Art Education

ISSN: 0004-3125 (Print) 2325-5161 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/uare20

The Service-Learning and Art Education

Melanie L. Buffington
To cite this article: Melanie L. Buffington (2007) The Service-Learning and Art Education, Art
Education, 60:6, 40-45
To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00043125.2007.11651132

Published online: 16 Dec 2015.

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Date: 08 November 2016, At: 12:01

The

B Y M ELA N I E L. BUFFI NGTON

Service-Learning and Art Education

n thi s a rticle l cxplore rhc big idea

concept, service-learning. an d (lIfer
a spec ific example of a service lea rning project involving pH' sefvice a rt tea chers at a middle school.

f ollowing the description, [ add ress what

t he presc rvice teachers learn ed through
the expe rie nce as expressed in th eir
reflection s about the projec t. 'Ihc

Impetus (or th is project came from t ill.'

presc rvtcc a rt teachers! in my classes
who sha red storks about th e art lesson s
they saw du ri ng their school ob scrva tions . The teachers they ob served worked
fro m llitle rl'lll orientati on s incl u d in g
Discipline-Bused Art Ed ucation ( ll BAE),
cr eative self-expression, formal ism ,
holida y art. an d ma ke -and -take. The
ICSSOll S and art making that t he p rcscr
vtcc tea chers saw related closely In their
personalexperiences as stud e n ts,
al though they d id not ove rt lv COn nt'CI 10
course content.
The textbook that I USt'J wuh p rcservice art
tea chers was SrJ n,'y Walker 's (2 011 1) Ji'<I,hi"g
,\ ,,",millg ill Artm<lk iliK Introdu cing " ,,'ser
vice teachers to the big ;./",j concert as the

focus for artmaking was exciting , prescrvtc e

reachers shared with me hllw lh is concept
Improved their understanding of their ow n
nrtmnking and other prcscr vice teachers
expressed their inte rest in using a b(li ;,1.'11 as
rhc focus for their lesson s. However. some
prescrvtce tcachcrs explained their hesit.nson
10 accept this con ceptbecause they did nut
learn this way, had not seen this in practice.
and did not know what it would be like to
teach from this approach "

Figure 1. Huron 3, 2004. by Pat Williams. 2rx

40

A RT EDUCATION I NOVEMBER 2007

Jacq uard Tdpest ry Weaving. cott o n,

These dtscusstons with prcservice teachers

prompted me to illwsligate "';Iys to provide
the m with conc rete exper iences that related

Though the subject matter, materials, orform of the art may change,
the artist is still investigating ways to understand the big idea.
When teachingfrom this perspective, student artmaking, like the
work ofprofessional artists, relates to issues in the world.
the conceptual content of the course to the
reality of public school teaching. At the same
time, through conversations with local
teachers, I became aware of the significant
reductions in funding for visual art in the
local public schools. The combination of the
status of art education in the local schools
and the need to involve preservice teachers
in meaningful teaching experiences, led me
to think about how the preservice teachers
could provide service to students in a local
school, while giving them an experience
working with a big idea in a school setting.
This led to the development of a servicelearning project for preservice art teachers to
involve them in working with a group of
students at a local middle school.

teaching from this perspective, student

artmaking, like the work of professional
artists, relates to issues in the world. Instead
of a teacher presenting students with an
example to copy or focusing artmaking on
technical exercises only, artmaking should
function as a way to connect student
experiences in the world to the big idea.
Through developing personal connections
to the big idea, practicing techniques, and
approaching art as a meaning-making
endeavor, students can move toward what
Roberts (2005) described as "real"
art making. Few of my students previously
encountered big ideas; after introducing them
to this concept, I also introduced them to
service-learning.

