Abstract
The author begins this essay with recognition that educators bring their own visions of subject matter, of children, and of the larger world, into the tasks of curriculum development and teaching. These visions come through a filter of personal values, which are often illustrated in the stories educators tell themselves and others, so examining those stories can be a way to heighten awareness of values. The author suggests, however, that awareness is insufficient if one is to go beyond the habitual to the intentional in professional practice, and that teachers need to question their beliefs, recognizing their limitations as well as their possibilities. To exemplify this process, the author shares stories that reveal some of her own visions—of dance, of young children, of the world and people in it—and how these visions have given rise to what and how she teaches. She also explores limitations to her visions and internal conflicts in the values underlying them, noting that sometimes reflection affirms one’s current practice and its underlying beliefs and sometimes it challenges them; even when challenged, it may take a while before one knows how to respond. The author concludes by acknowledging the value of professional development in which educators can share and examine their own stories.
An early version of this chapter was published in Visual Arts Research, 25 (2), 1999, 69–78.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Bemelmans, L. (1939). Madeline. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Buber, M. (1958). I and Thou (2nd ed.) (R. G. Smith, Trans.). New York: Charles Scribner’s.
Buber, M. (1965). Between man and man (M. Friedman, Trans.). New York: Macmillan.
Council on Physical Education for Children (COPEC). (1995). Developmentally appropriate practice in movement programs for young children, ages 3–5. Reston: American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation & Dance.
Dewey, J. (1934). Art as experience. New York: Minton Balch.
Eisner, E. W. (1985). The educational imagination (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
Eisner, E. W. (1987). The role of Discipline - Based Art Education in America’s schools. Los Angeles: Getty Center for Education in the Arts.
Getty Center for Education in the Arts. (1985). Beyond creating: The place for art in America’s schools. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Trust.
Grumet, M. R. (1989). The beauty full curriculum. Educational Theory, 39(3), 225–230.
Kindler, A. M. (1996). Myths, habits, research, and policy: The four pillars of early childhood art education. Arts Education Policy Review, 97(4), 24–30.
Martin, J. R. (1992). The school home: Rethinking schools for changing families. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Stiles, N., & Wilcox, D. (1974). Grover and the everything in the whole wide world museum. New York: Random House.
Stinson, S. W. (1988). Dance for young children: Finding the magic in movement. Reston: American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.
Stinson, S. W. (1990). Dance and the developing child. In W. J. Stinson (Ed.), Moving and learning for the young child (pp. 139–150). Reston: American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation & Dance.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Stinson, S.W. (2016). What We Teach Is Who We Are: The Stories of Our Lives (2002). In: Embodied Curriculum Theory and Research in Arts Education. Landscapes: the Arts, Aesthetics, and Education, vol 17. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20786-5_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20786-5_6
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-20785-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-20786-5
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)