Rhode Island College Digital Commons @ RIC Master's Theses, Dissertations, Graduate Master's Theses, Dissertations, Graduate Research and Major Papers Overview Research and Major Papers 4-2014 Instruction Design Towards the Promotion and Integration of Movement in the Visual Arts Classroom Kathryn B. Adams Rhode Island College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.ric.edu/etd Part of the Art Education Commons Recommended Citation Adams, Kathryn B., "Instruction Design Towards the Promotion and Integration of Movement in the Visual Arts Classroom" (2014). Master's Theses, Dissertations, Graduate Research and Major Papers Overview. 100. https://digitalcommons.ric.edu/etd/100 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Master's Theses, Dissertations, Graduate Research and Major Papers at Digital Commons @ RIC. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses, Dissertations, Graduate Research and Major Papers Overview by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ RIC. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ii INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN TOWARDS THE PROMOTION AND INTEGRATION OF MOVEMENT IN THE VISUAL ARTS CLASSROOM A Thesis Presented By Kathryn B. Adams Approved: Virginia K. Freyermuth, M.F.A., Ph.D. ____________________________________ Committee Chair Date Robert Collins ____________________________________ Committee Member Date William Wilson ____________________________________ Committee Member Date William Martin ____________________________________ Chair, Department of Art Date Earl Simson ____________________________________ Dean, Faculty of Arts and Sciences Date Karen Castagno ____________________________________ Interim Dean, Feinstein School of Education Date and Human Development iii INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN TOWARDS THE PROMOTION AND INTEGRATION OF MOVEMENT IN THE VISUAL ARTS CLASSROOM by Kathryn B. Adams A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Master of Arts in Teaching in The Department of Education The Feinstein School of Education Rhode Island College 2014 iv Abstract My research project focuses on the integration of movement into the visual arts classroom. I explore two questions: “How can the teaching of movement enhance and strengthen learning in Visual Art Education?” and then, “How can I design powerful Visual Art Education learning experiences by incorporating movement”? It is my hope to encourage students in the art classroom to become healthy, life-long learners by engaging the mind and body. This study explores ideas and strategies for integrating the teaching of art with movement for both Elementary and Secondary level students. v Acknowledgements I would like to thank my family for their continual love, support and patience throughout this process. Thank you to my parents, John and Ann Adams for all that you do for all of us. Thank you to my sister, Cheryl, for always listening and sharing; to my niece, Alexis, for her abundance of movement and conversation; and to my nephew, Mark, for being my personal bodyguard and Marine. I wish to thank all of my teachers and professors who contributed to this path. Thank you to Dawn Bergstrom and Catherine Santosusso for going above and beyond the call of duty. Thank you to my Thesis committee: to my Advisor, Virginia Freyermuth, for her guidance, support and investment in my Master of Arts in Teaching in Art Education and Thesis. To William Wilson, for his continual friendship during my journey within a journey. A huge thank you to Robert (Bob) Collins; it is true when I met him I felt God had sent me an angel. Thank you for your continual help through this long and winding path. Thank you for inspiring me to create again and giving me the ability to move and express myself through art. Thank you for helping me to believe in myself; there are no words to describe what a positive impact that had on my life. I want to thank all of my friends, whether near or far, who again and again, listened to my stories--including all the laughter and the tears. A special thank you to Steve B., for supporting all of my adventures; it is not an easy task. To my Nana, who is not with me in physical body, but continues to love and support me from above, thank you. An enormous wave of love and thanks has to go to my two Yorkshire Terriers, Blue and Pink. They have been to here and back again with me, thank you for giving me such joy. Kathryn B. Adams vi Table of Contents Thesis Approval Sheet . ii Title Page . iii Abstract . iv Acknowledgements . v Table of Contents . vi List of Figures . viii Chapter 1. Introduction . 1 Poem . 1 Personal Interest . .2 Focus and Research Questions . 5 Chapter 2. Literature Review . 7 Exemplar Artists . 7 Movement in Education . 12 Learner Centered and Holistic Approaches to Art Education . 16 Somaesthetic and Kinesthetic Learning . 20 Chapter 3. Research Methodology . 