Pedagogies, Physical Culture, and Visual Methods

Laura Azzarito, David Kirk, Laura Azzarito, David Kirk

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9781136291975
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Didattica
• Subtopic: Educazione fisica

To understand and more creatively capture the social world, visual methods have increasingly become used by researchers in the social sciences and education. However, despite the rapid development of visual-based knowledge, and despite the obvious links between human movement and visual forms of understanding, visual research has been scarce in the fields of physical culture and physical education pedagogy. This groundbreaking book is the first to mark a "visual turn" in understanding and researching physical culture and pedagogies, offering innovative, image-based research that reveals key issues in the domains of sport, health, and physical education studies.

Integrating visual research into physical culture and pedagogy studies, the book provides the reader with different ways of "seeing", looking at, and critically engaging with physical culture. Since human movement is increasingly created, established, and pedagogized beyond traditional educational sites such as schools, sport clubs, and fitness gyms, the book also explores the notion of visual pedagogy in wider physical culture, helping the reader to understand how visual-based technologies such as television, the internet, and mobile phones are central to people's engagement with physical culture today. The book demonstrates how the visual creates dynamic pedagogical tools for revealing playful forms of embodiment, and offers the reader a range of visual methods, from researcher-produced photo analysis to participatory-centred visual approaches, that will enhance their own study of physical culture.

Pedagogies, Physical Culture and Visual Methods is important reading for all advanced students and researchers with an interest in human movement, physical education, physical culture, sport studies, and research methods in education.

Part I

Physical culture and visual pedagogies in school

1 Beyond words

The visual as a form of student-centered inquiry of the body and physical activity

Kimberly L. Oliver

Introduction

Figure 1.1 Girls transforming barriers to activity participation

“Images are visual representations, which are defined by Eisner (1994) as just one of many ‘devices that humans use to make public, conceptions that are privately held’” (Sanders-Bustle, 2003: 3). Drawing on fifteen years of research with girls whereby we have used a variety of visual methodologies (Oliver, 1999, 2001; Oliver and Lalik, 2000, 2004a, 2004b; Oliver et al., 2009; Oliver and Hamzeh, 2010) as both research tools and pedagogical approaches for helping young girls to name, critique, and transform their worlds, in this chapter I share some of what we have learned about the power of integrating inquiry and image.

My use of image as a way of knowing was initially inspired by people like John Dewey (1934), Elliot Eisner (1984; 1993; 1997), Maxine Greene (1995), John Berger (1972) and Lynn Sanders-Bustle (2003; Bustle, 1996) well before visual methodologies became fashionable and more widely utilized in educational research (Leitch, 2008; Johnson, 2008; Thomson, 2008; Weber, 2008). My continued use of visual methodologies stems from the unique contributions they consistently bring to my work (Oliver et al., 2009; Oliver and Hamzeh, 2010). Visual methodologies, such as young people's artwork, (for example, collages, drawings) or photographs and photographic essays, invite viewers to glimpse young people's worlds. Visual methodologies challenge the viewer, and in my case, the researcher, to see the world from the perspectives/eyes of the young person (Johnson, 2008; Oliver, 2001). Visual methodologies encourage young people to shape the research agenda and challenge and/or transform their environment in ways they can benefit (Oliver et al., 2009; Oliver and Lalik, 2004a), and visual methodologies help young people to communicate thoughts, feelings, and ideas that are otherwise difficult to put into words (Leitch, 2008; Oliver and Hamzeh, 2010). Sanders-Bustle (2003) captures for me the power of visual methodologies when she writes,

Visual representations invite questions and multiple perspectives, encourage exploration and engagement, and allow learners to “break free” from that which has been done before them. Engagements with visual representations encourage learners to be creative and critical at the same time, to challenge the status quo, and to create possible worlds. In doing so, learners transform understanding and ultimately reconstruct their lives.

(Sanders-Bustle, 2003: 14)

I have divided this chapter into three sections. In the first section, I discuss how we have used cultural images, photography, and visual representations as part of inquiry-based approaches for helping girls communicate how they interpret cultural messages of the female body and physical activity. In the second section, I provide examples of visual representations (such as photographic essays, maps, and collages) that girls have created illustrating how they name, critique, resist, and at times transform the messages they receive about their bodies and physical activity. In the final section, I conclude with a discussion of some of the possibilities that result from integrating inquiry with visual methodologies and pedagogies.

