Arts and Education

Last week I attended the first part of the course Aesthetic-Based Qualitative Research, at the Stockholm University, held by the visiting professor Liora Breslar.

We were app. 20 people attending the course, almost all of us in some way involved with art education: dance, music, drama or visual arts, and some are practicing artists. We didn't know each other, but we were all there to learn, eather students at master level, or at PhD level. I've never before enjoyed a course so much, and I wonder: What made these three days so special?

The main theme was qualitative research in art education, but the issue of artistic qualities in teaching was also mentioned... or rather shown through the Liora's teaching method.

Preparing for the course, I read the first two chapters of "Number Our Days", written by Barbara Myerhoff, that Liora had suggested. I was sitting on a bus, reading... and crying, and I immediately understood that the three days with Liora Bresler would be special. The text I was reading was from a case of antropological study, written in a poetic way, but still educating, meaningful and full of wisdom. I thought: "Some researchers are artists, able to present their work in artistic ways." And there are also teachers who transform their lessons into compositions, combining planning and improvisation, or sometimes, "guided by aesthetic principles with a dramatic structure" such teachers manage to "create(-d) a meaningful artistic lesson" (to quote Liora Bresler the way she described Joe Herbert, a teacher she observed in a school in Danville - Bresler 1991) May be it was Liora's expressive way of communication that created the context for my unique experience during her lectures?

In the begynning of the class Liora asked us to pay attention to what was happening in the room - to be observers involved in a kind of micro qualitative research. This first day of the course we sat in an auditorium (the second day we were at the Moderna Museet - The Museum of Modern Art, and the third day we sat in a circle formation in a drama room at the university). Thinking about teaching as art, and knowing that Liora also is a musician, I paid attention to her voice, ways of addressing us, her body language, gestures... - multimodal communication. I noticed the rhythm of her movements: slowly walking from side to side in front of us, establishing eye contacts, and involving everyone. "It was comfortable to be included", I thought: "this way she gathers the group". At the end of the day we were asked to present our observations: Liora wanted to exemplify relations between description, interpretation and evaluation in qualitative research.

When I started to articulate my observations of Liora's rhythmical walking, a methaphor of a dog shepherding it's sheep (us, students) came out of my mouth. I immediately thought: "Oh...how could I say something like this? I actually called professor a dog!!" Later on, when we were interpreting the "shepherding attitude", I tried to shade my metaphor: "May be the metaphor is not that good", I said. "You really do not use your authority, like a shepherd would do with it's sheep. May be your movements were more like (using a methaphor from dog training again) when a dog doesn't want to come, and you run away to get it's attention?" But it was not possible to make the said unsaid. On the other hand, it seemed that Liora liked the image of a shepherd - she mentioned it a couple of times during the day: "Sometimes I even have to bite to get attention", she smiled.

Today, a week later, I believe that the way of communication at the course was of an essencial importance for my positive experience: We were invited to take part. We were laughing, having fun - and we were equal in "democratic conversations" (see my blog from the 9-th of January). We all had something to learn from each others, and something to contribute with. We were taken seriously (but, though, not in a serious way). Liora's appreciation of our contributions was honest, we all reflected together and Liora didn't hide that she was learning form us! The teaching and the respect were mutual.

I've just read an artilcle about written by Mary Fawcett and Penny Hay, abouth a project with Reggio Emilia approach in UK (Fawcett & Hay 2004), where some of findings were that respect for a child's multiple ways of expression builds it's confidence, and is a motivating force in their problem solving, cerativity and learning. We are not that different form children, after all :)


The pictured sculptures are a part of the oudoor installation PARADISE, made by Niki De Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely, placed outside the Moderna Museet in Stockholm.