“Where does learning happen?”
… The answer depends on who you ask.

You don’t need a classroom to learn
… My experience as a learner, a teacher and an artist

Education is what remains when we have forgotten all that we have been taught 

- George Savile

Tell me, and I will forget.
Show me, and I may remember.
Involve me, and I will understand.
- Confucius, 450 B.C.

“…[T]here is an intimate and necessary relation between the processes of actual experience and education.”
- John Dewey, 1938

Dewey stressed the importance of democracy

Friere labeled formal education oppressive

Illich called for the disestablishment of the school system

Holt believed formal schooling was harmful to children

Unschooling is a range of educational philosophies and practices centered on allowing children to learn through their natural life experiences, including play, game play, household responsibilities, work experience, and social interaction, rather than through a more traditional school curriculum.

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Here is the media release, dated August 16, 2011:

Peel Teacher Wins ETFO Award for Arts and Culture
Book author furthers critical literacy, inclusion, diversity and equity

August 16, 2011

TORONTO – The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has presented Peel teacher Rebecca Codack Zak with its 2011 Arts and Culture Award for her book titled The Cutest Face: Celebrating Diversity and Equity in the Classroom. The award is granted to an active member or group of ETFO members to recognize involvement in arts and cultural activities outside of their professional duties.

Along with being an elementary teacher at Edenwood Middle School, Rebecca is an artist who has participated in art exhibitions across southern Ontario and provided illustrations for another teacher resource published in 2009.

A teacher who is passionate about social justice issues, Rebecca wrote, illustrated and self-published The Cutest Face to create a classroom resource that mirrors the broad diversity of people living in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Inspired by her own multicultural, multi-abled students, she produced a story that any child, no matter what their background, could pick up and recognize him or herself within the pages.

The story takes place on photo day at school. While the text speaks subtly to children’s similarities, differences are alluded to through exquisite hand-painted illustrations, evoking a message of inclusion. Images of children in the four-colour, hard cover book have been rendered highly realistically in order that they look like people that children may meet in their neighbourhood or school.

“ETFO proudly supports a climate of social justice in schools across the province and Rebecca’s book is an important contribution to that aim,” said ETFO President Sam Hammond. “The Cutest Face not only supports critical literacy, it places emphasis on inclusion, diversity, and equity—values that underpin Ontario schools.”

To learn more or purchase a copy of the The Cutest Face, please see www.cutestfacebook.com

To view this article on the etfo.org site, please go to:

http://www.etfo.ca/MediaRoom/MediaReleases/Pages/Peel%20Teacher%20Wins%20ETFO%20Award%20for%20Arts%20
and%20Culture.aspx

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I am using Art-Based Research grounded in Unschooling theory to illuminate how creativity is treated (i.e. fostered/suppressed) in various educational models (e.g. traditional schooling, Montessori, Waldorf, Sudbury Valley, homeschooling, unschooling). My guiding question throughout this study is, “how can creativity be nurtured in educational contexts?” As an artist/art education researcher/art teacher, to me this is an extremely important question!

Here’s a trailer I prepared as part of my research proposal to convey how my research will be explored and presented, as I am purposefully deviating from the traditional dissertation format (i.e. a 90,000 word document):

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I am an
ARTIST, a RESEARCHER, and a TEACHER
combined.

Irwin & de Cosson (2004) call the work that comes from people like me, “A/R/TOGRAPHY”.

They write that these roles intertwine to create a unique triadic perspective

from which to make art, conduct research, and teach.

I’ve illustrated this concept here:

If I had not been interested in art, I likely would not have become a teacher.

If I had not become a teacher, I would not have had reason to pursue a research doctorate.

FREIRE, HOLT, GATTO, CSIKSZENTMIHALYI, ROBINSON, GREENE

Here’s my Masters of Education research project. I used art-based methodology to paint a literal and figurative portrait of the Artist/Researcher/Teacher and reflection on the nature of learning:

“What is EDUCATION for?”
In my view, the purpose of education is to foster problem solving and creative capacities to enable people to think on their own, for themselves, and with a mind to the world outside themselves.

