Exploring all the questions in my head has been an adventure.

Working with students not only as a teacher but also as an action researcher can truly give one a new perspective on what happens in the classroom and how you view your classroom. Carefully posing questions, analyzing responses, and making sense of all the words that fly your way is invigorating because of the wealth of new information you receive from and about your students. I have also found that the relationships between the students and I have become closer and richer as a result of this back and forth sharing of information. Students enjoy giving people information about how they think, and they have great advice about data collection and how to analyze the information coming in. I also discovered that the methods I used to gather data, and the methods I used to analyze the information coming back had to be carefully orchestrated. The ways I collected data were crucial to understanding students mindsets, and how those mindsets affected their feelings about their work and about themselves as artists. Throughout the research I collected various forms of data that helped illustrate such things as:
Student confidence levels in how they see themselves as artists, and their skills as artists. How students define mindsets (growth versus fixed). Where students fell on the mindset spectrum (growth, fixed or somewhere in the middle - mixed) What students define as good versus bad art, and why they define it that way. How students think artists get good at what they do versus how people in general (mathematicians, football players, writers, etc.) get good at things. What makes a student feel successful as a student and as an artist. How students define pride, success and confidence.

The challenge for me as an action researcher was to figure out a way to measure student success levels and gauge the pride and confidence they had in themselves and the work they accomplished. Measuring a shift from a fixed mindset about the arts towards a growth mindset proved also to be a bit of a challenge. Student reflections, surveys, interviews, work samples and daily observations helped me to understand the connection between encouraging a growth mindset in a classroom and any change in the students confidence in themselves or the work they produced. The data also gave me a better understanding of how to create projects that challenge false assumptions about art and negative pre-conceived notions about what it means to be an artist, as well as how classroom culture could support growing artists. By encouraging a growth mindset, I hoped that students would go through the art making process and finish with a project that made them proud. I also hoped to see increased confidence levels in my students not only in creating art, but also as people.

What I Picked and Pried Apart: Data Collection & Analysis

Similes & Metaphors During the first week of class, I had students come up with a simile or metaphor about how they see themselves as artists, and how they felt about the artwork they created. This was a two-part assignment: PART I: Students had to answer questions that got them to think about how they felt about themselves as artists, and the art work they created. PART II: Students crafted a simile/metaphor that creatively expressed how they felt based on the previous questions from Part I. (Appendix A is a handout with all the questions and directions) I had them write out their similes/metaphors, and illustrate them as well in order to make a final reflective piece. I used this assignment as a way to see how confident my students felt about themselves as artists, and their art. I then sorted through the similes/metaphors and separated them into three groups: 1. Those who feel confident in their art skills, and as an artist (above average) 2. Those who feel somewhat confident in their art skills or as an artist (average) 3. Those who do not feel confident in their art skills or as an artist (below average)

When reading and sorting through these similes/metaphors I had a very easy time categorizing them into the three categories due to the prep questions I had students fill out. Because I had been straightforward with my questions, for example: Do you feel that you are good at art? How would you rate your artistic skills (above average, average, and below average) and why would you rate them this way? I could easily sort through and place each student into the category they felt best represented how they felt. I used the illustrations from the analogies as a way to assess where their drawing levels were, and to see what they understood about certain art techniques. I looked to see if there was a correlation between skills and confidence; i.e. whether students who were more advanced and refined illustrators felt more confident. I also had students do this assignment again during the last week of the semester to see if their responses had shifted, if they became more positive or negative in how they saw themselves as artists. Student Surveys Over the semester I gave various surveys to my 8th grade students. I had three large art projects that covered the span of one semester. There were smaller art projects throughout the semester, but I only administered the surveys for the three main projects because they contained the greatest content, depth and challenge and they each had a public exhibition at the end. Surveys allowed me to touch base with a wide range of students and to gather general information on how students thought and felt about themselves as artists and their artwork. All students took a survey that asked targeted questions about:
How they felt starting a project. How they felt about themselves as artists and their artwork before and after a project was completed. How they felt about themselves as artists and the quality of their artwork after it was exhibited in a gallery or at school and they got feedback from the audience about their work.

Below is a chart illustrating when surveys were given out:

SURVEY #1

Beginning of Semester I

Survey conducted on second day of class in semester 1.

PROJECT #1

PROJECT #2

PROJECT #3

SURVEY #2 Survey conducted after launching project idea, but before students actually started working on the project. SURVEY #5 Survey conducted after launching project idea, but before students actually started working on the project. SURVEY #8 Survey conducted after launching project idea, but before students actually started working on the project.

