Writing Like an Artist:
A Look at Literacy Through the Arts
Action Research Proposal
Jaclyn T. Pierce
State University of New York at Oswego
May 2014
Introduction
• The art room is a place for students to build fluency in visual
literacy through the use of different art mediums and styles.
• The ability to interpret, negotiate, and make meaning from
information presented in the form of an image is called visual
literacy.
Introduction
• Fluency in communicating
ideas through multiple
literacies, both visual and
written, is pertinent as we
become more dependent
upon multi-media
technologies.
Introduction
• Growing emphasis on traditional academics has brought the
foreign practice of writing into a world based on visual images.
• Many art educators are left wondering about its relevancy to
their subject and how to incorporate the practice into their
curriculum in a meaningful way.
Research Proposal
• Through this research, I hope to
seek out how to incorporate and
teach successful writing practices
for art students that are both
beneficial to understanding art
meaning as well as profit their art
making. The project will also
address whether or not
incorporating different forms of
writing will lessen student
resistance toward the practice.
Current Writing Practices
• The written art analysis section of the Pre-SLO examinations
• students are asked to describe at least three elements and/or
principles of design used within the given artwork and how or
why they are being used.
• Written reflection on project rubrics
• Throughout the year, students are taught how to use the
elements and principles of design in their own artwork and are
asked to reflect on their use in written form on their project
rubrics. Their written responses reflect in their overall project
grade.
• Art analysis assignments
• Throughout the year Students will write analytical responses to
questions asked regarding famous artworks. Artworks are chosen
to reflect similar concepts used in the projects they are
completing in class.
• written critiques
• Students exchange artworks with a peer in class and reflect on the
techniques used by their peer.
• The written analysis section of the Post-SLO examination
The Problem
• While these writing activities are important to student
comprehension of visual literacy, the majority of student
responses contain poor use of grammar, incomplete thoughts
and sentences, and an inability to communicate complex
thoughts in written form.
• This, as well as an overall negative attitude toward writing,
and the growing need for student ability to analyze visual
imagery, is what has inspired me to research the following
texts.
Review of Literature- The Need for Visual Literacy
• Chung (2005) provides a study on the effects of cigarette advertisements and the
questionable realities portrayed through visual and textual manipulation in
media advertising and the impact that they have on children.
• Chung (2005) taught visual/media literacy to 11 Junior High students as they
deconstructed cigarette advertisements.
• One student said the following about her
advertisement, “There’s a rodeo and people are
having fun. One of the men [cowboys] is smoking
and the other is looking at him…I think the ad would
make people think that smoking is ‘cool.’ Make people
feel fit-in, and look mature”
• The students were asked to redesign their chosen
advertisements to reflect the truth about smoking
cigarettes to create new images that were concerned with
social accountability
• Chung (2005) developed both a written and a studio
component for his students to complete in order to assess
their comprehension of the new material being taught.
Review of Literature- The Need for Written Literacy
• The NWP believes that, “If you can express it in writing, then
you know it”
• The project offers research and insight into strategies that will
help educators teach writing more effectively by contrasting
them with familiar and/or out-of-date techniques that do not
work as well.
• Two approaches that will help my students to express their
understanding of visual literacy through writing are:
1.
2.
to provide strategies to guide their different writing tasks.
to ask students to think about what they write through
brainstorming, free writing, role-playing, discussion and other
prewriting activities.
Review of Literature- Resistance to Writing in Art
• Borg (2009) aimed to describe what it felt like to be a writer of a
doctoral thesis in the emerging disciplines of art and design, which
have no real traditions of either research or writing.
• His study examines the rich history of art as a field of study and its
struggle to reach an equal social standing as other, more traditional
subjects.
• In 1960, the first Coldstream Report of the National Advisory Council on
Art Education was published to offer the first Diploma in Art and
Design.
• Nikolaus Pevsner, a member of the council, believed in the Renaissance
thinking that to reach equality with more traditional subjects the new
program would have to contain a theoretical element.
• This changed the relationship between art practice and theory by
declaring that the work done by an artist could not be interpreted,
given academic weight, or be accurately assessed without written
explanation and analysis. Thus, the doctoral thesis became a
requirement for graduate art and design students.
