cREATE A SHORT ANIMATION, WHICH DEALS WITH THE BIG IDEA OF jOURNEYCreate a simple initial story boardWhile you work, document and share on your blog the following:
Photos/screenshots of your process with accompanying notes of what worked, where you got stuck, how you solved problems.
How these skills relate to, build on what we are learning
How you might use this in your classroom either as a supplement to your expert app OR as something separate.
research promptsWhat is your research idea? Inquiry into International Student Identity through A/r/tography Introduction:
Globalization has had an impact on universities, discipline content, and the teaching and learning process (Jonrd, 2010). This globalized environment impacts many schools, including K-20 education, which attract huge international students studying in the U.S. United States is one of the most popular destinations for international students every year (Zong, J. & Batalove, J. 2016). In fact, international students in the U.S. are a minority on college campuses. According to the Open Doors: MIZZOU fast facts 2016 which is a report from the International Center, 2,990 students from 110 countries attended the University of Missouri in the academic year of 2015 -2016. The comparison between 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 is remarkable, the number of international students at Mizzou has declined considerably. The decline is 198 less (international students) compared to the academic year of 2015/2016, with Chinese students making up the majority of this number. It is important for the University of Missouri System to determine the cause of this decrease and how to recruit and to find a way to improve its reputation among foreign countries. In my opinion, in seeking the answers, it would be worthy to consider the environment, the campus itself, and the society of Columbia. Certainly, the big step which I think is the most important part is to establish a better relationship with international students, and to understand how they identity themselves, how they feel towards life here, and what they value most about their place in Columbia culture. In addition, study how they integrate across cultural boundaries. It is vital to give them opportunities for introspection, to explore themselves, and to voice and defend their personal identities and value systems. Research question: The central research question is: How do Mizzou international students self-identify themselves in terms of nationality, culture, ethnicity and career in Columbia, Missouri? The following sub questions will further direct and guide the study: 1. How do international students’ perceptions transform from the beginning enrolling school to now? 2. How do they cross the cultural boundaries and ethnic borders? 3. What do they value most about their place in Columbia culture? 4. How are they embraced and loved in the place of Columbia, Missouri? Purpose: This project is to explore MU international student’s identity through a/r/tography, a methodology which does not create the invention while it does help people gain new understanding based on existing knowledge (Irwin, 2013). In terms of this methodology, the purpose of this project is to provide a safe space for MU international students to explore their own identities by creating videos (documentary) with their stories, and to gain a new understanding towards themselves during the process of exploration. In fact, the process of making video is paralleled with the reality that they’ve encountered. Their stories that they have created are not just a means of expressing themselves, but also a way of recognizing and thinking about the real world. As Aufderheide states, “A documentary film tells a story about real life, with claims to truthfulness.” This second purpose of this project is to manifest MU international students’ emotion, attitude, and value in a dynamic way. Participants (MU international students) “bring their unschooled and often unsanctioned literacy practices into academic settings creates a culture in which unseen and unheard stories can be told (Jocius 2016).” Finally, their voices would be heard by MU students, faculty, staff, even Columbia residents. Hopefully, this project would become a bridge across among different cultures. We embrace diversity and diversity makes our culture prosperous. Review: Fail, Thompson, and Walker (2004) collaboratively use the data from eleven former international school students. This study explores these former international students’ thoughts and feelings, covering emotional and relational issues such as sense of belonging, identity and the nature of relationships formed. The authors claim that these students are positive and enthusiastic about the advantages of their background and the ability it has given them to feel at home in different places and also to relate to other people like themselves. Moreover, they are no longer