Inquiry through and in the visual

Across my research I have used a variety of inquiry-based approaches to help girls name and critique cultural images and messages they receive about the female body and physical activity participation. These approaches have consistently included using a variety of cultural images and/or photography to both elicit knowledge and understanding, as well as to represent, resist, and/or transform that knowledge and understanding (Oliver, 1999; 2001; Oliver and Lalik, 2000; 2004a; Oliver et al., 2009; Oliver and Hamzeh, 2010). For us, like Weber (2008), the use of visual images is in many situations essential rather than an add-on, for images encourage embodied ways of knowing. With respect to photographs, Sanders-Bustle writes,

Photographs offer an interesting visual component to inquiry. They function as devices for reflection. As objects or artifacts, individuals can return to them over and over again. They can share them with others, revisit them, and even translate or interpret them through language.

(Sanders-Bustle, 2003: 33)

In 2001, Rosary Lalik and I did a study with ninety high-school girls in a rural town in the Southeast United States. The intention was to learn how we could integrate a curriculum strand into regular physical education classes to help girls learn to critically examine how they were learning to think about their bodies and physical activity (Oliver and Lalik, 2004a). This curriculum strand integrated cultural images, photography, and student-centered inquiry and focused on girls’ interests in the body and physical activity. Table 1.1 provides an outline of the student-centered inquiry-based tasks we used to help girls name and critique the messages they were receiving about their bodies and physical activity. Each section of the inquiry involved some form of visual pedagogy. The tasks are written in the language that we used with the girls.

We used this curriculum strand not only as a pedagogical opportunity to assist girls in learning to identify and critique forms and processes that influenced how they were learning to think about their bodies and physical activity, but also as a set of research tools that would assist us in better understanding girls’ perspectives of their bodies and physical activity. Each aspect of the inquiry-based curriculum strand included the use of cultural images (for example, magazines), photography, and/or visual representations of girls’ knowledge and learning. What became important for us as both researchers and teachers was finding ways to make this curriculum strand interesting, meaningful, and significant to the girls’ lives. While part of our goal was to help them learn to identify and critique how they were learning to think about their bodies and physical activity we were deliberate in how we tried to remain responsive to the girls’ needs, not just our own as researchers.

In order to keep the curriculum central to the girls’ interests, pedagogically we made two specific moves. The first was to use the girls’ interests and proclivities to support their critique. The second was to prepare the girls to make meaningful choices (for a more elaborate analysis please see Oliver and Lalik, 2004a).

Using girls’ interests and proclivities to support critique

In order to keep the critique centered on the girls’ interests we brought in magazines that earlier in the study they indicated liking to read. Using their magazines, we asked them to select and categorize images and articles that captured their attention. “Fitness, fashion, shoes, cute boys, hairstyles, food, beauty, body products, articles you read, and people you admire were examples of categories of images that most groups of girls wrote down during the magazine exploration” (Oliver and Lalik, 2004a: 173).

Table 1.1 Planned curriculum strand: integrating inquiry and visual representations

