Citation
Art Education and its Implication for English Language Learner's Literacy

Material Information

Title:
Art Education and its Implication for English Language Learner's Literacy
Creator:
McAlister, Tiffany
Publisher:
University of Florida
Publication Date:
Language:
English
Physical Description:
1 online resource

Thesis/Dissertation Information

Degree:
Master's
Degree Grantor:
University of Florida
Committee Chair:
Delacruz, Elizabeth Manley
Committee Co-Chair:
Roland, Craig

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:
Art education ( jstor )
Classrooms ( jstor )
Educational research ( jstor )
English as a second language ( jstor )
English language learners ( jstor )
Language development ( jstor )
Learning ( jstor )
Literacy ( jstor )
Reading instruction ( jstor )
Students ( jstor )

Notes

Abstract:
My capstone paper describes my research process, findings, and recommendations’ concerning the impact art has on the language literacy development of English as Language Learning students. First I discuss the importance of art education in regards to English Language Learners. Then I describe my research on the use of teaching strategies that target the needs of English Language Learners. The strategies include those used by Whole Language learning proponents, Reggio Emilia classrooms, and English as Second language educators. Next, I share the curriculum unit that I created and my experiences incorporating this curriculum unit into my first grade art classroom. After I share my findings I will offer specific recommendations based upon those findings. Recommendations include the inclusion of language literacy development strategies in conjunction with meaningful art making experiences. I conclude this Capstone paper with final insights about how incorporating this curriculum increased my first grade art students’ language literacy. The curriculum unit I created, my findings, a link to this capstone paper, and artifacts of student work are all available on my website, http://tmcalisterarted.weebly.com/art-and-its-implication-for-english-language-learners-literacy.html.
General Note:
Art Education terminal project

Record Information

Source Institution:
University of Florida Institutional Repository
Holding Location:
University of Florida
Rights Management:
Copyright Tiffany McAlister. Permission granted to the University of Florida to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Resource Identifier:
1039729409 ( OCLC )

Aggregation Information

UFIR:
Institutional Repository at the University of Florida (IR@UF)
UFETD:
University of Florida Theses & Dissertations
IUF:
University of Florida

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ART EDUCATION AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS LITERACY 1 LITERACY By TIFFANY McALISTER A CAPSTONE PROJECT PRESENTED TO THE COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA AUGUST 2014

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ART EDUCATION AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS LITERACY 2 ©2014 Tiffany McAlister

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ART EDUCATION AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS LITERACY 3 Acknowledgements I would like to take this opportunity to thank my family and my fiancé for being so understanding and cooperative during my time in this without their love and support. I would also like to thank my administration, colleagues, and students at Horatio Elementary School for allowing me to work with them during my project. Special thanks also g oes to Dr. Elizabeth Delacruz and Dr. Craig Roland for steering my passion and curiosity in the right direction.

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ART EDUCATION AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS LITERACY 4 ABSTRACT OF CAPSTONE PROJECT PRESENTED TO THE COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS F OR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS LITERACY By Tiffany McAlister August 2014 Chair: Elizabeth Delacruz Committee Member: Craig Roland Major: Art Education Abstract My c apstone paper describes my research process, findings, and recommendations concerning the impact art has on the language literacy development of English as Language Learning students . First I discuss the importance of art e ducation in regards to English Language L earners. Then I describe my research on the use of teaching st rategies that target the needs of English Language L earners. Th e strategies include those used by Whole Language learning proponents, Reggio Emilia classrooms, and English as Second la nguage educators. Next, I share the curriculum unit that I created and my experie nces incorporating this curriculum unit into my first grade art classroom. After I share my findings I will offer specific recommendations based upon those findings. Recommen dations include the inclusion of language literacy development strategies in conjunction with meaningful art making experiences. I conclude this Capstone p aper with final insights about how incorporating this curriculum increased my first grade art student s language literacy. The curriculum unit I created, my findings, a link to this capstone paper, and

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ART EDUCATION AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS LITERACY 5 artifacts of student work are all available on my website, http://tmcalisterarted.weebly.com/art and its implication for english language learners literacy.html .

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ART EDUCATION AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS LITERACY 6 Table of Contents Title Page ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......... 1 UF Copyright Page ................................ ................................ ................................ .......................... 2 Acknowledgements ................................ ................................ ................................ .......................... 3 UF Formatted Abstract ................................ ................................ ................................ .................... 4 Table of Contents ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................. 6 Introduction ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 8 Statement of the Problem and Goals ................................ ................................ .................... 8 Research Questio Assumptions and Limitations ................................ ................................ ............................ 10 Definition of Terms ................................ ................................ ................................ ............ 10 ...11 Research Site and Subjects Data Collection Data Analysi s Curriculum Unit ... Meaningful Art Ma

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ART EDUCATION AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS LITERACY 7 Comfort and Chan Summary across all Fi Discussion and Conclus Discussio n and Implications of Significance, Implications, and Recommendations. List of Figures and Figure Capt 1 .. 42