in a process of setting up a sense of identity or belonging but are reflecting on something that has been established during the course of their lives. Michael Haugh (2008) claims that a number of recent studies investigating the construction of international student identities have supposedly adhered to postmodernist-inspired notion of identity. Therefore, these studies appear to be premised on the assumption that what international students say can be equated with their identities, without critical attention being paid to the way in which identities emerge as a conjoint construct through interaction. He believes that identities are invariably jointly constructed by participants through discourse, even in interviews and focus groups where the researcher is ostensibly taking a neutral stance. Rita Irwin (2004) demonstrates a/r/tography as a metaphor for informing artist-researcher-teacher identity, including self-realization, self-development and the relationship between self and the outside world, and extends to the reflection on education and teaching as well as personal life through artistic and aesthetic approaches to self-consciousness in education and social phenomena. A/r/tography is a form of “living inquiry”. Art is not just a means of expressing itself, it is also a way of recognizing and thinking about the real world. Additionally, as a/r/tographers, they occupy “in-between” space. “Those living in the borderlands of a/r/t recognize the vitality of living in an in-between space.” Irwin, Bickel, Triggs, Springgay, and some researchers (2009), use data from eight intergenerational immigrant families in The City of Richmond, British Columbia, Canada to examine their experiences and narratives through a community-engaged process that employed a/r/tography as a methodology. The study shows that culture and memory can be transformed and maintained. Site, home and location can be more than one place, and more likely somewhere in between. This research is precursive and unprecedented which supports my research topic – International Student Identity. It helps me understand a/r/tography and the practicalities of how to conduct a/r/tographical research. Räsänen (2012) has shed some light on the factors affecting cultural identity, as well as multicultural identity. She believes that cultural identity is based on verbal, artistic, and other stories created in a certain time and place. Rituals, clothing, and images mediate traditions that connect an individual to a group. Additionally, she asserts that representation is a useful concept for understanding the relationship between the individual and culture. Representation refers to all verbal and spoken language, visual presentations, and combinations of words and images, which means something that represents a thing, a person, an object, or a phenomenon. According to MU Campus Climate Research Study in September 2017, 73% of Undergraduate, Graduate, and Professional Student/Post-Doctoral Scholar respondents felt valued by University of Missouri-Columbia faculty while 71% felt valued by campus staff. 77% of Undergraduate, Graduate, and Professional Student/Post-Doctoral Scholar respondents felt valued by faculty in the classroom. 70% of Undergraduate, Graduate, and Professional Student/Post-Doctoral Scholar respondents had faculty whom they perceived as role models. 19% of respondents indicated that they personally had experience exclusionary intimidating, offensive, and/or hostile conduct. 26% noticed that the conduct was based on their gender/gender identity, 23% felt that it was based on their ethnicity, 21% felt that it was based on their position status, and 20% felt that it was based on their racial identity. By ethnicity, significant differences were noted in the percentages of Afficant/Black/African American (39%), Asian/Asian American (21%), Hispanic/Latin/Chican (25%), Multiracial Respondents (27%), Other Respondents of Color (24%) and White respondents (16%) who believed that they had experienced this conduct. According to the Open Doors: MIZZOU fast facts 2016 which is a report from the International Center at University of Missouri - Columbia, 1800 international students attended at the University of Missouri – Columbia in the academic year of 2008/2009, 1831 international students in 2009/2010, 1948 in 2010/2011, 2198 in 2011/2012, 2490 in 2012/2013, 2576 in 2013/2014, 2879 in 2014/2015, 2990 in 2015/2016. In the academic year of 2016/2017, there were 2792 international students from 110 foreign countries attending at MU. From this statistical data, we can see that the amount of international students was increasing during 2008 – 2015, while in 2016, the amount decreased a little bit. Investigative Techniques: I am going to teach all participants how to make a documentary, and to film all the process of making videos. Meanwhile, participants would be interviewed by me before or after regular meeting. Certainly, I