• Over the course of three years, Borg observed and interviewed eight
doctoral candidates for Art and Design. Though mostly successful, each
candidate struggled to frame their practice within a research report.
Review of Literature- Resistance to Writing in Art
• Kill (2006) conducted a series of interviews with undergraduate art
students at Bradford College to understand the students’ thoughts
on the relationship between theory and practice, or making and
writing.
• Many students echoed the opinion that writing is alien to the Studio
and should be resisted.
• One student replied that, “Essays are like a burden, like baggage
that you have to carry…but sometimes they are the force that pushes
you along. But when it pushes you it’s the research, not the format,
that’s the good thing”
• Kill inspired her students to consider the format that their writing
took, pushing the boundaries of the academic essays required by the
Coldstream reports to allow for a multidisciplinary approach to
student writing that could include poetry, dialogue, performance,
artist books, or video, etc.
• As a result of her research, art students developed unique forms of
writing and expressed the desire to continue writing, thus,
diminishing the much felt opposition to the practice.
Review of Literature- Writing Successfully in Art
• Barnes (2009) noticed her undergraduate art education students’ fear and
resistance toward writing and their low scores on writing tasks.
• Her research goal was for students to write a well-organized critical analysis
essay of an historical artwork.
• Pre-assessment writing showed her students could locate the visual qualities
within an artwork, but most essays lacked interpretation of these qualities as
well as essay structure; including an introduction, thesis, supporting details, and
conclusion.
• After the pre-assessment, a group activity ensued to help students organize
collective information into a formal written analysis.
• Each student was responsible for writing six sticky-notes reflective of the
artwork
• students had to discuss what they were writing to avoid any repeated
information.
• Students were asked to arrange sticky-notes on a chart under paragraph
headings- introduction, information, visual elements, interpretation, and
conclusion.
• Post-assessment writing after the activity scored much higher. Students displayed
better organization and articulation skills.
Review of Literature- Writing Successfully in Art
• Mackenzie (2012) combined art making with creative writing and
the performance arts to teach her graduate students ways to
incorporate writing in their future are classroom.
• Her students researched myths from around the world and drew out
their own mythological creature.
• They were asked to combine their creature with their own human
body to create a hybrid character.
• The students created their costumes with the use of various
materials to transform themselves into their mythological creature.
• They wrote a narrative about their created character.
• The students performed their narratives while masquerading in their
mythic body puppet costumes.
• Through observation, Mackenzie found that by combining language
arts literacy to the process of art making, the outcome was
transformative learning on both an individual and group basis.
Unanswered Questions
• The studies conducted by Mamur (2012), Borg (2009), Kill
(2006), Barnes (2009), and Mackenzie (2012) collected data
regarding the attitudes and writing abilities of students at the
college level. While some of these studies were developed to
help aid future art educators for primary and secondary level
instruction, data on student writing does not exist for these
age groups.
• The majority of these studies relied very heavily on concept
and barely began to scratch the surface with explanations of
the research methods used and data collected.
• Studies that did offer some explanation of data were either
singularly qualitative or quantitative. For example, studies like
Mackenzie’s (2012), based solely on observation, validity
comes into question due to a lack of varied research methods.
My Study
• During my research I will focus on student scores on writing
tasks, observations, interviews, and questionnaires as means
to collect data. These varied forms of data collection will help
me answer the following:
1.
2.
3.
Whether or not implementing new writing strategies will help
all types of student learners become better writers.
Whether or not students are comprehending and using visual
literacy through their writing and art making.
Whether or not using different forms of writing will aid in
student understanding of art meaning, as well as diminish
negative reactions toward the practice.
My Study
• The study will take place at G. Ray Bodley High School where I am
currently employed as an art teacher.
• Students enrolled in Studio in Art, a full year course designed for
students who intend to take multiple art courses during their high
school career will be participants in the study.
• Students enrolled in Foundations in Art, a half year course designed
to provide the very basics of art instruction to students who are
required to fulfill one credit in art/music for graduation, will
participate in the study as well.
• These two courses contain first year high school art students of
grades 9-12 with a full spectrum of both artistic and cognitive ability.
• Next year, I will teach two sections of Studio and Art, and two to
three sections of Foundations in Art (to be determined).
