Running head: POSITIVE COMMUNAL ACTIVITIES

Promoting and Experiencing Positive Communal Activities Between School and Community Entities Tammy R. Hoppe University of Florida

POSSITIVE COMMUNAL ACTIVITIES Issues This school culture seems to be a typical public elementary school; however, it is in a

community that appears to have almost no cultural or ethnic diversity. My estimate is that fewer than 20 out of the towns 2,600 citizens are non-Caucasian (0.78%). This alarms me because most of the children who graduate from our school move away from small town to regions where it is likely cultural diversity is a given. Students may not be fully educated to understand both that cultures differ in other regions and what cultural diversity means to them. This project will guide students through understanding that there are cultural, social, and ethnic differences among people and give them strategies for addressing and understanding cultural differences. The inspiration for this project idea comes from two primary sources: an article by Patricia Stuhr (1994), Multicultural Art Education and Social Reconstruction, and the potential for new communal and cultural events within the town and school system I work. Stuhrs article heightened my awareness of what effective multicultural art education can look like and that multicultural art education also reconstructs society (1994, p. 171). Having read this article and several others (Appendix B) near the same time a small group of socially active students approached me for ideas on how to become more involved in the community, gave me cause to think about a critical intervention project appropriate for them and their same-grade peers. These students were ultimately asking for help on how to make a difference in their community through art making. The focus of this art intervention plan is to design an opportunity for students to make critical decisions about the needs and wishes of the social community of their school culture and about how best to act on those decisions (Appendix A). This communal event plan will most closely adhere to two particular foundations: first, understanding cultural diversity and promoting social equity, and second, being better informed

POSSITIVE COMMUNAL ACTIVITIES community members through an understanding of the benefits of positive multicultural relationships (Stuhr, 1994). Stuhr (1994) discusses five general education multicultural approaches, two of which align quite closely with the foundations of this school community project and my personal view of effective multicultural education: Multicultural Education Approach (p. 175) and more so Education That is Multicultural and Social Reconstructionist (p. 176). These approaches align with the foundations of this project because of their emphases on the philosophy that students should be enabled to envision a nation where all citizens are equal (Stuhr, 1994). However, while the Multicultural Education Approach assumes an emphasis on reforming the school program through cultural democracy, the Education that is Multicultural and Social Reconstructionist approach includes emphases on reformation of social structure equality at a national or even global level (Stuhr, 1994). For this project students will focus on school cultural changes and then use these new understandings as a starting point for discussions about similar global issues. Findings The Multicultural Education Approach proposed by Stuhr (1994) advocates school reform that will make schools reflect diversity and give equal attention to a variety of cultural

groups, regardless or whether or not they are represented in the school population (p. 175). The value of this approach is that students will have the opportunity to discuss and gain understanding about diverse cultures by studying various examples of their art, artifacts, and traditions. After a study of others, students can then observe social and cultural behaviors among their own school culture. This observation will be done as an action research project in which the students, through the act of critical inquiry, will study social and cultural habits between groups of peers and other cultures studied and then compare and contrast the their findings. The

POSSITIVE COMMUNAL ACTIVITIES goal for the students research will be to identify diverse social activities and traditions and to use critical decision-making to decide appropriate methods for using art to share new multicultural understandings with others in the school setting. The artwork associated with this unit will even generate critical inquiry among its viewers.

Ultimately, the form of the project will be represented with two benches that symbolize a safe, beautiful, welcoming place to sit and have open conversations among people about sometimes difficult topics. The students will observe the social and cultural setting of the different areas of the school atmosphere. They will determine the most likely places people would and should take time to sit on the beautiful benches to have friendly conversations with others about difficult cultural topics. The images, colors, shapes, and forms of the handmade tiles adorning the benches will further develop the welcoming and friendly atmosphere for conversation as well as bring to question difficult cultural topics that have been ignored but should not be any longer. Funding for this project will come from the art department donations account; generous community members have donated to the art department in previous years for other outreach projects that had been implemented. The materials for this final project will include handmade stoneware 6 X 6 tiles, Porcelain corner tiles, two 4 X 8 backer boards, two 2 X 4 X 192 studs, tile adhesive, grout, screws, and a ! X ! trowel. The total cost for construction supplies will be approximately $180 - $200 (Table 1).

