"The BIG One": Discovering Motivation
I find it intriguing that I feel the need to have a research question that will push and personally interest me enough that at the end I am satisfied with my research. What is coincidental and that I didn’t realize until working through my story on my comic is that the research question I have been finalizing is so homogeneous with my needs. I want to know what are the impacts of allowing High School students to modify their curriculum to create Art that is intrinsically motivating. I feel that I do not currently allow enough choice in my high school classes to engage ALL of my students. In the following comics you will notice various events/questions that I am hoping this research will provide impacts too. Impacts I am hoping to investigate include installing better self-motivation in the hopes that distractions would lessen, less waste of supplies/materials and more responsibility, and also boosting the value of the Arts in my students.
Comics, manga, and graphic novels can be an innovative way to visually express an issue or problem. They can allow the story to develop over time and provide multiple angles to the story. Unlike articles and books the captions, thoughts, and spoken words all can have visual markers that allow the viewer to understand the depth of emotion the words are working to portray. The way the panels and gutter space is positioned and sectioned off can enhance, slow down, or speed up the story line. What stands out the most though as an innovative way to express an issue or problem is the ability to have images, actual artifacts shown in the story to deepening the understanding of the subject.
READ ME: To properly enjoy this comic you need to read it from right to left. On the left is a visual of the story flow for the story below. ENJOY!
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Photographic Series: Motivational Distractors
For this Researcher-produced Anthropology, "Motivational Distractors", I worked within the time frame of 8am to 8pm and as the day continued I realized my habit of capturing my “thoughts” in two frames or images. The layout of the image pairs were arranged in order to help with visual flow and flow of my consciousness in the reflections but also to document the sequence of my day. The Essential Questions spearing this research included: What kind of distractors lead students away from being motivated? What is happening in their life to keep them from working on school assignments? How can I boost the whole classes motivation and get them working without prompting? Is there such a thing as healthy distractors or distractors that then boost motivation after a period of time? The following photos depict a day of distractions, life events, and occurrences that reflect on what is happening in the present life of me and aspire to capture what thoughts are floating through my head.
1/9 - Hangry Habits
I personally am very mood dependent on food and can not seem to function until I have coffee in my system. 1/9 Hangry Habits was the first photo taken of the day and on the left shows the abundance of items needing my attention, yet until I manage to consume the liquids and food in the right photo I will not be able to focus. In the photo on the left I have an arrangement of various "to dos" such as graduation invites, gifts, research materials, earring making supplies, vintage up-cycling projects, and toy sewing. In the photo on the right I find it intriguing that I seem to specifically pick out the best looking dishes for myself, I wonder if I do this as a pick me up or just becuase I am more visually focused?
On reflection of these photos and how they helped me gain a unique perspective would include: If I personally have this connection to food in such a way how many of my High School students are having attention issues do to inadequate nutrition? How can I help my students with this issue, especially since we have such a strict NO FOOD in class policy? How can I make sure my kids are eating before school? (I will admit I am guilty of feeding the kids my extra apples and bananas in the morning if they seem they need a pick me up)
I personally am very mood dependent on food and can not seem to function until I have coffee in my system. 1/9 Hangry Habits was the first photo taken of the day and on the left shows the abundance of items needing my attention, yet until I manage to consume the liquids and food in the right photo I will not be able to focus. In the photo on the left I have an arrangement of various "to dos" such as graduation invites, gifts, research materials, earring making supplies, vintage up-cycling projects, and toy sewing. In the photo on the right I find it intriguing that I seem to specifically pick out the best looking dishes for myself, I wonder if I do this as a pick me up or just becuase I am more visually focused?
On reflection of these photos and how they helped me gain a unique perspective would include: If I personally have this connection to food in such a way how many of my High School students are having attention issues do to inadequate nutrition? How can I help my students with this issue, especially since we have such a strict NO FOOD in class policy? How can I make sure my kids are eating before school? (I will admit I am guilty of feeding the kids my extra apples and bananas in the morning if they seem they need a pick me up)
2/9 - Undecided Apparel
Today just so happens to be Graduation for us and I am required to be at the Graduation Ceremony to capture photos for Yearbook and as a Senior Sponsor Teacher. Clothing choices sometimes keep me from being on time so I was trying to be proactive by choosing my outfit early however after picking out an outfit that would allow me to move and show school spirit I still was then worried I was not dressed up enough for this event?
