Wes Akers

When I was searching for my last scholarly critique articles, I wanted to find an article about how students engage with art in general.  I came across “An Exploration of Children’s Experiences of Art in the Classroom” by Jenny Louise Hallam, Des Hewitt, and Sarah Buxton and I was drawn to the article by the first sentence of the abstract.

“Despite the numerous benefits art has for children, research suggests that there is a lull in the development of expression in children’s drawings during the primary school years and that many children give up on art between the ages of 10 and 12” (page 195).

This quote stood out to me because I read similar ideas in the article for my previous scholarly critique and I also observed student responses in my surveys about students giving up on art or being bored with art.  Since I noticed a common thread, I thought the article was worth pursuing.

Through one-on-one student interviews, Hallam, Hewitt, and Buxton (2014) explore the barriers to engaging with art in the classroom and make some recommendations for maximizing the benefits of engaging with art.  The barriers they identify are all connected back to the teacher.

1. insufficient training in teaching art
2. insecurities about artistic talents
3. inability to write curriculum in which all three teaching positions are integrated

I became most interested in the barriers related to the teaching positions because it provides a framework for the role a teacher should take in integrating art in the the classroom.  I believe this compliments my research because it can allow me to make recommendations for best practice to enhance a student’s experience with art in school.  The three positions include:

1. the expert – teacher must develop artistic skills
2. the facilitator – teacher allows students to express themselves freely
3. the philosopher – teacher develops students’ knowledge of art and ability to analyze it

Another aspect of the article I was interested in relates to gaps in literature around this idea that students are giving up on art.  Hallam, Hewitt, and Buxton (2014) state more research is needed about

1. what students believe is important in art education
2. how art education can be improved so it is child friendly, engaging, and relevant

Since the curriculum is designed for them, it makes perfect sense to ask students to help researchers understand this issue deeper.  If I were to continue this project into the next semester, I believe I would start pursuing this issue in surveys and interviews.  Although I’m only hypothesizing, I believe students may suggest a lack of technology in art education as a contributor to the boredom or being uninterested.  I feel 21st century students want a technology component in their curriculum because they view it as engaging and interesting.  When I administered my second survey, I used iPads.  I was surprised by the excitement I saw in students when they realized they were going to be used the iPads.  In the moment, it didn’t appear to matter what they were doing with the iPads.  Just using them was exciting in itself.

Hallam, J. L., Hewitt, D., & Buxton, S. (2014). An exploration of children’s experiences of art in the classroom. International Journal of Art & Design Education,33(2), 195-207.