An exploration of the art from my Liberian senior citizen low-literacy Sunday School class with a look at the parallels to developmental art in children and different cultures. Presented at the LESLLA (Low Educated Second Language and Literacy Acquisition) conference in Minneapolis, MN in 2011.

1. Jean Marrapodi  jmarrapodi@applestar.org @jmarrapodi401-440-61615 Developmental Art in the Low Literacy Classroom

2. Context Adult Sunday School Class Liberian refugees Senior citizens, age unknown (not tracked in Liberia) Meet 1 hour/week for past 5 years

3. Preamble: Spring 2006 Lesson One: Palm Sunday Draw a picture to illustrate the story Could not do. Through a translator: “We can’t do that. We haven’t practiced like you have to be able to do that.”

4. Preamble Two Lesson Two: Easter Ok, let’s copy some drawings to tell the story. We can’t do that.

5. Preamble Three Let’s try to copy some symbols then. Could not complete unless dots were drawn to connect the lines. Circles were misshapen and barely recognizable.

6. No Print Awareness Elizabeth loves Jesus Switched cards: Elizabeth loves Jesus Said: Elizabeth loves Jesus.

7. Reading Art: Part One Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston Adam and Eve CHATTER! Ho-hum

8. Reading Art: Part Two

9. Setting One: October 2010 Pastor Appreciation Sunday Given a template with prompts: Pastor Berkley is ___________ Pastor Michele is ___________ I love my pastors! Learned what the prompts said. Asked to come up with a word to fill in. They either copied the word or had teacher spell it. Draw a picture of you and the pastors.

19. Setting Two (following week) Given blank paper and markers Draw a picture of you with your grandchildren Teacher wrote names of children

20. Annie K.

21. Elizabeth

22. Martha

23. Essah

24. Kumba

25. Annie G.

26. Frances * Granddaughter came over to “help” * * * *

27. Setting Three (following week) Discussion about houses in America vs Liberia Let’s draw pictures of your houses here and in Liberia. Given blank paper and markers Teacher wrote words as given prompts

28. Martha Martha lives in an apartment building.

29. Elizabeth America on the left. Liberia on the right. Elizabeth lives in apartment 511 in a high rise building. She takes an elevator to get to her apartment.

30. Annie K. Annie lives on in a triple-decker in RI.

31. Annie G. Annie lives on in a two story single family home.

32. Frances Frances lives on the first floor of a two story house.

33. Kumba Kumba lives in townhouse type apartments in a complex

34. Essah Essah lives in a second floor apartment.

35. Setting Four Kumba’s spontaneous drawings brought from home in the subsequent weeks.

39. Other Projects Painting background for nativities – 12/2009 Cutting snowflakes – 1/2011

43. Parallels to Children’s Work? Does their natural development mirror emergent literacy?

44. Drawings of people by nursery school children http://psychology.jrank.org/pages/890/children%27s-drawings-human-figures.html

45. Tadpole Figure From a severely mentally handicapped adult By a pre-school child By a pre-school child http://psychology.jrank.org/pages/890/children%27s-drawings-human-figures.html

46. Sarah – 3.2 to 3.4 years people a cat, Tyrannosaurus rex, and a leopard http://psychology.jrank.org/pages/890/children%27s-drawings-human-figures.html

47. Helen, 4.5 – 5.5 years http://psychology.jrank.org/pages/890/children%27s-drawings-human-figures.html

48. Rachel, Age 7

49. Developmental Art Development in Children

50. Callaghan Phases of Development Callaghan, T.C. (2008) The origins and Development of Pictorial Symbol Functioning. In Children’s Understanding and Production of Pictures, Drawings, and Art: Theoretical and Empirical Approaches. Cambridge, MA: Hogrefe. P 22

51. Donley, S.K. 1985/1987 Adapted from teacher inservice training materials for early childhood, art education, and special education workshops. http://www.learningdesign.com/Portfolio/DrawDev/kiddrawing.html#anchor2470313

52. Rhoda Kellogg: Gestalts Kellogg, R. (1969) Analyzing children’s art. Paolo Alto, CA: National Press Books. P 109

53. Kellog’sScheme of the Evolution of Pictorial Work Common Sequences Kellogg, R. (1969) Analyzing children’s art. Paolo Alto, CA: National Press Books. P 273

54. House-Tree-Person/Kinetic HTP Measure aspects of person’s personality 3 years-adult Common in art therapy Questionable validity 1948/1969

55. Josiah, Age 4

56. Noah, Age 6

57. Rachel, Age 8

58. Micah, Age 10

59. Annie K.

60. Frances

61. Kumba

62. Martha

63. Elizabeth

64. Essah

65. Student Descriptions of House-Tree-Person Drawings http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bIdrTJhXPc

66. Value of Using Art "This adapted Kinetic-House-Tree-Person for adults with developmental disabilities holds promise for providing an arts-based assessment that assesses for growth and positive changes in the individual in addition to negative or downward changes. Verbal assessments are not always appropriate due to verbal limitations within the individual who has developmental disabilities, therefore, arts therapists have at their disposal alternatives for assessing for change in functioning. Because this assessment mirrored the notes of the on-site therapists, this assessment suggests it can measure change. It also suggests that arts based interventions do, in fact, facilitate well-being and positive changes in interaction and communication." p 45 Lister & Rosales In Snow and D'Amico

