Literature Review

Transforming Learning Targets for a an Adaptive Art Class

Emily Pfaff
University of Missouri
Dr. Kathy Unrath

I was given the opportunity to teach a multi grade level adaptive art class. The students
in this program are from different schools throughout the district. To qualify for the program

Transforming Learning Targets for an Adaptive Art Class

students must have an IEP and a behavior diagnosis. My first year teaching this program I was
left with many questions, and through this litterateur review I am able to find answers. Currently,
the students in the mixed grade level class all have different learning targets, which creates a
challenge for group work or collaboration. I hope this paper and the questions I ask and find
solutions for can help others in similar situations.
When looking for articles pertaining to adaptive art class, a great deal of what is found
relates to adaptations for students with physical handicaps. My focus is on articles that will help
a adaptive art class that highlights on behavior with the main focus of transforming learning
targets. I will look at the impacts of transforming learning targets through four lenses: Classroom
management, the role of paraprofessionals, teacher dispositions, and differentiated learning.
Classroom management:
Gerber, B., & Guay, D. (2006). Reaching and teaching: Students with special needs
through art. Art education objectives, when designed carefully, consider ideas, skills, and
attitudes that have value beyond the classroom (Wiggins & McTighe), 1998). (Gerber& Guay,
2006, pg11.) The overall idea of this quote helps support the question one might ask, What does
transforming learning targets do for an adaptive art class? When looking at students in a
classroom a teacher is observing and deciding what is best for their students. Observing my
class, I see what life long skills that need to be taught to my students. The skills I want my
students to focus on collaboration and being able to participate in a critique. Students
participating in collaboration will be able to work together to problem solve not only in the art
room but also in real world experiences. Students being able to participate in a critique will allow
them to give and receive feedback in a positive manner with others.
Most children with special needs thrive in environments where the expectations are

Transforming Learning Targets for an Adaptive Art Class

known, time is structured, and routines well taught. (Gerber& Guay, 2006, pg12.) Classroom
management will improve when all students have common expectation of what is expect each art
class. By transforming the art targets for an adaptive art class, it allows students to be working on
common learning targets. Which then allows for implementation of known expectations,
structured time, and routine. An example of this would be a visual chart where students know 1st
we will have a group discussion. 2nd We will have a demonstration. 3rd we gather supplies and
work on art. 4th we clean up. 5th we line up. Currently students are not all working on the same
project, which creates the feeling of uncertainty. They dont know if a new art project will be
started or work on completing an existing project. With multiple projects running at once,
students do not know how long they will have to wait for assistance. By having common
learning targets students are able to follow the same expectations and receive help from one and
another cutting down on frustration and enhancing positive behavior.
Engaging Students with Poverty IN MIND by Jenson is another great resource for looking
at strategies for classroom management. The book is broken up into nine chapters. Each chapter
has an overall theme, such as Engage for Motivation and Effort and Engage for Positive
Climate. This theme is then broken up into four to five actions, which are then described. When
building classroom management strategies both books talk about the importance of respect.
Respect works both ways; the students should feel like the teacher respects them, along with the
teacher feeling respected. Students dont care how much you know until they know how much
you care. Students who have positive relationships with their teachers experience less
stress.(Jenson, 2013, pg 23.) Jenson goes on to talk about what lesson planning should look like.
A teacher who is respecting their student will be thinking about if the student will be ok with the
given project. What connections the project might have to the students home life and if they will

Transforming Learning Targets for an Adaptive Art Class

feel comfortable completing the project. We dont always know a students background but it is
important to remember if a student is refusing or not wanting to do something there is usually a
reason why. Its important to ask the student how they are feeling and what is going on to help
show the student that you care for them. By beginning to build this relationship, the student and
the teacher can then work on a compromise.
Both books talk about the importance of picking your battles. A classroom is not a board
game; you do not have to have a winner. Instead it is about strategy and cooperation among all
players.
Paraprofessionals:
Creating Effective Paraprofessional Support in the Inclusive Art Classroom, by Corrie
Burdick and Julie Causton Theoharis, communicates the role of the paraprofessional in the art
classroom. Four major points are made on how to create the most efficient relationships within
the classroom. The four key points are: (1) respect and value for paraprofessionals and students;
(2) providing access to materials, instruction, and peers; (3) improving communication; and (4)
fading paraprofessional support. (Corrie Burdick and Julie Caustron Theoharis, 2012, p 33.)
Collaboration and empowerment is a immense part of successful working relationships. This
article helps transform the roles of a paraprofessional in an adaptive art class by allowing the
reader to understand the expectations of both the paraprofessional and the teacher.
Gerber and Guay write Reaching and Teaching Students with Special Needs Through Art
for art educators. Chapter 12 assists the reader in understanding the roles of paraprofessionals in
the art room. Creating Effective Paraprofessional Support in the Inclusive Art Classroom and
chapter 12 discuss the importance of allowing the paraprofessional to create artifacts alongside
the students. These articles help to support transforming learning targets in an adaptive art class.