Cycle	Major task planned
Cycle 1	Magazine exploration
Day 1 September 8	Individually “go through magazines and cut out pictures/articles that grab your attention.” Select your favorite 10 and “write about why you selected that picture.”
Day 2 September 9	In your group “arrange your pictures/articles that go together to form categories.” Write explanations for each category. Discuss why pictures are in categories. Explain one category to class.
Task of month	In your journal, “document the times you feel good about your body.” “Document the times you feel bad about your body.”
Cycle 2 Day 1 October 15	Picture categorization and analysis Individually, using pictures from your category folders, “select 5 pictures that tell you something about girls’ bodies.” Write what messages girls receive from each picture. Share pictures with your group creating a list of all the messages girls receive about their bodies. Play class game (identifying media messages that girls receive about their bodies).
Day 2 October 16	With your group, select 3–4 pictures that “tell something about girls’ bodies” and make the following judgments in writing: “who benefits from this picture; how do they benefit; who if anyone is hurt from this picture/how are they hurt?” Use your analysis and pictures to “create a poster to show who benefits and whom is hurt.” Present posters to class.
Task of month	In your journal, “document things that send messages to girls about their bodies.”
Cycle 3 Day 1 December 11	Journal search: places where girls receive messages about their bodies Part I. Individually, “go through your journal and read all your entries about places where girls receive messages about their bodies. Make a list of all the places you documented and what the messages are.” Part II. Share information with your group. Brainstorm other places where girls might receive messages about their bodies. Part III. In groups, “come up with big categories that explain where girls receive messages about their bodies.” Part IV. Take your school category and list all the messages. Share 1–2 ideas with class. Class determines whether messages are positive/negative.
Day 2 December 12	Part I. Posters: “Make a school map to reflect where girls receive messages about their bodies, put an X at the locations where these messages take place, and write out what these specific messages are.” Include drawings if desired. Part II. Photograph two places where girls receive positive messages and two places where they receive negative messages about their bodies at school.
Task of month	No task of the month planned
Cycle 4 Day 1 January 18	Inquiry project initiation Individually, create list of spring school/community events that are “interesting to teens.” Share lists in group discussing how events relate to girls’ bodies. In groups design a “calendar of events interesting to teens that relate to girls’ bodies.”
Day 2 January 19	In your groups, select 1 or 2 events that you might be interested in studying further. Develop a couple of interview “questions to find out how other people would experience this event.” Practice interviewing each other using your questions.
Task of month	“Using your questions, interview a variety of people and record their responses in your journals.”
Cycle 5 Day 1 February 15	Survey development Select 1 event you want to study and find 3 other people who have selected the same event to work with . . . share interview data from journals. Document common themes in writing. Write learning statements “What am I learning about my event” and “What am I learning about designing interview questions?” Share with class.
Day 2 February 16	Design survey: Write 5–7 survey questions. Choose 2 questions from list provided on “how this event influences how girls experience their bodies” and create 3–5 others that reflect information you want to learn about your event. Title your survey. Make plan to photograph your event.
Task of month	“Photograph your selected event.” “Survey 10–15 different types of people.”
Cycle 6 Day 1 April 30	Inquiry project conclusion Analyze survey data. Ask 2 questions from survey data: “what am I learning about ‘other’ people's views” and “what am I learning about girls’ bodies.”
Day 2 May 1	Write learning statements based on analysis. Create representation of learning (book, photographic essay, play, poster, song/dance). Include what you learned about other people's views and about girls’ bodies. Develop 5-minute presentation.
Day 3 May 2	Finish project. Give presentations.

Source: adapted from Oliver and Lalik, 2004a

We also asked the girls to use the images that they found interesting to discuss how these pictures related to girls’ bodies. One group of ninth-grade White girls used a picture of an African American funk-dance teacher to discuss how fitness related to girls’ bodies. They wrote, “Many people do funk dance for exercise. This keeps your body in shape. This is a fun way to keep your body in shape because most girls like to dance anyway. Dancing helps women to stay healthy. It is an exciting way to exercise” (Oliver and Lalik, 2004a: 173).

Finally, our use of multiple forms of representation allowed the girls to find aspects of the work engaging as well as offered a way to expand the kinds of meanings available to them. While Eisner (1994) claims that image is one way people can make public conceptions that are private, what we have found is that images and visual representations have allowed girls to name and document concepts that they find difficult to explain in words alone. We have also found that the girls enjoy working with more difficult concepts when they have opportunities to engage in visual forms of pedagogies, there is a “fun” element for them that keeps their attention centered on the academic tasks.

Preparing girls to make meaningful choices

The second strategy we used to keep the girls’ interests central to the curriculum was to provide them with choices about the foci for their attention. In order to do this we provided them with time to reflect on issues that they thought were important. For example, before beginning the inquiry project, we wanted the girls to take some time to think about what topic was worth the investment of time and effort. Rather than asking them to select a topic quickly, we asked them each to design a calendar to name and illustrate all the events at school and in their communities that were interesting to teens and that related to girls’ bodies. Some of the events they noted included, softball tryouts, basketball, volleyball tryouts, the “beauty walk,” cheerleading tryouts and school dances (Oliver and Lalik, 2004a).

To provide further time for them to reflect on the topics, we asked them to write about their experiences (or imagined experiences) with two of the events from their calendars. Additionally, we asked them to create a couple of questions that they could ask others in order to learn more about their event, and then to interview several different types of people and document their responses in their journals. After providing time for the girls to refl...