Big Ideas

Service-Learning

Within art education, scholars advocate

teaching with big ideas, also called enduring
ideas, key ideas, or themes (Daniel, Stuhr, &
Ballengee-Morris, 2006; Stewart & Walker,
2005; The Ohio State University TETAC
Mentors, 2002; Walker, 2001). Emanating
from the interdisciplinary/integrated
curriculum movement related to the work
of curriculum theorists, including Jacobs
(1989), Burns (1995), and Beane (1997),
big ideas organize curriculum around
important topics. According to Walker
(2001), "Big ideas-broad, important human
issues-are characterized by complexity,
ambiguity, contradiction, and multiplicity"
(p. 1). Examples of big ideas include
measurement, power, community, heroes,
family, celebration, environment, human
diversity, nature and culture, violence, and
social order. Walker (2001) explained that
many artists work with a particular big idea
over the course of many years. Though the
subject matter, materials, or form of the art
may change, the artist is still investigating
ways to understand the big idea. When

There are many definitions of servicelearning. Kraft (1996) described servicelearning as including the following
components: it connects to the curriculum,
meets a need, has a theoretical base, involves
students in planning, and allows for
reflection. Jeffers (2005) mentioned that
service-learning is a form of "experiential
education" (p. 8). Though there are similarities between service-learning and community service, the overt connection to the
curriculum and the emphasis on reflection in
service-learning are important differences
(Taylor,2002b).
Recently, many art education authors have
addressed service-learning and its potential
as a teaching tool in our field and its
potential to help our students become
engaged citizens (Jeffers, 2005; Taylor, 2002a;
2002b; 2004; Taylor & Ballengee-Morris,
2004). Many art educators already engage in
a well known service-learning projectEmpty Bowls. Though each iteration of this
project is unique, it often involves students
making bowls that are used for a simple soup

dinner. Each person who attends the dinner

purchases a bowl and the proceeds support
local charities that work with hunger-related
issues (Taylor, 2002a). Jeffers (2005) offered
other examples of service-learning art
experiences, including college students
enrolled in photography classes who, after
learning photographic techniques, went to a
community center that served a low-income
population and took family portraits for the
people using the center's services. In some
cases, these were the first family portraits for
the center's clients. Jeffers also described her
own project in which pre service teachers
served as museum guides at a campus
museum for groups of visiting elementary
students. Petto (1998) described a project in
which middle school students collected and
painted chairs to sell, with the proceeds
benefiting a local Habitat for Humanity
project.
Within the area of teacher preparation,
Moon (1994) argued for the importance of
service-learning in preservice teacher
training. Moon explained that servicelearning allows for paradigm shifts that relate
to newer ideas about learning and the
construction of knowledge. He stated that
involvement in service-learning often
involves skills and knowledge from different
disciplines. Throughout these authors' ideas,
common threads include that the servicelearning activities relate to the academic
content of the class and that the service
provides benefits to the community. The
ideas of these authors, and others, guided the
planning and implementation of the servicelearning project that I implemented with a
group of pre service teachers. To emphasize
the various aspects of service-learning,
throughout the following discussion of the
service-learning project, I refer to different
authors' ideas about service-learning.

NOVEMBER 2007 / ART EDUCATION

41

Service-Learning in a Middle
School
Connecting to the curriculum and
meeting a need. Kraft (1996) emphasized
that essential components of service-learning
are that it connects to the curriculum and
meets a need. I contacted a local middle
school art teacher whose students have never
been on an art field trip and who rarely, for
budgetary reasons, have art experiences
beyond drawing. Working together, we
developed a basic plan for the servicelearning project: to give the preservice art
teachers the opportunity to implement a
lesson focused around a bigidea while
providing service to his middle school
students in the form of a gallery visit and
artmaking experiences that their school
could not support. Thus, as Kraft (1996)
indicated, this service-learning project
overtly related to the goals of the course and
met a need in a local school.

Our initial plan included a field trip for the

middle school students to visit the university
art gallery to view a show of digital textile
works entitled, Recursions: Material
Expression of Zeros and Ones, with the
preservice teachers acting as the tour guides.
After this, the preservice teachers would
spend several days at the school teaching the
students an art lesson involving a bigidea
related to the Recursions exhibit, making
artworks, and reflecting about their experiences. The university provided a grant to
finance the field trip expenses and the art
materials.
Planning. Because one of the goals was to
engage the preservice teachers in planning
this project, the middle school teacher and I
made no further decisions. Involving the
students in planning the project related to
another aspect of Kraft's (1996) components
of service-learning. The 15 preservice
teachers in the class divided into three
different groups with specific responsibilities
related to the service-learning project:
introduction/gallery visit, art making, and
assessment. A few days into the planning of
the project, the middle school teacher