POSSITIVE COMMUNAL ACTIVITIES Table 1 Itemization of Construction Supplies for Benches Project / Resource Product Description Stoneware clay and glaze for tiles / already on hand 4 x 8 cement board / Lowes (2) 2 X 4 X 192 / Lowes (2) Tile Mortar; 50 lb powder bag / Lowes Grout; 25 lb powder bag / Lowes ! X ! trowel / Lowes Screws / Lowes Sealer spray / Lowes Corner trim porcelain tiles / Lowes (20) Approximated Total Cost Unit Price $60 $28 each $8 each $26 $14 $8 $9 $10 $2 each $56 $16 $26 $14 $8 $9 $10 $40 $179 Total Cost

The structure of this school community multicultural education unit will be largely influenced by Blandys theories of participatory culture and performing democracy. In a participatory culture the role of the art teacher is as facilitator of students cultural learning, and Blandy lists collaborative problem solving as one of its forms (2011). Performing democracy involves working with others, building consensus, designing inclusive discussions, resolving conflict, acting on common concerns, and planning for the future (Blandy, 2011, p. 10). Both of these strategies strongly influenced me to adjust the teaching and learning structure of my classroom for this unit, requiring more students personal input on their learning and accepting their input as guidance toward more relevant content.

POSSITIVE COMMUNAL ACTIVITIES Reflections on and documentation of the work on this project will be necessary for the greatest amount of social change to be achieved (Kaye, 2004). Jeremy Blair (2014) suggests stop motion animation as a quality tool for self-reflection and self-assessment; he calls it autoethnography. He states autoethnography has the capacity to provoke viewers to broaden their horizons, reflect critically on experiences, enter empathetically into the lives of others, and

actively participate in dialogue regarding social implications of the encountered (Blair, 2014, p. 6). These capacities seem to be wonderful tools for helping students empathetically connect to the cultural and social diversity they are addressing and will possibly lead them to even greater understanding of the information they are attempting to project to others. Therefore, documentation of the research, planning, construction, instillation, and social effects of this unit could be done with stop motion animation if not with another video documentation method. In all, this unit will teach students about cultural awareness, observation strategies of social behaviors, critical inquiry about local cultural activities, and the positive effects of collaborative work on and open communication about difficult social and cultural topics. Students will benefit from this learning throughout adulthood as they experience social and cultural issues wherever they may be. Summary The projected working dates of this unit will be in the fall of the 2014 2015 school year. Students can begin their orientation work of studying art, artifacts, and traditions of other cultures and then comparing and contrasting this new learning to what they discover through studies of self and peer observations. Using the compare and contrast information, students can determine that our student culture needs a better social and multicultural education and how basic communication skills can be a part of that improved education. Through some action

POSSITIVE COMMUNAL ACTIVITIES research such as student surveys and student observations, children will decide the better locations on school grounds where such communications could take place: different places around the playground, soccer fields, front yard, bus-loading area, various side doors and sidewalks, etc. They will decide if the placement of a Conversation Bench would be a good aesthetic fit for the communication locations they have chosen. Finally, students will follow-up

with observations and surveys regarding the uses of the Conversation Benches, determining their effect on the culture-building cause. Documentation and reflection on the process of multicultural and sociocultural education could be done using the technique of stop motion animation. Stop motion would be new to the students, so they would first have to learn the process, then they could use their work on this animation to document their planning and research. Future work with the Conversation Benches could include moving the benches to new locations as students review the effectiveness of the current bench locations compared to other potentially more effect communication locations. Students could also create temporary installation pieces that refocus viewers attention on both the benches themselves and the educational purposes of the benches. This project is attempting to heighten multicultural awareness, respect, and understanding in multiple ways among diverse students. The result of this project will be a grand sculpturemaking event that pulls all students together in a unified attempt to use their new understandings to educate peers about a difficult subject in a comfortable setting.

POSSITIVE COMMUNAL ACTIVITIES References Blair, J. M. (2014). Animated autoethnographies: Stop motion animation as a tool for selfinquiry and personal evaluation. Art Education, 67(2), 6-13. Blandy, D. (2011). Sustainability, participatory culture, and the performance of democracy: Ascendant sites of theory and practice in art education. Studies in Art Education, 52(3), 243-255. Kaye, C. B. (2004). The complete guide to service learning: Proven, practical ways to engage students in civic responsibility, academic curriculum, and social action. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing. Stuhr, P. L. (1994). Multicultural art education and social reconstruction. Studies in Art Education, 35(3), 171-178.

