Georgina Barton

Multimodal approaches to reflective teaching and assessment in higher education

Reflection is not a new concept in the teaching of higher education and is often an important component of many disciplinary courses. Despite this, past research shows that while there are examples of rich reflective strategies used in some areas of higher education, most approaches to, and conceptualisations of, reflective learning and assessment have been perfunctory and inconsistent. In many disciplinary areas, reflection is often assessed as a written activity ‘tagged onto’ assessment practices. In creative disciplines, however, reflective practice is an integral and cumulative form of learning and is often expressed in ways other than in the written form. This paper will present three case studies of reflective practice in the area of Creative Industries in higher education – Dance, Fashion and Music. It will discuss the ways in which higher education teachers and students use multimodal approaches to expressing knowledge and reflective practice in such a context. The paper will argue that unless students are encouraged to participate in deep reflective disciplinary discourse via multi-modes then reflection will remain superficial in the higher education context.

Exploring the development of cultural awareness amongst post-graduate speech-language pathology students

Abstract Purpose: Speech-language pathology programs globally need to prepare graduates to work with culturally and linguistically diverse populations. This study explored the knowledge, perceptions and experiences related to development of cultural awareness of graduate-entry Master of Speech Pathology students at an Australian university. Method: Sixty students across both year-levels completed a cultural awareness survey at the beginning of the semester. To explore how clinical placement influenced students’ knowledge and perceptions, year-2 students completed written reflections pre- and post-placement (n = 7) and participated in focus groups post-placement (n = 6). Result: Survey results showed student interest in working with culturally and linguistically diverse populations was high (over 80%) and confidence was moderate (over 50%). More than 80% of students reported awareness of their own cultural identities, stereotypes and prejudices. Content analysis of focus group and written reflection data identified key concepts comprising of: (1) context—university, and clinical placement site; (2) competencies—professional and individual; and (3) cultural implications—clients’ and students’ cultural backgrounds. Conclusion: Findings suggest clinical placement may positively influence cultural awareness development and students’ own cultural backgrounds may influence this more. Further exploration of how students move along a continuum of cultural development is warranted.

Curriculum to the Classroom: Investigating the Spatial Practices of Curriculum Implementation in Queensland Schools and its Implications for Teacher Education

Change is something that both pre-service and practising teachers face regularly throughout their professional lives. Curriculum change and consequential implementation is a case in point. This paper investigates the perspectives of a number of school-based stakeholders in regard to the implementation of the C2C materials in Queensland schools and how this has potential consequences for teacher education programs. It shows that often contradictory spaces emerge in regard to curriculum enactment and argues that a ‘one size fits all’ approach is not the most effective way to implement new curriculum. A transformative third space is offered whereby teachers are accorded with a voice in the way in which implementation occurs; ultimately allowing pre-service teachers to learn important skills required to be effective teachers.

Literacy and the Arts: Interpretation and Expression of Symbolic Form

To consider the arts and literacy is a huge undertaking. Each concept alone could constitute several volumes. The investigation of the arts and literacy is not new, of course. Some literacy research has shown how using the arts and/or creative approaches to learning can enhance and improve literacy skills for children (Albers P, Sanders J, Literacies, the arts and multimodality. National Council of Teachers, Urbana, 2010; Brice-Heath S, Three’s not a crowd: plans, roles, and focus in the arts. Educ Res 30(7):10–17, 2001; Caldwell B, Vaughan T, Transforming literacy through the arts. Routledge, London, 2011; Korn R, Solomon R. Guggenheim museum teaching literacy through art: final report. Museum Visitor Studies, Evaluation & Audience Research, Korn and Associates, Alexandria, 2007) and this research often stems from a language arts approach. Although much of this research highlights the importance of the arts in education, it tends to be framed from an English education point of view and therefore is limited in recognising the unique approach that the arts have in terms of literate practice. This chapter aims to introduce the concepts of literacy and literate practice in the arts. It aims to demonstrate how students of the arts are expected to operate and think in order to become arts literate in practice and inquiry, that is, how one may become more proficient or fluent in the discourse of art critique, production and consumption. The chapter argues that the arts are inherently multimodal and concern themselves with the communication of ideas and feelings through multiple symbolic forms. Therefore an advanced definition of literacy as interpretive and expressive fluency through symbolic form, whether aural/sonic, embodied, textual, visual, written or a combination of these within the context of a particular art form is offered. This distinction is important because it moves beyond the established view of arts literacy as an extension of English literacy and more accurately conveys the proprietary processes and practices evident in the way students learn their craft and ultimately emerge as arts practitioners.

Teachers' Curriculum Stories: Perceptions and Preparedness to Enact Change.