• The total number of participants would fall between 75-90 students.
Methodology- Quantitative Data Collection
• Students will complete and be scored on a number of prewriting, collaborative, and creative writing activities in a
sequential order that will build on previous knowledge.
• These scores will be compared to student scores from
previous sections of Studio and Foundations in Art courses
who did not receive this method of scaffold instruction.
• This data will serve as a control from which to measure the
new data. Whether or not these new strategies are improving
student understanding and writing ability will be determined
by whether an increase is seen in student scores.
MethodologyQualitative Data Collection
• Observations will occur
when students are given
writing tasks to
complete in class and
will include
• The form of writing
activity taking place
(analysis, critique,
creative, etc.)
• student comments and
body language
• My opinions on the
success of the activity
Observations
Comments
I introduced the type of critique that we would
be partaking in today and one student
responded to her peers, “Yes, this is my favorite
kind of critique!” Peers agreed
I think that students like to read what their peers
have to say about their artwork. I think that
students like the informality of the critique. I
think that students like to write short comments
about every artwork instead of writing more
about just one. I think that students like written
critiques better than verbal critiques which make
them nervous. I think that students like that
comments are anonymous.
This class is almost twice as large as the other
section that I teach. I noticed a very different
change of pace. My other class took their time
looking at each artwork, where this class was
moving much quicker. I think that I should have
students number their scrap paper 1-10. This
way, students are only responsible for writing 10
comments, instead of for every peer. Maybe
they will slow down to look and write more
critically.
I am hoping that by limiting the number of
comments that students are required to write,
the time increase will encourage them to analyze
more critically and write more descriptively. I
also hope that by allowing the students to talk
about the kind of comments they hope to see on
their artworks before the critique begins,
students will feel more of a responsibility to
provide constructive criticism regarding how the
artists could have made the artwork even better.
Students quietly worked from artwork to
artwork. Everyone participated. I could hear
pencils writing rapidly on paper. I noticed that
students seemed going quickly from one artwork
to the next.
As students worked, I walked around and read
their comments. I saw a lot of comments like the
following, “I like the colors that you chose.” And
only some comments like, “The blues and whites
that you chose create great unity throughout the
artwork.” Since most comments did not meet
the requirements set at the beginning of the
activity, I reminded them to be more descriptive.
I saw no comments about things that the artist
could have done to make their artwork even
better.
When comments were complete students went
back to their seats and read their comments. I
saw many smiles and heard some laughter. One
student asked, ‘“Who wrote, “Dang girl, great
detail in the sunglasses?”’ The guilty student
laughed, raised her hand and said, “That was
me!”
As their teacher, I love to see that my students
enjoy an activity. I think with a few tweaks this
critique can become as critical and constructive I
had hoped it would be.
Methodology- Qualitative Data Collection
• Student interviews will be conducted at the beginning of each
course to document whether students believe that visual
literacy is important, whether or not they see a connection
between writing and art making, and whether or not they feel
that writing has a place in the art room.
• The group of selected students to be interviewed will span all
artistic, cognitive, and grade levels.
• The interviews will be one on one to elicit honest responses
that are not influenced by peer opinions.
Methodology- Qualitative Data Collection
Focus Group Interview Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
How would you describe today’s culture?
How important do you think art is in today’s culture?
How much screen time do you think you have on a daily basis? Do you think this is good or bad in
anyway? Why or why not?
Have you ever felt negatively persuaded, or had any kind of a negative emotional response, to an
image you have seen on TV, (a commercial advertisement, a cartoon, a program, etc.)? Describe
this response.
If so, have you given any thought regarding the creation of that image? Who was responsible for
its creation and why? What is the image communicating? What do you think is the purpose
behind the image?
Do you think it is important to learn how these images are created and how to interpret them to
find meaning?
As an art student, do you think it is important to know how to communicate a message to your
viewer? Why or why not?
Through your artwork, what kind of a message do you want to give? What is the purpose of your
artwork? What would you like it to be?
Do you think that famous artists in history communicated through their artwork? If so, provide an
example.
How important do you think it is to look at, analyze, and understand art history? Why or why not?
In terms of communication, how important are words to an artist?
