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SPARKING INDEPENDENT LEARNING WITH DIGITAL ART IN THE FLIPPED CLASSROOM

Dagan Robertson

The University of Northern Iowa

ArtEd 6300 Research Methods in Art Education

Professor Samantha Goss

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Literature Review

In this paper I will be discussing two methods of teaching in art education and how they

can and do work together synchronously in the classroom to foster independent learning. First, I

will begin by discussing the flipped classroom model. What it is, how it came to be, and its use

and benefits in the art classroom. Next I plan to explain digital art practices, examples of their

use, and why it’s beneficial to an art education curriculum. Then finally, I plan to put these two

ideas together in providing examples and rationale for why these two ideas can and do work

well together for any age in art education.

Flipped Classroom Model

My first practice for the art classroom I would like to discuss is the Flipped Classroom

Model, FCM. What exactly is the FCM, and where did it come from? The flipped classroom

model is an approach to learning that takes the current model of teacher centered education

and flips it around to be more student centered. Traditionally, classrooms have functioned with

students being lectured to inside of the classroom and then working to complete assignments at

home. Whereas the flipped classroom works to have students watch instructions through their

material outside of the classroom, or even inside, and then complete their work during

instructional time. (Morgan, 2014)

This model was coined in 2007 by Johnathan Bergmann and Aaron Sams. These two

were chemistry teachers that were in Woodland Colorado at the time. Inspired by the recent

popularity of DIY instructional videos that had flooded the internet with the popularity of

YouTube, they started off by creating pre-recorded lectures that they asked students to view

prior to coming to the classroom. In doing so they discovered that they could use their

classroom time to engage their students with the work that they were trying to do. While

students were able to draw upon their teachers as resources when needed. (Cheng 2018)
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After adopting the FCM, the dynamic of the classroom changes completely, and

hopefully for the better. The classroom is no longer focused strictly on information

memorization, or a teacher focused lecture. A FCM transforms the teacher into more of a guide

for students That can help them through the process. This then passes the responsibility of

learning onto the student rather than the teacher. (McElhany, 2017) So that the student will be

learning independently with decreasing guidance and evaluation (Carson, 2012).

Since Bergmann and Sams, the flipped classroom model has been gaining popularity in

all subjects and in many schools around the world, as educators have begun to see the

benefits. If used correctly, one benefit of the FCM is it can allow for students to work at their own

pace. Meaning when a student has a difficult time understanding what it is that they are learning

they can view the content repeatedly. While for the content that they find little to no problems

understanding they would not have to spend nearly as much time on the content (Morgan,

2014). As opposed to a traditional classroom where every student would be stuck at the same

pace of receiving instruction. Possibly not being able to have information repeated due to the

constraints and limitations the teacher would have in the classroom.

In addition to the benefits that students might receive in the classroom there is also the

argument that a FCM can lead to better learning outcomes for all students. Such as allowing for

better autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Autonomy being engaged in behavior that is

relevant to the student on their accord; competence being the need that students are feeling

capable of performing those tasks; and relatedness being students feeling the need to be

involved in tasks that allow for collaboration and communication with other students (Sergis,

2018). Each is an element of students beginning their path to independent learning and problem

solving.
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Digital Art Practices

The second educational practice for the art room I would like to shed light on is the

instruction and use of digital art as a medium and not just a tool. Breaking away from the

traditional mediums in the art classroom, digital art has been pioneering the way for many

students to begin to understand the value of working with softwares with artistic capabilities.

Delacuz (2009) said, education finds a good fit with new digital media, particularly with our

affinity for artmaking, design, aesthetic inquiry,interpretation, and open ended learning.

Some examples of digital art practices could be working with animation software, 3D

printing and design, photo editing and manipulation, digital game or app coding and design,

product and or logo design, and digital illustration. As said by Bolliger & Supanakorn (2011),

each different digital medium has unique benefits for students. Though implementing digital

practices for student learning is not exactly a new idea. In 2006 the makerspace movement

helped to pioneer STEM and or STEAM ideas for students in school. Being that students should

be able to implement practices from science, technology, engineering, and math into cross

disciplinary units for any subject, art included. (Sweeny, 2017)

Justification for the buy-in of digital art practices is not just based on the hype or fad.

