Our first module for EDTC 6104 was anchored around ISTE coaching standard 3, which states, “Technology coaches create and support effective digital age learning environments to maximize the learning of all students.” After doing some of the required readings I wanted to focus on the “all” in the standard. Specifically, how culturally responsive teaching could guide my work supporting all scholars.
I’ve come to understand culturally responsive teaching as mindset, a way of being or thinking; a foundation that guides our practice and manifests itself into doing. This understanding brought me back to the ISTE coaching standard 3; I wondered how culturally responsive teaching and digital age environments intertwined and how I could model or coach others in creating digital learning environments that nurture scholars culture, potentials, and abilities?
Approaching culturally responsive teaching in terms of a mindset, it can not be boiled down to a specific list of strategies, lesson plans or curriculum due to the individuality and diversity of each classroom. It can, however, ground our teaching and learning environments digitally (or not). Art is one grounding approach that can meet culturally responsive teachings goals.
“Arts education is one way to provide a culturally relevant experience for students because the arts allow individuality to flourish (Acuff et. al, 2012). Further, the arts provide an avenue for expression that moves beyond the realm of the written word, thus potentially allowing for complicated themes related to race and culture to be addressed. Reif and Grant (2010) state that the benefit of employing the arts to make meaning in classrooms is clear, and that overall, students who engage deeply with the arts have, “better reading and language skills, mathematics skills, thinking skills, social skills, motivation to learn, and a positive school environment” (p. 102).” (McCarther, Davis, 2017, p. 110).
Modeling or Coaching Art and Digital Learning Environments
There are many approaches to art that can be used to honor scholars’ voices and expressions. For the duration of this blog post, I will share ways you could model or coach teachers on infusing art and the digital world, and provide some ways to do so through a culturally responsive teaching lens.
Blended Learning and Art
Blended learning and art complement each other very well. For the matter of understanding blended learning, because I have found there are many different interpretations of it, I broadly define it as an educational program in which scholars learn in some part through online learning. Art through blended learning can take on many forms, and there are many avenues that you could take. Learning from teachers or coaches who have implemented blended learning into their art instruction may help you visualize and plan how it could be used to support scholars in your classroom.
Watching Instructional Videos
Through this approach, students watch directions, methods, etc. presented and are able to self-pace and review or reflect on such. If you are creating the video yourself ScreenCastify is a great application to explore. There are also many blogs and videos already created, it may be worth taking a look before you create your own.
Online Formative Quizzes
Depending on your learning goals you could use a blended approach to assess whether students have a foundational understanding of the material before beginning the art assignment or project. See here for an abundance of online formative assessment tools you could use.
With Technology Possibilities are Endless
Scholars can also use technology to read about, observe, study or analyze: art, artists, methods or literature before during or after working on an art project. Some examples include:
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Scholars choose an artist or method to study that can be as simple as introducing to them to selected artists or as in-depth as unit studies based on specific artists or methods. There are many resources for such work, Emily’s blog post on the Ultimate Guide to Home School Artist Study has some resources that could get you started.
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Many museums also offer virtual viewing options. Here are some museums that have digital showcases, lesson plans, and so many possibilities.
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Virtual field trips and skype- Microsoft in Education Skype in the Classroom has virtual field trips, guest speakers and resources to connect you with artists and more virtually.
Curated Youtube video playlist of famous artists biography and artwork (Free School, 2014).
Showcasing and Interacting with Art
Using technology to showcase and interact with artwork opens the door to possibilities of honoring scholars voices, interpretations, and ideas. It allows windows and mirrors into scholars lives, it also provides a place for students to interact and reflect on their own and others art and interpretations. Common Sense Media has compiled reviews of digital portfolios in which you could research and find one(s) that best meet the needs of your class: Student Portfolio Apps and Websites
Involve Families in Learning
Involving families in their child’s learning is a core part of almost any culturally-responsive teaching approach. Parents act as the main educators in many societies and can provide cultural context. (Guido, 2017)
Using a class website, Seesaw, Flipgrid, Class Dojo, Google Classroom or any other online platform (it could be the platform you chose as a digital portfolio) that showcases scholars artwork encourages family engagement. This opens the door to family participation and features voices from scholars lives’ outside of the classroom.
Learning First, Technology Second
Research shows that technology has more impact on K-12 student learning when it supports student learning goals (Tamim, Bernard, Borokhovski, Abrami, & Schmid, 2011). Another point supporting this claim found in a research article examining the role of technology in preservice teachers art education found, “Students achieved success when they learned the technology specifically to enable them to develop their artistic projects in creative, diverse ways.” (Black, Browning, 2011). Blending technology into your art education can have many benifits, but remember to first begin with compelling, imaginative and conceptual ideas to create your learning goals and drive instruction, then infusing technology to support the learning second.
Culturally Responsive Teaching Art Integration
There are many art projects and ideas out there which align with the goals of culturally responsive teaching. Deirdre Moore’s blog post, Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Arts explains four strategies for culturally responsive arts integration in the classroom:
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Connect through story
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Highlight art and artists from various cultures
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Ask questions (and listen deeply)
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Create to learn
Additionally, if you’re wanting to try integrating arts, blended learning (or both) into your classroom or school talk to your colleagues, coaches, district professionals and most importantly get to know your students: their culture and their wants, needs, and goals.
References:
Black, J., & Browning, K. (2011). Creativity in Digital Art Education Teaching Practices. Art Education,64(5), 19-34. doi:10.1080/00043125.2011.11519140
Blended Learning: Art Teacher JoAnne Vogel Creates Classroom Clarity. (2018, January 19). Retrieved July 15, 2019, from https://magazine.micds.org/blended-learning-art-teacher-joanne-vogel-creates-classroom-clarity/
Codilla, W. [Wil Codilla]. (2016, November 4). Blended Learning in the Art Room [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0dFwlnwj7w
Free School. (2014, November 10). Vincent van Gogh for Children: Biography for Kids [Video File]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/qv8TANh8djI
Guido, M. (2019, May 06). 15 Culturally-Responsive Teaching Strategies. Retrieved July 15, 2019, from https://www.prodigygame.com/blog/culturally-responsive-teaching/
Ladson-Billings, G. (1994). The dreamkeepers. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishing Co.
McCarther, S. M., & Davis, D. M. (2017). Culturally Relevant Pedagogy Twenty-Plus Years Later: How an Arts Approach to Teaching and Learning Can Keep the Dream Alive. American Educational History Journal, 44(2), 103–113. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.spu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip&db=eric&AN=EJ1158560&site=ehost-live
Millis High School. (2019). Retrieved July 15, 2019, from https://www.artsonia.com/schools/school.asp?id=65964
Tamim, R. M., Bernard, R. M., Borokhovski, E., Abrami, P. C., & Schmid, R. F. (2011). What Forty Years of Research Says about the Impact of Technology on Learning: A Second-Order Meta-Analysis and Validation Study. Review of Educational Research, 81(1), 4–28. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.spu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip&db=eric&AN=EJ920988&site=ehost-live
