My Art Educations: Learning to Embrace the Dialogism in a Lifetime of Teaching and Learning Experiences. DISSERTATION Presented
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My Art Educations: Learning to Embrace the Dialogism in a Lifetime of Teaching and Learning Experiences. DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Andrew Lawrence Moffatt Graduate Program in Arts Administration, Education and Policy The Ohio State University 2018 Dissertation Committee: Dr. Shari Savage, advisor Dr. Deborah Smith-Shank Dr. Joni Boyd Acuff Copyrighted by Andrew Lawrence Moffatt 2018 Abstract The goal of this autoethnographic narrative inquiry is to develop a pragmatic theory of dialogism, liminality, and hybridity that applies to art educators reflecting the following questions: How can graduate school and a teaching practice interact dialogically? How can the liminal spaces between graduate school (theory) and art teaching (practice) be more productive? How can an art teacher thrive as a hybrid of teacher/learner? I identify instances of dialogic co- constructed knowledge but monologic or dialectic experiences have been more prevalent. By interpreting and analyzing my art educations a theory is developed to optimize educational interaction to enhance learning experiences of teachers, and consequently learning experiences of their students. ii Acknowledgments Many educators have taught and inspired me through the four degrees I have earned from The Ohio State University. The university educators make up one half of the equation that is my art education. The other half is my colleagues from public education. Some of these people guided and/or taught alongside me for decades. Together these two communities have greatly influenced the experiences upon which this dissertation is based, and I thank them for working with me. Dr. Shari Savage took on the role as advisor to a part-time, middle-aged graduate student and guided me through the very long process of how to better connect with art education academia. The evolution of my research into something that remains personal and also academically rigorous is due in large part to her thoughtful guidance. Dr. Debbie Smith-Shank helped hone my writing into a more readable and scholarly text, and I could not have written this dissertation without her help. My lengthy engagement with the university and completing this dissertation could not have happened without the love and understanding of Lisa. She realized how personally important it was for me to continue this somewhat selfish pursuit. As an often physically and emotionally absent husband throughout this process, I acknowledge the burden I created for both of us. I can’t return the time that I consumed, but I can be more present and attentive from this day forward. iii Vita 1979................................................................Northland High School, Columbus, Ohio 1983................................................................B. F. A., The Ohio State University 1987................................................................B. A. E., The Ohio State University 1988 to present ..............................................Art teacher, Worthington City Schools 1997 …………………………………………M. A. E., The Ohio State University 1989 to present ………………………………Graduate student, The Ohio State University Field of Study Major Field: Arts Administration, Education and Policy iv Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgments.......................................................................................................................... iii Vita ................................................................................................................................................. iv Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................ v List of Figures ................................................................................................................................. x Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 Overview ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Problem Statement ...................................................................................................................... 3 Statement of Purpose ................................................................................................................... 4 Research Questions ..................................................................................................................... 5 Overview of Methodology .......................................................................................................... 7 Rationale and Significance .......................................................................................................... 7 Role of the Researcher ................................................................................................................ 9 Researcher Assumptions ............................................................................................................. 9 Definitions of Key Terminology ............................................................................................... 10 Organization of Dissertation ..................................................................................................... 12 Chapter 2: Review of Literature ................................................................................................... 14 v John Dewey ............................................................................................................................... 15 Dewey’s Emphasis on Experiential Learning ....................................................................... 17 Dewey’s Foundational Pragmatism ....................................................................................... 21 Dewey’s Approach to Knowledge Construction and Truth .................................................. 23 Summary ................................................................................................................................ 24 Understandings of Dialogism .................................................................................................... 24 Understandings of Liminality and Hybridity ............................................................................ 28 Understandings of Third Space ................................................................................................. 31 Summary of Literature .............................................................................................................. 38 Chapter 3: Research Methods ....................................................................................................... 40 Methodological Approach ......................................................................................................... 40 Narrative Inquiry ....................................................................................................................... 47 Autoethnography ....................................................................................................................... 50 Practitioner Research................................................................................................................. 58 Research Design, Strategy and “Data” Collection .................................................................... 61 Issues of Trustworthiness .......................................................................................................... 61 Summary ................................................................................................................................... 66 Chapter 4: Research Findings (My Narratives) ............................................................................ 68 Overview ................................................................................................................................... 68 vi Teaching and Learning .............................................................................................................. 72 My Art Educations .................................................................................................................... 77 Dialectic and Dialogic Relationships ........................................................................................ 79 Three First Days in Three Distinct Spaces ............................................................................ 81 Beacon Street School ................................................................................................................ 85 Sharing Another Teacher’s Room ............................................................................................. 99 Looking back at getting my own room ................................................................................ 110 The Transition to Elementary School...................................................................................... 113 First years at Beacon Street ..................................................................................................... 118 The Uneventful Middle Years ................................................................................................. 120 Returning to OSU (again)