There are many benefits for students when working with digital mediums. For example when

using electronic portfolios students can track their progress from unit to unit and even year to

year (Fulton, 2013). Also noted positive benefits are students being able to work with modern

practices and seeing how those practices relate to their lives and to content that they know and

understand.

Working with new technologies helps students with social skills and cultural

competencies required to be successful in the emerging technological society (Delacruz, 2009).

Say if a student were to be working on a lesson with elements of graphic design. Not only would

they be learning universal elements of most photo editing programs, but they might also have
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the opportunity to delve into ideas of logo design, color theory, composition, or even product

placement. This in itself could be considered to be an interdisciplinary lesson with elements of

art, design, and even business.

Taking this a step further, a digital unit like this could be designed to function as a group

work as well. Students working together with the software could lead to assistance in

remembering tool functions and software capabilities. It might also lead to revision and

alteration in the design process. Or even distance learning and collaboration as most softwares

save progress over cloud storage. The possibilities are truly only limited to what the software is

capable of.

With all of these examples in mind, many educators have been putting digital mediums

into practice for the art classroom for almost two decades. This has been made possible, in part,

by many school districts recognizing the need for and moving to 1:1 devices or having

classroom sets of devices on hand for students to use (Varier et al., 2017). However the

software that is in use, or big idea being pushed might vary based on many things. Teacher

choice, department funding, student interest, and age level could all be determining factors

here.

Digital Art in the Flipped Classroom

At this point we have been able to examine the flipped classroom model in practice,

where it came from, and what benefits that it can bring to the classroom. Following this we took

the time to delve into digital art practices, what those mediums can accomplish, and what

benefits they can have for students in art education.

When looking at how a flipped classroom operates we have discussed how there are

many benefits to how the students can learn new content. These included pacing, repeated

instruction, and visuals. Then when shifting out thinking to digital art practices it’s important to

recognize that more often than not when this new medium is introduced into the classroom
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there probably isn’t much specific prior knowledge for students to draw upon. So if an educator

were to combine both of these practices into the art education classroom from a broad

perspective it should be easy enough to see where they might connect and work well together.

For example, say a student was tasked with creating an animation in a new software

that they may have been aware of but never had the access to before their time in class. They

might have a notion of what an animation is and possibly even the basics of how it functions in

their prior knowledge. Though it is likely they’ve never seen the program interface or icons that

create, duplicate, or even open and save. These are all bits and pieces of the puzzle that make

up every program, and unfortunately they aren’t always necessarily universal. This is where the

flipped classroom may come in to streamline this whole new learning process.

If students are able to view pre recorded instructional videos then they now have the

opportunity to control their own pace of instruction (Bolliger & Supanakorn, 2011). One such

possibility might be to listen and watch instructions take place, pause their lesson, complete the

step, and then go back to their lesson to continue on to the next step. This might help students

to feel less overwhelmed with content if they can choose what smaller sizes they want to

consume the content in.

Another advantage that comes with having digital practices taught through a flipped

classroom is having a direct visual available at your fingertips. In a traditional art classroom

usually demonstrations occur when new knowledge is introduced, and students can be shown a

material or a technique. Usually however, a photographic memory is rare. Many times students

simply can’t remember everything that they were shown and may need to ask clarifying

questions during the work process. An instructional video solves this problem by allowing

students to simply rewind to see whatever it is they can’t quite remember the look of. This is

particularly useful when navigating tools, icons, and menus in any given art related software.
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Of course it should be noted that a successful FCM with digital art practices is

dependent on how the art educator chooses to arrange their content for their specific students.

For example, many instructional videos online provide benefits like previously mentioned, but in

a more general streamlined format. These are great, however they are not exactly customizable

to certain needs that students might have. Or even to different levels, with age appropriate

vocabulary. An organized classroom, with the students' needs in mind, can really take a DIY

video to an actual education experience.

