their students. The action research spiral of determining the plan, carrying out action, observing the results, and reflecting on the success was the formal process that the teacher-researchers in the study carried out at the monthly meetings. It is a process, however, that is carried out in classrooms more informally on a daily basis, as teachers plan the best possible learning scenarios for their students. Summary In conclusion, the study provided several key points. The teachers-researchers realized that the broad aim of the curriculum, which was to 'enable students to understand and value arts expressions throughout life', would require a long term study to accurately identify whether students actually value the arts after their Arts Education classes have ceased. In the short-term, however, it could be safely said that Arts Education is a subject warmly received by its students, who claim to appreciate it in the present. Critical to the success of an Arts Education program is a cumulative base onto which the teachers can develop. As with any other core curriculum subject, Arts Education builds upon skills learned and developed in previous years. It is difficult to develop arts expressions without this base on which to build. Teachers struggled in approaching the document as aesthetic versus institutional text. As a result, they were often unclear as to how to plan lessons using the guide. Good organization was critical in the teaching of a sound Arts Education lesson. The teachers considered the large numbers of foundational objectives overwhelming, and almost impossible to cover in any depth in the school year. At the same time, they realized that their balance of focus weighed heavily in the Creative / Productive component. The collaborative nature of the implementation process in this situation provided benefits to teacher and students alike. Teachers gained by working with peers in the developing of an understanding of the curriculum document. Students benefitted by the pooled wealth of talent that the group of teachers provided. The school benefitted in the reduced number of playground skirmishes between the two groups, who fostered friendships instead. Recommendations This curriculum was implemented at a time when resource-based learning was the embraced colloquialism in schools. The philosophy undergirding this approach suggests that schools provide a bounty of support materials that are student-friendly and accessible so that the learners are able to gather information on various topics that hold interest for them. This promotion of resource-based learning has been introduced at a time when economic difficulties have beset education at all levels. Unfortunately, the reality of resource based learning is that Arts Education resources are costly. Within the system in which this study was conducted, the number of teacher-librarian positions was halved since 1990. With smaller budgets available for purchasing resources across the curriculum, Arts Education is receiving less attention than originally anticipated. The problem of diminishing resources is compounded for inner-city schools because much of the spending that does happen appears to benefit those communities that are able to support the Arts outside of school time with disposable income. There is a growing disparity between the "have" schools and the "have-not" schools, and it is evident in the arts. As schools are constructed in the expanding suburbs of the city, they tend to be equipped with the newest resources and technology, with special budgets to be spent on such high cost items such as instruments. Schools in the central core of the city, built in the earlier part of the century, are left with resources that frequently date back to that era. The teachers were aware of their lack of Arts Education resources and could see the contrast.
This disparity is difficult for the teachers and students who work in community schools. They see the suburban schools asked to sing with the symphony, and represent the system at other special functions. There appears to be no representation of such schools and students, even as their numbers grow larger. There is an increasing sense of frustration for teachers who see this happen. With this frustration cames an awareness that they are less valued, and that their contributions, particularly in the arts, are not as important. In order for the curriculum to attain its most effective stance, funding must be made available to equip all schools with at least some of the materials listed in the curriculum document as possible resources. This funding must be universal to all Saskatchewan schools, so that students across the province are allowed equal access to education in the arts, whether they attend school on a reserve, in a rural community, in the Northern part of the province, or in the newest urban facility. This would be a positive step in ensuring that the recommendations of the Directions report urging that the arts receive greater emphasis gets carried out. Whereas Music and Visual Art were strands that were present in the school curriculum prior to the Directions report, Drama, and Dance are new to the curriculum. It is in these strands that teachers are feeling less capable. These strands require some ability and skills, and many teachers find themselves with no formal training in these areas. Since these subjects were no taught to them as they were students themselves, current teachers often have no frame of reference from which to begin planning a lesson. Teachers must rely on inservice to provide them with skills in these areas. These inservices must be offered frequently to assist the teachers in their personal growth in the art form, as it often takes a teacher a few sessions in order to understand the vocabulary of these two new strands. Indeed the method of planning lessons in this area is unique: a teacher must get used to the notion of structuring a lesson in a non-traditional manner. Ultimately, the students are the 'clients' of the program, and have the most at stake when a new process is undertaken. The students in this study seemed to overwhelmingly enjoy Arts Education. Although the classes involved a great deal of risk taking, the students perceived Arts Education at the end of the year as 'fun'. In fact, in the last student journal entry, when asked what Arts Education was, the vast majority of the students included 'fun' in their answer.
The students questioned identified that in a nine or ten year-old's vocabulary, 'fun' indicated, "doing something you really enjoy". In describing Arts Education as fun, the students had offered the ultimate vote of confidence that they were able. Indeed, as stakeholders in the system, the students had ideas on how to improve the Arts Education program for the next year.
Essentially, the students wanted the opportunity to partake of more Arts Education experiences. The students made it clear with their suggestions that it was possible to offer a rewarding learning experience to children in a non-traditional way. And so, after planning out the pilgrimage, climbing up on the mountain of action, pausing at the vista of observation before relaxing at the pool of reflection, the journey of action research will pause. Most likely, however, the break will only be a temporary resting point, because with every question that is answered along the way, several more have arisen, and the journey of the action research spiral will begin again, in a slightly different direction, but with no less conviction or intensity in stride.
Foundational Objectives Foundational objectives describe the required content for each strand. In Grade 1 to Grade 5 Arts Education, the foundational objectives are broad in scope and take all of these years to develop. However, what the teacher does at each grade level to develop a particular foundational objective is different. The Arts Education curriculum includes the development of knowledge, skills and attitudes in the areas of perception, procedures, conceptual understanding and personal expression. These four categories were taken into consideration when the foundational objectives for each strand were determined. -Grade 4 Saskatchewan Arts Education Curriculum Guide, p.6 FOUNDATIONAL OBJECTIVES FOR DANCE: The students will:
FOUNDATIONAL OBJECTIVES FOR DRAMA: The students will:
FOUNDATIONAL
OBJECTIVES FOR MUSIC
FOUNDATIONAL OBJECTIVES FOR VISUAL ART: The students will:
APPENDIX C: THE ACTION RESEARCH SPIRAL
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