SURVEY #3 Survey conducted after project completion: the moment students finished the project. SURVEY #6 Survey conducted after project completion: the moment students finished the project. SURVEY #9 Survey conducted after project completion: the moment students finished the project.

SURVEY #4 Final survey conducted after exhibition of art (when a public viewing of their art work had occurred). SURVEY #7 Final survey conducted after exhibition of art (when a public viewing of their art work had occurred). SURVEY #10 Final survey conducted after exhibition of art (when a public viewing of their art work had occurred).

SURVEY #11 End of Semester I Survey conducted on second to last day of class in semester one.

In analyzing the survey results I looked for target phrases like:

I dont like I cant do I dont want Im good at this I did well

These phrases allowed me to gauge how students felt about themselves as artists, and how successful they felt throughout the project. I looked for themes that emerged, and saw how they connected with different stages of the project. I saw if certain feelings seemed to always emerge during certain stages of the project. For example, is there more anxiety and doubt in the beginning than there is in the end? Does their confidence rise throughout each stage of the project, or does it waiver? I also identified commonly used words and phrases within the student surveys. I then counted the number of times each phrase or word appeared within the surveys and entered this information into an Excel spreadsheet. This allowed me to see trends in the class as a whole (most common responses, least common responses, etc), and to focus in on individual student feelings and beliefs. Exit Slips Exit-slips were passed out during the last 5-10 minutes of class on days where I noticed most of my students were facing challenges in the project or were getting frustrated. Most of the time, my exit slips were passed out during the latter half of projects because I wanted to them to think back on their progress and think about how they were feeling. I did not plan to make any of the slips anonymous because I wanted to have the 3

ability to follow-up with certain responses. These responses were comprised of questions that reflected how the student felt during the recent activities and/or how class or the project was going for them. I wanted students to share any frustrations and challenges they had during class, and while working on their projects. Exit slips were passed out at the end of class, because I felt the responses would be fresher and clearer. (Sample questions in Appendix C) In order to analyze the exit slips I used a similar strategy as my survey analysis. The exit slips allowed me to pinpoint specific feelings on specific days and/or steps of the project. I could see how student behavior and perception changed with time and when it coincided with a particular component of the project. I was able to see if and how student attitudes about their projects changed with daily changes in mood as well. I took the responses and organized them into low, medium and high according to their frustrations and success. I was able to use this as a way to make changes for the following art class. For example, if most of my students were frustrated and feeling flustered then I knew that I should hold the project back for a bit and talk about the challenges and frustrations via whole class discussions. These discussions allowed for other students to help out each other, because they could talk with everyone about what was working and what wasnt. This allowed them to ease their stress and anxiety and gave them helpful solutions that allowed them to move on. An example of this is when I passed out exit slip type #2:Tell me something that went well in class today? 20 out of 28 students replied nothing. I wondered wh y so many felt this way, so I shared the responses to the class the next day. Students expressed that the knotting of the jute string was very difficult and they could not find a great way to tie the knots, this prevented them from moving on. Because the whole class was hearing each others dilemma, some students spoke up - If you wet the string, and use the needle-nose pliers to pull the string, it will tie really tight was what one student shared. The solution worked like a charm, and I had students fill out the exit slip type #2 again after trying out the new technique and the responses where much more positive. Case Study Student Interviews Throughout the semester I conducted several interviews with my case study students. The three cases were composed of 3 students (in a class of 28). These students include two females, and one male in 8th grade. Because I have had these students a year prior to this semester (I had them when they were in 6th grade) I know the students very well when it comes to their artistic abilities, and their strengths and weaknesses in the art room. I chose one student who saw them self as an advanced artist, one who felt that they were average compared to their peers, and one who felt they were below average compared to their peers. Having these three students helped give the data a representative of each of the three mindset categories (growth, fixed and mixed mindsets), and not just focus on one particular type of student or just one mindset. The three students helped me as a teacher plan for a variety of individuals, and not just one type of artists. Having case studies allowed me as the researcher to dive in deeper to better understand the questions, the dilemmas, and the personal thoughts of students and how they felt along the development of their projects, as well as the thoughts upon completion of projects. Ideally as a researcher it would be fantastic to go in depth with each and every student in the class, but time restraints on the period of data collection conflicts with this possibility. Having a consistent group allowed me as the researcher to gather information on a deeper more personal level and to stay consistent throughout the semester. Interviews were conducted in mixed settings: One-on-one between student and myself Together with all three case studies Sample Interview Questions: What does being an artist mean? Do you think you are an artist? What is good art? Do you believe in bad art? What does it take to be an artist? Can you tell me about your art experience before you came to this class? 4

Do you practice art outside of class? Tell me a time when you practiced? Did you get better? What does talent mean to you, and do you believe some people have artistic talent?

