Venturing into Unknown Territory: Using Aesthetic Representations to Understand Reading Comprehension
Kimberley K. Cuero, Jennifer Bonner, Brittaney Smith, Michelle Schwartz, Rose Touchstone, and Yvonne Vela
University of Texas at San Antonio
Citation: Cuero, K. K. (2008). Venturing into unknown territory: Using aesthetic representation to understand
reading comprehension. International Journal of
Education & the Arts, 9(1). Retrieved [date] from http://www.ijea.org/v9n1/.
Abstract
Based on Elliot Eisner's notions of multiple forms of representation and Rosenblatt's
aesthetic/efferent responses to reading, a teacher educator/researcher had her undergraduate
students explore their connections, using aesthetic representations, to a course entitled
Reading Comprehension. Each aesthetic representation revealed the complexities of Reading
Comprehension in unique ways through a variety of media including: interior classroom design,
culinary arts, quilting, music, and martial arts. The teacher educator invited five of the
students from the course to participate in monthly collaborative inquiry sessions during
the subsequent semester (lasting five months) where students articulated the aesthetic
process they underwent. Benefits and applicability of using aesthetic representations
in the university classroom are explored in the final section of the article.
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