“What is RESEARCH for?”
In my view, research is more than its dictionary definition: a “diligent and systematic inquiry.” Research carries the burden of social justice; if it is to be transformative it must be shared widely.

“What is ART for?”
In my view, art is for questioning, criticizing and analyzing what is, and to conceptualize what could/should be, in the spirit of social justice and in support of humanity. Art is a vehicle for reflection, exploration, voice, connecting with one another/our (collective) spirit, drive by historical human necessity and innate compulsion. It is a gift.

The Tenets of Art-Based Research (ABR):
“We must get beyond the attempt to impose a single type of research onto every life situation” (McNiff, 1998)

1. Art is an alternate form of communication

“a picture says 1000 words” means that art can say what language cannot

Nick Ut, 1972

Ed Burtynsky, Oxford Tire Pile No. 1, 1999

2. ABR is grounded in theory but not bound by tradition

e.g. Wells’ (2008) photonarrative dissertation, grounded in queer theory

3. ABR recognizes researcher presence

e.g. McDermott’s (2008) collage dissertation focused on her tumultuous love affair with another scholar

4. ABR emphasizes multiple truths

“Empower readers rather than alienate them with one-way choices” (Loi, 2008)

5. ABR underscores empathy

6. ABR ensures accessibility

a) understandable

b) within reach

How the Internet is Changing Everything:

What is Rigour?
“The quality of being extremely thorough, exhaustive, or accurate” (McKean, 2006)
* what this means (i.e. what these indicators may look like) is fundamentally debatable
* we must account for knowledge pluralism
* an MFA culminates in an art show
* art is epistemology

What about Ethics?
Willing research informants are positioned as co-researchers, instead of nonprivileged “subjects” (Mitchell, 2008)
Media releases will be needed for anyone and/or their work appearing in my doc.
Intellectual property… Copyright… Creative commons.

And now for an example of how I see ABR informing my dissertation, in the form of a documentary…

My Doc Trailer: How Can We Nurture Creativity in Educational Contexts?

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Art as Communication = how meaning is constructed through the visual image

* “a picture says 1000 words” means that art can say what language cannot

Nick Ut, 1972

Ed Burtynsky, Oxford Tire Pile No. 1, 1999

What is beauty? Media projections vs. evolutionary psychology.

The Golden Spiral Explained! – Leonardo Da Vinci

A Night of Numbers – Phi’s The Limit

Critical literacy means to teach and learn with a consciousness of how messages embedded in text (even implicitly) construct and perpetuate identities of groups of people in society.

The Danger of a Single Story:

The Cutest Face:

* The story takes place on photo day at school. The teacher narrator describes each student as they come into the classroom, affirming their individual “cuteness” and uniqueness.

* While the text speaks subtly to the children’s similarities, difference is alluded to through the illustrations, evoking a message of inclusion.

* The teacher is not depicted visually, so as not to inadvertently suggest the superiority of the authority figure’s ethnicity.

* It concludes with an image of the class composite photo and a line that speaks to the beautiful picture made by everyone, all together.

* Art is my medium for creating, teaching, research, promoting social justice.

If you would like to get in touch with me regarding any of this, please do. My email is rebecca@lifeinpaint.com.

Thanks!

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Recently, I have youtube viewers asking for the template! here is the video and template for download. Happy art

(right/ctrl click – save file as) http://davezak.com/lip/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/flipbook_file-231×300.jpg

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__________________________________________________________

Critical Literacy

A picture says 1000 words, yes… but it may not always tell the truth.

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What is included under the title “text”? It is continually growing as technology (and thus communication) changes.

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0:30 – 3:14

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Critical literacy means to teach and learn with a consciousness of how messages embedded in text (even implicitly) construct and perpetuate identities of groups of people in society.

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0:00 – 5:11

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0:00 – 0:30, 3:12 – end

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The goal is not just to construct understanding, but to build agency out of that understanding ultimately for a transformative outcome.

YOU must continually challenge your own critical literacy skills, even (especially) as a teacher with limited experience.

