Browsing by Author "Munroe, Karena"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • No Thumbnail Available
    ItemOpen Access
    Because Covid
    (2021-01-09) Munroe, Karena; Greene Freire, Collective
    This video, is part of my doctoral thesis "School Wellness Action Research: From an Arts-Based Transformative Activist Stance". It shares the story of how my initial study plan went from including students, teachers, and artists in face-to-face arts activities to being an arts-based virtual focus group/field test with educators because of the lockdown restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It stars the Free-Spirited Eagle who flew with the concepts, Fun Loving Red Fox who engaged primarily for personal enjoyment, Hardworking Beaver who diligently moved forward, Brave Bobcat with big picture ideas, Wise Owl who offered the type of profound insights only a veteran practitioner could, Loving Porcupine who supports unconditionally, and Clever Raven, the reflective voice who provided thoughtful direction. It tells a relatable story about agency, resiliency, and community and learning through the COVID-19 pandemic. A sincere and heartfelt thank you to the Greene Freire Collective, in particular the artist who gave generously of herself when she created and gifted the visuals that accompany our story of a study adjusted. There are reflective questions at the end of the video to help you reflect on your own learning during the remote emergency learning experience. If you're interested in trying out the activities here is a link to the toolkit https://bit.ly/artslab2thinktank.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    School Wellness Action Research: from an Arts-Based Transformative Activist Stance
    (2021-01-16) Munroe, Karena; Jacobsen, D. Michelle; Friesen, Sharon; Takeuchi, Miwa A.; Johnston, Dawn; Irwin, Rita L.
    This study explored educational change that privileges teachers to be co-authors and drivers of school wellness action activated through an arts-based focus on hopeful futures. The SARS-CoV-2 global pandemic added school lockdowns to the context resulting in modifications to the study, primarily the exclusion of student voice and face-to-face participation. Eight participants engaged in discussion and field-testing of virtual arts-lab activities aimed at enhancing school wellness rooted in their realities as educators. Two phases of an arts-based participatory approach to action research generated creative data. Data collection included educator and researcher reflections, arts-lab observations, and my descriptions of participant-created artwork. The results provided the basis for an arts-lab toolkit for educators and an animated video story for the broader community. This participatory arts-based approach to action research was grounded in an arts-lab created from a transformative activist stance (Stetsenko, 2017). It offered opportunities for participants to affirm their control and participation in action critical for change. Second, the arts-lab tool offers participants a means to actively engage in characterizing and exploring their personal values as opportunities for school wellness improvement. Educators endorsed a four-part arts-lab where art-pieces created at every session portray ideas and provide a centrepiece for deepened conversation. Third, arts processes provide opportunities to enable agentive creativity for artists while offering contributions to the school community-in-the-making that encourage connections between the art, the artists, and the audience. The collective development of an arts-lab encourages participants to contribute artifacts to the broader community’s conversation as artists and activists.