would follow some participants who have special stories a couple of months. Finally, audience would see participants’ documentaries in their own perspectives, and my documentary in my perspective. Bias: Actually, I am biased towards research questions, due to some reasons in the below. First, my close friend who is international student as well was discriminated by her professor. It was really frustrating. However, I am loved and embraced by art education graduate program. The comparison between her and me is a gap. Actually, I feel grateful towards MIZZOU, at least, I’ve got a lot support from some leaders and of course my advisor and professors. Therefore, I am inclined to agree with some positive attitude towards MIZZOU. Timeline:
References: Irwin, R. L. (2004). A/r/tography: A Metonymic Metissage. In R. L. Irwin & A. de Cosson (Eds.), A/r/tography: Rendering self through arts-based living inquiry (pp. 27-38). Vancouver, BC: Pacific Educational Press. Irwin, R. L., Beer, R., Springgay, S., Grauer, K., Xiong, G., & Bickel, B. (2006). The Rhizomatic Relations of A/r/tography. Studies in Art Education, (1). 70. Karen R. Humes; Nicholas A. Jones; Roberto R. Ramirez (March 2011). Irwin, R. L., Bickel, B., Triggs, V., Springgay, S., Beer, R., Grauer, K., & ... Sameshima, P. (2009). The City of Richgate: A/r/tographic Cartography as Public Pedagogy. International Journal Of Art & Design Education, 28(1), 61-70. doi:10.1111/j.1476-8070.2009.01593.x Jonrd, E. (2010) Internationalisation and the student voice: higher education perspectives. New York: Routledge Räsänen, M. (2012). Cultural identity and visual multiliteracy. Visual culture: Readings. Evora: Research Centre of the University of Evora (CIEP) and Fundaēćo Eugénio de Almeida (FEA).(In print.). Irwin, R. L. (2013). Becoming A/r/tography. Studies In Art Education, 54(3), 198-215. Zong, J. & Batalova, J. May 12, 2016. International Students in the United States. Retrieved at http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/international-students-united-states. University of Missouri – Columbia Campus Climate Research Study 2017, retrieved at https://diversity.missouri.edu/climate/2016/2016-MU-CCS-Full.pdf Open Doors: MIZZOU Fast Facts 2016, retrieved at https://international.missouri.edu/documents/open-doors-mizzou-fast-facts.pdf Peer Response: To Lindsay: OH MY GOSH!!!LINZ!!! I really LOVE your stop motion video and your sound effect. You definitely spent much time in it. It is a good idea transferring the stop motion video to iMovie so that we can add the sound. Actually, I purchased stop motion studio pro one, and i never use the sound effect, i just want to get the high quality of video. So, basically, i use Adobe Promiere to add the background music. Initially, I wanted to make drawing looks like real animation, and I found that I did not how to draw figure in motion. For your research idea, it is really important to me as well. Actually i haven taught Art in real classroom setting, so I am interested in seeing how google forms/docs/photos/classroom impact your teaching life. For your date collection, what if you conduct this research for fresh students in your grade? In other words, what if the participants never use/experience google forms yet? and you collect data by using pre- and post- questionare? The questions, i do love the one "what supports can be given to a new educator so that she can learn the new programs and technology that will make her teaching life manageable and more effective?" YES, I WANT TO KNOW THIS. I might graduate this coming May, and actually, i always wonder how schools support me when i am a new educator? how I could teach effectively with technology? How my students develop their thinking through using technology? To Beth: Hi Beth, Love your stop motion video!! I use the same app as yours. Stop Motion Studio is user-friendly app. if you purchase pro one, you could export video with 4k and high quality video. Love your idea addressing VTS with digital media as well. I haven't taken VTS though, I'd say VTS has many many potentials!!! and I am biased as well because I believe VTS could develop students' digital literacy skills. For collecting data, case study is better to conduct, and meanwhile film the process of your VTS session. Additionally, what if you add pre- and post- questionare for students? to examine how they already knew about digital literacy, and how they know about it after VTS session? RE
3 Comments
Amy
10/15/2017 11:40:17 am
Hi Jenny!
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Tingting
10/15/2017 05:41:03 pm
Hi Henny,
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Beth Ozbun
10/15/2017 06:11:33 pm
To piggyback off of Amy...she says "So perhaps the question might be “How does documentary film-making empower the international students voice and sense of place within the MU community?"
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