The Reviews - Reflection

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Reflective inquiry is an important component of the visual artist's practice and is found in all phases of discovery.  Not only does it involve reflecting on one's own thoughts but also reflecting on how other's respond and interact with their work.  Through conversation, reviews and critiques, an artist can continue within the inquiry cycle, using their own and other's responses, to inform and develop further, more sophisticated ideas and practice.

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During this inquiry process, the metaphor of 'artistic practice' both informed my discovery and triggered curiosities that arose during the process.  Carol Kuhlthau's model of the Information Search Process (ISP) has assisted me enormously, to reflect upon and compare my feelings (affective experience), thoughts (cognitive experience) and actions (physical experience) in this process (Kuhlthau, 2012).  The following sections demonstrate how I have reflected upon these three types of experiences and found strong similarities, in my own inquiry discovery, to the ISP framework.

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Initiation

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My initial reaction to the assessment task was certainly a sense of feeling overwhelmed by the intensity of the literature and the expertise held by my lecturer on the subject.  Concerns, about my lack of exposure to the area of inquiry learning, also immediately surfaced .  I realised that these apprehensive feelings are not unusual for the start of any new study.  By immersing myself in readings and available information, there was some reassurance that inquiry learning was not completely foreign.  Having recently perused the new Queensland Senior Syllabus for Visual Art, this gave me some satisfaction that my teaching practice ,in visual art, was already familiar with inquiry learning pedagogy.  Time for some tinkering in my studio ...

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Selection

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During the process of discussion about what inquiry learning is and how we were to pose our own inquiry questions, a small feeling of optimism crept in.  The optimism was generated by the fact that we could develop questions that related to our own teaching experiences and interests.  By being 'interest driven', the questions that I composed, were more relevant and, therefore, created a more authentic discovery (Ito, et al., 2013).  Feeling inspired...

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Exploration

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Having settled on a 'familiar' metaphoric framework for my discovery and an essential question that I wanted to explore, there was an initial sense of relief in my selection (Lupton, 2017).   My initial question was:  What does inquiry learning look like in Visual Art whilst exploring multiple literacies?  This satisfied feeling soon subsided when the pressure and enormity of the task, that I was embarking on, came to realisation.  There were two main concerns.  The first, was whether I was approaching the inquiry question correctly?  I had so much that I wanted to know, that the question I initially posed, confused itself!  It took many frustrating attempts to create a question that was clear, succinct and searchable.  Secondly, I had many doubts as to my ability to navigate all search platforms with 'expertise' when I was still in learner mode.  During my searches, there were many times where I felt that I was stumbling my way through and often second-guessed my ability to search correctly.  By keeping a strong record of my discovery, in curated collections and note taking, I hoped that it would make some inevitable sense.  The visual journal is heavy with experiments and questions...

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Formulation

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A sense of relief and excitement came in ebbs and flows as my searching unveiled little gems and 'lightbulb moments'.  Through my discoveries, I was able to pose new questions and resolve my initial inquiry to something that was more authentic to my needs.  Initially, I had discovered a broad wealth of information however, increased attention to the question, allowed me to connect key sources and see clarity in my inquiry.  There is resolution in my work...

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Collection

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The evolution of my essential question came through the realisation, that I was not discovering anything, that I already took for granted.  By extending my question, to look at visual inquiry in the broader curriculum, I felt a sense of direction and a question that needed to be substantiated.  My final question presented as:  How can visual (art) inquiry enhance learning and literacy across the curriculum? I did discover, in my own inquiry, was that there are multiple answers to any question and it was only through collecting and connecting sources of information that I could confidently present a position.   A curated folio has been developed...

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Presentation

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There is a sense of satisfaction and feeling of confidence about the curation of sources, that I have connected and formulated together. There is also a need to share my findings with others.  By establishing my audience, I am able to present my findings to a group of peers for appraisal.  There is also a satisfaction, in being able to utilise my visual literacy skills, to present an informed and well-rounded summary of findings, in an engaging exhibition of information.  Opening night has arrived...

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Assessment

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Developing and presenting an assessment of this enormity is certainly satisfying and positive peer feedback helps to validate your accomplishment.  By presenting to my professional learning network, I recognise that my findings may also be of interest and value to others.  Presenting to a wider audience is always unnerving, yet, I recognise that my own learning will not grow without connecting to others and using my voice.  Reflection is constant and necessary for growth...

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This leads to a final reflective question about the practical implementation of my inquiry question:

How can 'specialist' teachers, assist teachers and schools, to integrate visual (art) inquiry and practice across the curriculum?  Reflection creates further inquiry and discovery...

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