Project Title: Using Case-Based Instruction in an
Introductory Art Education Course
Sheri R. Klein
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to Scholarship of Teaching: 2003-04 Participants and Their
Projects
This project
focused on the efficacy of case-based instruction, that is, reading case
studies, discussing case studies, and writing responses to case studies, in an
introductory to art education course during the spring semester, 2004.
My research
question was:
What
do preservice art teachers learn from case-based instruction in an introductory
art education course?
http://www.uwstout.edu/cas/english/stoutteachnet/sotlprojects.htm
Course
Context
The course is
the first art education course normally taken by freshman. Given program changes, there were also
sophomore, junior, and senior level students in the course. Case-based
instruction met course objectives:
Objective
1: To reflect on attitudes and beliefs about art and teaching art
Linked
to Domain 4 (4a) and Standard 9
Objective
2: To understand the historical developments of the field of art education
Objective
3: To understand the roles and responsibilities of K-12 art teachers (planning,
instruction, classroom environment, evaluation, reflection, professional
development, advocacy)
Linked
to Domains 1-4 and Wisconsin
Teaching Standard 9
Objective
4: To understand the artistic development of children and adolescents
Linked
to Domain 1 (1b) and Standard 2
Thirteen case
studies about art teaching were read, analyzed and discussed during the semester;
nine case studies and 4 mini-cases.. Students read and discussed the cases from
the text Teaching Art in Context: Case Studies for Preservice Art Education published by the National Art Education
Association (2003). The nine
cases were longer cases and fell into the category of problematic; that they
posed a problem to be solved. One
case was exemplary; that it embodied exemplary teaching practices for
elementary art education.
The cases were
written by K-16 art educators.
The cases include:
Responses to the
nine cases were analyzed in this study.
There were a
total of 25 students in the course during the spring semester, 2004. Ten
students¹ course folders were selected at random at the completion of the
course. Of those students identified, 6 were freshman, 2 juniors, 2 seniors; 3
male and 7 female.
The following
documents were reviewed and analyzed: written responses to last case question
from each case ³What did you learn from this case?²; new insights recorded
after small group discussions, and mid-term and final survey/questionnaire
responses.
The following
learning activities in the Introduction to Art Education course yielded data
for the research question:
Writing
Responses to Case Studies
Students came to class having read the
case(s) and responded in writing to 6-7 case discussion questions at the end of
each case, including the question ³What did you learn from this case?
After small
group and class discussions, students were asked to write any new insights that
they had about the case or art teaching.
At the mid-term,
students answered a questionnaire with 2 items about case-based instruction. [1]
Responses to the following question were analyzed: ³How has the case study
method (reading, discussing, and writing case responses) helped you to
understand K-12 art teaching issues? At the end of the semester, students
completed a survey about case based instruction.
Analyzing
Written Responses to Case Question: ³What did I learn from reading and
discussing this case?²
Written
responses to the question ³What did you learn from reading and discussing this
case?² from each of the ten students were reviewed. Using methods of content
analysis, responses were categorized according to whether they related to the 4
Domains of Teaching adopted by the School of Education: Domain I: Planning and
Instruction, Domain II: Classroom Environment, Domain III: Instruction, and
Domain 4: Professional Responsibilities.
(See Appendix A).
New insight
responses were reviewed and analyzed for themes for the ten students.
Analyzing
Questionnaire and Survey
The mid-term
questionnaires for the 10 students were reviewed to determine how the case
study method assisted them in understanding K-12 art teaching issues. (See
Appendix B). The mid-term
questionnaire had 5 items. The first item assessed student participation in the
course. Items 2, 3, and 4 assessed students understanding of course content via
case-based instruction and student perception of the level of difficulty of the
cases. For the context of this study, item # 3 was reviewed and recorded.
Comments were analyzed for emerging themes and categorized as to how they
related to the 4 Domains. (See Appendix C).
The end of
semester survey/questionnaires about reading, discussing and writing cases were
completed for all 25 students. All
25 surveys were analyzed. The survey had 4 categories: Reading Cases,
Discussing Cases, Writing Case Responses, and Additional Comments. Reading
Cases section had 3 items, the discussing cases section had 5 items, and the
writing cases section had 6 items. The scale included rarely, consistently,
usually, consistently, and always. (See Appendix D). Frequency of responses and
percents were determined.
Statistics were analyzed for each line item and category of reading
cases, discussing cases, and writing cases. (See Appendix E).
Key Findings
Students¹ responses fell
evenly into the 4 Domains or categories, with a higher response rate relating
to Domain 4 (Professional Responsibilities). Responses across the Domains
include: Domain 1: 12 responses, Domain 2: 9 comments, Domain 3: 10 comments,
and Domain 4: 17 comments.
The following are examples of students¹ comments relating to the 4 Domains:
Examples of comments
relating to Domain 1: Planning and Preparation
There are guidelines to
teaching art.
Can young children grasp
aesthetics?
Keep lessons structured
with clear expectations.
Precisely detail
assignments to avoid confusion.
Children need direction
and it is up to the teacher to shape what they learn.
