Participating in the arts is fundamental to human behavior.
Walk into any daycare center and it won't take long to find a young child shimmying down the hallway, humming an improvised tune, or decisively waving a paintbrush onto an easel paper ("I am making...a lollipop!"). No one needs to ask these youngsters to act in these ways - in fact, it is often impossible to get them to stop.
Visit a high school. Tired adolescents wander in from the bus, ears covered with bubble-shaped headphones - a desperate attempt to use their favorite music to gain some energy and improve their mood. Before class begins, these students use their phones to carefully flip through filters on Snapchat and Instagram, deeply observing the differences in order to post the best possible versions of their amateur photography.
There must be deeply engrained reasons why people of all ages engage in artistic behaviors - the arts are ubiquitous, present in all cultures (Dissanayake, 1988; Winner, 2019). While Youtube, fancy ear buds, and other technological advances make the process of engaging with the arts very easy today, there is nothing new about humans making, consuming, and appreciating the arts. Our earliest ancestors, between hunting for food, finding shelter, and protecting themselves from the dangers of living in the elements, found time to paint on cave walls with ochre (99,000 years ago; Balter, 2009) and to make music from animal bone flutes (30,000 years ago; Conard, Malina, & Munzel, 2009). You can't get a complete look at human behavior without including the arts.
Visit a high school. Tired adolescents wander in from the bus, ears covered with bubble-shaped headphones - a desperate attempt to use their favorite music to gain some energy and improve their mood. Before class begins, these students use their phones to carefully flip through filters on Snapchat and Instagram, deeply observing the differences in order to post the best possible versions of their amateur photography.
There must be deeply engrained reasons why people of all ages engage in artistic behaviors - the arts are ubiquitous, present in all cultures (Dissanayake, 1988; Winner, 2019). While Youtube, fancy ear buds, and other technological advances make the process of engaging with the arts very easy today, there is nothing new about humans making, consuming, and appreciating the arts. Our earliest ancestors, between hunting for food, finding shelter, and protecting themselves from the dangers of living in the elements, found time to paint on cave walls with ochre (99,000 years ago; Balter, 2009) and to make music from animal bone flutes (30,000 years ago; Conard, Malina, & Munzel, 2009). You can't get a complete look at human behavior without including the arts.
But why do we engage in the arts? What do the arts do for us?
My research agenda
There is much that the arts can do for us -- provide us with alternate ways of understanding, allow us to communicate more fully, connect us with each other, heal emotional traumas, and learn life broad habits of mind. For all we empirically know and anecdotally believe about the arts, there also dozens of claims made about the power of the arts that remain uninvestigated or are based on only correlational evidence. My research critically investigates questions about what the arts do for us within my wheelhouse: schools and other educational environments.
My research centers on two broad questions:
What do we learn through arts education?
What do people think that we learn through arts education?
There's no one way to understand something -
using mixed and multi-methods in my research allows me to illuminate multiple ways of knowing about arts education.
What do we learn through arts education?
What do people think that we learn through arts education?
There's no one way to understand something -
using mixed and multi-methods in my research allows me to illuminate multiple ways of knowing about arts education.
Current projects
Ensemble Habits of Mind:
Teaching Thinking in the Music Ensemble
What do we learn?
It might seem easy to speculate what is being taught in school music ensembles--skills like how to read music notation, how to sing, and how to play the bassoon. But are there also broad ways of thinking that are taught in these school environments which could potentially hold value outside of the music room?
I've investigated these potential habits of mind in a qualitative study with data collection sites in high schools around the United States. Preliminary results, documenting Ensemble Habits of Mind (Evaluate, Express, Imagine, Listen, Notice, Participate in Community, Persist, Set Goals & Be Prepared) are published in a chapter in the Oxford Handbook of Qualitative and Philosophical Approaches to Assessment in Music Education (Hogan & Winner, 2019).
In a follow-up study, a team of coders and I tested how well this Ensemble Habit of Mind framework translates to younger students in intensive orchestral environments like those inspired by El Sistema. We've found that the framework works for analyzing work with younger students, also (Hogan, Blumert, & Stickert, in preparation).
What do people think we learn?
Two of my ongoing studies aim to show what various stakeholders believe are the habits of mind taught in music ensembles. In one study, we have asked almost 200 high school music teachers to respond both quantitatively (in Likert scales) and qualitatively (in free response questions) about what habits of mind they believe are taught in their classroom and whether these are effective advocacy tools. These will be compared to findings from the Ensemble Habits of Mind framework to look for areas of alignment and misalignment between what was seen and what teachers report.
In a second study, we asked nearly 700 high school students, music teachers, parents, and administrators in 14 communities what they believe is taught in music ensembles that is useful outside of the music room. The responses underwent grounded theory analysis and responses clustered into seven areas: dedication, social cohesion and accountability, planning and preparedness, noticing, emotional wellbeing, ways of working, and critical/creative thinking. As we continue analysis, we'll be looking for alignment and misalignment within school communities (is everyone at the school on the same page about what is being taught?) and across communities (do parents tend to give similar responses across communities? How are these the same or different from students, or administrators, or teachers?)
