Readings

Summary 3: “Thinking Outside and On the Box: Creativity and Inquiry in Art Practice”

Main Idea: The main idea of this article is to emphasize the importance of creativity in the practice of making art. The article explores the ways creative thinking kick-starts the process of artistic practices. The phases of Wallas’ theories are explained in depth, and how they are practiced within the classroom.

Supporting Key Concepts:

• Wallas’ Theory (1926) defines the 4 stages of the creative process…

1. Preparation: Information and like ideas at gathered.

2. Incubation: the prepared material from stage one is organized.

3. Illumination: where the idea is formed.

4. Verification: the idea from stage 3 is modified into the final form.

• After Wallas, later theorists defined 3 basic types of thinking…

1. Analytical, which is examining a specific thing to understand it fully (Kirst & Dickmeyer, 1973), or find an abstract meaning in the basis of the specific thing (Necka, 1986).
2. Connective or Associative, which is creating association between 2 things and finding similarities (Necka, 1986)
3. Transformative, this is a type of thinking where the idea is elaborated, cleaned up or translated into “another style, medium, or form” (Kirst & Dickmeyer, 1973; Necka, 1986).

Example and Assessment: One example that helped the author get her idea across was how she explained (and provided) a mapped out, visual explanation of Wallas’ format. She introduced the ideas with real-life examples of how each idea is translated into a classroom setting. She explained in detail how phases one through four would look like in real-life. For example; Name, Distill, Hunt, Gather and Collect Mine and Extract all fall under the first phase, Preparation.  Connect, Synthesize, Juxtapose, Cast or Frame, Project/Extend all fall under the second phase, Incubation. Construct falls under the third phase, Illumination. Elaborate/Extend further falls under the fourth and final stage, Verification.

Personal Response: My personal response to this article was positive. I enjoyed being able to analyze key details to the creative process and the crucial steps needed to complete it. As a future art teacher, this article was immensely helpful in that it covers the much needed basis’ of classroom teaching needed to help my students succeed.

Questions: My question would be if these processes are suitable with all types of cultural backgrounds? Maybe even students with disabilities? I will be hoping to teach a wide variety of students, and I question whether this information easily applies to all demographics of students.

Web:   * (All information on the Web was taken from "Thinking Outside and On the Box: Creativity and Inquiry in Art Practice”, Marshall, Julia, Art Education; Mar 2010; 63, 2; ProQuest Social Sciences Premium Collection, pg. 16* 

Summary 5: “Art Education Technology: Digital Storytelling”

Main Idea:  Digital storytelling is an interesting way to expand the students mind with creativity, while also touching on many important topics in current society. “Digital storytelling is a powerful and relevant way to teach visual culture and art in the age of technology”. 

Supporting Key Concepts:

• Digital storytelling has powerful tactics such as..

-images

-music

-narrative 

-voice

• Digital storytelling allows the student to use their knowledge of literacy, artistic, and critical skills to reach multiple audiences.

• It helps with the experience for “art inquiry, production and instruction and to create an instructional multimedia story related to art”.
• It helps with participating in class discussions
• It helps salute digital stories made by classmates

Example and Assessment: 

An example that helped the author get her point across was the detailed steps that was necessary to create a successful digital story. The author started with what digital stories are made up of; images, music, narrative and voice. Then on the second page, the author explained in depth what each step was. Exploring topics was the first, which explained how the students needed to research a topic that would properly attract the audience. The second step was script, how the students would narrate their point of voice on the topic. The third was storyboard, which was how the students would conduct their project through images.

Personal Response: My personal response would be that I think it would be interesting for young students to use this project in Elementary schools and have the topic revolve around morals. I think this would be a fantastic way to teach children ages 6-9 about positive morals because they will have fun doing it, and always it will make a memorable impact.

Questions:  My question would be “what if the schools cannot provide such equipment?” Would there be another way to integrate Digital Story Telling but without the digital? Would there be a strategy that is just as powerful and impactful without the use of computers? Or would that have a lesser impact on the children’s progression with technology?

Web:   * (All information on the Web was taken from “Chung, Shen Kuan, Art Education”;Mar 2007;60, 2;ProQuest Social Sciences Premium Collection pg.17)

Summary 10, Group Project

There are many components when designing a “good” digital story, and this article explains how to begin this process. It dives into two movies, examining their illustrations and the early processes that took place in the creation of the pieces.

“Design is the method of putting form and content together. Design, just as art, has multiple definitions; there is no single definition. Design can be art. Design can be aesthetic. Design is so simple, that’s why it is so complicated.”

-Paul Rand, 2001

Supporting Key Concepts:

-Rob Kershaw’s work succeeds with manipulation of ordinary photos. “Camaro Boy” uses only two photos, but Kershaw changes them in ways that the audience views as evolution (of the character’s life).

-Kershaw cut out horizontal and vertical slices of the video, creating a puzzle design strategy. He does this for the audience to connect the story together, and to see a slow “reveal”.

-Panning=Moving across the horizontal plane of a film shot.

-Zooming= Moving in or out from a point on the image.

-In Roberto Gerli’s improvised mobile digital stories, the first design principle is to connect to the audience. It is crucial to find an “appropriate angel into a subject” because it creates the basis for the story.

-Visual repetition: Shown in Kershaw’s two photos, and in Gerli’s portraits. This is a useful design strategy in that it automatically connects the viewers to the characters.

-Time limits force us to discard non essential elements and streamline the process, as well as the work it creates. 

-Intuition is the “largest part” of experimentation, which is synonymous with creativity. By leaning on intuition and working quickly creativity is preserved and protected from “over thinking”