Wendy Milne, EdD. teaches elementary art in the Hempfield Area School District and is the author of the recently published book , “Professional Learning through Reflective Artmaking: A Pedagogical Portfolio.”  She resides in Region 1 and was a former co-representative and Advocacy Co- Chair for PAEA. 

In late Spring, 2020 my friend and mentor asked me if I would be interested in altering my dissertation into a book to be published by Learning Moments Press (https://learningmomentspress.com/). Since we were all shut down during the quarantine I thought I would have lots of spare time. However, summer passed with few attempts at writing the book and more of a focus (panic, really!) on what the upcoming school year would bring.

I’m an elementary art teacher.  As with many school districts, changes during the pandemic year in specialty area subjects were drastic. Many new teaching schedules were put into place in my district -all of which decreased the amount of time my students would have art throughout the year. Nothing raises my blood pressure more than being told my students would not be getting as much art as they deserved. I dealt with this stress by turning to my sketchbook.

In my book, “Professional Learning through Reflective Artmaking: A Pedagogical Portfolio”

I discuss how I’ve used sketching to reflect on my thoughts/ideas/frustrations/etc for over 30 years of teaching. I briefly discuss some of these thoughts here.

Early in my teaching career, I entered into a doctoral program at the University of Pittsburgh where I was engaged in fairly traditional research courses requiring written research papers. Though delving into research about art education was extremely interesting, I felt as if I did not have the opportunity to be very creative but I did not know how to address this. Additionally, my teaching schedule and coursework allowed for little time –or energy – to make art. The author, Wanda May highlights how many art teachers have little time to be critically reflective on their practice (May, Teachers, Teaching and the Workplace,” 150).  More recently, the lack of time and energy for art teachers to reflect was addressed during a NAEA Town Hall meeting “Art Educator as Artist” (June 8, 2021).

Luckily, in one of my classes my professor, Dr. Piantanida, suggested I draw for my research project. I was taken aback for two reasons: The first was I didn’t think it would be acceptable to draw for a graduate class and secondly, I had not been drawing for many years. My skills were rusty and I was embarrassed to share these poorly drawn ideas with anyone. BUT- I was extremely excited to have the chance to be more creative and show ways in which I learn best. I found making quick little sketches using the same media as my students to be ideal.  Eventually, I began to intertwine ideas from literature with my initial reflective sketches. I labeled this practice as Reflective Artmaking.

Reflective Artmaking also became a way to work with a student-teacher to delve more deeply into what it means to teach for new and seasoned teachers. Each week my student teacher and I shared and discussed our drawings helping us both come to a new and deeper understanding of our pedagogy.

I abandoned reflective artmaking after completing my degree, once again, claiming limited time and energy. I eventually returned for various reasons, including new PA Department of Education requirements.  I volunteered to be on our Teacher Supervision and Evaluation Committee to learn more about the requirements and to encourage our district to include a variety of creative evaluation methods. Our district adopted a four-year plan that included Formal Observation one year and, for the other three years, a Differentiated Project based on Danielson’s Framework of Teaching.

I chose the Professional Growth Portfolio component to demonstrate Danielson’s Framework of Teaching. It took the form of another sketchbook in which I crammed as much information as I could in an effort to thoroughly demonstrate my professional competence and accomplishments. To be honest, this initial attempt to use reflective artmaking again was more of an artistic embellishment for administrators rather than expressions of reflective insights I had done in the past.

The following year, however, I was determined to meet my needs as an Art teacher rather than create something for the administrators. Thus, I returned to reflective artmaking as I understood it. Re-immersing myself this way proved incredibly rewarding

because it allowed me to deeply reflect on my practice once again.  I’ve chosen to use a sketchbook format each year for my Differentiated Project and continue to find pleasure in doing so.  Numerous iterations of sketchbooks have emerged as well as new and deeper understandings of my pedagogy.

As I ponder the upcoming school years I have left to teach, I realize that neither I nor anyone else can predict what teaching will look like in the years to come.  I, like so many other teachers, stand at a crossroads. I can succumb to the stress of a world beyond my control, or I can find ways to manage the stress and continue to strive for a personally and professionally meaningful life. I trust that the lessons I have learned about reflective artmaking will sustain me as I choose to move forward with the hope that life will return, not to what it was, but to something new and exciting.  I am reminded as I review my many sketchbooks that my relationships with the students lie at the heart of my practice.

Although my particular process of reflective artmaking may not fit with everyone’s style of professional learning, I hope the artifacts I have shared will give others ideas for meeting whatever challenges we face.

As I finish writing this, I am reminded I have not engaged in reflective artmaking with student teachers again or, ever, with colleagues.   If you would like to collaborate with me in the Reflective Artmaking process as part of your own PDE Differentiated Project please message me via email at wendymmilne@aol.com or Twitter @wendymmilne66.  Additionally, I will be hosting a Book Club through PAEA in Fall, 2021  (https://paeablog.org/art-educator-opportunities/book-club/) and will be presenting at the PAEA Fall Conference (http://www.paeaconference.org/).

References

• May, Wanda T. “Teachers, Teaching and the Workplace: Omissions in Curriculum Reform.” Studies in Art Education 30, no. 3, (1989): 142-156)
• Milne, Wendy M. Professional Learning through Reflective Artmaking: A Pedagogical Portfolio. Pittsburgh: Learning Moments Press, 2021.
• NAEA Town Hall meeting “Art Educator as Artist” (June 8,2021).