informed me that his students would not be

allowed to visit the university art gallery. Not
being able to provide the middle school
students with a field trip considerably
reduced the amount of "service" that we were
able to offer. Obviously, this changed our
plan significantly and the preservice teachers
quickly adapted to the new situation.
Because the middle school students could
not physically come to the show, we needed
to find another way to develop their
understanding of the artworks. One of the
artists in the Recursions show, Pat Williams,
was also a faculty member in the Art
Department at the university. She came to
the university class to talk about her work its
meaning, and how she makes the digital
textiles. Her discussion of her big idea,
personal connections to nature, enabled all of
us to come to a deeper understanding of her
artworks and how nature has affected her life.
The stories she shared about the inspirations
for her work, her childhood on an island, her
memories of nature, and her interest in
photography and textiles gave us all a more
nuanced understanding of her work that the
preservice teachers shared with the middle
school students.
After this discussion, the gallery visit
group photographed the textile exhibit and
prepared a PowerPoint" presentation for the
middle school students. The preservice
teachers developed an art project that
included students taking digital photos of
nature that they had a connection to and
combining these photographs with objects
from nature, other pieces of fabric, and
stitching the pieces together. The assessment
plan was to have a critique of student work at
the end of the process and involve students
in interpreting their own works and the
works of their peers.
Implementatiori. Moon (1994) explained
that preservice teacher preparation programs
should include authentic experiences that are
contextually relevant. After a considerable
amount of time spent planning, the preservice teachers and I went to the middle school
to work with the class of 6th graders. The

Figure 2. Winter Sky, 2004, by Pat Williams.

27" x 118" Jacquard Tapestry Weaving,

cotton.
42

ART EDUCATION I NOVEMBER 2007

Based upon their experiences working with a big idea and middle
school students, the preservice teachers' understandings of big ideas
changed and reflect their experience teachingfrom this perspective.
first day included the Power Point that
introduced Pat Williams and her big idea of
personal connections to nature to the middle
school students. Additionally, the preservice
teachers included a discussion of creating
textiles using digital technologies. Through
asking questions and engaging the students
in discussions, the preservice teachers helped
the students understand how they personally
related to nature and how nature affected
them. The preservice teachers addressed the
concepts that Pat Williams explained about
her connections to nature, shared some of
their own connections to nature, and
encouraged the 6th graders to share their
ideas. After this introduction, the students
went outside and took digital photographs of
objects on the school grounds that related to
their personal connections to nature. Before
the next class, we printed all the students'
digital photos on fabric.
The next day, the preservice teachers
reviewed the first day's activities, discussed
nature and students' connections to it, and
introduced the artmaking project. The
preservice teachers demonstrated different
stitching techniques, students practiced these
techniques, and the preservice teachers
helped the students plan their mixed-media
pieces. Over the course of the week, the
students created mixed-media textile works
that related to their personal connections to
nature. The artworks incorporated their
digital images printed on fabric, other pieces
of fabric, various objects from nature, and
the stitching to attach the pieces together. As
the students worked on their pieces, the
preservice teachers assisted the students in
many ways, redirecting them and helping
them brainstorm ideas, and so forth. After
the students completed their multi-media
textile works, the preservice teachers led the
middle school students in a critique of their
artworks. The concept of a critique was new
to the students and it was difficult to get
them to participate at first. However, because
of excellent questioning techniques implemented by the preservice teachers, the
students interpreted their classmates'
artworks. This project concluded on a Friday,

and the following Monday in class we had a

discussion of the project. The preservice
teachers verbally reflected upon their
experiences and the successful and unsuccessful aspects of the project.

Reflections of Preservice Teachers

Based upon Kraft's (1996) components, the
students actively engaged in reflection during
this service-learning project. The 15
preservice teachers each wrote four reflections: before the project began, after the first
day, after the third day, and after the
conclusion of the project and the final class
discussion.' Though I originally planned this
project as a discipline-based service-learning
opportunity, I was surprised by how much
the students and I learned about using big
ideas in practice. Through observing the
preservice teachers planning this project in
our university classroom, seeing them teach
at the middle school, and reading and
analyzing the preservice teachers' reflections,
I learned a great deal about their understanding of using a big idea in an art lesson.