The mixed settings for interviews helped make students feel more comfortable sharing their opinions and feelings. The group setting allowed them to hear each other and reflect upon each others comments. The oneon-one interviews provided them opportunities to talk with me alone. I always asked them if they would be okay talking with the other case study students in the room, and they were always open. But, most times I preferred to talk with the individually because I noticed they spoke more when they felt they did not have to share the conversation with another. I recorded all interviews, so that I did not miss anything important and could come back and reflect and so that the students in the case study could use their comments for their own reflection journals. Ideally I hoped they would write more based off the recordings, but they found it to be less work if they just took my notes and added or made corrections. (See Appendix D for sample interview questions). I transcribed the audio and highlighted reoccurring words and phrases. I had my case study students do this with me to make sure my notes were accurate about how they felt, and to make sure I captured what they were really trying to say. Student Observations & Teacher Log Book Throughout art class I observed student behavior, comments and attitudes while the students were working on their art, collaborating with fellow classmates, and cleaning up. I documented all 28 students in the classroom, not just the case study student. I wanted to get an overall sense of how students were feeling and acting, and I felt it would give me a better sense of the changes I was making in my class in order to cultivate a growth mindset. Because I had classes that were one hour and sometimes two hours long, I felt that observing all students would be manageable and would result in a wider variety of information on different students. It was manageable because I relied on taking notes either in a journal, or by jotting down what I saw and heard on post-its. I also videotaped a few classes to see if I could capture different behaviors and comments that I could not catch while I was busy teaching. Observing students in a class while working can illustrate things such as: do the students seem frustrated? Have they given up on working? If so, why? Are they focused? What are they focused on? And, when do they tend to focus more? Are they working consistently? Do they seem happy? Are there comments such as I cant do this, Look what I did, dont show my work on the board. Watching and listening to student comments and noticing what they did when they reached a challenge or obstacle also helped me identify different mindsets (fixed or open) in the classroom. I would identify which students had certain mindsets so that I could see if their reactions, and attitudes differed on how they viewed the projects, how they felt their confidence levels were at, and how successful they felt. By observing students work one can gauge whether students are feeling confident or stressed, and even if they are feeling successful. I was able to watch how they experienced the class and the art process, and I documented what I saw in a journal/log book. I documented who the student was, what they were doing, what I noticed and the time. I looked for evidence related to student mood, attitude, and confidence levels depending on the stage of the project they were working on. This allowed me to connect what they felt, when they felt it and what they were doing. I did not want my students to feel like they were monkeys being studied on a wild species documentary film expedition, so I shared my notes with the students. I liked to hear their comments about my notes, and have them be active participants. I felt that they would clarify things I saw, give explanations, and even correct what I think I may have seen. I felt this was a very important step in documenting students, and getting true observations. The importance of having students look at my observation notes was highlighted recently when I assumed one of my students, John, had given up on his project. At one point, he seemed to just stop working and got up and walked over to his friend. He was standing over Billy and talking for a very long time, laughing and pointing. Billy looked frustrated and sad, as John was laughing and pointing. Could John be off task? Could 5

he be teasing Billy, and distracting Billy? Why would he stop working and laugh at his friend and point at his friends work? When I showed John my notes about what I saw he explained that he saw Billy having a hard time with his project, and since he had solved the dilemma himself just 5 minutes ago he wanted to help Billy. I asked Billy to share his story as well, and it happened that John saved the day for him. Billy was getting frustrated, and he was thankful that John noticed he needed help. John was pointing to show Billy how to do something, and he was laughing to cheer Billy up. My observation notes never would have reflected this, if I hadnt taken the time to share them with John and Billy to get a more accurate picture. Case Study Student Work Samples (Preliminary Drafts and Final Products) Case study students completed multiple drafts before continuing on to their final work of art. Each draft included a critique so that students received feedback on how to improve their work. I had each student keep all the drafts so that they could see the progression of ideas and skills compared to the beginning all the way to the end. I looked at the drafts to see signs of improvement on their techniques, skills and ideas. Case study students also were asked to look at their improvements. I observed and documented what students said about themselves and their work when they looked over their drafts. I then created a chart where I checked off how many students felt they advanced/improved and how many felt they did not. I also recorded their conversations to see why they felt the way they did. Case Study Student Reflection Journals and Portfolios The three students used for the case study had reflection journals and portfolios where they documented how they felt with the progress of their projects, the challenges/obstacles they faced, the successes they had accomplished, and any feelings they liked to share concerning the things that have affected their confidence levels and success levels. They updated their journals weekly; though they were able to work on them any time they felt the desire. I wanted these journals to be personal and useful for the students. Having these journals and portfolios of their work allowed me to touch base with the students my case study student. These journals allowed me to get a deeper understanding to what they were thinking and feeling, as well as how they felt the development of their projects were going. I looked through their responses weekly to find themes and target words that expressed how they were feeling. I looked to see how different parts of the projects affected their confidence levels, and looked for response that showed how they felt when faced with challenges, and successes. The portfolios also allowed the students to see the progress of their growth as an artist. Appendix A

