Refining my Question!

Continuing on with Chapter 2 of “What Works?” by Chiseri-Strater & Sunstein

Exercises in this chapter helped me hone in on what I really want to know.

1.            

      Mindwork: Explore Trial Questions. 10 possible questions I would like to ask.

a.       How does Sculpture class help in eye-hand coordination?

b.      How does 3-D design education teach students spatial relationships?

c.       How does education in manipulating objects in an aesthetic fashion attribute to brain development?

d.      How does 3-D instruction add to students spatial awareness in the world around them?

e.      What other subjects in schools would benefit from learning in 3-D design?

f.        Does 3-D instruction and practice in school relate to the students future lives and careers?

g.       Planning and designing a 3-D project include many different types of learning. Can students gain confidence in creating projects in other areas by creating aesthetic 3-D designs in Art class?

h.       Should schools that don’t offer formal Art classes give teachers instruction on including Art in their lessons?

i.      How does instruction in 3-D or Sculptural design attribute to high achievement in other subjects?

j.       How important is spatial visual skills to brain development?

Teaching Practices: General Art teachers for K-8 include 3-D or sculptural projects in their curriculum.

Student learning or outcomes: Developmental achievements in spatial relationship understanding.

School Policies or Politics: How much or how little formal Art Instruction or curriculum is included in the school? Is the attitude Pro-Art? Is there need for educating them about attributes and learning objectives?

Curriculum: Strict curriculum guidelines that incorporates 3-D design or gives teachers instruction in including in curriculum.

Mindwork: Position yourself in Relation to the Question

 
I have created 3-D objects my whole life. I also scored in the 99^th percentile in the Iowa Basic Skills test in spatial relationships. Envisioning an object is natural for me. Some jobs I’ve had used this skill. This skill has given me the ability to make or construct anything I desire, a sort of empowerment or freedom. Experience and practice in 3-D design at a young age may not effect everyone the same but how is this fundamental skill important to human development

Ethical Question: Have boys historically gotten more experience in constructing 3-D objects and has that affected their scores in aptitude tests? A case study can’t be done because you wouldn’t want to have a group that doesn’t get any instruction in 3-D design so to research one could look at historical trends and with changes in educational theories one get insight into measurable attributes achieved or attained in a particular group. Such as a school district that promotes students to pursue careers in Engineering because there is a large University in the town that is big in Engineering. They offer special classes with the University, summer camps and field trips. What effect has it had on the students related test scores and grades in related subjects in school? How many students in the area were able to qualify for scholarships to  pursue these careers? How does the numbers in this school compare to other schools where these careers are not pushed so much?

Mindwork: Refine Your Question

How does 3-D design experience benefit students and how do these benefits affect learning in other subjects?

What type of 3-D design experience? Solely aesthetic design in non-representative sculpture or realistic design or using 3-D design to present present learning or a concept. For instance a Sculpture that creates a message about a desired societal change.

How can benefits be seen or measured? Research can be done by looking at experience of adult professionals who work in 3-D design fields or other people known for being intelligent or innovative.

How does 3-D design instruction benefit student development and how does this benefit student learning in other subjects and their adult lives in the real world?

My question actually got longer – it was suppose to get shorter? I’ll have to work on that more for my next post, but I do think I’m getting somewhere.