ERIC Number: EJ1198139
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 7
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0004-3125
EISSN: N/A
Remix with Humor: Motivating Learners in an Inclusion Classroom with Visual Culture
Tornero, Stephen; Kan, Koon Hwee
Art Education, v70 n5 p50-56 2017
The demands of art projects in public schools may not fit with reality for many exceptional students because the project outcomes are often too specific (Henley, 1992). One strong motivator for students is looking at and discussing visual culture, involving all the images they see and all the visual experiences they have every day. This pedagogy capitalizes on students' early immersion in visual culture and can capture their attention more readily than text and images that are less familiar (Duncum, 2010). By integrating the ubiquitous visual culture that is part of all students' lives, including those with special needs, art teachers can harness the benefits of this approach to art education as an effective strategy of engagement and inclusion. This article shares an exemplary project involving the remix of images based on animal personification to capitalize on students' innate humor and inject new meanings into their studio art. Shifting the focus of the art classroom to address visual culture experiences, rather than traditional art images, can gain the interest of exceptional students, some of whom would not normally participate enthusiastically in artmaking tasks. When engaging in an art curriculum that is meaningful to them, they are able to transcend some of the difficulties of their disabilities, and are more likely to engage in positive interactions with peers and adults (Henley, 1998; Hoeptner-Poling & Doff, 2011; Koo, 2010). Creating a system, practice, environment, or object that is easy to use for all students, together with modifying instructions and procedures for students with special needs, can help all to succeed. Through this process, exceptional learners were able to connect to the artistic process necessary to create meaningful work that they were proud to display to teachers, parents, and peers.
Descriptors: Teaching Methods, Humor, Inclusion, Student Motivation, Disabilities, Art, Art Education, Special Needs Students, Art Teachers, Art Activities, Learner Engagement, Middle School Students, Freehand Drawing, Animals, Visual Arts
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Middle Schools; Secondary Education; Junior High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A