Transforming Learning Targets for an Adaptive Art Class

By understanding the roles of a paraprofessional, the teacher is able to communicate current

needs and expectations for the paraprofessional. Transforming the learning targets, allows
student independence and growth. It's important for the paraprofessional and the teacher to step
back and allow for student exploration and personal development; which creates an environment
where the student begins to collaborate with peers and formulate their own opinions. Enabling
the students to work independently or collaboratively allows for self-empowerment and fosters
collaboration among groups. This in turn helps to build a positive classroom culture.
Teacher Disposition:
Using Visual Arts and Play to Solve Problems and Foster Resiliency by Bickley-Green
&Phillips focus on the Resiliency Program- a program to teach students about the effects of
controlled substances. The students were taught through play and the creation of artwork. The
article holds a valid stance; it shows the importance of engagement, meaningful learning, and
empathy. The point of the article is that the students were choosing to come in after school to
learn with a caring and engaged attitude; in fact they were intrigued, passionate, and invested.
The article relates to the importance of teacher disposition by its important to understand the
students backgrounds. By understanding their backgrounds, it enables the teacher to be more
adaptable and empathetic about their learning process. A teacher needs to ask themself the
importance of the lesson and how they are going about teaching it. By allowing the students to be
creative they were engaged and remembered the substance of the objective. This relates to the
overall goal of transforming learning targets for an adaptive art class by the teacher will be able
to tailor projects to the students needs.
Teaching as if life matters: The promise of a new education culture by Uhl & Stuchual
Through this book the authors convey the importance of community. Uhl and Stuchul move

Transforming Learning Targets for an Adaptive Art Class

readers to look past the current importance of education, such as assessments. They encourage
readers to instead look at the importance of creativity, curiosity, self-knowledge, and
appreciation. Not only does this his texts support transforming a teachers disposition but it also
shows the importance of transforming the learning targets. Allowing the students to learn life
skills. Uhl and Stuchul talk about the power of our words and how they can change the thoughts
of others. For example, if an Individual said, I feel like you dont listen to me. Then the
receiver of the comment might take it as an accusation toward oneself. It is important to carefully
think out our words that we use with others. The author conveys that you should communicate
your thoughts in a way that does not pass judgment and to ask, not tell, the receiver to do
something. By transforming the way we talk to students it helps encourage mutual respect. This
respect then ties back to an improved classroom culture.
Teaching as if life maters also talks about the importance of giving choice. By allowing the
students to have a choice you are empowering them and making them feel respected. You are
giving them a part in their learning, or in the decision making process. This can help cut down
with behavior. When giving a choice it should be a logical choice that both parties can live with.
This choice can also be transformed into the learning targets. Giving the students options on
what supplies they can use or leaving options for openness in a project can help transform
student learning. The main take away is to always be mindful of others and the impressions
given. Students use what they see to help form them into the adults they become.
Reflective Teaching an Introduction by Zeichner & Liston focuses on the importance of
teacher reflection. Teacher reflection is a big part of creating a teachers disposition. As teachers
we are constantly reflecting on our teaching process. It allows teachers to understand views,

Transforming Learning Targets for an Adaptive Art Class

practices and themselves. The teacher is then able to take this knowledge and grow from it and
decide what areas they need professional development in.
When looking at the overall idea of transforming learning targets for an adaptive art class
I reflected on my current truths. What tools do I currently have available to help me transform
the students learning. My teacher disposition created the need for change. It allowed me to see
what was missing for my adaptive art class. My reflection brought me to the conclusion of
transforming the learning targets for an adaptive art class. Reflection allows educators the
opportunity to understand views, practices and themselves. Then, the educator is able to take that
knowledge and use it to shape growth. Reflective Teaching an Introduction by Zeichner &
Liston helps develop a teachers disposition of mindfulness.
Differentiated instruction:
Authentic Learning Experience Prepares Preservice Students to Teach Art to Children
with Special Needs, by Christina Bain and Cindy Hasio, discusses the need of providing realworld experiences to children with special needs. This article helps support the need of
differentiated learning. The teachers in this article started off by having the students draw a
house, tree, and person; this allowed them to see the students developmental skill levels. After
observing the students create their first pieces of artwork, they were then able to adapt a lesson to
each students needs and interests. Using lessons with differentiated learning allows for students
to be interested in the project and feel successful
Bain & Hasios article helps support the need for transforming the learning targets in an
adaptive art class. By allowing all the students in the class to be working on common learning
targets it permits the students to work on projects that interest them. It enables choice in the art