POSSITIVE COMMUNAL ACTIVITIES Appendix A Backward Design Unit Plan: Communal School to Community Action Grade: 3rd and 4th Time: 10, 40-minute class periods Resources: Stuhr, P. (Stuhr, P. L. (1994). Multicultural art education and social reconstruction. Studies in Art Education, 35(3), 171-178. Annotated Bibliography (Appendix B) Leadership and Research Methods (Appendix C) Stage 1 Desired Results Established Goals: to identify disjunctions within and among current school community practices to research possible causes and effects of interactions among people to research and generate potential solutions to needs within the school social environment to use art to promote and experience the positive effects of communal activity to participate in a community bonding event that involves art to participate in the creation process of making relief tiled benches to model and promote positive communal attitudes to Be the Solution You Hope to See Understandings: Essential Questions: Students will understand that What are the various disjunctions among and within the school social environment? sometimes groups of people have conflicts within themselves and among How can disjunctions be effectively other groups repaired in a social environment? transparent communication can help with What do positive communal actions and conflict resolution and unity among attitudes look and sound like? diversity What can we do to establish a community art can communicate conflict resolution of ongoing communication about the need and unity among diversity for cultural and social unity? What kinds of community bonding activities include art? Students will know Students will be able to formal communication skills communicate clearly and respectfully with others community leaders are also community members model positive communal and social attitudes and behaviors art is a form of communication create art that promotes unity among actions that represent positive communal community members and groups activities Stage 2 Assessment Evidence Performance Tasks: Other Evidence: use observation to research a community express positive attitude and support for social and cultural need community and social bonding design a sculpture that promotes unity communicate the causes and effects and among diverse cultures of people model the positive desired results of

POSSITIVE COMMUNAL ACTIVITIES promote community unification activity through sculpture and visual and verbal communication

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communal actions extend ideas that strengthen understanding and unity among school community members Stage 3 Learning Plan

Learning Activities: 1. observe and describe interactions among other students 2. troubleshoot causes and effects of and potential solutions for negative interactions among others 3. present small team action plans for building community and promoting positive communal interactions 4. develop selected action plan(s) into a unified community event that involves the art of sculpture and positive interaction 5. participating in clay tile-making activity, bench construction activity, and community building through positive social actions Assessment Plan: to identify disjunctions within and among current school community practices observation research data and group discussions teacher observation, checklist to research possible causes and effects of interactions among people observation research data, personal research, personal interviews teacher observation, checklist, video reflections to research and generate potential solutions to needs within the school social environment observation research data, personal research, personal interviews teacher observation, checklist, video reflections to use art to promote and experience the positive effects of communal activity tile-making, bench-building event, small team idea presentations teacher observation, checklist, rubric to participate in a community bonding event that involves art tile-making and bench-building event teacher observation, reflection discussion to participate in the creation process of making relief tiled benches tile-making and bench-building event teacher observation, reflection discussion to model and promote positive communal attitudes personal actions, dispositions teacher observation, reflections discussion to Be the Solution You Hope to See personal action, dispositions teacher observation, reflections discussion Common Core Standards: 1. Understanding and applying media, techniques, and processes b. Students describe how different materials, techniques, and processes cause different responses c. Students use different media, techniques, and processes to communicate ideas, experiences, and stories

POSSITIVE COMMUNAL ACTIVITIES 2. Using knowledge of structures and functions b. Students describe how different expressive features and organizational principles cause different responses 3. Choosing and evaluating a range of subject matter, symbols, and ideas b. Students select and use subject matter, symbols, and ideas to communicate meaning 4. Understanding the visual arts in relation to history and cultures a. Students know that the visual arts have both a history and specific relationships to various cultures c. Students demonstrate how history, culture, and the visual arts can influence each other in making and studying works of art 5. Reflecting upon and assessing the characteristics and merits of their work and the work of others c. Students understand there are different responses to specific artworks 6. Making connections between visual arts and other disciplines a. Students understand and use similarities and differences between characteristics of the visual arts and other arts disciplines b. Students identify connections between the visual arts and other disciplines in the curriculum

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POSSITIVE COMMUNAL ACTIVITIES Appendix B Tammy Hoppe April 13, 2014 Annotated Bibliography Blair, J. M. (2014). Animated autoethnographies: Stop motion animation as a tool for selfinquiry and personal evaluation. Art Education, 67(2), 6-13.

