A case study of a professional development model linking arts -based teaching practices to classroom instruction

There is a paucity of research on the impact and transfer of arts-based training directly related to the instructional practices of teachers. This case study attempts to fill this research gap by examining the experiences of classroom teachers undergoing an arts-based professional development training program to discern if they can be adequately equipped, through sequential training experiences, to transfer their professional development training to classroom instruction. The study examines the impact of the training on teacher attitude, skills, and behavior during and after the training and assesses the level of transfer of the teaching pedagogy from the training to more sophisticated arts integration and the explicit use of arts-based mechanisms, techniques, and tools in the classroom. The methodology for training the teachers in arts-based strategies is based on the Imagination Quest ( IQ) teaching model, a model that specifically links arts-based pedagogy and cognitive learning theories to content teaming standards. Qualitative and quantitative data generated by the implementation of the training program at a middle school site in the metropolitan DC area throughout one academic year are used to analyze the efficacy of the model. The gauge of efficacy is based on the successes and failures of the subjects---as viewed from each subject's and the researcher/trainees perspectives---as they attempt to understand and integrate arts-based pedagogy into their regular classroom teaching; the transfer of learning from the training seminars and coaching and guided practices to the classroom; and student reactions to arts-based learning in the classroom. The impact of the cultural climate of the site was also explored within the context of arts-based teaching. The results of this study confirm the potential for this training program to generate teacher change in expertise and pedagogy, as it relates to arts-based instruction. Implications for this research for professional development trainers, classroom teachers, students, and researchers are presented.