Transforming Learning Targets for an Adaptive Art Class

room. All of these things help to create meaningful artwork for the students.
Bickley-Green, C., & Phillips, P wrote Using Visual Arts and Play to Solve Problems
and Foster Resiliency. The article demonstrates the importance of engagement. By
understanding the students backgrounds in the article the teachers were able to formulate
differentiated instruction appropriate for the students. Just like in Bain & Hasios article both
groups of teachers were observing and learning about what the students currently knew and what
the students interest and abilities were to formulate their lessons.
Both of these articles have taught me the importance of checking to see what students
know. Its not about giving students a pre test. Its about giving the students time to experiment
with materials. Allowing this time allows the teachers to observe how the tools are used, what the
students know and what the students interest are. The lessons can then be tailored around the
findings.
Fountain wrote Differentiated instruction in art. Marilyn G. Stewart is quoted as saying,
Dr. Fountain draws upon her many years of K-12 and university teaching, as well as her
extensive research in the area of differentiated instruction, to assist her readers in their attempts
to create such a classroom. She provides solid theoretical perspectives and highly practical
strategies for teachers wishing to pay careful attention to whom they teach, along with
considerations of what they teach. (Fountain, 2014, pg 6.) The book explains what differentiated
learning is and can be. It also discusses the importance of giving students parameters, along with
mind maps, to help guide their learning. Differentiated instruction allows one to rethink the
importance of what grades are focused on.
Art Lessons for a Young Artist with Asperger Syndrome, by Gillian J. Furniss,
discusses the interactions between a student with Aspergers syndrome and his teacher, the

Transforming Learning Targets for an Adaptive Art Class

articles author. After building a relationship using the students interest, Furniss then encourage
the student to try out new things. Additionally, examples of strategies that were used to help with
behavior were included. The article shows the importance of building initial relationships with a
student before asking for change. By allowing time for self-exploration the teacher is able to
observe and connect with the student; it creates an environment where the teacher can begin to
understand the students process. This article relates too Bain & Hasios article along with
Bickley- Green & Phillips all three articles talk about the importance of giving students time to
explore different art materials and too give the students choice. This article is different then the
others in that the author was only working with the one student and not a group of students. By
transforming the learning targets you are allowing for differentiated instruction.
Griebling, S. wrote Discoveries from a Reggio-Inspired Classroom: Meeting
Developmental Needs through the Visual Arts. Through an ethnographic study Griebling
observes and interacts with students to find out why they make the things they make. The article
explains how the significance behind the artwork and the artwork itself fit into the Circle of
Courage. The Circle of Courage is a tool to help with emotional development by focusing on
four main developmental areas; mastery, generosity, belonging, and independence.
When we understand these four areas we are then able to nurture students growth in each
category. All of these areas can be fostered through visual arts. This article helps to support the
importance of differentiated learning in an adaptive art class. Mastery can be formed through
students exploring and creating. It is important to give students time to try out new materials and
use them in the way they find fit. Allowing students to collaborate, wear items they created, and
have time to play can foster belonging. Students creating items for others can develop generosity.
All three of these things help build students independence. When students are able to help

Transforming Learning Targets for an Adaptive Art Class

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choose their path of learning they are able to gain independence. This allows for student growth
and respect of others. This article is different then the others in that the students were able to
create what they wanted with very little guidance. Where as in the others the students learning
was being guided by the teachers instruction.
Inclusion Policy in Practice, written by Karen Keifer- Boyd and Leah Michelle Kraft,
discusses the development of the HEARTS program. HEARTS is a three-hour university course
that focuses on inclusion of special needs students in the art class. The best way to remove
biases and prejudices is through positive working experiences with people with differences.
(Karen Keifer- Boyd and Leah Michelle Kraft, 2003, pg49.) In education classes you are not
often given the opportunity to work with so many diverse learners. The importance of this article
is that the pre-service teachers are fostering creativity, expression, and communication amongst
students and self-confidence within their students.
The article talks about projects where students are collaborating with one and another.
Sometimes the students are creating art about other people in class others times they are working
on collaboration. The learning is differentiated because the students are choosing how they are
creating the piece. Students in this class are learning to work together. By transforming the
learning targets for adaptive art class it would allow for collaboration amongst students.
Collaboration, Inclusion, and Empowerment: A Life Skills Mural, written by Janelle
Turk, uses qualitative action research to provide students with real-world problems. The first
was to involve the art club and life skills students in a collaborative and inclusive project at FMS.
Our second goal was to create change in both the physical appearance of the life skills room and
social change among the participants. (Turk, 2012, pg51.) Collaboration was fostered when the

