Open AccessFrom Sharks to "The Big Ugly"
Author(s) -
Kristin T. Rearden,
Joy G. Bertling
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
the rural educator/the rural educator
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2643-9662
pISSN - 0273-446X
DOI - 10.35608/ruraled.v40i3.559
Subject(s) - praxis , contextualization , professional development , teacher education , pedagogy , visual arts education , sociology , school district , rural area , psychology , mathematics education , political science , the arts , computer science , law , interpretation (philosophy) , programming language
This longitudinal case study explored one rural elementary art teacher’s praxis for two years after she participated in professional development sessions on place-based education (PBE). These sessions focused specifically on PBE within the discipline of art for K-12 art educators in a geographically-large southeastern school district. Through surveys, observations, interviews, and document analysis of curricular materials, the researchers investigated the teacher’s experiences with PBE as she taught art in a rural area of the district. Her curricular decisions transitioned from a focus on art reflecting her personal knowledge base to art that built on students’ expressions of, experiences in, and knowledge of, their rural setting. Implications for teacher professional development focused on rural education include strategies for promoting the contextualization of content and communicating the benefits of transitioning from place-neutral to place-based instruction.