Thoughts about Big Ideas Before

the Service-Learning Project
A common theme from the preservice
teachers' reflections before the servicelearning project was their enthusiasm for this
experience. The preservice teachers
expressed their excitement about the
possibility to implement in a "real" classroom
what they were learning in the university
class. Students mentioned that they had not
previously seen a lesson taught using a big
idea and they wanted to be involved in one.
Using a big idea as the central hub for a
lesson and allowing students to explore in
their own directions was a common idea that
emerged from the preservice teachers'
reflections. The students addressed the big
idea as a reference point from which teachers
can plan instruction, artrnaking, and
assessment. Additionally, they expressed
their belief that a big idea can serve as a focal
point, keeping the teacher and students on
track. One student wrote:

Lessons structured around a big idea

seem as if they would work well to
organize concepts that could be
complicated to teach, allowing students
to recognize that artmaking is to be a
meaning-making endeavor and not just
the making of a product.
The belief that using a big idea can
promote student learning and help students
work through complex ideas appeared in
multiple reflections. Another student made a
connection between her personal learning
and the big idea concept in the following:
I like the idea of taking a larger concept
and exploring many aspects of it through
various lessons. In my own learning
experiences, I have definitely walked
away with greater understandings when
I have studied something in depth and
through a variety of ways.
After reading all the reflections, it was
clear to me that the preservice teachers
understood the conceptual reasons for using
a big idea within lesson plans. While the
project was underway, I wondered how their
understandings of big ideas were changing.

Thoughts about Big ideas After

the Service-Learning Project
In the reflections the preservice teachers
wrote after the service-learning project, they
also addressed the concept of the big idea.
One pre service teacher noted, "I think using
a big idea also allowed us to initiate the
students to think about how art relates to
their world outside of the classroom and how
they can express themselves by using this:' It
is important that she was able to identify how
the big idea assisted in the connections
between course content and the students'
lives. Another student wrote:
Teaching with a big idea is a great place
to start. It helps students understand
what you are trying to teach them and
why. I love the "key concepts" as a focal
point of the lesson. Students are more
likely to remember when they can
literally apply them to their activities.

NOVEMBER 2007 / ART EDUCATION

43

Using a big idea as thefocusfor a service-learning project ... providedan idealopportunity

for the preservice teachers to learn as they providedservice and it allowed the middle school
students to be exposed to a newer idea in art education.
Based upon their experiences working with a

bigidea and middle school students, the

preservice teachers' understandings of big
ideas changed and reflect their experience
teaching from this perspective.

Suggestions for Implementing

Service-Learning Projects
Based upon my experiences working with
groups of preservice teachers implementing
service-learning projects, I offer the
following suggestions to help others develop
successful projects.
Check with your university about
liability issues involved with preservice
teachers working at an off-campus
location.
Have preservice teachers read about and
discuss service-learning before planning
your project.
Remind the preservice teachers of the
need to be flexible throughout the
project.
Make it obvious to the preservice
teachers that they will make many
decisions during the course of planning
and implementing the service-learning
project. As a professor, it is important to
step back, give preservice teachers
decision-making authority, and make
this clear to the preservice teachers.
Before the project begins, overtly address
the socio-cultural differences that may
exist between the preservice teachers and
the students with whom they will be
working.
Hold debriefing sessions during the
course of the project and at the end to
clarify expectations, solve problems that
arise, and make any necessary changes.

44

ART EDUCATION I NOVEMBER 2007

Conclusion
As a new professor, I found that implementing a service-learning project was an
excellent way to help my students learn and
to help a local school. By observing the
preservice teachers in a "real" school setting,
I learned much about the aspects of teaching
they were well-prepared for and the aspects
for which they were less prepared. An
interesting facet of the project was how much
I learned about my own teaching through
watching the preservice teachers and reading
their reflections. At the same time, the
middle school students had the opportunity
to work with the preservice teachers almost
one-on-one and to use materials providing
them with artmaking opportunities they
would not have had otherwise. Using a big
idea as the focus for a service-learning
project worked well in this situation because
it provided an ideal opportunity for the
preservice teachers to learn as they provided
service and it allowed the middle school
students to be exposed to a newer idea in art
education. As service-learning gains more
significance in art education, we will need to
conduct additional research related to the
effects on our students and our communities.

