1. 1. Chaos in the art roomThe journeyof a curiousgraduatestudent, andherpenchant forchaos
2. 2. It all began by asking thequestion,What is the value of theaesthetic experience of makingart?MunsonBirdyanaOh,dear! down went Alice after it, neveronce considering how in the worldshe was to get out again.
3. 3. I read and I read, and I drank them all in.What, you may ask, is my answer, then?The value of the aesthetic experience of making art is in theprocess. It requires us to be present, intentional, focused andfully alive. By engaging and reckoning with our material world,we are expressly human, yet also communing with the Divinein the act of creation. It is mutual capture: the artist capturinglife, as she, too, is captured.Early BrainstormingSessionAlice came to a fork in the road. Which way do Igo? Alice asked. That depends on where youwant to go, said the cat. I dont exactly know,said Alice. Then it doesnt matter. said the cat.
4. 4. Have I gone mad?Asked Alice.Im afraid so, but letme tell yousomething, the bestpeople usually are. The science of unpredictability Applies to complex (non-linear) systems Weather systems (Edward Lorenz asked, Does the flap of abutterflys wings in Brazil set off a tornado in Texas?), thebrain, epidemics, crowds, making art! Patterns and predictable behaviors Outcome is unpredictable Properties of Chaos Initial Conditions minute conditions/factors yield dramaticdifferences upon the outcome Interconnectedness (networking, ecosystems), transitionbetween order and disorder Emergent Properties Tolerance for Randomness Feedback Loops Self-Organization self-directed Steering a hot air balloonHow doyou mean?What exactly is chaos theory?
5. 5. How can I apply chaos theory to art education? Unpredictability The art room is unpredictable! The art room is a complex system, making art is a dynamic process! Patterns how materials are used, learner tendencies, routines, artistsblock, flowing in the zone all patterns in chaos! Properties of Chaos Initial Conditions (Neurodiversity!) the students, personalities, strengthsand weaknesses, the environment, the lesson Emergent Properties unexpected happenings, happy little accidents,tangents Tolerance for Randomness following a new direction, student led inquiry,being open to change, flexibility Feedback Loops from the students, from the materials, from the world(news, happenings, events, etc.) Self-Organization self-directed learning, autonomy, stability Creativity the chaotic state of creative problem solving and subsequentself-organization (divergent -> convergent thinking)
6. 6. What is my hypothesis?Integrating chaos theory and neurodiversity in the pedagogy and curriculum willincrease student engagement and creativity.What is being measured?How can we know theyre learningauthentically? Emotional and Behavioral indicators Engagement v. Disaffection Quality of artwork CreativityWhat is the design?Two lessons were taught. First a non-linear,chaos friendly art lesson. Then, a linear,teacher directed lesson. Engagement,creativity, and preference were assessedduring both lessons.The chief difficultyAlice found at firstwas in managingher flamingo.
7. 7. EvaluationQuasi-Experimental, Mixed-Methods ResearchThe Quantitative Data Fig. 1 -Students were given a pre and post Likert scaleassessment of the two lessons.Adapted from Schibeci, R.A., (2006) Fig. 2 Semantic Differential Assessment. Instructorsobserved and evaluated students to assess their levelof engagement or disaffection in both lessons.Adapted from Skinner, et al. (2010) Fig. 3 - Artwork was evaluated (using semanticdifferential) on the basis of Composition (Es&Ps),Aesthetics, Craftsmanship, and Content Originality.Adapted from Candy, L., and Bilda, Z. (2009)Figure 1Figure 3 Figure 2
8. 8. Qualitative EvaluationFig. 4The students wrote a final comparative evaluation of thetwo lessons. They chose which they preferred andexplained why.The questions asked: Which art lesson did you prefer andwhy? What did you like about the lesson yourpreferred? Which of your artworks do you likebetter? Why? Which of your artworks do you think ismore creative?
9. 9. The Subjects:21 Students in an 8th grade highschool credit art classL1 = Non-Linear, ChaosFriendly Outsider ArtLesson Outsider Artists History of genre Exemplar artists Focus on selfexpression Choice of exemplar artist Choice of materials Choice of technique Include something thatrepresents selfJudith ScottGilles TrehinHoward FinsterJoseph YoakumNo, no! The adventuresfirst, explanations takesuch a dreadful time.
10. 10. L1Artwork
11. 11. L2 Artwork Linear teacherdirected1. SubtractiveDrawing2. Underpainting3. Full colorpainting Focus on Value1.2.3.Mr. Skeletony Bones
12. 12. 45.040.035.030.025.020.015.010.05.00.0L1 Engagement VDisaffectionL2 Engagement VDisaffectionEngagement V. DisaffectionStudents, on average, scored higher (more engaged) during theNon-Linear lesson (L1). There was an average decrease inengagement from L1 to L2 of 16%. Hudson, Leanna, andHannahs scores increased from L1 to L2. Gabby and Steviesscores remained the same.
13. 13. Artifact Analysis60.050.040.030.020.010.00.0CarolineBeccaVanessaCaseyRyanHudsonSpencerLeannaAveriAngelicaKatyAmandaHannahGabrielleMeganAlenaNatalieAvianahLisaChristinaStevieAverageL1 Artifact AnalysisL2 Artifact AnalysisStudents, on average, created higher quality artwork during the Non-Linear lesson(L1). There was an average decrease in artwork quality from L1 to L2 of 9%. Fivestudents scores increased from L1 to L2. Two students showed significantincrease: Hudson and Hanna. Gabbys scores stayed the same.
14. 14. Engagement v. DisaffectionThe Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test shows significance forboth sets at .05.Artifact AnalysisThe hypothesis, that non-linear methods increase student engagement and workquality is statistically supported in this experiment.