How can these photos help me to define my research question of "What is happening in their life to keep them from working on school assignments?" I find that these images symbolize the thought of how distracting a clothing choices can be. Did others find my choice of tiger leggings as fun, cute, and school spirit oriented or was I too distracting? Did the audience members think my clothing choice was too vibrant and took the attention away from the ceremony as I darted around capturing the event? Overall, these questions that flint through my head are minuscule to the bigger issue of me having anxiety over the issue of picking out clothing because of these thoughts. That then brings to light how many of my students are being distracted and losing minutes of their day because of issues with anxiety? How can I lesson those stressors and boost the amount of time on task?
Today just so happens to be Graduation for us and I am required to be at the Graduation Ceremony to capture photos for Yearbook and as a Senior Sponsor Teacher. Clothing choices sometimes keep me from being on time so I was trying to be proactive by choosing my outfit early however after picking out an outfit that would allow me to move and show school spirit I still was then worried I was not dressed up enough for this event?
How can these photos help me to define my research question of "What is happening in their life to keep them from working on school assignments?" I find that these images symbolize the thought of how distracting a clothing choices can be. Did others find my choice of tiger leggings as fun, cute, and school spirit oriented or was I too distracting? Did the audience members think my clothing choice was too vibrant and took the attention away from the ceremony as I darted around capturing the event? Overall, these questions that flint through my head are minuscule to the bigger issue of me having anxiety over the issue of picking out clothing because of these thoughts. That then brings to light how many of my students are being distracted and losing minutes of their day because of issues with anxiety? How can I lesson those stressors and boost the amount of time on task?
3/9 - Narrative Playtime
In this photo I candidly captured my youngest daughter at play, imaginatively coming up with a story for her toys as they adventured through the house. Currently, she seems to be exploring relationships in her imaginative play and often pairs up her toys into friendships and love interests.
How does thinking of this concept of imaginative play and relationships help me consider a unique perspective in my research? I first reflect on how often I am allowing for imaginative creation in my classroom. I personally feel like I allow this to happen relatively regularly in my Elementary classroom but when at the High School my curriculum is structured around lessons and fitting in as much as possible within my time constraints. If I allowed for time to have imaginative creation would I see a boost in motivation within my classes?
In this photo I candidly captured my youngest daughter at play, imaginatively coming up with a story for her toys as they adventured through the house. Currently, she seems to be exploring relationships in her imaginative play and often pairs up her toys into friendships and love interests.
How does thinking of this concept of imaginative play and relationships help me consider a unique perspective in my research? I first reflect on how often I am allowing for imaginative creation in my classroom. I personally feel like I allow this to happen relatively regularly in my Elementary classroom but when at the High School my curriculum is structured around lessons and fitting in as much as possible within my time constraints. If I allowed for time to have imaginative creation would I see a boost in motivation within my classes?
4/9 - Simple Surprises
Right after I finished photographing my youngest daughter at play I notice that my oldest had left a surprise on the plant ladder. We are constantly finding fun setups in the plants, other areas of our yard, and in our home. This particular find makes me think of being in the moment and taking the time to notice what is in my surroundings. It also makes me think of using what I have at hand for creation and setting up.
How do these photos help me dive deeper and more specifically, correspond with the question "Is there such a thing as healthy distractors or distractors that then boost motivation after a period of time?" I personally found this to be a good distraction, a blip in my mode of focus for this photography series that made me laugh and notice what is happening in the in-betweens, the back stage of my environment. Thinking of this point then makes me wonder if noticeable surprises or visual rewards that are comedic in nature would boost the environment of my classroom and create an atmosphere more conductive to spontaneity?
Right after I finished photographing my youngest daughter at play I notice that my oldest had left a surprise on the plant ladder. We are constantly finding fun setups in the plants, other areas of our yard, and in our home. This particular find makes me think of being in the moment and taking the time to notice what is in my surroundings. It also makes me think of using what I have at hand for creation and setting up.
How do these photos help me dive deeper and more specifically, correspond with the question "Is there such a thing as healthy distractors or distractors that then boost motivation after a period of time?" I personally found this to be a good distraction, a blip in my mode of focus for this photography series that made me laugh and notice what is happening in the in-betweens, the back stage of my environment. Thinking of this point then makes me wonder if noticeable surprises or visual rewards that are comedic in nature would boost the environment of my classroom and create an atmosphere more conductive to spontaneity?
