“When We Come Together, We Make Something Beautiful”: Teachers and Children Reimagining History through Art

• In Event: United We Stand: Interdisciplinarity and Progressive Politics in Pre-K–12 Classrooms, Communities, and Curriculum

Abstract

Purpose
In elementary schools, children are often expected to make and express meaning in narrow ways deemed "appropriate" for classroom learning, which may require them to be still, quiet, and alone (Milner et al., 2019). Simultaneously, teachers are routinely required to stick to a curricular script (Parks & Bridges–Rhoads, 2012), often with little say in their pedagogies. In this study, we explored how the arts created an opening for fifth graders and their teacher to create a new educational environment–one where they collectively determined the direction of their learning. Specifically, we explored how the arts supported this classroom in reimagining elementary learning during a unit on African American history and throughout the class's broader inquiry into racial justice.

Theoretical Framework
We framed our study with critical and collective perspectives on agency (Campano et al., 2020). Although agency has historically been focused on an individual's perceived self–efficacy (e.g., Bandura, 1986), critical perspectives position it as intertwined with identity work, involving the "making and remaking of… identities, activities…and histories, as embodied within relations of power" (Lewis et al., 2007, p. 18). Campano et al. (2020) extended critical perspectives on agency by highlighting its collective nature and role in social justice movements. We examined how children and their teacher collectively expressed agency as they explored historical and contemporary issues of racial justice.

Methods and Data Sources
We used qualitative case study methods (Dyson & Genishi, 2005) to examine a 10–week social studies unit in a racially, linguistically, and ability–diverse fifth–grade classroom in a Midwestern city. Data sources included field notes from participant observation (n=21), transcripts from semi–structured interviews (n=5), and a collection of artifacts (n=54). Analysis included qualitative coding, memoing, and peer debriefing (Saldaña, 2015).

Findings
Across our data, children and their teacher drew on the arts in ways that reimagined learning and flattened power hierarchies. For instance, the teacher's inclusion of the arts (e.g., music, portraiture) in her social studies unit affirmed multiple ways of understanding historical concepts. The teacher would often respond to children's interpretations by saying, “I've never thought of that before,” inverting traditional definitions of “teacher” and “learner.” The arts also supported multiple forms of expression for children, who would spontaneously use the arts to express their thinking and emotions. In one instance, children jumped and danced around the classroom when the teacher played an African American spiritual. Finally, the arts provided opportunities for children to connect past, present, and future, bringing their lived experiences and desires into the curriculum. In one example, children connected historical portraits to the community–created murals that filled their city during the COVID–19 pandemic.

Significance
This study showcases what is possible when teachers and children can collectively express their agency (Campano et al., 2020) and determine the course of their learning. It pushes back on discourses of standardization in elementary curricula (Parks & Bridges–Rhoads, 2012) and instruction (Dyson, 2015). Importantly, it demonstrates how the blurring of disciplinary boundaries can support justice–driven learning.

Authors

• Emily Machado, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Tracey Bullington, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Mia Hicks, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Carly McClennahan, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Kristin Pellerin, Madison Metropolitan School District