ERIC Number: EJ1051995
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0965-0792
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Available Date: N/A
Bringing Installation Art to Reconnaissance to Share Values and Generate Action
Townsend, Andrew; Thomson, Pat
Educational Action Research, v23 n1 p36-50 2015
The English education system has recently seen something of a revival of enthusiasm for the use of research both to develop educational practices and to gather evidence about their effectiveness. These initiatives often present action research as a model of individual problem-solving, which, we argue, communicates a limited conception of action research. In this paper we propose an alternative to this "problem-solving" conception of action research that acknowledges the complex, messy nature of action research through the use of arts installations. Specifically, we present the reconnaissance phase of a project which brought together a partnership comprising a water heritage museum, university staff, teachers and artists. A pedagogical adaptation of contemporary installation art theory and practice fostered the exploration of individual and collective understandings of water, and also established a shared approach to curriculum development and ownership of the project among all participants. We propose that this creative practice enhanced and changed the process of reconnaissance; it allowed the group to establish and share commitments to the value of water conservation and generated a wide range of options for our action research. [This article was written with the "Get Wet" team.]
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Educational Research, Action Research, Visual Arts, Art Products, Partnerships in Education, Water, Museums, College School Cooperation, Artists, Curriculum Development, Ownership, Conservation (Environment), Environmental Education, Interdisciplinary Approach, College Faculty, Elementary School Teachers, Secondary School Teachers, Values
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Elementary Education; Secondary Education; Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom (England)
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Author Affiliations: N/A