Melanie L. Buffington is AssistantProfessor

ofArt Education, School of the Arts,
Virginia Commonwealth University,
Richmond. E-mail: mbuffingtonaivcu.edu
REFERENCES
Beane,J. A. (1997). Curriculum integration:
Designing the coreof democratic education.
New York: TeachersCollege Press.

Burns, R. C. (1995). Dissolvingthe boundaries:

Planning for curriculumintegration ill middle
and secondary schools. Charleston, WV:
Appalachia Educational Laboratory.
Daniel, V. A. H., Stuhr, P. L., & Ballengee-Morris,
C. (2006). Suggestionsfor integrating the arts
into curriculum. Art Education, 59(1) 6-11.
Heffernan, K. (2001). Fundamentals of servicelearning course construction. Providence, RI:
Campus Compact.
Jacobs,H. H. (1989) Interdisciplinary curriculum:
Design and implementation. Alexandria, VA:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum
Development.
Jeffers, C. (2005). Spheres of possibility: Linking
service-learning and the visualarts. Reston, VA:
National Art Education Association.
Kraft, R. J. (1996).Servicelearning: An introduction to its theory, practice, and effects.
Education and Urban Society, 28(2),131-159.
Moon, A. (1994). Teachingexcellence: The role of
service-learning. Michigan Journal of ServiceLearning, 1(1), 115-120.

Pelto, S. G. (1998). Art and service learning:

Connection within a community of shared
experience. Curriculum, community, and the
arts. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service
No. ED444903).
Roberts, T. (2005). Teaching"real" art making. Art
Education, 58(2), p. 40-45.
Stewart, M. G., & Walker, S. R. (2005). Rethinking
curriculum ill art education. Worcester, MA:
Davis Publications.
Taylor, P. G. (2002a). Singing for someone else's
supper: Service-learning and empty bowls. Art
Education, 55(5),46-52.
Taylor, P. G. (2002b). Service-learning as
postmodern art and pedagogy. Studies ill Art
Education, 42(2),124-140.
Taylor, P.G. (2004). Service-learning basics. NAEA
Advisory. Reston, VA: National Art Education
Association.
Taylor, P. G., & Ballengee-Morris, C. (2004).
Service-learning:A language of "we." Art
Education, 57(5), 6-12.
The Ohio State UniversityTETACMentors (2002).
Integrated curriculum: Possibilities for the arts.
Art Education, 55(3), 12-22.
Walker, S. (2001). Teaching meaningin artmaking.
Worcester,MA: DavisPublications.

GREAT

END NOTES

A UTHOR'S NOTE

llhroughoutthis article . I refer to

uniwrsity
preparing to be artteachers as "preservtce
teacher s" and the middle school students with
whom we work<'<l as
..

lh is project occ urred when J was a faculty

at
Michigan Uniwrsity and was
suppo rted by a
l'ew Faculty Gram and an
Academic Sen'ice . Learn ing Fellowship, Wilhuut
th is support, th e project wou ld nOI have been
possible. Sp<:cial t hanks to Mr. /elfTrax who
allowed uS to come into his classroo m and teach.
Ms. Pat Williams, who sha red he r ar t and her lin w
wilh u' . and Dr. Kalh)" Stacey who helped develop
my
of service learn ing.

2 [a,k...J the prescrvice teachers to address in th..ir

rdl<>( lions numerous topics. including their
tali,m, before the project, their thoughts allout the
I'rngr<'" of the project as il was underway. thei r
to working with ur ban .tudenls. and the
, ucce"ful and un'ucc... ,ful a,p<:C!' "f the project.
" ,"Ca" ,,- of the space Iimita lions for this article,
I focu, on their understanding. of th.. big iaM
'on' cpt as expres.sed before and afte r they partici
pal ed in this '<''''ice-learning project.

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