Teaching art will
involve students with special needs.
Careful planning is
needed especially for ESL students.
I will be accountable to
learning standards.
It is important to incorporate
other subjects that students are studying.
I need to know students
of all abilities.
Great idea for students
to review work.
If a lesson plan is not
fully planned the teacher and students will lose out.
Examples of comments
relating to Domain 2: Classroom
Environment
Not all art students
will be interested and motivated.
Not all students are in
art to learn art.
Need to know how they
[students] feel.
Be aware of your
environment and rules.
Even though a child has
a disability, they should be treated fairly and given a chance to prove
themselves.
A good paraprofessional
is important.
Every child deserves
compassion and attention.
Children with
disabilities require special attention.
Given the chance and
motivation, students can rise to the challenge.
Examples of comments
relating to Domain 3: Instruction
Children can benefit
from open dialogue.
Keep discussions on
track.
Proper discussion skills
are important.
It might take some time
and several methods to get students to see what you are trying to teach them
and instill in them.
It seems easy to lose
track of individual needs in large classes, especially needs that are
unfamiliar.
I need to be armed with
methods to involve and excite their minds and clam their attitudes.
Be specific in what you
expect from students.
By using age appropriate
techniques, students can be taught seemingly complex concepts.
Asking is a good way to
point students in the right direction and get them to think about ideas.
There is a fine line between
challenging activities and intimidating activities.
.
There are differences in
opinion among teachers.
There is a school
agenda.
Look into the community
of a school.
Listen to teachers with
more experience.
Patience is important.
Guest speakers in the
classroom are good.
Be familiar with teacher
settings‹art on a cart.
The art room is not a
cave in a corner of a school.
You have to find a
school that is right for you and your methods.
Be adjustable to a
teaching situation.
Stay true to how you
want to teach, but realize not every school district will be compatible with
you and your way of teaching.
It [teaching] involves
opening students¹ minds to seeing beauty and art in everyday things.
If change is needed, I
will try to do so, even though it will be hard.
I also realize now that
curriculum changes with time and a teacher needs to be flexible and change with
it.
I¹ve learned that you
can¹t give up after one try.
I
have to introduce myself to technology.
It taught me the importance of teaching technology and how it is integrated
into so many aspects of art today.
Finding 1:
The above
responses as to what was learned from case-based instruction indicate:
Students¹
gained awareness and understanding:
of art curriculum issues
that art teaching requires a variety of
strategies and methods
that
the art classroom will be diverse in student abilities
that the art teacher is part of a
learning community
that
art teaching requires professional behaviors, such as, flexibility, compassion,
open mindedness, listening, and lifelong learning skills.
Finding 2:
In analyzing
student responses to the question ³What was learned from this case?², a new
category emerged---New Insights. The comments in this category demonstrated a
deeper reflectivity and a broader awareness about teaching that was not
directly related to a specific domain.
There were
a total of 15 new insight comments concerning professional roles and responsibilities
and realities of teaching:
It is never too early to begin thinking as an artist.
This case
(about Cassie) inspired me as an artist to find deeper meaning in the artwork
that I do and in looking at the art around me.
This case opened
my eyes to the fact that there is more to teaching art than students learning
from a book.
Teaching
requires more than you teaching and students learning. There needs to be time
for students to sit and think about information that they have been given‹and
that doesn¹t mean the last 5 minutes of class.
I realized that
not every school would have an ideal set up for an art program.
There needs to
be a big change in the public educational system brought about by discussing
and understanding.
Not everybody
will be accepting and open to new ideas and concepts.
I maybe a
teacher with art on a cart with 36 classes. I think as students we are
envisioning our perfect classroom that we will have total control over, but it
is not possible in most cases.
I have a lot to
learn about methods and I need to discover so much more about how to prepare
myself for teaching.
I didn¹t realize
from this case that special needs students would be in the art classroom.
I learned that I
have so much to learn. I learned that there is numerous information on students
with disabilities. I can ask for help if I need it.
It would be
ideal to have time and opportunity to spend on feedback and assessment.
At-risk students
are still students who can learn and understand concepts as well as anyone else.
Alternative
schools have many benefits such as smaller classes and different teaching
styles.
It is possible
to get students to think about why they are creating art and what it says about
them. I think meaning can get lost in the process of getting techniques
perfect.
The following
are the new insights gained from the 10 students engaging small group (3-5) and
class discussions about the cases.
Insights:
After we talked
in groups, I realized that it [the case] was not so much about respect, but an
issue of the amount of freedom they gave the children.
My group thought
that the main issue was somewhere along the lines of ³Jimmy² not receiving enough
attention. ³A² mentioned that one possible solution to the problem of the other
students would be to have the other students painting with the brush in their
mouths. I thought ³A¹s² idea was
very insightful.
It is important
to learn how ³Jimmy² communicatesŠand for the teacher and the aide to work
together.
I learned that
being prepared as a teacher and preparing students with information,
background, and guidelines will result in them learning and completing
assignments in the way that you want them to.
Talk to the
special education department and see if there¹s adaptations that can be made.