Teaching Thinking in the Music Ensemble
What do we learn?
It might seem easy to speculate what is being taught in school music ensembles--skills like how to read music notation, how to sing, and how to play the bassoon. But are there also broad ways of thinking that are taught in these school environments which could potentially hold value outside of the music room?
I've investigated these potential habits of mind in a qualitative study with data collection sites in high schools around the United States. Preliminary results, documenting Ensemble Habits of Mind (Evaluate, Express, Imagine, Listen, Notice, Participate in Community, Persist, Set Goals & Be Prepared) are published in a chapter in the Oxford Handbook of Qualitative and Philosophical Approaches to Assessment in Music Education (Hogan & Winner, 2019).
In a follow-up study, a team of coders and I tested how well this Ensemble Habit of Mind framework translates to younger students in intensive orchestral environments like those inspired by El Sistema. We've found that the framework works for analyzing work with younger students, also (Hogan, Blumert, & Stickert, in preparation).
What do people think we learn?
Two of my ongoing studies aim to show what various stakeholders believe are the habits of mind taught in music ensembles. In one study, we have asked almost 200 high school music teachers to respond both quantitatively (in Likert scales) and qualitatively (in free response questions) about what habits of mind they believe are taught in their classroom and whether these are effective advocacy tools. These will be compared to findings from the Ensemble Habits of Mind framework to look for areas of alignment and misalignment between what was seen and what teachers report.
In a second study, we asked nearly 700 high school students, music teachers, parents, and administrators in 14 communities what they believe is taught in music ensembles that is useful outside of the music room. The responses underwent grounded theory analysis and responses clustered into seven areas: dedication, social cohesion and accountability, planning and preparedness, noticing, emotional wellbeing, ways of working, and critical/creative thinking. As we continue analysis, we'll be looking for alignment and misalignment within school communities (is everyone at the school on the same page about what is being taught?) and across communities (do parents tend to give similar responses across communities? How are these the same or different from students, or administrators, or teachers?)
Examining the Effects of Intensive Orchestral Music Training on Kindergarten Students' Executive Functioning and Socio-Emotional
Skills
What do we learn?
Programs inspired by El Sistema have become increasingly popular outside of Venezuela. How does participation in these programs influence children's cognitive and affective development?
In this longitudinal study, we are tracking 200 children's yearly progress over two years and comparing treatment groups (those Kindergartners engaged in intensive orchestral training) and control groups (those children who were not admitted to the orchestral program via lottery). Collaborators for this study are Ellen Winner, Sara Cordes, Ehri Ryu, Steven Holochwost, and Adele Diamond. It is funded by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Gustavo Dudamel Foundation.
The relationship between executive functioning and socio-emotional skills and initial intensive general music training in these programs is reported here.
Skills
What do we learn?
Programs inspired by El Sistema have become increasingly popular outside of Venezuela. How does participation in these programs influence children's cognitive and affective development?
In this longitudinal study, we are tracking 200 children's yearly progress over two years and comparing treatment groups (those Kindergartners engaged in intensive orchestral training) and control groups (those children who were not admitted to the orchestral program via lottery). Collaborators for this study are Ellen Winner, Sara Cordes, Ehri Ryu, Steven Holochwost, and Adele Diamond. It is funded by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Gustavo Dudamel Foundation.
The relationship between executive functioning and socio-emotional skills and initial intensive general music training in these programs is reported here.
Children's Justifications for Keeping Art, Music, and Physical Education in the School Day
What do people think we learn?
In a multi-method study, we presented over 2000 grade 4 students with a scenario: the person in charge at your school has decided to cut art (or music, or physical) education. Is this a good idea, or a bad idea, and why?
Thematic coding of student answers revealed the rationale children use for their participation in each of these "specials." Preliminary data, including how children are significantly less likely to defend music class than they are art class, and the differences in themes between disciplines, can be found here.
What do people think we learn?
In a multi-method study, we presented over 2000 grade 4 students with a scenario: the person in charge at your school has decided to cut art (or music, or physical) education. Is this a good idea, or a bad idea, and why?
Thematic coding of student answers revealed the rationale children use for their participation in each of these "specials." Preliminary data, including how children are significantly less likely to defend music class than they are art class, and the differences in themes between disciplines, can be found here.
Studio Habits of Mind in Elementary Students
In 2007, the Studio Thinking study was published (Hetland, Winner, Veenema & Sheridan), which systematically identified eight habits of mind taught in high school visual arts classrooms: Develop Craft (technique and studio practice), Engage & Persist (committing and following through), Envision (thinking in images), Express (finding meaning), Observe (really seeing, not just looking), Reflect (question and explain and evaluate), Stretch & Explore (taking a leap), and Understand Art Worlds (domain and communities).
What do we learn?