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ART EDUCATION AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS LITERACY 8 I am privileged to work and interact with bright, inquisitive, and creative children ev ery day. Each has his or her unique needs, and each has his or her own dreams and goals. Many of these imaginative students have recently emigrated from Mexico to the United States. Sadly, some of them will be lost in the educational system due to their lack of language literacy development from being English Language L e arner s (ELL). Because of this, I became interested in how my art program could reach these children and help develop their language literacy (the reading, writing, and speaking of English). To do this I sought to discover the most effective way to incorpo rate language literacy development into my art program while maintaining the integrity of the art making experience. I researched appropriate teaching m ethods for ELL and use them to create a curriculum unit to implement with a class of first grade art stu dents that was composed of both native and non native English speake rs. During this project, I document ed my findings, my curriculum unit , and stud ent work in web pages that can be found on my website ( www.tifmcalisterarted.weebly.com ) , and document ed my experience in this accompanying capstone research paper. Statement of Problem and Goals paced and ever growing economic world, students require the basic ability to read and write to achieve a good standard of living. Sadly, 93 million American adults have limited reading and quantitative skills, and of that 93 mill ion, 30 million read at a 12 public school 5.3 million English L 103). To help students ide ntified as En glish Language L minutes of English as a Second Lang uage (ESL) instruction [and students ] attend general

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ART EDUCATION AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS LITERACY 9 education classes for the remainder of the day, usually with teachers who are unprepared to teach on et al., 2011, p. 103). level in their education. Regrettably, most ESL lea rners who have been in the US schools since kindergarten, (Calderon et al., 2011, pp. 104 not adequat ely addressing the needs of English l ron et al., 2011, pp. 104 105). As How c an we address English Language Learner s needs in the art classroom? The goals of my art curriculum and c apstone research project were to research, create, and implement strategies that facilitate the language literacy of students in my first grade art class who are also English Language L earners (ELL) . Utilizing a n action research method, I document ed what happened in my classroom as a result of implementing these st rategies. I hoped that this m eaningful art making experience would increase write, and speak in English. Research Questions While the problem of meeting the needs of English Language L earners brings up many questions, those that follow guide d my research and work as I pursue d my project: 1. I n what ways does a meaningful ar t experience affect the language literacy development o f first grade English Language L earners? 2. What happens when I implement art lessons that are specifically designed to facilitate the language literacy o f first grade English Language L earners in my class room?

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ART EDUCATION AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS LITERACY 10 Assumptions and Limitations While working on my curriculum unit and rese arc h project, my assumptions were that art making can be a meaningful experience for all students and that it has the power to influence and benefit students in all areas of their learning. I also believe that art and language literacy (reading, writing, and speaking) share many of the same cognitive skills. Some of the limitations of my project were that , although I created and implemented strategies to develop literacy in m y first grade English Language L earners, I did not c ollect concrete quantitative data to prove that the strategies that I implement ed actuall y benefited my students more so than other possible teaching strategies or curricular approaches. A second limitation to my project was that the findings from my project m ight not be transferable to other first graders in other parts of the U nited S tates . This also means that, although I have share d my experiences and those of my students during our project, not every teacher that implements the same strategies wi ll have the same results as I did . Additional limitations include the distraction of constructi on in and around my classroom during the duration of the lessons I conducted with my first gra de students and a gap of time between lessons caused by state benchmark testing. Definition of Terms English Language Learner. A label for a person who does not speak English fluently, specifically within the public school system (Calderon, et al., 2011, pp. 103). English as a Second Language. A term used in relation with learners who do not speak English as their primary language (Calderon, et al., 20 11, pp. 103).

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ART EDUCATION AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS LITERACY 11 Reggio Emilia 1 . quality , city run infant toddler and pre primary in the Reggio Emilia region of n orthern Italy (Hewett, 2001, pp.1). This haring of culture explored jointly by Whole language learning. m abstract and meanin Bilingual Education, 2013, para. 1). Literature Review The focu s of this literature review is the connection between art and language literacy. Successful instructional strategies that develop language literacy are reviewed, as well as, ways these strategies can be modified for use in the art classroom to help meet th e needs of English Language L earners. In addition, the Reggio Emilia principles are reviewed. Because art is an extremely diverse field and all of the core academic subject areas can be found within it, there are many potential links between art education and language literacy. Art and Language Literacy At an early age young children begin scribbling when given a writing instrument. These scribbles are not only their art but are the foundation for later writing and spelling skills in language literacy (Wilson & Katz, 2009). These early attempts at meanin g making through the 1 While both Reggio Emilia and Whole Language Learning philosophies were researched for this project, I did not adopt these practices fully in my classroom. Rather, I have described the tenants of these philosophies that inspired my unit curriculum .

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ART EDUCATION AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS LITERACY 12 McGhee & Slutsky, 2007, p. 5). Advocates of the writing process approach believe that the age of three or four, children use circles and lines to develop characteristics of print and create strings of lett ers (Wilson & Katz, 2009). The strings of letters and symbols that children create represent how children understand their world. As their ability to think becomes more abstract, the com plexity in their art making increase s as well (Danko McGhee & Slutsky, 2007, p. 6). Their narrative impulse emerges and they create stories in their drawings. Their vocabulary is enhanced through the talk that surrounds and supplements their drawing (Thompson, 1995). Thus, allowing students to explore symbol creation in the safe environment of the art classroom Whole Language Learning Currently in public schools much focus is given to the instruction of phonics to develop literacy (Brooks & Brooks, 20 (Brooks & Brooks, 2005, p. 273). As Brooks and Brooks (2005) note, this strategy is used acquiring ling such a bottom up, phonics based strategy is not the only approach to developing language literacy. Whole Language learning is another approach to language literacy development. While Whole Language learning is not widely used since the publication of the National Reading learning within the art classroom. Whole language learning is a ge is learned that believes

