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Interview with Shawn Alyea, Innovators in Education Series

Using art and art therapy to reach at-risk students and to help achieve academic goals is an extremely important strategy. Not only does it allow freedom of expression, it is also motivating and it helps develop self efficacy. Welcome to an interview with Shawn Alyea, who develops approaches using different types of art and expressive media to develop innovative instructional programs. You can see samples of his work by visiting his Flickrstream.

1. What is your name and your relation to education?

Shawn Alyea. I have a Masters in Counseling Psychology, Special Education and a Bachelors in Special Ed. I taught for 10 yrs, grades 1-12 at various times. Both of my parents were educators.

2. What is your philosophy of education for at-risk children and families?

To explore new and innovative ways to access and apply information needed for the task at hand. An at risk child especially needs to see how the activity they are becoming involved in can benefit them.

For some that is escaping a chaotic or hostile home life by concentrating on academics, for some it may be learning skills for employment, or to express themselves in the arts to find their own voice. If you can demonstrate to the parents that you are involved in their children’s life (and theirs) as a positive force not a judgmental one; the student and the teacher are more likely to receive parents support.

If you can help a student find or encourage something they excel at and then attach that to a cause bigger than themselves they are more likely to be motivated to rise above the challenges they may face in the home environment.

3. How does one's advancement in education result in a ripple effect in one's family?

Family systems therapy would compare the advancement to a change or a dance. If the child surpasses the parents in knowledge it may be seen as a threat. You have to work to reframe that in a positive light or you are likely to lose your opportunity to help the student flourish.

If the parents are frustrated because their child has not made the progress they had expected and you can show that progress occurring, then you’ve become an ally to the family and the student. The wise educator will be sensitive to any changes in the family.

The student’s advancement in education may also enable their children to have a higher income

or career choices than their parents or grandparents.

4. What is your view of the relationship between art and one's identity and self-concept?

Art in all of its forms would be a portrait of the soul at a given time and place to me. It is very personal, exposing and honest. Often unconscious, and mystical it reaches into the spiritual realm, and at the best of times God seems to join you in the creation. So I see art as a mirror to observe yourself as you engage in the process. This observation may notice changes, themes and emotions you otherwise might not have noticed about yourself.

Here a few works of art that explore the mystical: (Note that more can be seen at Shawn's Online Gallery /  Flickrstream)

6. How can art projects be used in both online and face to face courses?

Academically various techniques can be taught. Depending on how detailed, or demanding they are you can observe how the student interacts with the media or techniques.

The student really tells you much about themselves if you simply observe them. Are they patient? Do they struggle with being impulsive? Do they typically lack focus except when engaged in something of great interest? What media are they attracted to? How do they organize and then execute the activity?

This is more difficult in on line course unless you can adapt the camera’s to show the student’s work environment. On the other hand on line allows you to interact with people across the globe, and to access cultures and views that you could never dream of in a face to face setting.

7. Who are some of your favorite artists? Why? How?

Rouault , Van Gogh, Matisse, Chagall. George Ohr Potter. I like their free forms of expression and colors.

Reality Television-Inspired M-Learning: “Life Is Our Laboratory” Approach

Effective design for mobile learning courses requires a major shift in how one thinks of the learner's relationship to the content. Interactivity takes on a whole new dimension, as students create content to share and critique in close to real time. The key is to avoid sending students down a path where they will be more or less duplicating what the others have done. They need to be able to apply their knowledge and skills and to process them so that they make sense in real-life applications or simulations / scenarios.

One must keep in mind, too, that the new iPad, Kindle Fire, and other e-readers mean that students are likely to be able to read texts on the fly and develop more robust, course-related content more easily and conveniently than in the past.

Where does the student create content to upload and share "in the wild" with their mobile device (tablet, smartphone, handheld)? What are the best methods of sharing?

Protected social networking

Discussion prompts

Research repository (a thread in a discussion board area, or a location within social networking sites)

Shared photos / media

Portfolios / Final Projects / Lab Reports - (portfolio sites -- can use Faceb00k-type social networking for sharing collaborations)

Interviews / Observation: can be a combination of audio, video, graphics, and text files which can be uploaded within an LMS or in a dedicated social network site

Presentations (PowerPoints / KeyNote slides, potentially animated using captivate)

Implications for Instruction

Student-developed content is exciting, dynamic, and encourages interaction; it also encourages creative development of content.

• Originality is paramount. Avoid plagiarism.
• All students must be mindful of the fact that fellow students' work may or may not be accurate; just because it's on the web (posted in a site) does not make it credible; nor are all the links and resources necessarily reliable. It's a great opportunity to practice critical thinking skills.
• Students will need clear guidelines re: size of files and where to upload.
• Content guidelines – be sure to let students know what’s not okay.
• Privacy issues when gathering information and sharing information
• Social Construction of Reality – what is real? Who decides?
• Simulacra okay? Use faux persona, etc. when dealing with actual persons / places / products could be too sensitive.

Reality TV-inspired Mobile Learning

Psychology / Sociology

Example: Real Housewives of (fill-in-the-blank)

Your own: Social Relation Drama

Humanities

Example: History Channel programs

Your Own: “History Needs a ReDo!”

Go to historical sites and ask tough questions / debunk and challenge current beliefs. Find out what most people think.

Biology / Animal Behavior

Example: Fatal Attractions (When pets become predators/ exotic pets turn on their owners)

Your own show: "Biting the Hand... Can You Trust Your Companion Animal?" (Chronicle the life of your own pet … is there any reason to start fearing your own Siamese cat, Chihuahua, Laborador retriever, pit bull?)

Earth Science / Environmental Science

Example: Swamp People on the History Channel (history.com)

Your own show: Meet the Frackers – show different sides of the controversy surrounding hydraulic fracturing in shale gas wells

Criminal Justice

Example: Steven Seagal - Lawman

Your own show: Quirky Laws! (Research laws that are on the books and which reflect the life and times of communities in transition. Do they apply today? Why? Why not?)