Building school community through cross-grade collaborations in art

Abstract

This qualitative study examines multiple collaborative art experiences across ages and classrooms during two years at a suburban public school in one of the largest school districts in the United States. Students in two middle-school elective art courses engaged in contemporary art education projects to strengthen visual and verbal communication skills as they partnered with younger peers in primary grades, including the following activities: collaborative earthworks, toy designs and mixed-up animal sculptures. These multi-age socially-constructive art experiences provided students with opportunities to build community across campus while interacting with each other and the artwork co-created. Observations and noted responses via reflection from students indicated positive impact on both communication and collaboration through bidirectional teaching and learning, with students in each age group requesting more opportunities for cross-grade collaborative experiences.

A systematic literature review of cognitive exchange in higher degree visual art education

“…Age was also recalled as influential to cognitive exchange (Lawton and La Porta, 2013; Taylor, 2020). Brain research communicates that adult brains synthesize cognition, emotional intelligence, and experiences better than youths (Cohen, 2005).…”

“…Brain research communicates that adult brains synthesize cognition, emotional intelligence, and experiences better than youths (Cohen, 2005). Therefore, social cognitive exchange experiences that use age to scaffold, like Lawton and La Porta (2013) and Taylor (2020) inter-generational and peer coaching art projects, can help facilitate cognitive exchange.…”

“…To enact effective cognitive exchange, perhaps regulation needs teaching. With diverse and changeable educational pedagogies (Selkrig et al, 2020; Heaton, In Press), a need is emerging to explore cognitive exchange in varied experiences to attain learning impact (Taylor, 2020; Bell, 2017).…”

“…The varied examples of cognitive exchange presence in visual art education show that cognitive exchange is entangled in a pedagogic web of self, social, human, and material experience (Hickey-Moody and Page, 2016; Garber, 2019). Yet some research still separates cognitive endeavors with those that are more affective, or social in visual art (Taylor, 2020).…”

“…For example, the term “cognitive exchange” is used infrequently in visual art education. But references are made to “knowledge transfer” alongside pedagogy (Davis, 2004), making (Garber, 2019), culture (Mamur, 2015), interdisciplinary pursuits (Moura, 2008; Huovinen and Manneberg, 2013) and intergenerational provision (Lawton and La Porte, 2013; Taylor, 2020). These articles imply that knowledge transfer and reciprocity are forms of cognitive exchange in art education.…”