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ART EDUCATION AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS LITERACY 13 Bilingual Education, 2013, para. 1). As Heald centered, not teacher assive Vygotsky believed that language was social in origin and was acquired t o fulfill two functions: communication with others and communication with self (Wink & Putney, 2002). From ing, Whole l anguage learning supporters have built eight tenets to support their teaching theory. W atson (1994) posits that Whole l anguage learning teachers believe in: 1. A holistic perspective to literacy learning and teaching; 2. A positive view of all learners; 3. [That]language is central to learning; 4. [That] learning is easiest when it is from whole to part, in authentic cont exts, and functional; 5. The empowerment of all learners, including students and teachers; 6. Learning is both personal and social, and classrooms as learning communities; 7. Acceptance of whole learners including their languages, cultures, and experiences; and 8. [That] learning is both joyous and fulfilling. (Watson, 1994, p. 602) Reggio Emilia Many of the tenets of Whole l anguage learning also connect well with the principles of the Reggio Emilia approach in education. Reggio Emilia is a method of teaching that arose from

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ART EDUCATION AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS LITERACY 14 the town Reggio Emilia in Northern Italy (Sassalos, 1999). In Reggio Emilia, early childhood educational centers were founded by Loris Malaguzzi at the end of World War II (Davilla & Koenig, 1998; Sassalos, 1999). Within these classrooms, the e fundamental right to grow and learn in a favorable environment with peers and with caring Davilla & Koenig, 1998, p.18). Davilla and Koenig (1998) propose three elements of Reggio Emilia classrooms that can be implemented practically into US art classrooms: (a) creating an aesthetically pleasing and engaging environment, (b) keeping document ation of student work and art works in progress, (1999) documentation of her implementation of Reggio Emilia methods within her Bronx classroom, she also sin gled out the use of an organ ized environment for her students (i.e. the use of a well organized and beautiful working space), the documentation of student work to show student progress, and the collaboration with other educators to heighten student learnin g. Both & Koenig, 1998, p. 19). From this knowledge, Sassolos (1999) then chose a the led her students in art projects where they observed, experienced, questioned, and discussed the topic before they created their artworks. These real world visual and graphic experiences provided for young artists, espec ially those that were not compet ent at writing and reading, an 10).

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ART EDUCATION AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS LITERACY 15 Benefits of Art in Language Development Within the art classroom, English Language learners receive many benefits from producing art and talking about art. Watts Taffe and Truscott (2000) note that many English Language learners must not only learn a new language, but mus t also learn a new culture . This Taffe & Truscott, 2000, p. 260). The ability of art to be used as a means of communication without words can provide stu dents who are English Language L earners a sense of comfort and a McGhee & Slutsky, 2007, p. 5). It c an also decrease the ir inhibitions (Moore, Koller, & Arago, 1994, para. 5), allow them Taffe & Truscott, 2000, p. 260), and 1994, para 5). Using art to incorporate language literacy development also increases student motivation (Moore, et al., 1994). The arts have a natural element of excitement and enjoyment that students in their own learning proc Watts Taffe & Truscott, 2000). In culturally relevant art instruction, where instruction is purpose, then language learning can come naturally (Allen, 1990). Not only does art e ncourage student motivation, it also

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ART EDUCATION AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS LITERACY 16 s students to embrace (p. 100). When students are encouraged to think critically, as they do when actively participating in art criticism, they are taught to question their world and can, in turn, use those skills in other areas of their lives (Eubanks, 2002, p. 41). Implementation into the Art Classroom Just knowing that there is a connection between artistic development and literacy development is not enou language literacy as an English Language learner. There are many things that young children naturally do that can be encouraged and fostered in order to develop their language literacy. One that if an object is not recognizable then it has no value towards either the child artistically or in their literacy development (Corgill, 2008). In many ins tances what may seem to the viewer as a Solsken, 1994, p. 65). Danko McGhe in a subject, which in turn reveals a highly developed knowledge base about the subject. Often without the aid of dictation

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ART EDUCATION AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS LITERACY 17 artwork made in the classroom can be a simple and effective way of encouraging language literacy d evelopment. Even if time cannot be spared to dictate for all children, encouraging students to label and add descriptions of the content of their drawings helps. As Hayes (2007) ability to use the structures and vocabulary they already know to create original utterances in a communicative some students, other students may prefer to writ e independently. When assisting these students with their writings, it is not necessary, or necessarily beneficial, to spell all the words that the supplying the f While incorporating writing into the artistic process may not always be feasible in the art process of meaning making [mirrors that] used in reading and writing. When students enter the art classroom and are introduced to artworks where they must crea te meaning from an image both in a personal context and in context of/relation to their culture, they are using the same skills that they use when creating meaning from different ommunicate an idea or feeling [they] become authors of a new sort and, in doing so, grapple with the inner & Hollingsworth, 2000, p. 294). Allowing students to work in cooperative group settings to speak an

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ART EDUCATION AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS LITERACY 18 essential role in E nglish as a S econd L anguage instruction, especially in regard to listening and In fact, cooperative lear ning is one of the most cited strategies for developing literacy in E nglish L anguage L earning students. Because language and thought are socially constructed langua Taffe & Truscott, 2000, p. 261). Eubanks (2002) builds upon the idea of cooperative learning and suggests that peer tutoring be incorporated into the art classroom. This may include the pairing of ELL students with native In a small group setting or with a peer, students are able to speak without risk of embarrassment and are able to take more risks in practicing their new language. Eubanks (2002) also suggests the lines of communicati Perhaps the most important strategy to implement within the art classroom to benefit ELL students is the development of vocabulary. Watts Taffe & Truscott (2002) maintain that vocabulary is so important because it the fo undation of, school success for English language learner hey forms; ensuring understanding into