Abstract Within the specific context of The Australian Curriculum: The Arts, this paper explores how teachers of the Arts and teacher educators encounter and enact curriculum change. Adopting Ewing’s notion that curriculum is a complex web of varying stories and storylines that are impacted on by teachers’ underlying philosophy, we suggest that Arts teachers embrace the intent behind The Australian Curriculum: The Arts. This paper unearths and explores insights gleaned from teachers looking inward and reflecting on their own personal curriculum journeys. The learning dimensions of conceptualising, experimenting and developing, reflecting, resolving and communicating are applied to investigate the implementation of the new curriculum. This article shares data from a number of Arts teachers’ interviews with the authors in relation to their thoughts on the implementation of the new curriculum. Two key themes emerged from these interviews, these being navigating challenges and the implications of personal attributes in encountering and enacting change. Interestingly, a number of qualities associated with Arts practitioners such as creative and lateral thinking, resilience and flexibility emerge as significant contributing factors in regard to how teachers encounter, enact and become curriculum change.

The Palgrave handbook of global arts education

This extensive handbook addresses a range of contemporary issues related to arts education across the world. It is divided into six sections; Contextualising Arts Education, Globally and Locally; Arts Education, Curriculum, Policy and Schooling; Arts Education Across the Life Span; Arts Education for Social Justice: Indigenous and Community Practice; Health, Wellbeing and Arts Education and Arts-Based and Research-Informed Arts Education. The Handbook explores global debates within education in the areas of dance, drama, music, media and visual arts. Presenting wide-ranging research from pedagogies of adaptation developed in Uganda to ethnomusicology in Malaysia and community participatory arts to wellbeing in Canada the Handbook highlights the universal need for arts education and in particular the importance of indigenous (including both traditional and contemporary practice) arts education. With contributions from internationally renowned scholars and practitioners and building on the World Alliance for Arts Education Global Summit in 2014, the Handbook creates an essential resource for arts education practices in and out of school alongside institutional, traditional and contemporary contexts. Students, teachers and practitioners across the arts disciplines will find the text invaluable for developing further opportunities to promote and study arts education.

Reflexivity and self-care for creative facilitators: stepping outside the circle

Those who work with others to explore new and creative ways of thinking about community and organizational participation, ways of engaging with others, individual well-being and creative solutions to problems, have a significant role in a cohesive society. Creative forms of learning can stimulate reflexive practices of self-care and lead to enhanced relationships and practices both personally and professionally. We argue that those who facilitate such practices for others do not always practice their own self-care, which potentially leads to burnout and disillusionment. This research sought to explore understandings and practices of self-care with such facilitators in order to develop resources or techniques to support more sustainable professional identities. A key finding is that reflexive processes are most effective and transforming when shared as a social practice.

Storytelling as an Arts Literacy: Use of Narrative Structure in Aboriginal Arts Practice and Performance

This chapter explores the notion that storytelling is an important and integral aspect of arts and literate practice in Indigenous communities. As such, storytelling is an essential element in Indigenous people’s process for meaning making, storing and conveying understanding to others whether directly as narrative or more abstractly as works of art. Storytelling is considered from both a historical perspective to more recent examples of artistic expression by prominent Indigenous artists. Indigenous artists’ own views of the role of storytelling in meaning making are investigated. The chapter concludes with recommendations to educators about how storytelling may herald new opportunities to redress the continuing educational divide between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students.

Reflective Practice in Music: A Collaborative Professional Approach

Reflective practice and critical analysis are major components in any creative discipline. For the ephemeral performing arts such as music, keeping art ‘in the conversation about art’ is central to meaningful engagement with a discourse around the creative work (Dillon et al., Physical and virtual learning spaces in higher education: Concepts for the modern learning environment, 2011). Storing, recalling and presenting artworks as digital artefacts offers ways to make the critical analysis process less abstract. Learning about music involves having an understanding of the concepts that frame musical practice and the language to discuss it as an entry point into the musical discourse. In an elective subject titled Sex, Drugs and Rock n Roll students are asked to examine their personal, social and cultural relationships with music in their lives and reflect on these connections using musicological and semiotic analytical tools. Students experience the process of deconstruction, reconstruction and analysis in three cycles of activity that move from the ontological to the epistemological and back to a focus on self-understanding. The reflective process is documented and shared via multi-modal representations including wikis, blogs, video media, eZines, podcasts/vodcasts and creative works. This discussion will draw on examples of student work in the subject by exploring both the ‘insider’ and ‘outsider’ perspective, as encountered in ethnomusicology (Barton, 2014), and reflective practice about the meaning of music for undergraduate university students.

Work Placement for International Student Programmes (WISP): A Model of Effective Practice

With a marked increase in the number of international students enrolling in university programs across the globe it is important that personal and professional experiences are positive. Of interest is the workplace component of international students’ study programs, as these experiences provide opportunities for students to socialise into new workplaces and cultural contexts. This chapter presents a theoretical model that takes into account the relationship between the concepts of internationalisation, professional socialisation, reflection and cultural development. It explores Knight’s (1999) work on internationalisation; research on personal and professional socialisation; effective reflective practice; and the notion of cultural development (Wells, 2000). We argue that an enhanced ethos approach, together with strong personal and professional student and staff agency and reflective practice, enhances the work placement experience. If all these elements are taken into account and the interrelationship between them is understood, we contend that it is more likely for workplace experiences to be positive and meaningful for all stakeholders.