5/9 -
6/9 - Mimicking Infinity
Have you seen those Infinity Mirrors done by Yayoi Kusama? They are absolutely AMAZING! If you have not seen or heard about this please check out http://kusama.site.seattleartmuseum.org/ They are stunning really. Here is my cheap mimic of that experience, Someday I hope to experience the real deal and when you get right down to it, this was just plan distracting fun. I was putting my face on for our Graduation Ceremony and got distracted playing in the bathroom mirror and realized I better grab the camera. Now I want you to remember how earlier in this series I picked out clothes so I wouldn't be late... yep I was late...
Even though this was a distraction in my mission for the day should it be disvalued? Was is not a few minutes that I took to enjoy the moment? Did the distraction here then give me the boost and energy to take photos at the Graduation Ceremony? Data would be inconclusive but the replication effect from this is amazing and I feel this would be a refreshing interactive installation, if I could get a group of kids to work on it collaboratively for our school.
Have you seen those Infinity Mirrors done by Yayoi Kusama? They are absolutely AMAZING! If you have not seen or heard about this please check out http://kusama.site.seattleartmuseum.org/ They are stunning really. Here is my cheap mimic of that experience, Someday I hope to experience the real deal and when you get right down to it, this was just plan distracting fun. I was putting my face on for our Graduation Ceremony and got distracted playing in the bathroom mirror and realized I better grab the camera. Now I want you to remember how earlier in this series I picked out clothes so I wouldn't be late... yep I was late...
Even though this was a distraction in my mission for the day should it be disvalued? Was is not a few minutes that I took to enjoy the moment? Did the distraction here then give me the boost and energy to take photos at the Graduation Ceremony? Data would be inconclusive but the replication effect from this is amazing and I feel this would be a refreshing interactive installation, if I could get a group of kids to work on it collaboratively for our school.
7/9 - Confectioners Celebration
Let me just start by saying.. I can't believe they are gone off on their next adventure... What a wonderful, spunky, lovable classes we had graduate this last weekend. I am seriously going to miss these kids and the speech that Mrs. Baker gifted to them... absolutely amazing, laughter and tears intermingled in the best ways. A few of my favorite parts of her speech included metaphorically comparing them to different candies, a particular favorite grouping were the sour patch kids... "Shock to the system at first but then, ooooh so sweet." Another part that I enjoyed would be when she reminisced about having 19 of the boys in one class for 90 minutes right around lunch time. She admitted to calling them her JD's and at first it was just to the staff and then confided in the boys half way through the year that she called them that to the staff. One students in particular then shouted "Yaaaaaa JD's!!!" Yet by the end of the year they had turned into one of her all time favorite groups to teach. I would also like to state that my memories of her speech does not do it justice, she is a marvelous writer and public speaker.
Reflection on this experience in general brings to mind that you shouldn't always judge a group at face value or word of mouth for that matter. When this group of students came in all us high school teachers kept hearing about was how bad they were. Well, I found them to be creative, authentic, and past their years in wisdom and so far have the biggest blend of personalities I have seen go through a graduating class. I believe this observation installs in me that everyone deserves a fresh start and a chance to succeed in their own way.
Let me just start by saying.. I can't believe they are gone off on their next adventure... What a wonderful, spunky, lovable classes we had graduate this last weekend. I am seriously going to miss these kids and the speech that Mrs. Baker gifted to them... absolutely amazing, laughter and tears intermingled in the best ways. A few of my favorite parts of her speech included metaphorically comparing them to different candies, a particular favorite grouping were the sour patch kids... "Shock to the system at first but then, ooooh so sweet." Another part that I enjoyed would be when she reminisced about having 19 of the boys in one class for 90 minutes right around lunch time. She admitted to calling them her JD's and at first it was just to the staff and then confided in the boys half way through the year that she called them that to the staff. One students in particular then shouted "Yaaaaaa JD's!!!" Yet by the end of the year they had turned into one of her all time favorite groups to teach. I would also like to state that my memories of her speech does not do it justice, she is a marvelous writer and public speaker.