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ART EDUCATION AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS LITERACY 19 your teaching to aid English Language Learners (p. 42). Visual cues could include body Along with visual cues, Eubanks suggests that tasks be broken down into incremental steps to allow for comprehension (p. 43). Conclusion children who do not speak English fluently (Calderon, Slavin, & Sanchez, 2011, p. 103), it is vital that we as an educational community step up and cater to the needs of these students. Since art is a natural companion to the development of language literacy, we as art educators are in a development. Methodology The goal of my research was to figure out how I could adapt the best practices for language literacy development of English as S econd Language students into my art classroom to enhance the language literacy development of English Langua ge L earners. Since this required used an action research approach. First, I read about ESL teaching approaches and compile d a collection of best teaching strategies that are currently supp orted and used by ESL and reg ular classroom teachers. Then I adapt ed and integrate d some of these strategies into an art curriculum unit for my first grade students. I selected this age because first grade is a crucial time in language literacy development for all students . This is because the foundation of their reading and writing skills are being developed in the first grade . I then implement ed , reflect ed on, revise d , and re implement ed my art/language literacy curricular strategies over approximately 10 weeks

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ART EDUCATION AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS LITERACY 20 (including interruptions from state benchmark testing and room repairs) within my usual once a week normal 40 minute art periods. Research Site and Subjects The first grade students that I work ed with attend a small, rural, public school in the state of Arkansas. 70% of the elementary school i s on free or reduced lunch. T he first grade class that I used in my project is comprised of 16 students. Of these students seven are Hispanic. All seven of t hese students are enrolled in the ELL program at my school and attend 40 minut es of ESL class time with the ES L instructor, who agreed to assist me in my research. Two of the seven students come from mainly Spanish speaking homes, while the remainder live in bilingual Spanish and English speaking homes. For my project I specifically worked with the se ELL students . In addition to the ES L instructor I collaborated with my first grade homeroom teacher . Th e research took place in my art room at the elementary school at which I am employed. Data Collection Throu ghout my research, data was collected through the suggested action research methods of journaling, note taking, observation, interviewing, photographic documentation, and student artifacts (Hubbard & Power, 1999, p. 82 116). Thes e methods of collecting data allow ed me to document what happened as I implement ed my curriculum unit , to reflect ed on and critique my teaching strategies and instruc t ional resources, and to modify my strategies to enhance the effectiveness of my teaching. This act of planning, acting, and reviewing is the allowed me to review and reflect with more clarity on the teaching strategies that I used.

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ART EDUCATION AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS LITERACY 21 Interviewing my s help ed me coordinate what I kne w about my students and the strategies that I implemented in my classroom. Also, informa l discussions with students took Power, 1999, p . 89). The photographic documentation a nd student artifacts that I collect ed also allow ed me to provide tangible evidence of what my students were able to do and provide d examples of the range of responses they create d inspired by the learning tasks I pres ent ed to them (Hubbard & Power, 1999). Data Analysis Miles and Huberman (1994) describe three major phases of data analysis: data reduction, data display and conclusion drawing and verification. I follow ed this in the analysis of my data. To help with data reduction, I review ed my writings, observations, and interviews in order to get a general sense of the information and reflect ed on its overall meaning (Creswell, 2003). I reflected on the journal notes f rom each class and complete d a checklist or matrix to check the number of times the ELL learners spoke solely in English, spoke in mixed English and Spanish, or spoke solely in Spanish. My focus was to explore if the use of descriptive language increased i n the English Language Learners; although, throughout the course of examining the data, I also looked for patterns and common themes that emerged , for any deviations from those patterns, and for interesting stories that emerged from the responses (Frechtli ng & Westat, 1997). My data display is a narrative with photographs. For the conclusion drawing and verification phase, I use d the following strategies that Creswell (2003) recommends: Use rich, thick description to convey the findings. Clarify the bias t he researcher brings to the study.

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ART EDUCATION AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS LITERACY 22 Present negative or discrepant information that runs counter to the themes. (p. 196) My hope was to reflect on the amount that the English Language Learners spoke in class and to see if their fluency in speaking increased throughout my research. I also hope d to see that the q uality of their speech increased as well. The final goal was to create a c urriculum unit from the combine d strategies of Whole Language Learning, R eggio Emilia , and commonly used techniques for ESL learners that I would use in my classroom of first grade students. From there I would document my curriculum unit , findings, and student work on web pages that could be found on my website. Findings The goal of my research was to find answer to these two questions: (1) i n what ways does a meaningful art experience affect the language literacy development of first grade English Language Learners? and (2) w hat happens when I implement art lessons that are specifi cally designed to facilitate the la nguage literacy of first grade English Language Learners in my class room? As a result , I created a curriculum unit utilizing the strategies and methods that I found during my litera ture review and impl emented the unit in my classroom with my students. In my findings , I wil l share the curriculum unit I implemented with my students, how the art making experience went with my students, and common themes that I found during our experience. Unit Curriculum To be able to determine how a meaningful art making experience would enhance the language literacy development of English Language Learners in my first grade art classroom, I worked with several of my colleagues to create a curriculum unit that would best reach my students. First, I contacted the English as Second Language coordinator in my school district to

