International Journal of Education & the Arts | |
Volume 15 Number 16 |
October 1, 2014 |
Songs in Our Hearts: The Affordances and Constraints of an Intergenerational Multimodal Arts CurriculumRachel HeydonThe University of Western Ontario, Canada
Susan O'Neill
Citation: Heydon, R. & O'Neill, S. (2014). Songs in our hearts: Affordances and constraints of an intergenerational multimodal arts curriculum International Journal of Education & the Arts, 15(Number 16). Retrieved [date] from http://www.ijea.org/v15n16/.Abstract This qualitative case study examines the affordances and constraints of an intergenerational multimodal arts curriculum that was designed to expand communication and identity options for children and elder participants. The authors drew on actor-network theory to conceptualize curriculum as a network effect and refer to literature on multimodal literacy to discuss how interests, knowledge, and the modes themselves (e.g., art and singing) influenced communication and identity options in the curriculum. Focusing on singing, the findings indicate that the affordances and constraints of the curriculum were created through a network that included the participants and the materials of communication (e.g., musical instruments). Art and talking supported singing as did the emergent curricular model. The elders had mixed prior experiences and facility with singing, however, their desire to support the children engaged them in the practice. The curriculum supported symmetrical relationships between participants, and the case adds to the literatures on intergenerational programs, multimodal literacy, arts education, and curriculum. Visual Abstract
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