Fix the Windows

Seeing an image like the one above can unleash the lurking delinquent from within. One may feel compelled to throw a rock at the window just to relish in the sound of the shattering glass. Small instances of disorder do in fact encourage a crescendo of greater disorder. I was quite surprised when this seemingly self-evident theory was disputed in class.

http://www.economist.com/node/12630201?story_id=12630201&CFID=31056247&CFTOKEN=41038121

The above article published in the economist in 2008, describes research conducted by social scientists in the Netherlands who set out to find if signs of vandalism, litter, and low-level lawbreaking could affect people's behavior and make them more inclined to commit crime. One experiment found that people were much more likely to litter when they were in an alley that had graffiti on the walls, where graffiti was explicitly banned, versus when the alley was freshly painted. Another experiment found that people were much more likely to trespass in disobedience of a sign when they were in the presence of bicycles which were locked to a fence, which was explicitly banned by another sign. The most remarkable study found that people were more likely to steal money from an envelope that was protruding from a mailbox when there was graffiti on the mailbox or when there was litter on the ground. None of these results should really be that surprising.

People tend to comply with the social-norms in which they find themselves. When order is the norm, people will tend to follow suit because they are afraid of being the one who stands out. When disorder is the norm, people are much more inclined to behave in selfish ways that defy the public good. In the microcosm of a school, these affects are all the more accentuated. To create an environment suitable for learning, schools need to manage the smallest cases of disorder, or things can get out of control very quickly. Part of setting high standards is having high expectations for good behavior.

The problem with Kelling's article lies not with his statement of the problem, but with his suggestion that increased policing is the solution. Similarly, the problem with zero-tolerance policies is that they attempt to solve the problem through excluding students who exhibit troubling behavior. Pushing the problem under the carpet does not make it go away. Every student that fails to attain an adequate education poses a problem for society, so suspending and expelling children from school cannot be a good policy. We must instead find positive ways to encourage good behavior and give students having problems the support and counseling that they need. A school that manages to create an environment of strong respect and personal accountability can avoid the graffiti on the walls, the cursing at teachers, the skipping of class and many of the other signs of a disordered school that lead to far greater problems.

Collaborative Book Arts in the Juvenile Justice System

For this week's blog post, I would like to take a closer look at possible curricular enactments and concrete practices that Skiba and Noam (2001) and Kohn (2004) suggest are part of creating humanizing, safer school environments. Kohn writes that in classrooms in which attitudes and philosophies of "working with" (as opposed to "doing to") predominate, there is a sense of reciprocity, responsiveness, respect, and collaboration. Additionally, "working with" classrooms include "community, choices, and curriculum" (p. 353).

What would a pedagogical environment look like that included these aforesaid characteristics? What kinds of curricular decisions would be made? What are the intellectual and/or artistic labors in which students and teachers alike would engage?

During one of our classes, we learned about the Re-imagining Futures/Voices project, which drew upon such tools as digital film making, storytelling, and spoken word to work with youth in an Alternatives to Detention (ATD) program. Along similar lines, at the New York Art Book Festival this past October, a workshop session called Pedagogy: Artists' Books in the Juvenile Justice System presented another form of creative arts employed to engage youth involved in the juvenile justice system: books and book making.

At this workshop, two educators, Lauren Adelson and Jessica Fenster-Sparber (a librarian at Passages Academy), discussed their use of art books and/or book making with incarcerated youth. Book making encompasses a wide range of genres and forms, such as comics, zines, photography books, etc. Generally, book making refers to the creation of hand-made, self-published, or constructed books. Often, book-makers imaginatively utilize images, photos, xeroxing, letterpress, and different kinds of folds and bindings in order to create their texts. Therefore, the presentation and media used to construct the book is often as important as the content inside. According to the New York Art Book festival guide, the use of this medium for court-involved youth allows for an exploration of "self-identify, hope, incarceration, and dreams--along with the exhibition and marketing of their artwork."

One of the educators at this talk, Lauren Adelson, works with Artistic Noise, a non-profit based in Boston and New York. This organization runs a variety of programs designed to allow youth in the juvenile justice system to develop their identities and skills as artists, including: studio arts classes, curatorial courses, and taking field trips to art museums. In one program in New York City, students develop a portfolio of art while enrolled in rigorous studio courses. In addition, they receive lessons and opportunities to engage in practice as arts entrepreneurs and curators. At the culmination of this year-long program, students hold a show of their work at New York University's Commons Gallery.

Below are two examples of book making that were created in Artistic Noise Program in Boston. The following accordion book was made by Cece, Chelsey, Georgina, Kathy, Kyana, Jazmine, Jessica, Quiarah, and Stacia of Spectrum Detention. The book, entitled, Violence Transformed, combines block prints and text. The block prints were constructed from charcoal silhouettes that the girls made of their profiles using light and shadow. As you can see, the book begins with the text: "Violence is..." and folds out to display the girls' portraits. The artists say that this book is about "expressing yourself and loving yourself," "flying to freedom," and "never giving up."

This next example memorializes people who have passed away. It was constructed using print making techniques as stenciling and imprinting using found objects (see, for example, the leaves and flower images). The book making process allowed the artists to address "personal and profound loss" and became "a means for them to express their feelings in a safe, constructive way." The different panels here show the motifs, symbols, colors, and patterns that the artists draw upon to represent death and loss.

How do examples such as these accordion books and the work of programs like Artistic Noise reflect a pedagogy of "working with"?

When teachers facilitate the learning and space to delve into artistic expression, students are able to explore their identities and personages in a constructive and therapeutic manner. Such spaces are caring environments because students' lived experiences are valued and students are respected as artists and intellectuals in their own right. For example, the accordion book, Violence Transformed, enabled the girls to demonstrate their peaceful and reflective responses to violence through their use of a black-white color scheme, smartly using the book's structure so that it would permit an "unfolding" of meanings. 

A different picture is thereby offered of youth involved in the justice system, one that is a vast departure from the stereotypes reinforced through popular media. The accordion books are also collaborative products, showing that these educational spaces are ones that emphasize collective thinking and work. Additionally, these programs give youth the instruction and tools for creative expression--block print making or how to create mixed-media art pieces, for instance--and gives them an opportunity to present their work to a wider audience. Programs that provide court-involved youth with opportunities to learn and practice a craft which involves a great deal of skill, planning, and imaginative thinking--and also allows for a public forum for said work to be observed and responded to--typify classrooms in which "working with" and not "doing to" is, fortunately, the norm.

So, want to try a hand at book making and book arts with students? It can start with a single sheet of paper. Download a guide to making a tiny-zine, authored by the prolific Chicago zinester, Anne Elizabeth Moore.

With eight squares folded and a few snips of a pair of scissors, a little book is readied for images, texts, and new flights of the imagination.

References:

Skiba & Noam (2001). New directions for youth development – Zero tolerance: Can suspension and expulsion keep schools safe? San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Kohn, A. (2004). Beyond bribes and threats: How not to get control of the classroom. In S. Danforth & S. Taff (Eds.), Crucial readings in special education (pp. 350-368). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Resources for Book Making/Book Arts:

San Francisco Center for the Book
The Center for Book Arts (NYC)
Barnard Zine Library
Printed Matter
New York Art Book Fair

 -Cathlin Goulding