1. Artistic Discovery in an Outcomes-Based Culture Jessica Nicoll Barry Oreck, Ph.D.

2. “The act of artistic creation cannot be taught” Lev Vygotsky Can Art Be Taught?

3. Henry Schaefer-Simmern (1948) The Unfolding of Artistic Activity (foreword by John Dewey) Seymour Sarason Teaching as a Performing Art (1999) Lev Vygostky The Psychology of Art (1919)

4. The teacher’s actions 1.How to Watch: Negotiating my own struggle

5. I am really intrigued by how all dancers tend to revert to a particular type of movement or specific gesture when they “get stuck.” However, I found that I was most satisfied with my choreography when I was able to transcend the boundaries of my usual vocabulary and experiment with movement that was truly new for me. Luisa

6. The teacher’s actions 1.How to Watch: Negotiating my own struggle 2.Questioning

7. [We] would show Jessica our work and anticipate comments and suggestions. But we almost never received these and instead were presented with questions such as, “What do you want to develop about this phrase?” and, “What would you like to fix?”

8. Sometimes we would answer out loud to Jessica, but more often she would quickly add, “You don’t need to tell me; just think about these things and keep working.”…We were encouraged to reflect on what we had created, what we had not yet created, what we wanted to achieve, and what we could ultimately achieve. Lydia, age 16

9. The teacher’s actions 1.How to Watch: Negotiating my own struggle 2.Questioning 3.Modeling – Using exemplars 4.Problem Finding 5.Offering tools and time for reflection, dialogue with self and the work

10. Even in a group, personal reflection was crucial, as choreography is such a personal process. I also remember getting and giving feedback, constantly showing each other our work, and learning the art of constructive criticism. As the youngest in the group I was always terrified but again, it became increasingly clear that everyone wanted the others to succeed and grow. Toby, age 17

11. “It really felt like it was ours, that it had emerged from something we already had inside of us — not that it had been ‘taught.’” Anna, age 16

12. Everyone has the capacity for artistic creation in dance. Children and adults move through developmental stages of artistic activity through social interaction and internal dialogue. Teachers and mentors must be open to the possibility that they cannot imagine what and how their students and mentees are about to create. Our Propositions

13. References for this session can be found at www.barryoreck.com www.nicollandoreck.com

14. Jessica Nicoll Hunter College Forum for Investigating Artistry in Teaching jnicoll@hunter.edu Barry Oreck, Ph.D. Long Island University, Brooklyn State University of New York at Buffalo Director of Professional Development in the Schoolwide Enrichment Model barry@barryoreck.com

15. Artistic activity cannot begin where educators impose on students externally formulated images and methods, concepts and cognition. A transaction between the individual and his or her physical, psychological, and social environments is necessary for true artistic activity....He or she needs, in short, to become conscious of consciousness within and emanating from the being. Henry Schaefer-Simmern The Unfolding of Artistic Activity (1948)

16. My role (as mentor) is “stabilizing the discomfort. I try to encourage artists to revisit their work – to not run away from their work quickly.” Phyllis Lamhut

17. If you point out the mistake, your students will want to believe you, and this undermines their trust in themselves. Because all of your explanations are words of authority that children will accept even if they are not convinced of their merit, be careful not to impose your own views. Henry Schaefer-Simmern ) Consciousness of Artistic Form (2003)