JCU - FAESS - Dr Linda Ashton

Dr Linda Ashton

Senior Lecturer

Uni Address: D101, Education D, Douglas Campus

Postal Address: School of Education, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811

Phone: (07) 4781 4667
Fax: (07) 4725 1690
Email: Linda.Ashton@jcu.edu.au

Dip T [T'ville CAE]; ARAD [London]; BEd [NTU], PhD [JCU].

Recipient of Vice Chancellor's Inaugural Award for Excellence in University Teaching, 1999

Interests

My Ph D study focussed on Generalist Primary Teachers and their Drawing Discouragement. This interpretive study drew upon poststructuralist theory, discourse analysis and critical theory to examine teacher and pre-service talk about drawing. Emerging patterns between personal constructs as being 'non-artists' and their alignment with particular classroom pedagogy were illuminated. A new concentric rings model for conceptualizing drawing styles emerged to challenge the longstanding staged model whereby with age, artists naturally ‘developed’ from immature to advanced.

PhD THESIS TITLE:
DRAWING SUBJECTS
A POSTSTRUCTURALIST STUDY
OF GENERALIST PRIMARY TEACHER
AND PRE-SERVICE TEACHER DISCOURSE
IN ART EDUCATION
ABSTRACT

Generalist teachers are responsible for implementing the visual art curriculum in Queensland primary schools. Many lack confidence in drawing and intentionally refrain from teaching it. I researched this problem with twenty-six generalists. I wanted to know which art and art education discourses had been taken up by the participants, and how these altered upon resuming drawing with a critically reflexive focus. Twenty-six of the twenty-nine (9 teachers and 17 final year pre-service teachers), participated in research discussions and drawing workshops. The participants experienced a rapid personal transition from 'drawing discouraged' to 'drawing encouraged' positioning. The study's poststructuralist perspective highlighted the power of language to camouflage, perpetuate and challenge historically repressive, aesthetic discourses. My study suggests that critical methodology combined with the acquisition of specific drawing skills, helped to make visible the hierarchical Westcentric lens, through which these teachers and pre-service teachers viewed drawing. Research methodology incorporated drawing instruction, interviews, a questionnaire, group discussions, critical readings, collective memory work and journal entries. In the process of regaining drawing confidence, participants were encouraged to critique the privilege held by pictorial realism as an indicator of talent. They also began to reflect on their discursively imposed repertoire of clichés about art and pedagogy. My teaching and theorising reframed drawing ability as the learning of varied styles, rather than unidirectional progress through developmental stages. I argue that this shift is a necessary aspect of making visible the hierarchical discourses which continue to frame talent, creativity and criticism, within school art contexts. I conclude that focusing on art as social discourse within pre-service teacher education, is an empowering way to challenge hierarchically derived pedagogical alignments. Involving generalist teachers in research is another way to strengthen awareness of art education issues and foster pedagogy which is more attuned to inclusive cultural practices in art making and appreciation.

Since 2000 Education students have been involved in making public art, under my project management. Works have been very varied and most are gifted to community contexts.
Click here to see some of the completed works.
Funding has been through corporate sponsorship and in kind contributions by local business as well as some significant grants including JCU’s first Art-Built-In commission in 2007 to create a public art fence for the new Bohlevale Community Centre due to be completed later in the year.

Currently Teaching

ED3094 - ARTS Education for Early Childhood
ED3194 - ARTS Education for Primary School
ED3216 - Secondary Visual Arts Curriculum
ED4123 - Visual Arts in School Contexts
ED4210 - Secondary Specialist Curriculum Study
ED5221 - Key Learning Areas 2
ED5225 - Secondary Major and Minor Curriculum

Selected Publications

Ashton, L. (1989). Dance Directions : A video/booklet resource for the teaching of 17 European Folk Dances. Darwin: NTU Publications Division.

Ashton, L. (1992a). Mask and Puppet : A video/ booklet inservice resource to inspire plaster bandage puppetry in classroom contexts. Dep’t of Education, Townsville: TADEC Print.

Ashton, L. (1992b). The Right To Draw : A video inservice which adapts Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain (Edwards 1981) methodology and current Queensland art curriculum resource documents for the teaching of drawing. Dep’t of Education, Townsville: TADEC Print.

Ashton, L. (1992c). Language and Movement : A video inservice package for primary teachers. Dep’t of Education, Townsville: TADEC Print.

Ashton, L. (ed.), (1993). Palm Island Original Songs: 13 new songs composed by Bwgcolman Community School for The International Year of Indigenous People. Dep’t of Education, Townsville: TADEC Print and Studio 19.