Reflection on this experience in general brings to mind that you shouldn't always judge a group at face value or word of mouth for that matter. When this group of students came in all us high school teachers kept hearing about was how bad they were. Well, I found them to be creative, authentic, and past their years in wisdom and so far have the biggest blend of personalities I have seen go through a graduating class. I believe this observation installs in me that everyone deserves a fresh start and a chance to succeed in their own way.
8/9 - Slobbery Giggles
Finally I got home after the shenanigans of photographing my wonderful students to find my family playing around in the living room. In the photo on the left is Dan (my other half/fiance) teasing the girls that Athena is the best kisser and that they should give her lovings more often. Lilli was not so convinced of this statement but Scarlett was willing to test it as you can see her ornery grin in the photo on the right.
A cameras ability to capture a moment in time, a snap shot of emotion, is absolutely fantastic. The raw reactions that a researcher can get from shooting a participate is just a small snippet of why cameras are so useful.
Finally I got home after the shenanigans of photographing my wonderful students to find my family playing around in the living room. In the photo on the left is Dan (my other half/fiance) teasing the girls that Athena is the best kisser and that they should give her lovings more often. Lilli was not so convinced of this statement but Scarlett was willing to test it as you can see her ornery grin in the photo on the right.
A cameras ability to capture a moment in time, a snap shot of emotion, is absolutely fantastic. The raw reactions that a researcher can get from shooting a participate is just a small snippet of why cameras are so useful.
9 of 9 - Concentration Avoidance
These next images are in my opinion a bit depressing yet very factual to my life. I am often on our home computer working, researching, or planning for the various events that distract me from my loves. In the photograph on the left you see the whole family playing while I am on the computer investigating ideas for sub plans so that I will be able to take all the 3rd graders on a field trip (which went AMAZING by the way). In the photo on the right which was maybe 30 minutes later you can see my oldest playing by herself as I Pinterest plan our wedding, which I feel is slowly creeping closer without me making much progress on planning.
How do these photos help me define my research question of "What is happening in their life to keep them from working on school assignments?" These photos are more so in the lines of a flip of this question. What is happening in my life that is keeping me from my family and how I have to prioritize my time to make sure events and the little things in life are not falling through the cracks. Thinking of this makes me wonder how many of my students feel this way that they are not achieving enough time with family and more so their friends? What time management strategies could be taught to them now that would be beneficial to them later in life?
These next images are in my opinion a bit depressing yet very factual to my life. I am often on our home computer working, researching, or planning for the various events that distract me from my loves. In the photograph on the left you see the whole family playing while I am on the computer investigating ideas for sub plans so that I will be able to take all the 3rd graders on a field trip (which went AMAZING by the way). In the photo on the right which was maybe 30 minutes later you can see my oldest playing by herself as I Pinterest plan our wedding, which I feel is slowly creeping closer without me making much progress on planning.
How do these photos help me define my research question of "What is happening in their life to keep them from working on school assignments?" These photos are more so in the lines of a flip of this question. What is happening in my life that is keeping me from my family and how I have to prioritize my time to make sure events and the little things in life are not falling through the cracks. Thinking of this makes me wonder how many of my students feel this way that they are not achieving enough time with family and more so their friends? What time management strategies could be taught to them now that would be beneficial to them later in life?
By the end of my day I concluded that this would not only be an amazing Arts-Based Research study to add depth to my focus but an awesome assignment to give my students, especially with how many of them have cell phones to create an Anthropology collection of Subject produced images. However, I also believe this would be a wonderful project to encourage empathy in my students who sometimes seem wrapped up in themselves and it may give them insight to others nuances.
Personal Research Map: Morning Flow of an Art Teacher
My initial thought as I began to pour the modge podge over the transparencies… This could go horribly wrong… Orrrr be the BEST thing I ever thought of!
After much deliberation on how to Map my Research in a more Personal way. I concluded that it would be beneficial to look at my current flow in the classroom. My research topic deals with the motivational flux of my students and what strategies I might be able to apply to my Art Room to benefit them. For this map I considered what movement patterns would I see? Who is falling through the cracks because I stream to the yelling of “MRS. BROER!”, which students are happy to be invisible or are too nervous to speak out? This work is a collage of my movements to the vocal ones and a visual representation of the voids that happen throughout my morning in my High School Art Class. |
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