Artistic Discovery in an Outcomes-Based Culture

Jessica NicollBarry Oreck, Ph.D.

“The act of artistic creation cannot be taught”

Lev Vygotsky

Can Art Be Taught?

Henry Schaefer-Simmern (1948) The Unfolding of Artistic Activity

(foreword by John Dewey)

Seymour Sarason Teaching as a Performing Art

(1999)

Lev VygostkyThe Psychology of Art (1919)

The teacher’s actions1. How to Watch: Negotiating my own struggle

I am really intrigued by how all dancers tend to revert to a particular type of movement or specific gesture when they “get stuck.”

However, I found that I was most satisfied with my choreography when I was able to transcend the boundaries of my usual vocabulary and experiment with movement that was truly new for me.

Luisa

The teacher’s actions1. How to Watch: Negotiating my own struggle

2. Questioning

[We] would show Jessica our work and anticipate comments and suggestions. But we almost never received these and instead were presented with questions such as, “What do you want to develop about this phrase?” and, “What would you like to fix?”

Sometimes we would answer out loud to Jessica, but more often she would quickly add, “You don’t need to tell me; just think about these things and keep working.”…We were encouraged to reflect on what we had created, what we had not yet created, what we wanted to achieve, and what we

could ultimately achieve. Lydia, age 16

The teacher’s actions1. How to Watch: Negotiating my own struggle

2. Questioning

3. Modeling – Using exemplars

4. Problem Finding

5. Offering tools and time for reflection, dialogue with self and the work

Even in a group, personal reflection was crucial, as choreography is such a personal process. I also remember getting and giving feedback, constantly showing each other our work, and learning the art of constructive criticism. As the youngest in the group I was always terrified but again, it became increasingly clear that everyone wanted the others to succeed and grow.

Toby, age 17

“It really felt like it was ours, that it had emerged from something we already had inside of us —not that it had been ‘taught.’”

Anna, age 16

• Everyone has the capacity for artistic creation in dance.

• Children and adults move through developmental stages of artistic activity through social interaction and internal dialogue.

• Teachers and mentors must be open to the possibility that they cannot imagine what and how their students and mentees are about to create.

Our Propositions

References for this session can be found at www.barryoreck.com

www.nicollandoreck.com

Jessica Nicoll Hunter College

Forum for Investigating Artistry in Teachingjnicoll@hunter.edu

Barry Oreck, Ph.D.Long Island University, Brooklyn

State University of New York at BuffaloDirector of Professional Development in the

Schoolwide Enrichment Modelbarry@barryoreck.com