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ART EDUCATION AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS LITERACY 23 informally interview him on the language levels of my students. Through conversations with him I was able to determine that creating opportunities for my students to speak would be the most beneficial for them. Also, he instructed me that for my students in particular it wa s important to correct any misuses of words and to clarify meanings of words in the moment. Staying in contact with the ESL coordina tor also allowed me to receive positive feedback and advice during the implementation of my unit . Secondly, I worked with my students classroom teacher to get her insight on my stud ent s speaking abilities and their comfort level in speaking . I also work ed with her to incorporate our a rt room project into my student s regularly scheduled writing time. During this time, she agreed to read a picture book about memories to our students and then prompt them to write about their favorite memory (see figure 1) . While they were writing she maintained the classroom teacher in this way enabled my students and I to focus on creating and discussing our art rather than use our valuable class time to write their stories. Figure 1 .

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ART EDUCATION AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS LITERACY 24 To begin our journey into language literacy, my students and I went on a picture walk of several famous artist artworks. To help them develop the idea that some artists use paintings to tell stories , Annunciation Triptych . In this picture I encouraged students to try and determine the story behind the painting. As they figured out t he story of Mary being told by an angel that she would be the mother of Jesus, I encouraged them to pick out details that the artist used to help the viewer understand the story. As they named off details that the artist used, I wrote th eir list on a piece of paper that we reference d throughout the project. I then split students into small groups. I made sure to pair both non native and native English speakers when forming the groups . Each group was given a large piece of paper and was instructed to use it to either write or illustrate who they believed the main character was and what With the next image we viewed, I stressed to students that many times the stories ut are also things they see on a dai ly basis and about memories Street Story Quilt , I encouraged students to use the list of details we had created previously to determine what the story was be hind the picture , see figure 2 . In their groups , students discussed what story they believed was being told. After discussing in their small groups, they shared story ideas with the class as a whole.

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ART EDUCATION AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS LITERACY 25 With the final picture we viewed, Cascarones by Carmen Lomas Garza I encourage d students to discuss and narrate the story behind the image without any assistance. After a few minutes of group discussion, the students shared their story ideas with the whole class. At this point I clarified any misconceptions , and students shared insights they thought were important. After viewing these artworks and having our story discussions, I introduced the project to the students. I informed them that they would be working with their classroom teacher to write about their favorite memory that they would th en illustrate in art class. As we continued through the unit, students reviewed their writing samples and filled out a brainstorm sheet. Students were encouraged to spell the best that they could and use inventive spelling if needed. The writing goal was simply to get ideas on paper. On the brainstorm sheet, students listed what their memory was about, the main character, and the setting of the story. Students were then asked to choose from a list which medium they wanted to use to create their illustratio n. As students prepared to create a sketch on the back of their brainstorm page, I Figure 2 . Students use words and images to find detail in Ringgold's Street Story Quilt.

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ART EDUCATION AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS LITERACY 26 their story and suggested they incorporate as many of those details as pos sible into their art work . As students began to create their final drafts (see figure 3 ), we took a time out as a class for students to present their unfinished projects to at least two othe r students not at their table. E ach student viewer needed to tell th eir peer what they thought the story their artwork was telling and i f the story the student artist was depicting was not clear, they needed to suggest to them a detail (perhaps from the list we compiled previously as a class) that they could add to make their story clearer to their audience. Students worked for three more class periods on their final creations with the third day allowing time for me to record an audio of each student reading their writing of their favorite memory. I then took these recordings and created short 30 second films using a scan of their fter watching each video a ll stud ents were given the opportunity to highlight any of the techniques we had previously talked about and to share any posi tive critique they wanted to share. Figure 3 . Students work to finalize their artwork.

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ART EDUCATION AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS LITERACY 27 Meaningful Art Making As my students and I embarked on this journey of literacy development, I was aware that it would take a longer amount of time than my students were normally used to taking on a project . Not only that, our project included a lot more discussion than my students were previously used to having in art class . Because of these differences , I was somewhat concerned about their ability to maintain focus, in terest, and motivation througho ut the project. I was also concerned that if they did indeed lose interest in the project , then the meaning that could be made by them in the art making process would be lost. Fortunately, what actually happened during this process proved my concerns were unfounded. The p roject began with quite a bit of discussion. Because my students had not previously spent much time discussing artwork, I was concerned that I would receive generalized and insignificant answers. To counteract these concerns I made sure to use probing ques tions and ask , I was pleasantly surprised by the enthusiasm, creativity, and astuteness that I received from my students answers. As we viewed the images of Campin, Ringgold, a nd Garza, I encouraged students to find the main characters in the artist s As stud ents did this , they created interesting narratives behind the artworks and connected them with their own lives. For example , in figure 4 , one student when viewing Cascarones, chose the middle girl as the main character , gave her the name Elsa , and shared a story with the class of the main character decorating her Easter egg to look like a hot dog to fool the other children into not finding and picking up the egg. This lively and creative story making to narrat e the permeated all further discussions and sparked a liveliness not ex pected from a cl ass that was mainly discussion.