Create a simile or metaphor about how you see yourself as an artist, and/or how you feel about the artwork you create.
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PART I
Answer these questions to help you think about a simile/metaphor: Do you think you are an artist? Why or why not? Explain

____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________

Do you think you can be a good artist? Why or why not? Explain

____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________

Do you feel that you are good at art? Explain

____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________

How would you rate your artistic skills? Why would you rate them this way?

____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________

Try experimenting with a few different similes/metaphors. I am like a ____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________ _________________________________________
I am a ______________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________ _________________________________________
I am like a ____________________________________________________________________________________ 7

____________________________________________________________ _________________________________________
I am a ______________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________ _________________________________________
Once you have chosen a smile/metaphor, please explain what it means and how it connects to how you see yourself as an artist, and/or the artwork you create.

____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ Part II

1. On a separate piece of paper (8x11) write out your simile/metaphor in a large and clear script. 2. Illustrate the text. *It is okay if you feel you have not warmed up those art muscles. Be creative and have fun designing the page to support and illustrate your text. This assignment is to express how confident you may feel, or not feel about you as an artist and your artwork.

Appendix B Time Line of Whole Class Surveys

Beginning of Semester I SURVEY #1 Survey conducted on second day of class in semester 1.

PROJECT #1

PROJECT #2

SURVEY #2 Survey Conducted after launching project idea, but before students actually start working on the project SURVEY #5 Survey Conducted after

SURVEY #3 Survey Conducted after project completion: the moment students have finished the project SURVEY #6 Survey Conducted after

SURVEY #4 Final survey conducted after Exhibition of Art (when a public viewing of their art work has occurred) SURVEY #7 Final survey conducted after

launching project idea, but before students actually start working on the project

project completion: the moment students have finished the project

Exhibition of Art (when a public viewing of their art work has occurred) SURVEY #8

End of Semester I

Survey conducted on second to last day of class in semester 1.

Appendix C Exit-Slip Type #1 While working on your project today, did you feel you had some challenges and/or obstacles? Please explain the challenge and or/obstacle. Did you find the solution/answer/how to overcome the challenge/obstacle?

If today you have NOT faced any challenges/obstacles: why not? Example: Project is to easy, you already know how to

Exit-Slip Type #2

Tell me something that went well today in class with your project?

Exit-Slip Type #3 What have you been practicing lately? Have you seen improvements because of this practice?

Exit-Slip Type #4 Thinking about this week, what accomplishments have you achieved? Appendix D Sample Interview Questions for Case Study Group Do you feel you are good at art? Why or why not? 9

What do you think being good at art means? What does bad art look like? Can you describe a time when you were really proud of something you did or made? Can you explain what project you are currently working on? How do you feel about this project? Do you like it? Not like it? Explain why or why not: Have you faced any challenges with this project? If so, what are they and did you overcome them? If not, why do you think this project has been moving for smoothly? What do you feel went well with this project? Are you happy with your final product? Would you like to share your artwork with the public? Tell me about a good or not so good experience you had with making art? Can you tell me about the idea of talent? Do you think anyone in our class has artistic talent? Can you tell me about a time when you felt you got better at something?

Appendix E Mindset by Carol Dweck

(Article from Gigi:

http://www.goodgamesbydesign.com/2011/10/mindset-by-carol-dweck/ )

For most things that we do in life, there are 2 approaches.

