Courtney Latorre

Exploration 6 - Mini Action Research Project For my mini action research project, I finished a collaboration with the music teacher in order to explore identity through art and music.  On day two, after analyzing the visual data from student self-portraits, we decided to take a deeper look into “Why” artists make are (to tell a story and show emotion).  After talking to think a little more deeply about the answers to these complex questions, we introduced the idea of “What” - What do I care about?.  On this day, students made cause posters, highlighting a cause they care about.  Students were prompted with the following questions to encourage higher level questioning and thinking (Turn and Talk). Students made a poster and a sound collage to go with their posters that represented a cause they care about.  The final project was the identify mapping project. Students did a lot of self exploration through this, both guided and independent.  This whole experien...

  Exploration 5 - Data Visualization Analysis For my visual data analysis I wanted to take note of what is present in my students’ creations - what is present for them and how they chose to explore identity will be my next inquiry. To do this, with a central focus for my action-research thinking, I planned a three-day long collaboration with the music teacher.  We went about looking into how and why artists participate in portraiture, a cause creation, and finally the making of an identity map.  Through all of this, it was interesting to take note of what students chose to include (or exclude) from their creations.  DATA: There was a total of 27 students who participated in person (remote students kept their artwork).  Stand-out stats:  Hair - 20 out of 27 students included their hair in their self-portrait. Career/Interest - 15 out of 27 students mentioned a career they want to pursue or an interest/hobby that comes across blatantly in their self-portrait....

  The above illustration depicts the doodles collected in my sketch book after a week of reflecting upon identity. After explorations 1 & 2, the theme I kept finding myself returning to was the idea of identity and how who I am and who I perceive myself to be shapes who I am as an educator. This led me to ponder how the identity of my students influences who they are as learners and how they make meaning out of what they are learning. 

Layer 1: Coding to Disassemble and Reassemble Coding the excerpt of Mary Elizabeth Meier’s Narrative Views of Experience (2012) , “Story Constellations”, meant combing the dialogue and discourse of the document for specific data points, and organizing this information in search of patterns and themes. My analysis was guided by the research questions posed within the text; "In what ways do participants generate and use documentation (as processes and as material artifacts such as photos, videos, and written reflections) to facilitate professional learning? As participants share their documentation with the inquiry group and engage in dialogue, what indicates shifts in thinking about teaching and learning?” (4).  What struck me most upon reviewing the work of this initial layer was the ample space and time given to shared experiences and commiseration, as well as the relationship between pedagogical refinement (constantly modifying, find-tuning, and changing perspectives on method...

  "A social justice approach to arts-based research involves continual critical reflexivity in response to injustice" (Keifer-Boyd, 2011).  Dr. Keifer-Boyd breaks down arts-based research centered around issues of social justice into five categories, insight, inquiry, imagination, embodiment, and relationally (2011). After reading, I felt as though my thinking around what arts-based research is had stretched to accept that it can look and exist in varying formats. For instance, when relating this learning to Lisa Kay's article, "Collages and Poetry and a Play: An Arts-Based Research Journey", ways in which arts-based research can exist were highlighted in very real, authentic mediums.  Kay investigates how artmaking can be used by researchers as a way to examine patterns and make meaning (2014). Through this journey, Kay uses beaded bracelets, poetry, and play writing as varying ways to collect data on how students and teachers characterize art education. As an ...

"Action research in art education involves an art educator, team of educators, or art teacher with students systematically studying art education practice" (Keifer-Boyd, 2014, p. 246). Prior to reading, I had an obscure idea of what it meant to conduct action research. The idea of conducting any type of research felt very scientific, far removed from the chaos that exists in my elementary art classroom. According to Sheri R. Klein (2012, p. 1), "Such methods have allowed researchers to understand teaching and schooling practices through lenses that "liberate the concept of research from domination by science" (Eisner, 2006, p. 10) and allow for "research that brings to life the sights and sounds" of practice in any "extricable combination of observations, thoughts, feelings, intuitions, trials, errors, and discoveries" (Stout, 2004, p. 196). Through these readings, I have now found clarity in what it means to do action research. As educators...