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ART EDUCATION AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS LITERACY 28 Figure 4 . Original student work that accompanied a narrative about Garza's Cascarones . As students began to actually create their artworks, I made a conscious effort to encourage discussion between students. If students had questions on how to draw something or want ed to know what color they should use for their image, I would ask advice from their tablemates. This facilitated discussion allowed students to maintain their personal opinions while it also allowed them to take some ownershi pride and camaraderie within my students that allowed them to freely give advice without prompting from myself throughout the four day process of art making. Not only did my students become more comforta ble talking among each other, they also became more pre cise in their speaking as well. When discussing creating their works, students were very concerned about using the specific names for the colors on the crayons and in the watercolor se ts, as well as for the parts of the waterc olor tray. Often they would ask a classmate or myself to read the specific color written on the crayon so that they could be precise in naming the color they were using. ough the use of the short movie that I created with the use of the audio recording of their written memory and their finalized

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ART EDUCATION AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS LITERACY 29 artwork. The student s discussions during the viewing were also focused on using precise language and specific details from each artwork. Many students used words we listed during the first class to help them either critique or praise their peers works. Often the to share deeper background knowledge with the class. The meaningful art experience that my students experienced and shared with each other also had an effect on myself. Watching t he increase in quality and quantity of my students speaking , in addition to the inc reased level of interest showed by my students , increased my satisfa ction with my teaching experience. I enjoyed watching my students interact with their peers in a more positive way and seeing the increase in their pride in their work. Their interest and pride in their work allowed for less discipline problems than were normal for this particular class which led to a more positive experience i n class for both myself and the students . Comfort and Change As I reflect back on my research questions in regards to the experience I had with my students , I can see a few common themes emerge. I saw an increase in my student s comfort, quantity and quality of speaking, as well as a shift in my style of teaching and an increase in participation and interest fr om my students. The multiple opportunities that I strove to provide during the course of my research project for both small and large group discussions increased student comfort in speaking publicly. At the beginning of the project , only one out of the se ven English Language Learners in the selected class was a frequent participant in class discussions. As the project progressed even shyest and least English proficient student frequently participated in group discussions. Before

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ART EDUCATION AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS LITERACY 30 my project few of my non na tive English speakers volunteered comments or asked questions abou t artwork we viewed as a class. Even so, by the end of the project every non native English speaker regularly participated in class discussions. During the process of the project students not only felt comfortable talking in a group setting and beca me more talkative between native English speakers and non native English speakers in general , students discussions also increased in quality. This was evident while I monitored stude through the many discussions the table groups had about their artworks. Students talked not only about the memories that their artwork depicted , but they also discussed the proces s of making their art work (Figure 5 ) . The increase in comfort was evident not only in class settings but between individual students and myself as well. Throughout the entire year one of the female English Language L earning students who is among the shy kids in the classroom n ormally would talk very little to me on an individual basis , even with lots of prompting. My i nquiries about her artwork and life in general usually were answered with a demure nod or a s hort one of two word answer. Towards the end of the research project, however, this same student would communicate with me during class with far more eloquent (and lengthy) sentences that I previously thought she was not capable of producing

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ART EDUCATION AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS LITERACY 31 Figure 5 . Students discuss while working with watercolors. While it was exciting to see this change in my students , I also saw a change in my style of teaching occur as well. As I emphasized creating opportunities for my first grade student s to speak to each other and myself , I started to increase these speaking opportunities for my other grades as well. As I watched these changes occur within my students and myself, I also watched as their participation and interest increased. In th e short informal meetings I held with the ESL coordinator and my students classroom teacher during the project, they would often tell me of how the students would excitedly tell them abo ut the movie that would be the final creation of their artwork. Stude nt s would also stop me in the hallways or in the local grocery store to talk with me about our project. Summary across all Findings discussions that arose between students i n individual and group settings showed an increase in

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ART EDUCATION AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS LITERACY 32 quality and quantity of responses . The interest that students held for the lengthy project remained strong throughout because of the different and interesting facts we learned about each other through t he many discussions. Discussion and Conclusion The goal of my research was to figure out how a meaningful art experience would enhance the language literacy developme nt of English Language learners. Scholarly research suggested that art could lay a foundation for the development of literacy skills (Wilson & Katz, 2009). Prior research also suggested that when language development is and children were allowed to learn a 2005 , p. 271) they have an easier time assimilating the language. Research further suggests that this would best be done in the art classroom using a Reggio Emilia like approach by other educators . From this research I developed questions about the connections between art and literacy that lead me to wonder in what ways a meaningful art experience affected the language literacy development of first grade English Language Learners an d what would happen if I was to implemen t such an art unit into my class room. Because I was studying and analyzing my own research I created and implemented a curriculum unit that focused on combining language literacy development and a meaningful art experience, shared that experience with my students, and reflected on reoccurring themes that arose during the project. In the remainder of this section I will dis cuss and interpret my findings, suggest what the significance and implications are of my findings, and share any recommendations that I had based on my findings.

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ART EDUCATION AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS LITERACY 33 Discussion and Interpretation of Findings In the course of this study, I have observed my young art students as they joined me on a journey to develop language literacy. Throughout the project, I watched them as they grew in confidence and shared stories and experiences with each other and myself that made the connection between us stronger. The collaboration I had with my colleagues not only strengthened my working relationship with them , it also made my curriculum unit that much more applicable to my students. If doing these things lead only to t he deepening of trust my students held for me and the respect that I had for them as people, then this endeavor was well worth the effort. Happily, this project not only highlighted the importance and joy of getting to know my students and reaching them wh ere they are , but it also highlighted the impact that can be had on students when there is collaboration and support from all areas of their education. While working with my colleagues on this project I was made painfully aware of the increased time and effort that it takes to collaborate with others outside of my field because of the time constraints and conflicts that appear throughout and even after the school day. The as Second La nguage coordinator provided during my project enhanced the learning process for myself and my students. Considering this, I believe that despite the challenges that are faced when attempting to coordinate with others in the school system that it is well wo rth the time and effort. As for how art affects the language literacy of English Language Le arners, based on my findings I believe that art does play a critical role in if not only developing but enhancing language literacy. When learning a language, or even just learning to read, one of the mo st background knowledge. I can try to teach someone the word for frog ,