67. Value of Using Art "...there is evidence of a relationship between thought and drawing that becomes visible through the study of meaning-making processes. Drawing supports the movement from simple spontaneous concepts to more complex concepts and plays an important role in promoting higher mental functions. " Brooks, Drawing to Learn in Making Meaning p. 9

68. Is It Cultural?

69. Alexander Alland, 1983 240 children’s drawings Six cultures Bali Ponape Taiwan Japan US France Definite cultural variants

70. PonapeNow Pohnpie, Micronesia Male, 4 years, 19 minutes Female, 5 years, 5 minutes First encounter with drawing Limited exposure to art Generally single color Human figures rare Nonconformity with Western norms Male, 5 years, 14 minutes

71. Bali Male, 3.3 years, 30 minutes Female, 4.6 years, 25 minutes Overall density Polychromatic No stories Highly artistic culture Male, 2.6 years, 18 minutes

72. Taiwan Female, 4.8 years, 10 minutes Female, 6.8 years Long heritage of art Filling, building, touching, details Picture making influenced by relationship between pictorial representation and writing Male, 5.2 years, 24 minutes

73. Japan Male, 5.6years, 27 minutes Female, 3.10 years, 14 minutes Modern aesthetic in culture Highly visual culture Colorful, often single subject Female, 4.11 years, 8 minutes

74. Alexander Alland, 1983 Conclusions: “…the two most important elements in drawing skill among young children are experience and exposure to art.” P 63 "On the basis of my data I believe that representation and symbolism are things children are consciously or unconsciously taught to do by adults and other children. This leads to the conclusion that the only safe definition of children's drawing can be 'playing with form.'" p215

75. What we know about Liberia’s Art Known for their carved masks Music and dance very important Kissi make baskets and weave on vertical looms Literacy rate: 25% Dan, Mano, Kran, Kpelle tribal art http://www.mariomeneghini.com/destination%20Dan,%20Mano,%20Krahn,%20Kpelle/index.htm

76. Relating this to Writing

77. Children Create Letters in Art "Most of the letters of the English alphabet, both capitals and lower-case forms, are made by young children as art Gestalts. In art, the letters are placed or arranged to complete a Pattern or an implied shape. In language, the letters are arranged in a certain order within words and are put into a certain left-right and top-bottom placement. As the child learns to read, he must perceive the differences between the esthetic and the linguistic positioning of letters, and as he learns to write, he must put this perception to use. Each child who has scribbled a great deal will know many of the letter Gestalts when he enters school, but he needs to learn the differences between their uses for art and for language. Otherwise, he will have serious difficulties with language.” Kellogg, 1970 p 262

78. Not seeing letters, but shapes

79. Elizabeth did the same thing

80. Learning to Read and Write Art “...human artistry is viewed first and foremost as an activity of the mind, an activity that involves the use of a transformation of various kinds of symbols and systems of symbols. Individuals who wish to participate meaningfully in artistic perception must learn to decode, to "read" the various symbolic vehicles in their culture; individuals who which to participate in artistic creation must learn how to manipulate, how to "write with" the various symbolic forms present in their culture,and, finally, individuals who wish to engage fully in the artistic realm must also gain mastery of certain central artistic concepts. Just as one cannot assume that individuals will – in the absence of support - learn to read and write in their natural languages, so, too, it seems reasonable to assume that individuals can benefit from assistance in learning to "read" and "write" in the various languages of the arts.” Howard Gardner, Art Education and Human Development, p 9

81. So what? And now what? What have you seen here? Have you seen this in your classroom? Is drawing a precursor to writing? Where do we go from here?

82. Sources Alland, A. (1983). Playing with Form. New York: Columbia Universtiy Press Brooks, M. (2002). Drawing to learn. Unpublished PhD thesis. Alberta: University of Alberta, CanadaBrooks, M. Drawing to Learn. In Narey, M. ed. (2009). Making Meaning: Constructing Multimodal Perspectives of Language, Literacy, and Learning through Arts-based Early Childhood Education. New York: Springer Camnitzer, L. (2009, Feb). Art and Literacy. e-flux. http://www.e-flux.com/journal/view/42 Camnitzer, L. (2009,Oct). Alphabetization, Part One: Protocal and Profieiency. http://www.e-flux.com/journal/view/78 Freeman, N. H. (1987) Children's drawings of human figures - The Oxford Companion to Art, available, accessible, quite, real. Online: http://psychology.jrank.org/pages/890/children's-drawings-human-figures.html Gardner, H. (1990). Art Education and Human Development. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Trust Hagood, M.H. (2000). The Use of Art in Counselling Child and Adult Survivors of Sexual Abuse. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishing Kellogg, R. (1969). Analyzing Children's Art. Palo Alto, CA: National Press Books Lister, S, and Rosales, A. . The Kinetic-House-Tree-Person Adapted to Adults with Developmental Disabilities. In Snow, S. and D'Amico, M. (2009). Assessment in the Creative Arts Therapies: Designing and Adapting Assessment Tools for Adults with Developmental Disabilities. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas Publishers Milbrath, C. & Trautner, H.M. eds. (2008). Children's Understanding and Production of Pictures, Drawings & Art: Theoretical and Empirical Approaches. Cambridge, MA: Hogrefe Vygotsky, L.G. (1970). Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Edited by Cole, M., John-Steiner, V. Scribner, S. & Souberman, E. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press

83. Jean Marrapodi jmarrapodi@applestar.org@jmarrapodi 401-440-61615 Adult Literacy Students Draw