Reflective practices in Art-teacher Education

• Published in: Netla
• Main Author: Valsdóttir, Kristín
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: Icelandic
• Published: Menntavísindasvið Háskóla Íslands 2021
• Subjects: reflective practices; tacit knowledge; identity as arts educator; learning culture; adult learners; ígrundaðir starfshættir; þögul þekking; sjálfsmynd listkennara; námsmenning; fullorðnir nemendur; Iceland
• Online Access: https://ojs.hi.is/netla/article/view/3315; https://doi.org/10.24270/serritnetla.2020.11

This article is about reflective practices in teacher education connected to the development of a new identity and personal, professional knowledge of arts educators. It is based on the author’s PhD research; Learning journeys to become Arts Educator: A Practice-Led Biographical Study.The PhD study entailed looking at the background and previous experience of artists in teacher training at the Iceland University of the Arts, how this affects and shapes them and the learning culture within the Department of Arts Education (DAEd). In entering a new field at academic level, the artists, who have been working for several years in their respective field of art, are faced with new working methods and values. The research aims are to contribute to the knowledge of how artists learn through biography and to determine how we can bridge the potential gaps between the arts and the academic world.The theoretical underpinnings are cultural learning theories. The concepts of reflective practices and tacit knowledge are introduced and used to shed light on the evolving identities of arts educators, based on their wide experience and education. The cultural theories of learning and learning cultures are used to determine the primary practices within the DAEd and the interaction between learning culture and the participants within it.The research method is grounded theory. Data were collected from three different sources in two different ways. The sources included reflective journals from 22 students within their first semester in the programme and biographical interviews with 12 graduates from the DAEd and three practising artists in the field. Data triangulation or the ‘triangulation of different methods’ allowed for different perspectives on the research subject. The central themes derived from the analysis of the reflective journals were the foundation for the sensitising concepts leading to the interview framework.The findings from the doctoral research show that there are three core categories essential to artists in their ...