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ART EDUCATION AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS LITERACY 34 but if they have never seen one or experienced it then they will never truly understand what the word means. The amount of increase and strengthening of my that occurred during the process of my project is one of the most important things that happened during it. I believe that t his would not have happened if it were not for the increased opportunities that I strove to create to spark discussions between students in individual, group, and class settings. Not only did the increase in discussions allow for students background know ledge to increase , but it also allowed them to teach each other. It is quite amazing how students can inspire the growth of one another. I can teach a concept repeatedly , but it is not until a student takes interest and internalizes that information that i t becomes real to him or her . I saw this happen with many of my students during the course of my research project . For example, before every work day for the project I would highlight the importance of adding the kind of details that my students determined h artwork. These details included the use of color, clothi ng, labels, and others. While I remind ed students of this at the beginning of every class , i mates would encourage them to add a detail of color or a label that these details would be added. Without the comfort of knowing that they could speak to have occurred. I also feel that because my stude nts felt more comfortable with each other and myself, and they were involved in creating art that was meaningful to them that their art making experience was enhanced as well. Because these memories were stories that students wanted to tell, they made sure to pay extra attention to details they added in their imagery. They also were more aware of how they used their pictorial space. By being more aware of the details they were

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ART EDUCATION AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS LITERACY 35 adding to their imagery and how they were using their picture space students were able to create artwork that was of higher quality and craftsmanship than they might previously have made earlier in the year. As for what happened in my classroom as I implement ed art lessons that were specifically designed to facilitate the language literacy o f first grade English Language L earners, I believe that language was learned. I feel that despite the limited amount of time that I spent implementing the strategies that fac ilitate language literacy, that it still made an impact on my students. The fact that students who would barely speak to me at the beginning of this project were now willing to speak to me not only in cla ss but outside of class as well encourages me to bel ieve this. While there are still many factors that need to be weighed in association with t his project, I feel that a long term project focusing on language literacy would be a worthwhile endeavor. Significance, Implications, and Recommendations The res earch conducted in this study focused on observing the impact of a curriculum composed of combining language literacy development and meaningful art experiences on English as Second Language students in my first grade art class. From what I experienced dur ing my investigation, it is my opinion that providing opportunities to enhance language literacy in the art classroom could be beneficial to English Language Learners. Because of this , I would recommend that there be further study into the connections betw een art and language literac y development and that a focus be placed in the art classroom . I do not suggest that complete precedence be given to the language literacy, but that these skills are highlighted within the natural actions that are taken in the art classroom through discussion. While increasing

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ART EDUCATION AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS LITERACY 36 discussion would be a natural step in my mind to incorporating language literacy, I would also encourage some form of art making be included as to maintain student interest. Another con sideration that comes from my findings is the sense of comfort and familiarity that was created by opening the door for communication in my classroom. My fondest memories from this project are the small moments , inconspicuous to most, where students that b arel y spoke before felt comfortable enough to speak openly and often with me. I would love to create this sense of comfort with all of my students while maintaining meaningful art making experiences. I hope to continue to monitor my teaching to find an ide al balance of dialog and art making in the future. Conclusion As I completed this project with a deeper sense of connection to my students and my colleagues , I can only be grateful for the opportunity to have attempted this research project. I feel that the strategies and methods that I incorporated into my classroom have enriched my students learning experiences and my teaching practice. And in the end, the art that my students created was what this whole experience was about. The fact that we as a col lective unit cared about what we were making was what made our experience so meaningful and so enjoyable. Our experience is documented i n a series of web pages that can be found on my website: www.tmcalisterarted.weebly.com . The website includes the curriculum unit that I incorporated, my findings, and a student gallery. While I cherish the experience that I had with my students , I look forward to the future a nd continuing to incorporate art mak ing with language literacy development with my students.

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ART EDUCATION AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS LITERACY 37 References Allen, L. (1990). The ESL teacher as researcher. Finding a voice: Secondary students write their stories. Minnie TESOL Journal, 8, 27 38. Bloome, D. (1994) (Eds.). Alternative perspectives in assessing children's language and literacy (pp. 55 72). Norwood, New Jersey: Ablex Publishing Corporation Brooks, M.C., & Brooks, J. S. (2005). Who le language or phonics: Improving language instruction through general semantics. ETC: A Review of General Semantics, 62 (3), 271 280. Broward County Public Schools. (2013). Data analysis in action research. [An online guideline for data analys is in acti on research]. Retrieved from: http Calderon, M., Slavin, R., & Sanchez, M. (2011). Effective instruction for English learners. Corgill, A. M. (2008). . Portland, MN: Stenhouse Publishers. Da nko McGhee, & K., Slutsky, R. (2007). The impact of early art experiences on literacy development. Reston, VA: National Art Education Association. Davilla, D. E., & Koeing, S. M. (1998). Bringing the Reggio concept to American educators. Art Education, 51 (4), 18 24. Dick, B. (2012). Action research and action learning for community and organizational change. Retrieved from: http://www.aral.com.au / Dick, B., & [online]. Retrieved from: http://www.aral.com.au/resources/arfaq.html