Do you believe that writing and research have any place in the practice of an artist?
What skills do you think are necessary for a good artist to have? What skills do you think are
necessary for a good writer to have? Do you see any connection between the practice of making
art and writing?
Do you think writing can inspire art? Do you think that art can inspire writing?
How much writing do you think should take place in your art classroom and why?
MethodologyQualitative Data Collection
• The questionnaire will assess
whether there has been a change
in student opinion about writing in
the art room after having
completed various written and
visual assignments throughout the
year.
• The questionnaire will also ask
them to rate which assignments
students believed were most
helpful to understanding visual
literacy, as well as which
assignments were the most
enjoyable to complete.
• This will aid in the future success
of the study.
Methodology- Qualitative Data Collection
Student Questionnaire:
Directions: Please give your honest opinion to the following questions regarding writing in the art room.
The purpose of this questionnaire is to help me improve as a teacher by evaluating your understanding of visual
and written literacy.
1. What skills do you think are necessary for a person to have to be good at art and why?
Directions: Use the scale below to respond to the following statements about visual literacy. Please respond to
each statement as honestly as possible by circling only one number per statement.
2. What skills do you think are necessary for a person to have to be good at writing and why?
1
2
3
4
5
l-------------------------------l-------------------------------l--------------------------------l-------------------------------l
Strongly
Disagree
No
Agree
Strongly
Disagree
Opinion
Agree
1. Visual images (artworks, advertisements, media, movies, magazines, etc.)
contain messages.
1
2
3
4
5
2. It is important to understand how to “read” a visual image.
1
2
3
4
5
3. It is important to be able to communicate to others through visual images.
1
2
3
4
5
4. I am confident that I can locate elements and principles of design in a
visual image.
1
2
3
4
5
5. I am confident that I can interpret the use of the elements and principles
of design in an image.
1
2
3
4
5
6. I am confident that I can use the elements and principles to communicate
in a visual image of my own creation.
1
2
3
4
5
Directions: Please circle the writing assignments that you found helpful to your understanding of visual literacy.
Please put a star next to the writing assignment that was the most enjoyable to do and an X through the
assignment that was the least enjoyable to do.
Key:
Helpful
Enjoyable/Favorite
Unenjoyable/Least Favorite
Directions: Please respond to the following questions regarding writing in the art room. Please respond to each
statement as honestly as possible by circling only one response per statement.
1. Do you think that writing reinforces understanding of a concept?
3. Do you think art students should be writing in the art room? Why or why not?
Rubric Written Responses
Sticky-Note Discussion
Written Critiques
Travel Journal Critique
Creative Writing
Artist Readings
Yes
No
Maybe
2. Do you think that writing about art could improve your ability as an artist? Yes
No
Maybe
3. Do you consider yourself a good artist?
Yes
No
Maybe
Art Analysis
Design Briefs
4. Do you consider yourself a good writer?
Yes
No
Maybe
Art History Research Paper
Other:
Data Analysis
• Data collected will be separated into two main categories, quantitative and
qualitative.
• Quantitative data will be coded with an open circle• student scores on written assignments will be colored coded based on their
scores.
• Scores in the 80-100 range will be marked by the color green.
• Scores in the 65-79 range will be marked by the color blue.
• Scores in the 45-64 range will be marked with the color yellow.
• Scores in the 45-0 range will be marked with the color red.
• Scores of students with IEPs will be marked with an asterisk (*).
• Qualitative data will be marked with a closed circle• Positive responses will be marked by the color green.
• Negative responses will be marked by the color red.
• Neutral responses will be marked by the color blue.
• Writing activities will also be categorized by form.
• Activities that are more analytical based will be marked with the letter “A.”
• Writing activities that are creative based will be marked with the letter “C.”
Validity
• Validity will be assessed by whether or not a positive increase is
seen in both the quantitative and qualitative studies.
• I expect that if student scores increase, student attitude toward
writing in the art room would become more positive.
• I expect that an increase in the amount of positive responses toward
writing activities, as noted in my observations, would also reflect in
an increased number of positive responses on the end of the year
questionnaire in comparison to the responses seen in the interviews
given at the beginning of the year.
• Any differences to these predictions should be taken into account
and addressed.