Teaching art can
be very different‹so many methods‹how do you choose?
Teachers should
have been an example to the students; perhaps students would have paid
attention to learning if the teacher did.
Small groups
work best; discussion needs to be centered on probing questions
If you just give
it to them, they won¹t understandŠ.good to know where the students are
developmentally.
Teaching at-risk
kids can challenge the way you teach. It is good to step outside as normal and
grow as a teacher.
I learned from
other people in my group that there was not right answer to the problem.
Not to
overreact, over generalize. Give the special students an ³out,² cooling
downtime. Find what works for them.
Teachers need to
constantly be learning along with the students. Exciting that kids that young
had such good reasons and discussion skills for aesthetics.
I didn¹t realize
that these kids (ADD) take everything in at once, and how common it is.
Teachers need to
understand the stages of development in children and what the average child may
or may not be able to understand.
I think it is OK
to incorporate aesthetics in lesson, but I don¹t think I¹d spend a whole lesson
on such a huge, complicated subject.
As teachers we
can learn a lot from other teachers in our methods. I think I¹ll be using ideas
from a lot of websites and teacher conferences.
I learned that
there are many ways to get through to students.
I¹m going to
need to learn to deal with negative issues and at-risk students. I¹m going to
need ways to help them.
I can try new
things as a teacher.
Labeling
students can work both ways‹it can help in some ways and harm in other ways.
Behind every
troublemaker is a person.
She [the teacher] used questions on the board to focus a discussion and get
students thinking about the topic.
Findings:
Insights fell
into the categories of case-specific insights, topic-specific insights, and art teaching insights.
From small
group and class discussion, the students gained new insights relating to:
Curriculum,
methods and strategies for reaching students
how they can be
an effective teacher in the future and what kind of teacher they envision
themselves
In addition,
students gained new insights engaging in dialogue with other group members. One
student¹s insights indicate that for her the group discussion enabled her to
see another solution to the case problem.
Evidence of
Student Learning in Mid-Term and Final Survey/Questionnaire Written Responses
Finding 1:
From analyzing
student comments on the mid-term and final survey questionnaire the following themes
emerged relating to the efficacy of case-based instruction; that it
facilitated Awareness,
Engagement, En-Visioning.
Finding 2:
Evidence of Student Learning from the Final Survey
The statistical
data from the final survey questionnaire includes the following:
N=25
21/25 (84%)
students reported that usually-always that case studies helped them learn about
issues in art teaching that they were unaware of.
21/25
(84%)students reported that usually-always reading case studies helped clarify
their views, attitudes, and beliefs about art teaching
25/25 students
(100%) reported that usually-always discussing cases helped them to respond to
others with reasoning and insight
16/25 (64%)
students reported that usually-always discussing cases changed their views,
attitudes and beliefs about teaching art
22/25 (88%)
students reported that usually-always discussing case studies helped them to
become better listeners and to consider others¹ ideas
21/25 students
(84%) reported that usually-always discussing case studies helped them to
connect with prior knowledge
Very good to
excellent evidence that discussing case studies is effective at meeting
criteria
22/24 students
(88%) reported that usuallyalways writing case study responses helped them to
critically reflect on art teaching.
23/24 students
(96%) reported that usually-always writing case study responses helped them to
see issues from a variety of perspectives.
23/24 students
(96%) reported that usually-always writing case study responses helped them to
demonstrate critical thinking
22/25 students
(88%) reported that writing case study responses helped them to generate
multiple options to problems
24/25 students
(98%)reported that usually-always that writing case study responses helped them
to make reasoned decisions.
21/25 students (84%) reported that usually-to always that writing case studies
helped them to connect with prior knowledge.
Very good to excellent evidence that writing case study responses is effective at meeting criteria
Conclusion
A
return to the research question guiding this study: What do preservice art
teachers learn from case-based instruction in an introductory art education
course?
There is
evidence, however, to support that:
From the
quantitative and qualitative evidence collected, there is no significant
evidence to support that case-based instruction changes pre-service art
teachers¹ beliefs about art teaching in the Introduction to Art Education
course. However, there are traces of evidence that indicate small group and
class discussion about the cases enables new insights and altered views about
the cases.
This study
reinforced my belief that learning involves all the senses, as well as
reasoning and insight. Note finding: Case-based instruction (discussion)
helped students (100%) to reason and use insight. Insight
and imagination are not focused in the learning process and delegated to
learning in arts education. If we want teachers to be inspiring, and not just
competent, if we want teachers to engage young minds and open their worlds to
new possibilities, then teacher educators need to pay more attention to
engaging the imaginations of all preservice teachers.
What I
Learned About Teaching
Future
Goals
I
will continue data collecting in Fall 2004 and Fall 2005 using the same
overarching research question.
I
will also focus on how case-based instruction fosters insight and the
imagination.
Respectfully
submitted,
Sheri
R. Klein, Ph.D.
Art
Education
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to Scholarship of Teaching: 2003-04 Participants and Their
Projects
[1] The second question asked, ³How would you rate the level of difficulty of the cases that we have discussed thus far?²