Ashton, L. (1995a). ED4101 Art Education Introduction RATEP/IMM. A CD rom and print-based curriculum for distance mode teacher education. Centre for Interactive Multi-media : JCU.

Ashton, L. (1995b). Beyond Tolerance .... Embracing Diversity In Early Childhood Music Education. Proceedings of the Fourth Annual Early Childhood Conference, Townsville : TADEC Print, 49-53.

Ashton, L. (1996a). Making a Move Through Art. Proceedings of the Fifth Annual Early Childhood Conference, Townsville : TADEC Print, 30-37.

Ashton, L. (1996b). Primary Art Education Post Lowenfeld and Post DBAE : A Queensland Perspective. Paper and workshop presented at the Australasian Conference for Art Education, Dunedin.

Ashton, L. (1996c). Shared Reading Strategies in Secondary Art Classes. The Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 21 (2), 30-34.

Ashton, L. (1997a). I'm Drawing a Picture : A Critical Reflection of Issues and Practices which Underpin Children's Art Experiences in Educational Settings. Paper presented at the Northern Region's Sixth Annual Conference for Early Childhood Education, Townsville, 57-70.

Ashton, L. (1997b). Repositioning Children's Drawing Development: From Rungs to Rings. Journal of the Australian Institute of Art Education, 20 (3), 3-16.

Ashton, L. (1997c). The PhD Confirmation Seminar : A Computer Slideshow Approach. Paper presented at the International Symposium for PhD with a Focus on Rural Issues. James Cook University: Townsville.

Ashton, L. (1998a). Generalist Primary Teachers and the Drawing Challenge. Seminar paper on PhD research topic presented at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, School of Design, Kowloon, January.

Ashton, L. (1998b). Freckled Spogs : Tracking the Creativity Creature. Paper presented at the Australian Teacher Education Association Annual National Conference, Conference Proceedings, Melbourne, July.

Ashton, L. (1998c). I Can't Draw to Save Myself : Ph D Progress Report. Paper presented at the Australian Institute of Art Education Annual National Conference. Wollongong, September.

Ashton, L. (1999a). ED4123 Art Education Elective RATEP/IMM. A CD rom, print materials and video-based curriculum for distance mode teacher education. Centre for Teaching and Staff Development : JCU.

Ashton, L. (1999b). Deconstructing the Aesthetic Discourse of Drawing : A Study of Generalist primary Teachers in Transition. Research Forum Long Paper presented at 30th World Congress for InSEA. Brisbane, Australian Art Education, 22 (2), 41-61.

Ashton, L. (1999c). Drawing Subjects : A Poststructuralist Study of Generalist Primary Teacher Discourse in Art Education. Doctoral thesis, James Cook University Library.

Ashton, L. (2000a). Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? : Resetting the Table of Modernist Art. Paper presented at the Y2K Australian Institute of Art Education Annual National Conference, Melbourne, July. Journal of Art and Design Education, 20(1) 75-85: U.K.

Ashton, L. (2000b) . Round in Circles of Olympic Proportions. Editorial, Australian Art Education, 23 (1), 1-2.

Ashton, L . (2001a) . The 'Other' Side of the Easel : Disrupting Preconceptions in Art Education. Paper presented at the Disrupting Preconceptions : Postcolonialism and Education Conference. School of Education University of Queensland, August.

Ashton, L. (2001b) . Art Education: Blurring the Boundaries for Pluralist Possibilities. Editorial, Australian Art Education, 24 (1), 1-3.

Ashton, L. (2001c) . Celebrating Diversity : Revaluing Children's Picture Books in Art Education. Australian Art Education, 24 (1), 37-47.

CV Precis

1974/75	Primary Classroom Teacher Qld Department of Education
1976-85	Primary/Secondary Teacher Northern Territory (including indigenous settings)
1986-1990	Lecturer Arts Education with Northern Territory University Faculty of Education
1991-1992	Arts Consultant and Professional Development Adviser Northern Region (Qld Dep't of Education)
1993-1994	Classroom teacher Kelso State School Townsville.
1995+	Lecturer Art Education James Cook University School of Education
2000+	Co-editor Australian Art Education, the national scholarly research journal for the Australian Institute of Art Education.

Career emphases :

teaching children, curriculum development, integrated arts, designing professional development in the arts for teaching colleagues, writing flexible learning CD rom art units, researching drawing, teacher education in undergraduate ECE, primary and secondary coursework.

Homepage

homes.jcu.edu.au/~edlea/