• Validity of the study also comes into question when considering the
control group from which new data will be compared.
• Issues with writing abilities in my classroom were noticed early on in
the current school year and efforts have already been made to solve
these problems.
• As a teacher, I had to forfeit perfect data to benefit the students that
I am currently teaching.
Preliminary Results- Written Analysis
• Shown here are a single student’s
pre-SLO written analysis and first
written response project rubric.
• The student shows an ability to identify elements and principles used, but
offers no explanation/interpretation as to how or why they are being used.
Preliminary Results- Written Analysis
Analyzed artwork by:
Vincent van Gogh Irises, 1890
• This slide shows the sentences created by the student and her group
members after instruction on what to look for in an artwork and how
to write meaningful sentences.
• This is the sticky-note activity presented by Barnes (2009) that I
modified to meet my classroom needs.
Preliminary Results- Written Analysis
This is an art analysis written by the same
student. This analysis took place after the
Analyzed artwork by:
Robert ParkeHarrison, The Sower, 2001
sticky-note activity and after the development
of a new analysis worksheet containing an example
sentence which shows what should be included. Student writing has become
more descriptive and shows her understanding of visual literacy.
Preliminary Results- Creative Writing
This is a creative take on the
written critique. Here,
two students swapped
artwork which, in this case,
were acrylic landscape
paintings. Students
practiced using
descriptive language as
they pretended they
were in the landscape
trying to describe what
they were seeing to a
friend. Even though this is a
creative form of writing,
students still practiced
analysis techniques as they
described many elements and
principles when recounting what they saw.
Preliminary
ResultsCreative Writing
Here I tried Mackenzie’s
(2012) study in my Drawing
and Painting class. The
students involved in this
project are serious art
students in grades 11-12. I
asked the each student to
read a myth and complete
the MythBuster worksheet
that I created to get them
familiar with mythical
language and writing
structure.
Preliminary Results- Creative Writing
They then worked in groups
of four to create their own
modern day mythical
creature.
Preliminary Results- Creative Writing
Each group was then given an outline to help them write the story of the
modern day mythical creature. The story could be written in any form
(storybook, comic strip, song, skit, etc.) as long as it contained all the
necessary information laid out in the outline.
Preliminary Results- Creative Writing
Students then worked in their group to
transform one of their members into
their mythical creature using various
materials and found objects.
Preliminary Results- Creative Writing
The mythical stories were written down and students acted in their
performances. While only one of the members had to be in costume, all
members had to participate in the performance in one way or another.
Preliminary Results- Creative Writing
The Fiervens’ Fiery Flight
Once upon a time, in a land and age not so far away, a young Fierven began his day. The
Fiervens were tiny, intelligent firebirds who lived peacefully in forests, in groups called Embers.
Mirus had lived in the United States his entire life. Throughout his young life, his forest had
become gradually smaller and his Ember had been pushed back further and further as the humans
came along. They came with their loud machines that chopped down the Fiervens’ homes and
spit black clouds into the sky that made it hard to fly and breathe.
As Mirus went to catch his morning breakfast of fresh fish, he saw an empty bottle and trash in
the river. Mirus had to look hard to find a clean spot and healthy fish. He quickly roasted his
small fish with a shot of fire. As Mirus hopped playfully back to his village, he tripped over a
stray root and accidentally lit a small bush on fire. He quickly beat it out with his wings and
checked to make sure no one had seen.
When Mirus came to his village, he saw his mentor and best friend, Calidus. Mirus had
known Calidus his entire life and they were practically brothers. After Mirus’s family and home
had been wiped out by humans, Mirus had been raised by the entire Ember. Calidus was older
than Mirus and they had been playmates when they were younger. Calidus was usually dragging
Mirus into trouble with his impulsive ways. While Calidus still had a stubborn streak, he had
grown up a lot and took on a more active role in the village.