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ART EDUCATION AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS LITERACY 38 Dunn, J. (2012). Literacy in America. [Info graphic of the state of literacy in the United States.] Ret rieved from: http://www.edudemic.com/the current state of literacy in america/ Engel, B. S. (2002). . (2 nd Printing). Washington, D. C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children. ESOL students. Art Education, 55 (2), 40 45. Frechtling, J., & Westat L. S. (1997). User Friendly handbook for mixed method evaluations. [Handbook published by the National Science Foundation.] Retrieved from: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/1997/nsf97153/ Gallego, M. A., & Hollingsworth, S. (2000). What counts as literacy: Challenging the school standard. New York, NY: Teachers College Press. Graves, D. H. (1994) A fresh look at writing. Portsmouth, NH: Reed Elsevier Inc. Hayes, M. T. (2007). Using art postcards in ESL/EFL communication classes. The Internet TESL Journal, 8 (2). Retrie ved from: http://iteslj.org/Lessons/Hayes ArtPostcards.html Hubbard, R. S., & Power, B. M. (1999). Living the questions: A guide for teacher researchers. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers. Kaufman, M. (1983). The book as art and idea. Art Education,36 (3), 40 46. Lombardi, J. (2004). Practical ways brain based research applies to ESL Learners. The Internet TESL Journal, 8 (2). Retrieved from: http://iteslj.org/Articles/Lombardi BrainResearch.html Lowenfeld, V. (1947). Creative and mental growth. New York, NY: Mamillan, co. as researchers" or action research: What is it, and what good is it for art education? Studies in Art Education, 34 (2), 114 126.

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ART EDUCATION AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS LITERACY 39 McCaslin, M. M. (1989). Whole language: Theory, instruction, and future implementation. The Elementary School Journal, 90 (2), 222 229. Meier, D. R. (2004). The young child's memory for words: Devel oping first and second language literacy . New York, NY: Teachers College Press Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis: A sourcebook of new methods (2nd ed.). Newbury Park, CA: Sage Moore, C. R., Koller, J. A., &Arago, M. K. (1994). The role of art in language learning. The Journal of the Imagination in Language Learning and Teaching , 2. Retrieved from: http://www.njcu.edu/cill/journal index.html National Reading P anel. (2000). Teaching children to read: An evidence based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction. Noll, E. (2000). Literacy and American Indian students: Meaning making through multiple sig n systems. In M. A. Gallego& S. Hollingsworth (Eds.), What counts as literacy: Challenging the school standard (pp. 213 228). New York, NY: Teachers College Press Rossman, G. B., & Rallis, S. F. (1998). Learning in the field: An introduction to qualitati ve research . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Sassalos, M. C. (1999). Discovering Reggio Emilia, building connections between learning and art. [an educational report] Retrieved from : http://files.eric. ed.gov/fulltext/ED456890.pdf Smith, K., & Faryl, K. (2008). Whole language. In Encyclopedia of Bilingual Education. Retrieved from: http://dx/doi.org/10.4135/9781412963985.n343 Shoemaker, M. K. learners. Art Education, 51 (2), 40 45. Spina, S. U. (2006). Worlds together... Worlds apart: An assessment of the effectiveness of

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ART EDUCATION AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS LITERACY 40 arts based curriculum for second language learners. Journ al of Latinos and Education,5 (2), 99 122. The New York State Education Department Office of Bilingual and Foreign Language Studies. (2010). Art as a tool for teachers of English language learners. Retrieved from: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/biling/docs/Art_as_a_Tool for_Teachers.pdf Art Education, 48(5), 6 11. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2013). English language learners. The Condition of Education 2013 (NCES 2013 037). Retrieved from: https://nces.ed.gov/FastFacts/display.asp?id=96 Watson, D. J. (1994). Whole language: Why bother? The Reading Teacher, 47 (8), 600 607. Watt, D. (2004). Using modern art to teach language and culture to ESL students. The Internet TESL Journal, 5(10). Retrieved from: http://iteslj.org/Lessons/Watt ModernArt.html Watts Taffe, S., & Truscot, D. M. (2000). Focus on Research: Using what we know about language and literacy development for ESL students in the mainstream classroom. Language Arts, 77 ( 3), 258 265 Wilson, K., & Katz, M. (2009). Reading, literacy, and auditory verbal practice. Workshop presentation. [Visual graph of literacy ages and stages]. Retrieved from: http://firstyea rs.org/miles/reading miles.pdf Wink, J. & Putney, L. (2002). A vision of Vygotsky . Boston, MA: Pearson Education Company.

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ART EDUCATION AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS LITERACY 41 List of Figures with Figure Captions Figure 1. Figure 2 . Students use words and images to find detail in Ringgold's Street Story Quilt Figure 3 . Students work to finalize their artwork Figure 4 . Original student work that accompanied a narrative about Garza's Cascarones ...28 Figure 5 . Students discuss while working with watercolors

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ART EDUCATION AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS LITERACY 42 Author Biography My name is Tiffany McAlister, and I am an art educator and artist. I graduated from Arkansas Tech University in 2010 with my Bachelors of Art in art education. Currently, I have the privilege to be teaching Kindergarten through 6th grade art in a small rur al town in Arkansas. Exploring art with my students is something that I truly enjoy because I appreciate the life and creativity they bring to their own art making as well as mine. As an artist, I enjoy exploring and creating with all different medias. I primarily enjoy and my artwork.