25 Qualitative and Quantitative Methodology . 25 Narrative Research . 25 Action-based Research . 27 Arts-based Research . 28 Chapter 4. Initial Planning Process for Movement Enhanced Elementary and Secondary Art Education Lessons . 31 vii Chapter 5. Implementation of Elementary and Secondary Lesson Plans . .34 Elementary Lesson Plans Reflection . 35 Secondary Lesson Plans Reflection . 37 Chapter 6. Recommendations and Summary . 41 Recommendations . 41 Summary . 42 References . .44 Appendices Revised and Implemented Art Lessons: Movement--Enhanced Elementary Art Lessons. 47 Movement--Enhanced Secondary Art Lessons. 62 Modifications for Special Learners . 78 Images . 79 viii List of Figures Figure 1. Sonia Delaunay, Rhythm, 1938. .7 Figure 2. Pablo Picasso, The Guitar Player, 1910. 8 Figure 3. Wassily Kandinsky, Yellow-Red-Blue, 1925 . 8 Figure 4. Willem de Kooning, 1949. 8 Figure 5. Jackson Pollock, Blue Poles, Number 11, 1952. 9 Figure 6. Heather Hansen, Emptied Gestures, 2012. 9 Figure 7. Robert Collins, Entanglement, 2013. 10 Figure 8. Robert Collins, Entrapment, 2013. 10 Figure 9. Kathryn B. Adams, While You Were Sleeping, #1, 2012. 12 Figure 10. Kathryn B. Adams, She Sells, 2012. 12 Figure 11. Kathryn B. Adams, The Circle and Square Dance, 2012. 12 Figure 12. Action Research Format Graph . .. 27 Figure 13. Kathryn B. Adams, Movement Lesson Idea Mind Maps, 2013. 33 1 Introduction The child Is made of one hundred. The child has a hundred languages a hundred hands a hundred thoughts a hundred ways of thinking of playing, of speaking. A hundred always a hundred Ways of listening Of marveling, of loving a hundred joys for singing and understanding a hundred worlds to invent a hundred worlds to dream. The child has A hundred languages (and a hundred hundred hundred more) but they steal ninety-nine. The school and the culture separate the head from the body. they tell the child: to think without the hands to do without the head to listen and not to speak to understand without joy To love and to marvel only at Easter and Christmas. They tell the child: to discover the world already there and of the hundred they steal ninety-nine. They tell the child: that work and play reality and fantasy science and imagination sky and earth reason and dream are things that do not belong together. And thus they tell the child that the hundred is not there. The child says: No way. The hundred is there to me… Lori Malaguzzi (translated by Lella Gandini) Founder of the Reggio Emilia Approach (Edwards, Gandidni & Forman, pg. 3) 2 Personal Interest Marion North argues that “movement touches directly at a person’s primary--even primitive--sensations, feelings and intuition . and any good teacher, must act as mediator of the various form of expression of his pupils, and also become the investigator by virtue of the disciple of form” (North, 1971, p. xv). The knowledge that children need more movement in their lives and the passion for seeing this topic through has impacted my decision to become a full-time teacher again. “Shortly after his appointment as professor of music at the University of California, Los Angeles, Heifetz (a Russian-born violinist) was asked what had prompted this change of direction in his career. “Violin-playing is a perishable art,” said Heifetz solemnly. “It must be passed on as a personal-skill; otherwise it is lost.” Then, with a smile, he continued, “I remember my old violin professor in Russia. He said that someday I would be good enough to teach” (Fadiman & Bernard, 2000, p. 262). I had always considered my design projects “my babies.” After recently completing two multi-million dollar residential properties that I felt were my best work to-date, I felt deflated. I reflected on my past and realized that it was time to pass on my personal skills, to invest my knowledge, passion and commitment to the real “babies” -- the lives of children that I could help teach and shape, support and encourage, and watch grow and flourish, in a safe, nurturing environment. Teaching, designing architectural interiors, and teaching Pilates instruction has made me realize how important movement is for our holistic wellness. In the past I was fortunate to attend Rhode Island College and graduated with my Bachelor of Arts in Secondary 3 Education English (‘92). Rhode Island College taught me the skills necessary to teach High School English, and I enjoyed inspiring my students to create beautiful literature and to appreciate the art of the written word. After teaching in the Rhode Island school system, I decided to return to college to strengthen my education of art and design. I attended the Rhode Island School of Design. I graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (‘95) and a Bachelor of Interior Architecture (‘96). I found RISD to be a challenge—I had to learn to think “out-of-the-box.” Never before in my life had I been given the freedom to explore, design, and create without “concrete” walls.