Transformation of Instructional Practice through Aesthetic Experiences

Autor/inn/en	Albers, Peggy; Flint, Amy Seely; Matthews, Mona
Titel	Transformation of Instructional Practice through Aesthetic Experiences
Quelle	In: Global Education Review, 6 (2019) 2, S.33-54 (22 Seiten) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	2325-663X
Schlagwörter	Educational Practices; Aesthetic Education; Elementary School Teachers; Disadvantaged Schools; Educational Strategies; Literacy Education; Reading Improvement; Faculty Development; Learner Engagement; Psychological Patterns; Foreign Countries; Transformative Learning; Rural Schools; Art Activities; Imagination; Moral Values; Democratic Values; South Africa + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Bildungspraxis; Ästhetische Bildung; Elementary school; Teacher; Teachers; Grundschule; Volksschule; Lehrer; Lehrerin; Lehrende; Lehrstrategie; Ausland; Pädagogische Transformation; Rural area; Rural areas; School; Schools; Ländlicher Raum; Schule; Schulen; Künstlerische Tätigkeit; Moral value; Ethischer Wert; Südafrika; Süd-Afrika; Republik Südafrika; Südafrikanische Republik
Abstract	This longitudinal ethnographic study involved a professional development project, Project Partnerships Achieve Literacy (Project PAL) in South Africa, with eight rural foundation phase teachers who taught Reception (kindergarten) through grade three (R-3). This Project was designed to support teachers in an under-resourced school as they learned strategic approaches to literacy teaching and learning with the aim to improve the reading achievement of their children. Located in aesthetics theory, researchers engaged teachers in aesthetic experiences, or experiences that were infused with the arts (art, drama, video, music, reader's theater), children's literature, and technology. Research questions were as follows: What can be learned from an aesthetic approach to professional development? What does engagement look like in aesthetic experiences in professional development? Do aesthetic experiences resonate with teachers and inform their instruction? Three findings emerged from an constant comparative analysis of classroom observations, interviews, teacher artifacts, researcher debriefs, video and audio recordings: 1) Feelings and the arts were significant in what and how teachers learned in professional development workshops; 2) Aesthetic experiences led to critical and democratic talk around professional development and issues of social importance; and 3) Aesthetic experiences informed teachers' in and out of classroom practice. Findings from this study suggest that professional development holds significant promise when it is sustained, imaginative, and relatable, and positions teachers to think differently about themselves as learners and teachers through aesthetic experiences. We suggest that drawing only from cognitive approaches and one-shot single-session professional development does not deeply address the qualities, feelings, emotions, and embodied responses that comprise the aesthetic experience in professional development, and argue for a deeper understanding of professional development, one in which aesthetic learning and experiences are central to teacher learning. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Mercy College New York. 555 Broadway, Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522. Tel: 914-674-7350; Fax: 914-674-7351; Web site: http://ger.mercy.edu
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01