Transforming Learning Targets for an Adaptive Art Class

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life skills class and art club worked together to create a mural. Life skills students were put in
roles of leadership. The project created feelings of self-potential and allowed the students to see
the possibilities in others. Students gained responsibility, empathy, and dependability. The mural
allowed for differentiated instruction. The students had to plan out what the mural would be, how
much paint would be used, and they had to agree on what it would look like.
The mural was a powerful lesson because of the differentiated instruction. It allowed for
students to collaborate and decided what the mural would look like and how they would do it. By
transforming the learning targets it would allow for a similar project. The students would be able
to see their potential and the potential in others. They would also feel respected as a group of
students and they would feel important. It would also foster positive classroom management
because the engagement levels would be going up do to student driven learning.
Through Teaching Meaning in Artmaking, Walker stresses the importance of students
creating meaningful art projects through big ideas. Big ideas- broad, important, human issuesare characterized by complexity, ambiguity, contradiction, and multiplicity. (Walker, 2001, pg1.)
Big ideas allow for the students to create meaningful 277286877277286877277286877art that
they will remember for years to come. Students are creating while learning about significant
human issues; this relates to the article Using Visual Arts and Play to Solve Problems and Foster
Resiliency. The article talks about students learning about an important human issue (substance
abuse) through creating art. Teaching through big ideas allows for student-differentiated learning.
When students are able to have choice, their engagement level rises, helping to support
classroom management.
By transforming the learning targets in an adaptive art class you are allowing for a change

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12

in classroom management, differentiated instruction, teacher disposition and paraprofessional

help in the classroom. You are allowing for collaboration amongst a whole class where as cannot
be done now because the students are all learning about different things. Students are able to
drive their learning and decide what they want to learn about through the guidance of the teacher.
The paraprofessional takes a hand off approach to help foster students self- independence and
self worth. Classroom management transforms as students become more engaged and students
know what to expect in class. Students are able to collaborate and work on social skills that they
can use in all aspects of life.

References
Bain, C., & Hasio, C. (2011). Authentic Learning Experience Prepares Preservice

Transforming Learning Targets for an Adaptive Art Class

13

Students to Teach Art to Children with Special Needs. Art Education, 64(2), 33-39.
Bickley-Green, C., & Phillips, P. (2003). Using Visual Arts and Play to Solve Problems and
Foster Resiliency. Art Education, 56(6), 40.
BURDICK, C. b., & CAUSTON-THEOHARIS, J. j. (2012). Creating Effective Paraprofessional
Support in the Inclusive Art Classroom. Art Education, 65(6), 33-37.
Fountain, H. (2014). Differentiated instruction in art. Worcester, Mass.: Davis Publications.
Furniss, G. J. (2009). Art Lessons for a Young Artist with Asperger Syndrome. Art Education,
62(3), 18-23.
Gerber, B., & Guay, D. (2006). Reaching and teaching: Students with special needs through art.
(p. 3-13,30,31, 43-60,189-206) Reston, Va.: National Art Education Association.
Griebling, S. (2011). Discoveries from a Reggio-Inspired Classroom: Meeting Developmental
Needs through the Visual Arts. Art Education, 64(2), 6-11.
Jensen, E. (2013). Engaging students with poverty in mind: Practical strategies for raising
achievement. Alexandria, VA: ASCD publications.
Karamanol, Alice, and Laura Salley. "Adaptive art education." School Arts Jan. 2005: 27.
Business Insights: Essentials. Web. 17 June 2015.
Keifer-Boyd, K., & Kraft, L. M. (2003). Inclusion Policy in Practice. Art Education, 56(6), 4653.
TURK, J. (2012). Collaboration, Inclusion, and Empowerment: A Life Skills Mural. Art
Education, 65(6), 50-53.
Uhl, C., & Stuchul, D. (2011). Teaching as if life matters: The promise of a new education
culture. Baltimore, Md.: John Hopkins University Press.

Transforming Learning Targets for an Adaptive Art Class

Walker, S. (2001). Teaching meaning in artmaking. Worcester, Mass.: Davis Publications.
Zeichner, K., & Liston, D. (2013). Reflective Teaching an Introduction. (2nd ed.). Hoboken:
Taylor and Francis.

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