The first approach is the Fixed Mindset. This says that our brain is set that each of us is given a set level of intelligence and skill at birth. Which of course means that some lucky people are just gifted. They were born with skills or talents way beyond what that the rest of us have. This is typically how we explain people like Michael Jordan or Shaun White that they are naturally talented. The best clich for the fixed mindset is: if you have to work hard at something, then you probably arent good enough in the first place.

The second approach is the Growth Mindset. This approach says that almost anything is learnable. It says that our true potential is unknown its not defined by some quirk of fate. The growth mindset says that success is defined by never-ending hard work and non-stop learning. This approach sees the 10

brain as a muscle. Which means it can get stronger through exercise. As an aside, recent research shows that our neurons and brain chemistry can actually change and grow up to the very moment we die. I suppose the best clich for the growth mindset is: if at first you dont succeed, try, try again. So, whats the point? The point is that we can chose to approach most things in life wit h either a fixed mindset or a growth mindset. Its a choice we can make, every day. Choosing a fix mindset constrains us it might feel safe and comfortable, but it limits our true potential. Whereas, choosing a growth mindset frees us. It allows us to acknowledge our mistakes and then learn from them. It helps us realize that we dont need to prove our inherent worth, what we need to do is to keep striving and learning so that we find true worth in our lives. We can adopt the growth mindset anytime we want, in any situation. And, itll help us to be more creative problem solvers, to persevere in the face of setbacks, and to adapt to changing situations.

Appendix F Student Name _________________________________

Whats Your Mindset? Quiz

To what extent do you agree of disagree with these statements:

F1. Your intelligence is something very basic about you that you cant change very much. Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strong Disagree G2. No matter how much intelligence you have, you can always change it quite a bit. Strongly Agree Agree Disagree G3. You can always greatly change how intelligent you are. Strongly Agree Agree

Strong Disagree

Disagree

Strong Disagree

F4. You are a certain kind of person, and there is not much that can be done to really change that. Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strong Disagree G5. You can always change basics thinks about the kind of person you are. Strongly Agree Agree Disagree

Strong Disagree 11

G6. Music talent can be learned by anyone. Strongly Agree Agree

Disagree

Strong Disagree

F7. Only a few people will be truly good at sports you have to be born with it. Strongly Agree Agree Disagree

Strong Disagree

F8. Math is much easier to learn if you are male or maybe come from a culture who values math. Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strong Disagree G9. The harder you work at something, the better you will be at it. Strongly Agree Agree Disagree G10. No matter what kind of person you are, you can always change substantially. Strongly Agree Agree Disagree F11. Trying new things is stressful for me and I avoid it Strongly Agree Agree

Strong Disagree Strong Disagree

Disagree

Strong Disagree

F12. Some people are good and kind, and some are not- its not often that people change. Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strong Disagree G13. I appreciate when people, parents, coaches, teachers give me feedback about my performance. Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strong Disagree F14. I often get sensitive when I get feedback about my performance. Strongly Agree Agree Disagree G15. All human beings are capable of the same amount of learning. Strongly Agree Agree Disagree F16. You can learn new things, built you cant really change how intelligent you are. Strongly Agree Agree Disagree

Strong Disagree

Strong Disagree

Strong Disagree

F17. You can do things differently, but the important parts of who you are cant really be changed. Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strong Disagree G18. Human beings as basically good, but sometimes make terrible decisions. Strongly Agree Agree Disagree G19. An important reason why I do my schoolwork is that I like to learn new things. Strongly Agree Agree Disagree F20. Truly smart people do not need to try hard. Strongly Agree Agree

Strong Disagree

Strong Disagree

Disagree

Strong Disagree

KEY
1. 2. 3. ability mindset fixed ability mindset growth ability mindset growth

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4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.

personality/character mindset - fixed personality/character mindset growth ability mindset growth ability mindset fixed ability mindset fixed ability mindset growth personality/character mindset growth ability mindset fixed personality/character mindset fixed ability mindset growth ability mindset fixed ability mindset growth ability mindset fixed personality/character mindset fixed personality/character mindset growth ability mindset growth ability mindset - fixed Fixed Questions 1. Strongly agree 0 points 2. Agree 1 point 3. Disagree 2 points 4. Strongly disagree 3 points

Growth Questions 1. Strongly agree 3 points 2. Agree 2 points 3. Disagree 1 points 4. Strongly disagree 0 point

Strong Growth Mindset = Growth Mindset with some Fixed ideas = Fixed Mindset with some Growth ideas= Strong Fixed Mindset=

60-45 points 44-34 points 33-21 points 20-0 points

Quiz created by Emily Diehl (http://www.classroom20.com/forum/topics/motivating-students-with)

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