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Jeremy Blair is an art education doctoral candidate at the University of North Texas. He wrote this piece as part of his doctoral requirements where he works as a Teaching Fellow for the Issues and Applications of Technology in Art Education course. This article reviews how students can use a new digital media to record and self-assess and self-reflect. My students can use stop motion to self-assess their process of rationalizing a need for a service-learning project, developing the product associated with the project, and assessing the effectiveness of their efforts and purposes. This article also points out stop motion is an ideal method for capturing experience and encouraging art room dialogue. With the intention already in place to video-document the students work, this articles content fits perfectly with the proposed project and its implementation and creation process. Blandy, D. (2011). Sustainability, participatory culture, and the performance of democracy: Ascendant sites of theory and practice in art education. Studies in Art Education, 52(3), 243-255. Formerly the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs for the School of Architecture and Allied Arts, Dr. Doug Blandy is now the Senior Vice Provost of Academic Affairs at the University of Oregon. Dr. Blandy has published a number of books and chapters in

POSSITIVE COMMUNAL ACTIVITIES books as well as several journal articles. His article, Sustainability, Participatory Culture, and the Performance of Democracy, is especially relevant to the proposed project because of its qualitative information about the structure and performance of a

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network of people (students, community members, and culture) collectively working with the understandings of three positions: sustainability, participatory culture, and democratic performance. The emphasis on sustainability of the local environment, the structure of the project itself, and the long-term communal influences of the project are the key elements of the proposed event; however, the participatory culture element is equally important because of its complementary value to sustainability. Delacruz, E. (1996). Approaches to multiculturalism in art education curriculum products: Business as usual. Journal of Aesthetic Education, 30(1), 85-95 Dr. Elizabeth Delacruz is an adjunct professor for the Master of Art Art Education program of University of Florida. Her experience includes being an art educator, school and museum consultant, editor for Visual Arts Research journal, co-president of the National Art Education Association Womens Caucus, and Professor Emerita and former chair of art education at the University of Illinois. This article by Dr. Delacruz compares multicultural art education curriculum and textbooks to multicultural art education products and results. It reveals the incongruity between what the truer purpose of multicultural art education is and what it has actually often shown to be. The knowledge gained from reading this article will guide my curricular planning and activities choices, especially in my most recent personal voice project planning. The goal of a better understanding of a community structure and its function will be more readily achieved with the pointed multicultural art education information provided in this article.

POSSITIVE COMMUNAL ACTIVITIES Davenport, M. (2000). Culture and education: Polishing the lenses. Studies in Art Edcuation, 41(4), 361-375. Dr. Melanie Davenport is a member of the art education faculty at Georgia State.

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Although Dr. Davenport has been at Georgia State only since 2007, she has been in post secondary education since 2001. She is currently sitting in three notable positions of leadership: World Council of the International Society for Education through the Arts, United States Society for Educational through Art, and NAEA. In her article Dr. Davenport plainly clarifies the difference between multicultural and global education. It is important to know that global education is focused on international diversity and multicultural education is focused on domestic cultural diversity, because the distinctive differences of these approaches are often blurred in curricula. This article will enlighten my own classroom approaches and curricular decisions when I plan global and multicultural course work, especially when planning school-to-community sociocultural enhancing projects and activities. Freedman, K. (2007). Artmaking/Troublemaking: Creativity, policy, and leadership in art education. Studies in Art Education, 48(2), 204-217. Dr. Kerry Freedman is a professor and doctoral advisor at Northern Illinois University. She has authored several books and published over 100 articles and book chapters on art, education, and technology. Her recent focus has been on questions about student engagement with visual culture as related to postmodern education. In this article Dr. Freedman reviews for the art educator what is necessary for quality art education and what is required by policy in art education. She explains where these two concepts are at odds with each other and how teaching visual culture can bring the seemingly opposing

