“ Hello, It’s Your Wake Up Call ” : Images and Narratives as Tools for Exploring Democratic Ideals and Practices in Teacher Education NAEA 2009 Allen Trent (University of Wyoming) Kerrita Mayfield (Elmira College) Bibliography Handout & Slides: (www.uwyo.edu/edstudies/directory.asp)

NAEA 2009

Allen Trent (University of Wyoming)

Kerrita Mayfield (Elmira College)

Bibliography Handout & Slides: (www.uwyo.edu/edstudies/directory.asp)

Project Description Research and activities facilitated in teacher education courses designed to help preservice teachers examine, critique, and create representations of democratic ideals and practices. Democracy as a personal and professional practice.

Research and activities facilitated in teacher education courses designed to help preservice teachers examine, critique, and create representations of democratic ideals and practices.

Democracy as a personal and professional practice.

Session Plan Overview course activities and research Coding student artwork Discuss emergent coding structures (participants and AT/KM)

Overview course activities and research

Coding student artwork

Discuss emergent coding structures (participants and AT/KM)

Research Questions In what ways can teachers/teacher educators shape experiences that facilitate students’ acquisition of democratic skills, understandings and dispositions? What are preservice teachers’ ideas, theories and feelings about teaching in a democracy? How do these preservice teachers visually represent their conceptualizations/ideals of democratic processes/practices? What icons or symbols do they use to represent democratic practices?

In what ways can teachers/teacher educators shape experiences that facilitate students’ acquisition of democratic skills, understandings and dispositions?

What are preservice teachers’ ideas, theories and feelings about teaching in a democracy?

How do these preservice teachers visually represent their conceptualizations/ideals of democratic processes/practices?

What icons or symbols do they use to represent democratic practices?

Democracy and Art - activities with pre-service teachers Small group discussions - symbols of democracy: words? images? Matrix (personal and professional views) *View and discuss images *Collage studio projects & narratives *Share, discuss, critique

Small group discussions - symbols of democracy: words? images?

Matrix (personal and professional views)

*View and discuss images

*Collage studio projects & narratives

*Share, discuss, critique

Teaching Aims ｷ Explicitly discuss citizenship and democratic teaching. ｷ Critique images and symbols as they relate to democracy. ｷ Practice and model democratic skills and dispositions. ｷ Create visual and narrative representations of democracy. ｷ Relate personal understandings to practice.

ｷ Explicitly discuss citizenship and democratic teaching.

ｷ Critique images and symbols as they relate to democracy.

ｷ Practice and model democratic skills and dispositions.

ｷ Create visual and narrative representations of democracy.

ｷ Relate personal understandings to practice.

Collage and Statement Guidelines Having viewed and discussed a variety of images that portray democracy/ democratic practices/perspectives, you will now create your own democracy related image/collage. Create a representation of one/some of your views on the role and/or practices of democracy in the US generally, or on education/teaching in a democracy specifically. Articulate what your collage represents and why? (artists’ statements)

Having viewed and discussed a variety of images that portray democracy/ democratic practices/perspectives, you will now create your own democracy related image/collage.

Create a representation of one/some of your views on the role and/or practices of democracy in the US generally, or on education/teaching in a democracy specifically.

Articulate what your collage represents and why? (artists’ statements)

Image Selection Criteria International - images created outside U.S. - perceptions of government, U.S. - acts of democracy. Modern - images from latter half of the 20th century. Historical - images from first part of the 20th century or last part of the 19th century. Postmodern - images that appropriate previously produced commercial images. Political - images created to reference or support a political movement.

International - images created outside U.S. - perceptions of government, U.S. - acts of democracy.

Modern - images from latter half of the 20th century.

Historical - images from first part of the 20th century or last part of the 19th century.

Postmodern - images that appropriate previously produced commercial images.

Political - images created to reference or support a political movement.

Image discussion Qs What story does the image tell? What does the image say about democracy generally? In the US? In what ways does the image relate to the current democratic context? What are other/different possible interpretations of the image?

What story does the image tell?

What does the image say about democracy generally? In the US?

In what ways does the image relate to the current democratic context?

What are other/different possible interpretations of the image?

Coding Images In small groups view and discuss collage and artist statement samples What labels and categories would you attach to various collage and statement elements? What themes do you see within and across the pieces?

In small groups view and discuss collage and artist statement samples

What labels and categories would you attach to various collage and statement elements?

What themes do you see within and across the pieces?

Allen… Do we want to put a task timer slide in here?

Do we want to put a task timer slide in here?

Kerrita & Allen’s image coding Monuments and Icons - public art, buildings or symbols that represent public visions or themes of a larger, distinctly American democracy. E.g., military might/implements/dominance, Statue of Liberty, Washington Monument, American flags, eagles, voting booths…These commonly accepted items have come to represent a sort of American democracy shorthand.

Monuments and Icons - public art, buildings or symbols that represent public visions or themes of a larger, distinctly American democracy. E.g., military might/implements/dominance, Statue of Liberty, Washington Monument, American flags, eagles, voting booths…These commonly accepted items have come to represent a sort of American democracy shorthand.

Community Conceptions - E.g., gathering in public spaces without repercussions. Also community on a smaller scale like friends & family, loved ones Recognition of the Other - Images of "others” in the art work (international, people of color, homosexuality, ability/disability…) Schooling - Depictions that specifically comment (both + & -) on education in a democracy

Community Conceptions - E.g., gathering in public spaces without repercussions. Also community on a smaller scale like friends & family, loved ones

Recognition of the Other - Images of "others” in the art work (international, people of color, homosexuality, ability/disability…)

Schooling - Depictions that specifically comment (both + & -) on education in a democracy

Holistic Thematic Coding Patriotism via iconography too often presented uncritically. Dominance of military and soldiers as shorthand for an unspoken patriotism Middle class heterosexual whiteness assumed to be the norm Division between images that glorify democracy and those that vilify or critique Feminist lifestyle critique Cooperation within community Hopeful visions - acknowledgement of the gap between democratic ideals and reality, but a vision of progress toward more equitable democratic forms and processes

Patriotism via iconography too often presented uncritically.

Dominance of military and soldiers as shorthand for an unspoken patriotism

Middle class heterosexual whiteness assumed to be the norm

Division between images that glorify democracy and those that vilify or critique

Feminist lifestyle critique

Cooperation within community

Hopeful visions - acknowledgement of the gap between democratic ideals and reality, but a vision of progress toward more equitable democratic forms and processes

Central Citizenship Question of Our Time How can we live together justly, in ways that are mutually satisfying, and which leave our differences, both individual and group, intact and our multiple identities recognized? -Parker, 2003, p. 20

How can we live together justly, in ways that are mutually satisfying, and which leave our differences, both individual and group, intact and our multiple identities recognized?

-Parker, 2003, p. 20

LIST OF RESOURCES: http://www.artthreat.net/ http://www.antiwar.com/orig/austin.php?articleid=2318 http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/index.html http://www.teacheroz.com/WWIIpropaganda.htm http://library.thinkquest.org/18799/intro.html http://www-sul.stanford.edu/africa/southafrica/rsahistory.html http://www.si.edu/about/ http://www.hamptonu.edu/museum/IRAAAcontent.htm http://www.towson.edu/heartfield/lessons/lppolitical.html (LPs) http://www.si.edu/