Date of Award
2-2018
Access Control
Open Access
Degree Name
Art Education (K-12), M.S.Ed.
Department
Art Education Department
Advisor
Dr. Michelle Bae-Dimitriadis
Department Home page
http://artdesign.buffalostate.edu/art-education
First Reader
Michelle Bae-Dimitriadis
Abstract
This qualitative participatory action research study focuses on how elementary students communicate in their art-making and how I as an educator encourage their authentic voices to come out, not only verbally but reflected in their art-making. The purpose of this study is to understand the themes/interest’s elementary students find important, the expression of their lived experiences in their art-making, and the pedagogical approaches that support children in their art-making process.
My research includes documentation of my process in creating an elementary art curriculum with collaboration from my student participants, in an attempt to create a curriculum with my students at the center. I conducted informal interviews with my student participants, observed interactions in the classroom with the curriculum, and analyzed student artwork to understand my students process within their art-making.
Elementary students all have diverse lived experiences and reasons behind creating something within their art-making. However, my research reveals that teachers need to be open to the lived experiences of our elementary students in order to understand the creative choices they make in their art-making process. Much of the ideas they express are complex and require a bit of discussion and critically analyzing it to understand.
My elementary students benefitted from sharing their interests and experiences to each other, and found a commonality among each other as well. Through the encouragement of using their authentic voices it became one of the most important components in my research. They have the confidence to talk about their artwork without hesitation. They gained a sense of empowerment, and the most significant outcome is this growing sense of importance of themselves.
Recommended Citation
Sengbusch, Caitlin M., "Contemporary Art Education Approach to Children's Art-Making" (2018). Art Education Projects. 17.
https://digitalcommons.buffalostate.edu/arteducation_projects/17