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realms together in an effective manner. The necessity of this information as it relates to the proposed project is that those to whom I will be proposing the project event are more focused on policy dictates over creative needs of student learning. Knowledge gained from reading this article will help me prepare a more palatable proposal to those who need to grant permission for some elements of the cumulative work. Iowa Arts Council. (2013). Grant programs. Retrieved from http://www.iowaartscouncil.org/funding/overview.shtml. The Iowa Arts Council is a statewide fine arts program that supports the arts in many ways. The council is a good source for individuals, schools, and communities who have valuable arts ideas but need some form of assistance. The council offers grants to people who need financial assistance with the production or installation of art, offers an artist fellowship option for communities in need of an artist expert, and provides leadership assistance in project planning. The parameters of this proposed project has potential to quality for either the financial assistance grant or the artist fellowship grant. Qualifying for an Iowa Art Council grant would make the city councils approval of this proposed project more likely, because the city councils financial burden associated with this project would be noticeably reduced. Kaye, C. B. (2004). The complete guide to service learning: Proven, practical ways to engage students in civic responsibility, academic curriculum, and social action. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing. Catheryn Berger Kaye earned the Seal of Excellence by the Council for Service-Learning Excellence for her work in this book about service learning project planning. Kaye is a former classroom teacher who is now an educational international service learning and

POSSITIVE COMMUNAL ACTIVITIES consultant. She teaches all ages about a variety of educational issues such as civic responsibility, student leadership, respectful school communities, as well as service learning. The content of this book is organized in two parts: the service learning handbook and service learning themes. Throughout these two sections the author includes curriculum connections, strategies and activities, and real-life examples. A number of quality reproducible planning, guiding, informative, and assessing materials are included for the sake of simplifying the users work. This quantity and quality of information in Kayes book will greatly assist the teachers or community members planning and preparation for this proposed communal project. Ludeking, K. (2014). KRL Metals. Retrieved from http://www.krlmetals.com Kelly Ludeking is a metals expert. He has been welding, casting, designing, installing,

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and showing his metal works since 1999. He is from northeastern Iowa and leads a group of artists who have a traveling foundry called Ironhead Sculptural Services. This foundry will come to our town, provide all necessary materials for casting 60 six inch by six inch iron relief sculptures, and teach activity participants about each step of the metal casting process. KRL Metals are the experts who fit best with the project that accompanies my personal voice activity and come highly recommended by those who have participated in one of their previous foundry events. Stuhr, P. L. (1994). Multicultural art education and social reconstruction. Studies in Art Education, 35(3), 171-178. Dr. Patricia Stuhr is Faculty Emeritus and Professor Emeritus for Ohio State University. Dr. Stuhr has published a number of articles in several journals and was named the NAEA Distinguished Fellow for her work in multicultural / cross-cultural studies. Her

POSSITIVE COMMUNAL ACTIVITIES multicultural and cross-cultural research in art education has earned Dr. Stuhr the

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Ziegfeld Award from the United States Society for Education. Her article, Multicultural Art Education and Social Reconstruction, particularly demonstrates her leadership in multicultural education when she defines and provides examples of what effective multicultural art education is as well as when she supports this information with trustworthy research and common sense approaches. This article is written for art educators and its benefit to the proposed project is the delineation of the pros and cons of each approach mentioned and what makes one approach more effective than others. Application of this information about quality multicultural education and social reconstruction to the proposed project will shed light on students learning about community and self throughout their work in this project. Dr. Stuhrs recommendations will guide curriculum decisions toward more genuine and effective multicultural and away from considerations that are mere surface decoration. Stuhr, P. L. (2003). A tale of why social and cultural content is often excluded from art education and why it should not be. Studies in Art Education, 44(4), 301-314. In 2011 Dr. Patricia Stuhr left Ohio State University to accept the task of Dean and CEO of University of Wisconsin-Marshfield/Wood County campus. Her accomplishments leading up to this respectable responsibility include a Fulbright Award to research and teach at the University of Art and Design in Helsinki, Finland, numerous authorships of published journal articles, 14 years of K-12 public art education, and 24 years of service at Ohio State University. Her specialty areas include Wisconsin Native American visual culture and artists, the arts in integrated curriculum, and multicultural art education. In this article Dr. Stuhr illustrates the necessity for art curriculum to include investigations

POSSITIVE COMMUNAL ACTIVITIES of social and cultural issues and the positive effects such an educational practice will

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bring to students quality of learning experiences. The point that an art educator can most readily take from this article is the anecdotal support for more creative activity, discussion, and outreach and fewer remedies of advice and critique. This advice applied to the proposed project will appear in the form of classroom discussions, student-guided research, and meaningful and relevant creative activities.