15. 15. Case StudiesStudents performing better during the LINEAR lesson (L2)#13 Hannah, F Linear Preference9pt. (29%) increase in engagement, 14pt. (48% increase in work qualityLesson 1Engagement/Disaffection 31Art Analysis - 29Lesson 2Engagement/Disaffection 40Art Analysis - 431. Which art lesson did you prefer? Why?The still life skeleton lesson because I enjoy painting.2. What did you like about that lesson?Using all the different colors and testing out theshading/shades.3. Which of your artworks do you like better? Why?My skeleton painting because it looks neater and more puttogether.4. Which of the artworks do you think is morecreative?The outsider art because everyone got to go their own#13 Hudson, M Non-Linear Preference2 pt. (5%) increase in engagement, 12 pt. (33%) increase in work qualityLesson 1Lesson 2Engagement/Disaffection 38Engagement/Disaffection 40Art Analysis - 36Art Analysis - 481. Which art lesson did you prefer? Why?I preferred the lesson on outsider art because I found itinteresting to learn about people who had made art withoutany formal training.2. What did you like about that lesson?Afterwards when doing the project we had much more freereign over what supplies to use. We were able to chooseour own mediums.3. Which of your artworks do you like better? Why?I prefer my outsider art project because of my use of color. Ienjoyed mixing together new shades given the colors I had.4. Which of the artworks do you think is more creative?I think my outsider art is more creative because of mycolors.
16. 16. Case StudiesStudents performing better during the NON-LINEAR lesson (L1)#5 Ryan, M Non-Linear PreferenceLesson 1Engagement/Disaffection 40Art Analysis - 39 Lesson 2Engagement/Disaffection 21Art Analysis - 30#1 Caroline, F Non-Linear Preference1. Which art lesson did you prefer? Why?I preferred the outsider art lesson because I like having morefreedom in art and it was a lot more exciting to create.2. What did you like about that lesson?For the project I did I had mostly total artistic freedom.3. Which of your artworks do you like better? Why?The outsider art, because I had fun making it and it can beinterpreted many different ways.4. Which of the artworks do you think is more creative?The outsider art, because with the realism lesson, you haveto follow what youre making.Lesson 1Engagement/Disaffection 38Art Analysis - 40Lesson 2Engagement/Disaffection 23Art Analysis - 351. Which art lesson did you prefer? Why?I preferred the outsider art lesson because it gave me morefreedom to do what made me happy.2. What did you like about that lesson?It allowed us to explore different styles and artists andmaterials, we could do what spoke to us. We were allowed todo our own form of beauty.3. Which of your artworks do you like better? Why?I liked my outsider art project better because messing up couldalways be formed into something better because it was myidea, no one elses. 4. Which of the artworks do you think ismore creative?The outsider art because there was no set limitations such asproportions and values and position.47.5% decrease in engagement, 23.1% decrease in workquality39.5% decrease in engagement, 12.5% decrease in work quality
17. 17. Case StudiesTwo students who performed better during the NON-LINEAR lesson (L1)#4 Casey, F Non-Linear PreferenceLesson 1Engagement/Disaffection 40Art Analysis - 39Lesson 2Engagement/Disaffection 29Art Analysis - 35#15 Megan, F Non-Linear Preference1. Which art lesson did you prefer? Why?I prefer the outsider because it was better.2. What did you like about that lesson?I liked that everyone had a different pattern or color in theirprojects.3. Which of your artworks do you like better? Why?I like the outsider art more because it was more me.4. Which of the artworks do you think is more creative?I think both of them were very creative and I like howeverybodys will turn out different.Lesson 1Engagement/Disaffection 39Art Analysis - 35Lesson 2Engagement/Disaffection 29Art Analysis - 311. Which art lesson did you prefer? Why?I preferred the outsider art lesson. I think that I got morefreedom in that project and I just overall liked it better.2. What did you like about that lesson?I liked how we got to be creative with our project and none ofus had the exact same idea.3. Which of your artworks do you like better? Why?I liked my outsider artwork better. It has more color to it and Ilike how it turned out better.4. Which of the artworks do you think is more creative?I definitely think my outsider art is more creative. My realismart is based off of a picture, which is fine, but I think myoutsider art is more creative because it was non-objective.27.5% decrease in engagement, 10.3% decrease in workquality25.6% decrease in engagement, 11.4% decrease in work quality
18. 18. < Non-Linear PreferenceLinear Preference >Post-Test NarrativeAssessmentWordlesBegin at the beginning," the King said,very gravely, "and go on till you cometo the end: then stop.
19. 19. Is there a relationship between the level of student engagement and thequality of artwork?According to my research data, there is a moderate positive correlation between quality ofartwork and student engagement.X= engagement v. disaffection scoresResult Details & Calculation Y= artifact analysis scoresX Values = 1326Mean = 31.571(X - Mx)2 = SSx = 1700.286Y Values = 1426Mean = 33.952(Y - My)2 = SSy = 1613.905X and Y CombinedN = 42(X - Mx)(Y - My) = 927.143R Calculationr = ((X - My)(Y - Mx)) / ((SSx)(SSy))r = 927.143 / ((1700.286)(1613.905)) = 0.5597Meta Numerics (cross-check)r = 0.5597The value of R is 0.5597. This is a moderate positive correlation,which means there is a tendency for high X variable scores gowith high Y variable scores (and vice versa).The value of R2, the coefficient of determination, is 0.3133.http://www.socscistatistics.com/tests/pearson/Default2.aspx
20. 20. CHAOS!with special education classesWHO'S BEEN PAINTING MY ROSESRED? Someone will lose their head!
21. 21. I can't go back to yesterday because I was a differentperson then.