University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 5-2008 A Philosophical Investigation of Maxine Greene’s Aesthetics Theory for K-12 Education Karen L. McDonald-Currence University of Tennessee - Knoxville Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss Part of the Education Commons Recommended Citation McDonald-Currence, Karen L., "A Philosophical Investigation of Maxine Greene’s Aesthetics Theory for K-12 Education. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2008. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/364 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Karen L. McDonald-Currence entitled "A Philosophical Investigation of Maxine Greene’s Aesthetics Theory for K-12 Education." I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Education. Barbara J. Thayer-Bacon, Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Joy T. DeSensi, Marcia Goldenstein, Ed Counts Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Karen L. McDonald-Currence entitled “A Philosophical investigation of Maxine Greene’s Aesthetics Theory for K-12 Education.” I have examined the final electronic copy of this thesis for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Education. Barbara J. Thayer-Bacon, Major Professor We have read this dissertation And recommend its acceptance: Joy T. DeSensi Marcia Goldenstein Ed Counts Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official student records.) A PHILOSOPHICAL INVESTIGATION OF MAXINE GREENE’S AESTHETICS THEORY FOR K-12 EDUCATION A Dissertation Presented for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree Barbara J. Thayer-Bacon, Major Professor The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Karen L. McDonald-Currence May 2008 Copyright 2008 by the Office of Graduate Studies The University of Tennessee All rights reserved. Copies of this document may be printed from this website for personal use without permission. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many people have helped me through this process. I cannot explain my drive to complete a doctorate, but know it was something that I needed to pursue. My first thanks goes to my family. My children (Lenore, Erin, Abbie, Jonathan, Heather, and Candace) have spent many hours with “Mom” reading, writing, typing, and discussing. They often thought, “Will she ever finish?” Special thanks go to Candace as photographer and Jonathan who listened and discussed helping me clarify thoughts. I could not have finished it without all of you. I want to thank my many sisters, Carolyn and Charolette, and my other “sisters,” Carolyn, Jill, Linda, Doris, and Stephanie for their constant encouragement to a tired single mother, friend, and teacher. My appreciation also goes to faculty past and present that helped me discover my passion for arts education, educational reform, and school leadership. Maxine Greene inspired me during my master’s program and again during my school administration studies. Dr. Gerald Ubben and Dr. Cynthia Norris encouraged me to pursue a doctorate. I especially want to thank my doctoral committee. Dr. Barbara Thayer-Bacon shines so brightly in cultural studies. She helped me discover my path, opened the door to the program, and encouraged me giving freely of her time and knowledge. She truly inspires. Dr. Ed Counts first befriended me as a graduate associate, thank-you for sharing freely your creative ideas. Finally, thanks to Dr. Joy DeSensi who shared her excitement for the project and to Prof. Marsha Goldenstein whose commitment to artistic integrity in aesthetic education is well known. You know first hand of the struggles in the arts. iv ABSTRACT Interaction with the world begins with each window we open or door we pass through. Potentially our interactions alter another’s perceptions. Examining this premise through a philosophical investigation, this dissertation clarifies my position, roles, and the affect on the lives of my students by applying Maxine Greene’s (1995) aesthetic theory. Due to personal experiences teaching in public and private schools, concerns for effective teacher preparation, and meaningful practice, my research began with the question: What does Maxine Greene’s aesthetics theory offer K-12 education and educational reform? Theoretical underpinnings for this thesis were cultural studies, critical pedagogy, care theory, social justice in aesthetic education, and imagination. Each of these ideas filters the work of Maxine Greene in aesthetics education while leading me to add to aesthetics theory with my theory on imagination, the Web of Betweeness. The Web of Betweeness defines imagination as an electrically charged thought moving beyond the sense of self and into a multidimensional realm; imaginative thought spans from a personal thought into a creative action. The theory of a Web of Betweeness sees the imagination in a dual role helping a person discover who they are and who they may become. v PREFACE As a child, I was constantly involved in art creating wherever and on whatever was available. Eventually, this natural passion developed from mud pies to ceramics and from scribbling to oil paintings. I evolved from creating art to include teaching art. While teaching at a nationally ranked high school my awareness of the problems facing modern education grew. In my classroom, I saw an ever-growing number of students who were challenged both socially and academically. The school demographics changed as the city’s poor moved into newly constructed subsidized housing. During my search for answers, I studied school administration. While it pointed toward a part of the solution, many thoughts still troubled me. In time, my practice led me away from the high school and into an inner city middle school. An inner-city school is defined by a set of issues that affect its students. It is often plagued with low-test scores, poor attendance, lack of resources, and little parental involvement (Johnson, 2006). It is a fact that a black 8th grader in the United States is four times less likely to be proficient in mathematics than a white 8th grader. (Source: National Assessment of Educational Progress, Nation’s Report Card: 2005). A fourth grader who qualifies for a free- or reduced-price lunch is two-and-a-half times less likely to be proficient in reading than a child who does not meet the income eligibility requirements. (Source: National Assessment of Educational Progress, Nation’s Report Card: 2005). A current example from my practice is found using a classroom test over color. My lowest performing class averaged only 25 points out of a possible 100. The students were surprised that they scored so low and most gave excuses about not knowing the material. vi When I asked them why they did not study their study guide that we filled out in class, most just looked away, said they forgot it, did not understand it, etc. When I asked why they did not ask questions, several students were honest enough to say that they saw no purpose in knowing about art. It has no use for them. Results like these make me consider how to make their art time more meaningful. An inner city teaching position can be a privileged teaching position. While it is difficult at times, when there is success the intrinsic rewards in teaching are rich. I interpret my position as an opportunity to work with some of our culture’s best assets. Other teachers and I at the school think of our students as diamonds in the rough. Often the conditions in which these students live place the school in an elevated role in their lives. School becomes their haven. An inner city school serves many of the purposes that family or church once did. The students are taught social skills and life skills such as respect or honesty. A recent example comes from the gift of “tennis shoes” to students who are on the student leadership team. This team consists of students who were singled out to develop leadership skills. As a reward for their hard work a local business gave each of them a pair of shoes. A week went by, then two weeks. No student, when asked, had written to say thank-you. The school’s attendance secretary took it on herself to speak to them about being thank-full. She instructed them not only in writing thank-you notes when someone does something nice for you, but also in their attitude of appreciation. Since then, several students have written to the business. This is just one example of the instruction once received from home. vii While offering knowledge, we the staff are giving much more - care, security, and love. We teach about life and life skills. Teaching becomes more than educating as described in the following quote: These men and women, teachers… mold the future citizens of our country, and we do not treat them with the respect or consideration, which their high calling deserves, nor do we reward them…. The school alone cannot teach citizenship, however, any more than it can really educate a child.