In summer 2018, I released a follow-up book specifically for elementary teachers with co-authors Lois Hetland, Diane Jaquith, and Ellen Winner. In Studio Thinking from the Start, we explicitly document how teachers and students can make Studio Habits of Mind visible, paint written portraits of classrooms that exemplify the Studio Thinking framework, and discuss formative assessment, arts integration, and how the Studio Habits of Mind can be used for arts advocacy.
I'm currently writing up findings from measures we designed to to assess growth in Engage & Persist, Envision, Stretch & Explore, and Observe in fourth graders in a variety of visual art classrooms all over the United States. The measures are psychometrically tested and show two important findings about student engagement: Students from low-SES environments report higher student engagement at both the beginning and of the 4th grade year than their counterparts in middle and high SES environments; and students from Teaching for Artistic Behavior (choice-based) classrooms are immune to an end-of-the-year slump in engagement that happens for 4th graders overall. My advisors for this project are Ellen Winner and Lois Hetland, and I am working in collaboration with Jordan Lawson and Ehri Ryu.
During the 2018-2019 school year, Diane Jaquith and I led a professional development cohort of seven elementary teachers interested in applying the principles of formative assessment described in Studio Thinking from the Start to their classroom practices. In monthly virtual meetings, teachers reported what they have tried, how these ideas have worked (or not), and give advice to each other. Now, we are working on turning some of these findings into publications.
In 2007, the Studio Thinking study was published (Hetland, Winner, Veenema & Sheridan), which systematically identified eight habits of mind taught in high school visual arts classrooms: Develop Craft (technique and studio practice), Engage & Persist (committing and following through), Envision (thinking in images), Express (finding meaning), Observe (really seeing, not just looking), Reflect (question and explain and evaluate), Stretch & Explore (taking a leap), and Understand Art Worlds (domain and communities).
What do we learn?
In summer 2018, I released a follow-up book specifically for elementary teachers with co-authors Lois Hetland, Diane Jaquith, and Ellen Winner. In Studio Thinking from the Start, we explicitly document how teachers and students can make Studio Habits of Mind visible, paint written portraits of classrooms that exemplify the Studio Thinking framework, and discuss formative assessment, arts integration, and how the Studio Habits of Mind can be used for arts advocacy.
I'm currently writing up findings from measures we designed to to assess growth in Engage & Persist, Envision, Stretch & Explore, and Observe in fourth graders in a variety of visual art classrooms all over the United States. The measures are psychometrically tested and show two important findings about student engagement: Students from low-SES environments report higher student engagement at both the beginning and of the 4th grade year than their counterparts in middle and high SES environments; and students from Teaching for Artistic Behavior (choice-based) classrooms are immune to an end-of-the-year slump in engagement that happens for 4th graders overall. My advisors for this project are Ellen Winner and Lois Hetland, and I am working in collaboration with Jordan Lawson and Ehri Ryu.
During the 2018-2019 school year, Diane Jaquith and I led a professional development cohort of seven elementary teachers interested in applying the principles of formative assessment described in Studio Thinking from the Start to their classroom practices. In monthly virtual meetings, teachers reported what they have tried, how these ideas have worked (or not), and give advice to each other. Now, we are working on turning some of these findings into publications.
Fashion Designers as Artistic Thinkers: Documenting the Studio Habits of Mind in Project Runway contestants
What do we learn?
The Studio Thinking framework describes those habits of mind and structures that were systematically documented as being emphasized by teachers in arts-centered high schools. But how do we know these are habits of mind that practicing artists use?
In this study, we coded behaviors of semi-professional and professional fashion designers as they compete on the reality TV show Project Runway. We explore the possibility that reality television can be a way for teachers to show thinking behaviors that are part of the art making process, and that the Studio Thinking framework can be used for documenting creative behavior. This work is published here and work to help teachers use this in their classrooms is underway.
What do we learn?
The Studio Thinking framework describes those habits of mind and structures that were systematically documented as being emphasized by teachers in arts-centered high schools. But how do we know these are habits of mind that practicing artists use?
In this study, we coded behaviors of semi-professional and professional fashion designers as they compete on the reality TV show Project Runway. We explore the possibility that reality television can be a way for teachers to show thinking behaviors that are part of the art making process, and that the Studio Thinking framework can be used for documenting creative behavior. This work is published here and work to help teachers use this in their classrooms is underway.
Assessing Progression in Creative and Critical Thinking Skills in Education
What do we learn?
How can we measure creative thinking schools? What habits of mind can be assessed within a classroom context? What do creative habits of mind like envisioning, reflecting, and exploring look like in student work as it progresses from a beginning to an advanced level of thinking?
In this project, I am working with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Center for Educational Research in Paris, France on an international study piloting a framework for assessing habits of mind in elementary and middle school visual arts classrooms.
What do we learn?
How can we measure creative thinking schools? What habits of mind can be assessed within a classroom context? What do creative habits of mind like envisioning, reflecting, and exploring look like in student work as it progresses from a beginning to an advanced level of thinking?
In this project, I am working with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Center for Educational Research in Paris, France on an international study piloting a framework for assessing habits of mind in elementary and middle school visual arts classrooms.