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In November 2010, I had the opportunity to be a guest lecturer for Dr. Dolana Mogadime at Brock University. Below are my notes from that talk, based on my experience as an artist/researcher/teacher in promoting an ethic of care in education.

_____________________________

Thanks for having me here. First, a little background as we begin…

I’m Rebecca Codack Zak

art teacher

+ artist (lifeinpaint.com)

+ PhD student at Brock U.

=  a/r/tographer

_____________________________

Art as Communication (and how technology factors in)

* blog instead of PowerPoint

* art is your first language

* “a picture says 1000 words” means that art can say what language cannot

Nick Ut, 1972

Ed Burtynsky, Oxford Tire Pile No. 1, 1999

How the Internet is Changing Everything:

______________________________________

Art for Social Justice (…it’s not just how you teach, but what)

* My experience teaching character education

* Noddings describes a curriculum that focuses much less on academics and more on nurturing students’ emotional and moral compasses

* Selby speaks to the 21st century context in which education is taking place, calling it a “glocal” world that students are now inheriting, due to globalization and technology

* I agree; we have a moral imperative to teach towards an awareness of global issues/connectedness (follows a belief that good citizens are made, not born)

* Does the classroom environment/the curriculum support this?

The Danger of a Single Story:

The Cutest Face:

* The story takes place on photo day at school. The teacher narrator describes each student as they come into the classroom, affirming their individual “cuteness” and uniqueness.

* While the text speaks subtly to the children’s similarities, difference is alluded to through the illustrations, evoking a message of inclusion.

* The teacher is not depicted visually, so as not to inadvertently suggest the superiority of the authority figure’s ethnicity.

* It concludes with an image of the class composite photo and a line that speaks to the beautiful picture made by everyone, all together.

* Art is my medium for creating, teaching, research, promoting social justice.

If you would like to get in touch with me regarding any of this, please do. My email is rebecca@lifeinpaint.com.

Thanks!

_____________________________________________

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Eric and I with his autographed copy of "The Cutest Face"

I met Eric Walters this week!  For those who are older than Eric’s readership (and aren’t teachers like me), Eric is a hugely prolific juvenile fiction novelist.  He writes about 7 titles a year, he tells me, and has just finished number 70! This is all while also heading up his own charity to help Kenyan youth – building schools, raising and training people to take care of goats, meeting the needs of those most in need.  Eric is also very much involved here at home, in Canada – he works with street youth, is responsible for heading up the Terry Fox run in schools, and spends a lot of time speaking about these causes to students.  He has made such a positive presence for himself, it’s no wonder my students thought of him right away when I asked, “who should I get to endorse my book?” – thankfully Eric obliged.  Eric started his career as a teacher as well, taking much inspiration from his days at Vista Heights P.S. and working them into his stories. Since our bios are so similar thus far, I am hoping things will continue the same way!  I want to be like Eric when I grow up.

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First look at the book after advanced copies arrived by courier

YAY!!!  We did it!!!

After 10 months of painting, writing, researching, designing, and hustling, our book The Cutest Face has finally arrived!

I wrote the first draft of The Cutest Face after my first year teaching at Lisgar M.S.  It was last summer that I came up with a vision for how it could be illustrated and marketed, and then I knew it would happen – there was no question: this book would definitely be real one day.  I happen to be so lucky as to be marrying a very talented and skilled multimedia artist, Dave Zak, who was able to design the entire book, prep the files for the printer, create a website where we could make it available for people, and draft a serious marketing plan.  It was completely a joint effort and a labour of love.

So it is with excitement and pleasure that we announce that The Cutest Face is now available at www.cutestfacebook.com

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We’ve been hanging out in the studio together since she was little, Feather usually sitting on my lap as I work on projects. She seems to have resigned herself to the fact that when I have a paintbrush in my hand, I don’t really pet her (she’d be covered in paint if I did), yet she doesn’t seem to mind. She is very content to just stay there close to me, literally watching paint dry for hours.

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Welcome to the new and improved site for Life In Paint!  A hundred thank-yous and kisses go to Dave for everything he’s done to set this up.  What would I do without that guy?

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