The Fiervens’ Fiery Flight Continued…
Calidus told Mirus there would be an Ember meeting to discuss recent events. At the meeting,
Mirus learned that the humans were building a new housing development and would cut down more
of the forest. After debating for a while, the leaders had decided that one Fierven would have to
search for a safe, new home in case the humans came into their territory. The rest of the village
would only pack and leave if necessary and if a safe haven was discovered. At first Calidus
volunteered, but the elders agreed that he would need to stay behind and continue his training as one
of the next leaders of the Ember. Mirus volunteered because he had always wanted an adventure
and refused to let his village be taken away from him the same way his family had been. They
decided that Mirus was the best choice to search for a new home. He packed up a pouch with
smoked salmon and said his goodbyes to his village.
The Fiervens had decided that the best place to go was up North, after learning from some
passing birds that it was sparsely populated by humans and would likely be safe. Mirus alternated
walking and flying because he was still young and his wings often got tired. As Mirus traveled
North, he took great care in watching out for humans and asked passing animals if there were any
human settlements nearby. Mirus’s small size made it easy for him to go undetected and he quickly
flew around, grateful for all of the games of tag with the younger Fiervens. As he went further up
North, the temperature became colder and Mirus had to create more fires and raise his body
temperature; he was happy to be a firebird. Mirus flew across Canada and over some water, finally
reaching the Arctic. Searching around, Mirus found this area to be the best choice for the Ember.
There seemed to be plenty of fish, a forest and caves, plenty of space and most importantly, very
few people.
The Fiervens’ Fiery Flight Continued…
Excited to bring the news, Mirus quickly returned home. Finally getting back to his village,
Mirus was horrified to discover his entire home was destroyed, instead finding a new housing
development and no sign of his Ember. Mirus searched for hours, feeling hopeless, but at last he
found his village hiding in some caves. An Ember meeting was quickly called to discuss the
options. Knowing that they had no choice now since their home had been destroyed, the
Fiervens had to migrate North to the Arctic to ensure their survival.
Mirus quickly and safely showed the Fiervens the way to their new home. While the Fiervens
greatly missed their old home, they all decided that Mirus had done a wonderful job of finding a
new one. The Arctic was uninhabited by humans and the Fiervens had plenty of space to live.
The only problem with their home was that it had an extremely cold climate. Fortunately for the
Fiervens, they were firebirds, so they could quickly warm themselves and their new home.
The humans would soon discover that this would eventually warm up the polar ice caps,
ultimately warming the entire globe. If only the people had been more caring and aware of the
environment surrounding them. If only they had not destroyed the environment for their own
gains, leaving many creatures, like the Fiervens, homeless and lost, searching for a safer place to
live…
Implications
• I intend to share the results of my study with the art department within my
district.
• By introducing visual media literacy early on, students will become more aware and
critical of the images that surround them.
• By introducing writing activities early on, students will become familiar with the
practice taking place in the art room and will have greater understanding of its
connection to their studio work, and thus, less resistance to it.
• This research has the potential to positively impact multiple fields of study
within the district as well.
• Other special area teachers, and possibly even some content area teachers, would
experience similar anxieties about including writing in their curriculum.
• The study could inspire more cross-curricular discussions between departments, as
writing is not the only practice that should be shared between the disciplines.
• Overall, this research study has the potential to develop both students and faculty
into well-rounded, critical thinking individuals who possess both fluency in
multiple literacies and readiness for this ever changing, image-saturated world.
References
Barnes, N. (2009). Hands-On Writing: An Alternative Approach to Understanding Art. Art Education, 62(3), 40-46.
Borg, E. W. (2009). The experience of writing a practice-based thesis in Fine Art and Design (Doctoral
dissertation). University of Leeds. Retrieved from http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/3745/
Chung, S. (2005). Media/Visual Literacy Art Education: Cigarette Ad Deconstruction. Art Education, 58(3), 19-24.
Kill, R. (2006). Coming in from the Cold: Imperialist Legacies and Tactical Criticalities. International Journal of Art
& Design Education, 25(3), 308-317.
Mackenzie, K. (2012). Imagination and Transformation: Performing a Universal Narrative Theme. Art Education,
65(3), 12-16.
Mamur, N. (2012). Perceptions Concerning Visual Cultural Dialogues of Visual Art Pre-Service Teachers.
Educational Sciences: Theory and Practice, 12(3), 2166-2173.
National Writing, P. (2009). National Writing Project 2009 Annual Report. National Writing Project. Retrieved
from http://www.nwp.org/