That is why when setting up a flipped digital art classroom it might be important to

consider a few things. How will the content be presented to the students? How will the students

access the content, and is this a consistent process for every student? What content and

practices will students be learning, and how does this relate to their art education as opposed to

just computer literacy? If the instruction that students are receiving isn’t something that is

tailored to be the most convenient to consume for the situation the students are in then it isn’t

maximizing their learning or making good use of their time. (Unrath & Mudd, 2011)

So it can clearly be seen as frustrating to someone learning something new if there isn’t

an easy path to accessing that new information. It’s important to keep content, resources, and

instruction organized so that students can focus more on the content rather than learning how to

access the content. If all students are aware of the system that an educator has in place in a

flipped digital classroom then students can have the best foundation in which to start building

their new connections to digital art practices.

Once there has been time put into how a student will access the content it’s important to

consider, will this be consistent for all students? Many schools have begun to initiate a 1:1

policy that provides all students with equal footing in access (Varier et al., 2017). Though this is

not a universal practice for all schools. Occasionally an educator may have to get creative in

how say a student with a chromebook might receive instruction versus another student with an
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iPad. Many softwares, apps, or open source programs may not function the same or even at all

on different platforms and it is always important to test this early on. So as to find alternatives for

those students who cannot follow the same instruction as the majority.

Lastly, it’s incredibly important to be sure that what students are actually learning applies

to an art education classroom. A potential pitfall that can come with a digital FCM is too much

focus being placed on the functions of computer programs and not how those programs can

relate to teaching elements, principles, uses, and history of art. The novelty of technology can

be enticing to create something visually appealing and currently popular, but it is also important

to recognize that digital art practices are just another tool for providing students with a well-

rounded art education.

In the following three examples digital art practices have been implemented in

elementary, middle, and high school classrooms. The methods used to implement instruction

vary, but each has positive results. Using digital art practices with the flipped classroom model

can be done at any age as long as the right accommodations are made available and the

content is appropriate for the age level.

In Evil Cats and Jelly Floods students ages 4 to 5 were allowed access to a classroom

computer that only contained a simple art software called Tux Paint. Instruction was minimal,

and focused on student exploration as opposed to teacher lecture. Students were allowed to

work with the software to create whatever they wished. Teacher input during the artmaking was

limited to helping with technical problems. Following class time there were some interesting

findings. Every student was able to produce some sort of digital artwork that was based on their

visual preferences that the tools could produce. Though that’s not to say that certain students

weren’t called out as “experts,” or that there weren’t a variety of technical difficulties that

students and the teacher had to overcome together. The outcome of this process highlights the

imaginative ways that children approach digital resources, but they also suggest issues that
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practitioners need to be aware of when supporting children in using digital technologies. (Sakr,

et al., 2016)

Beyond Storytime was an activity created by a local community library to work with

middle school students ages 9 to 12. They were given prerecorded instructions showcasing

activities to create their own digital posters using canva.com. Lesku, et al., (2020) stated their

justification was , by using tech to explore and make art we can give students hands-on

opportunities to use creative thinking and problem solving. This project was successfully

implemented in the middle of the Covid 19 pandemic in large part due to the flipped classroom

model being used to reach those students at home.

When looking at System Error: Versatility and Facility as Empowering Values for the

Digital Arts Classroom, Mr. Luke Mekeen documents his time as a digital arts teacher and what

sorts of adaptations and accommodations he made for his students at the high school level. Mr.

Mekeen’s main goal when explaining his methods is to illustrate how well digital art practices

adapt to students with a range of disabilities. Many of his methods focus on physical changes to

technology to overcome student’s physical disabilities. Though also for many the

demonstrations of the material were the true adaptation for those students needing to work at a

different pace or be shown different methods for overcoming mistakes or errors. As stated by

Mekeen (2020), by recognizing digital technology’s potential for forgiveness, art educators can

help contribute to a more accessible and empowering learning space that is amenable to

experimentation and risk-taking.

Conclusion

In summary, both digital art practices and the flipped classroom model can work together

to provide some amazing benefits in the art classroom. The flipped classroom model has been

shown to engage students and allow them to work at their own pace when being presented with

new technology, mediums, and information not only in art but all subjects. Whereas digital art
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has been shown to not only engage students with a more modern approach to art but to also

allow students to make connections between other digital practices and those used for making

art. Finally I have done my best to show that both digital art making and the flipped classroom

model can work incredibly well together. By providing students with versatile tools that aid them

in learning a new medium, at their own pace, with modern digital practices and technology.
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