MEASURING GROWTH AND CHANGE:

At the beginning of the project, students were hesitant, and there was a lot of erasing.

I took away the erasers and talked them through their discomforts. We revisited our scavenger hunt findings, looked at more artists' self-portraits, and persevered.

 Self-judgment lessened, and students seemed more comfortable drawing themselves.

The process of creating their self-portrait - learning about who they are and where they came from as they build skills, abilities and confidence, takes students on a journey from “I can’t draw myself!” to producing their final piece that is hung in the Multicultural Faire Exhibit.

By repeating the self-portrait theme every year, students become more reflective and deepen their understanding of others and their own self-awareness.

I have no empirical data to prove this but in my experience of having students revisit the theme of “Who am I, where do I come from…” they go through an amazing transformation. Their sense of self and self-awareness deepens from year to year through this repetitive reflective process, as does their understanding and acceptance of others. Students' studio skills and abilities to express themselves advance tremendously.

What have we discovered on our journey?

Toward Teacher Action Research questions-some things I'm puzzling about:

Does revisiting the theme of “Who am I, where did I come from, how am I the same and how am I different" help build community, respect and acceptance?

Does repeated exposure to this theme help? (with acceptance and with their art skills)

I am interested in how charged and frustrated students become when the assignment is to draw their self-portrait…even students with advanced skills. These same students are adept, capable and comfortable drawing or painting anything else, but themselves!

What is it about drawing themselves that is so charged?….is it the mirror?
Is it about how they look? Is it how they are changing, more susceptible to peer pressure?

Is it how different they are (or look) than society's standards?

Is there a change in attitude as students get older and approach their teen years?
Is it that they have photo-realistic pre-conceived ideas?

What can I do to eliminate the charge?
Is it just the older students who are anxious and self-conscious of their changing selves, or is it universal?

How many students are satisfied with their final work?
Does their attitude shift when they see their work is on display?