P.h.D Research
To measure the efficacy, attitudes and perceived preparedness of student art teachers from the NCAD ITE program, towards the design of a new inclusive educational module to effectively prepare graduates to teach inclusively.
Does the NCAD ITE program effectively prepare student art teachers with the perceived attitudes, knowledge and skills needed to implement an inclusive art education in mainstream post-primary schools?
Although studies in student teachers’ development and efficacy have examined the relationship between student teachers preparedness and for eventual teacher efficacy and various teaching outcomes, there has not been a study examining the beliefs that student art teachers have with regards to their perceived preparedness of facilitating an inclusive art education.
The research will enable student art teachers to reflect on, evaluate and measure their confidence and believed ability, once they have completed the inclusion modules in their national qualification to become post-primary art teachers, against their experience of facilitating an inclusive art education as a newly qualified teacher (NQT) and/or placement experience. In Ireland, this professional qualification is known as the Professional Masters in Education (PME).
At a period in time when Inclusive Education (IE) is prominently on all education agendas, not only in Ireland but world-wide, this is a significant omission (O’Donnell, 2009).
Educational inclusion has become increasingly broadened to include the catering for the needs of all children, including those who may be vulnerable, disenfranchised, from various cultures or ethnic groups, may have a special educational need and/or disability or living in poverty (Forlin et all, 2011).
InSEA Publication
‘Learning Through Art’: International Pictures of Practice Three
A Message in a Bottle
A development education project through art by Rhian Foley
This teaching methodology is based on the development education module that we undertook during the first year of our PME programme, one that I still use and embed in my teaching practice today. The title of the scheme is ‘A Message in a Bottle (Displacement),’ whereby students will be encouraged to express their own ideas, feelings and responses to theme (as part of a group of three or four) using glass bottles which will make up a section of a small scale sculptural/installation piece with the rest of the class. Displacement will be touched upon during various stages of the classes and the groups of students will be encouraged to respond to this on personal, local, national or international level depending on their interests and abilities. For example, some of my students responded on a personal level, explaining how they have felt displaced due to bullying while another group responded by exploring how environmental reasons can cause displacement. The students will be looking at other artworks and designers to develop their visual literacy and appreciation of visual culture. Discovery and experiential learning will underpin this entire project and student autonomy and learner voice is a crucial aspect to each lesson while experiencing group work and peer evaluation.