Reflective practices in Art-teacher Education

Abstract

This article is about reflective practices in teacher education connected to the development of a new identity and personal, professional knowledge of arts educators. It is based on the author’s PhD research; Learning journeys to become Arts Educator: A Practice-Led Biographical Study.

The PhD study entailed looking at the background and previous experience of artists in teacher training at the Iceland University of the Arts, how this affects and shapes them and the learning culture within the Department of Arts Education (DAEd). In entering a new field at academic level, the artists, who have been working for several years in their respective field of art, are faced with new working methods and values. The research aims are to contribute to the knowledge of how artists learn through biography and to determine how we can bridge the potential gaps between the arts and the academic world.

The theoretical underpinnings are cultural learning theories. The concepts of reflective practices and tacit knowledge are introduced and used to shed light on the evolving identities of arts educators, based on their wide experience and education. The cultural theories of learning and learning cultures are used to determine the primary practices within the DAEd and the interaction between learning culture and the participants within it.

The research method is grounded theory. Data were collected from three different sources in two different ways. The sources included reflective journals from 22 students within their first semester in the programme and biographical interviews with 12 graduates from the DAEd and three practising artists in the field. Data triangulation or the ‘triangulation of different methods’ allowed for different perspectives on the research subject. The central themes derived from the analysis of the reflective journals were the foundation for the sensitising concepts leading to the interview framework.

The findings from the doctoral research show that there are three core categories essential to artists in their training to become arts educators; that is, hidden power structures, the practices of the learning site and evolving identities.

The main conclusions are that the journey to develop a new identity as an arts teacher while being an artist oneself requires time. The lengthening of teacher education in Iceland has a considerable bearing on this. However, time is only one factor in the process, as the learning culture of teacher education is the scene that shapes the use of this time. The future learner, in this case aiming to become a reflective arts-teacher is always relevant to the individual, his/her access to his/her own thoughts and inner knowledge and ways of working with it. How learning is offered can be crucial for our success in becoming more aware of our experience as well as how we pass it on as teachers. A learning culture that focuses on reflection, conversation and collaboration offers diversity in learning approaches and simultaneously looks to the student’s previous experience and education, laying the ground for artists to develop identities and become arts educators.

This article focuses on the third category, the evolving identities of the teachers and the role of different reflection methods involved in that development during their studies. The article is based on data from the doctoral research. Nevertheless, it goes deeper into the data relating to students’ ways of developing a new identity as art educators and the role of reflection. Tacit knowledge is discussed in connection with reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action and the importance of self-knowledge for teachers. In this context, we also look at theories of biographical learning and the role of conscious and unconscious knowledge when developing a new identity as arts educators. The article also discusses learning culture and sheds light on its importance as a formative force for all participants and on offering students a variety of ways to reflect and connect learning with their personal experience and knowledge.

The value of the research is primarily in highlighting the concerns that artists face when they start a master’s degree programme. The results can be used to examine and analyse the structure of teacher education, and the role of reflective practice in teacher training. Moreover, the findings can be useful for the development and structure of graduate studies, especially where students are adults and moving between fields.