Achieving Inclusive Art Education Through Differentiation
Brief Description
Discover how one art teacher transformed their classroom for students with special educational needs through systematic action research, uncovering practical solutions for sensory challenges, environmental factors, and differentiated instruction.
Summary
Ever wondered how to make art truly accessible for every student? This eye-opening episode follows a dedicated art teacher's journey using action research to tackle real classroom challenges. From managing sensory overload with paint and glue to understanding how weather and lighting affect student behavior, you'll discover practical, evidence-based strategies that work. Learn how environmental factors like temperature and color preferences dramatically impact learning, and get actionable tips for differentiating art instruction for students with special needs. Whether you're an educator, parent, or simply curious about inclusive learning, this 14-minute deep dive reveals surprising insights that could transform any learning environment.
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[Speaker 1]
Welcome to the Deep Dive. Okay, imagine this for a second. You're an art teacher, you love what you do, but your classroom, it's full of students who learn in really different ways.
I mean, really different, especially those kids with special educational disabilities, CENDI. So how do you make sure every single one, right, from picking up that paintbrush, feels totally seen and heard and, you know, genuinely part of the creative stuff?
[Speaker 2]
It's a big ask, isn't it? So today we're doing a deep dive into this fascinating action research project. It's by Karina A.
de Philippe, and it's called Achieve an inclusive art class with CEND students through differentiated instruction. And this is perfect for you if you're grappling with this because it draws on, well, everything. Karina's own notes, literature reviews, actual data from teachers, from students.
It gives us this really rounded view of the hurdles, yeah, but also the breakthroughs. Yeah, what's really grabbed me about this one is how it takes this very real kind of boots-on-the-ground teaching problem and tackles it seriously like an investigation. Our mission here isn't just to say what she did, but to pull out the surprising bits about why it all matters.
You know, for anyone trying to make learning truly work for everyone.
[Speaker 1]
Okay, so let's picture that art room again. Art, well, it's naturally about expressing feelings, ideas. UNESCO said back in 2020 it's vital for like the whole person.
Builds resilience, cultural appreciation, critical thinking, inclusion. But for the teacher and our source working with CEND students, key stage four and five, so that's typically older teens, maybe year 11 to 14 on specific pathways, pathway one and two, it threw up some really unique challenges, especially with messy materials. Yeah, think about it.
How do you handle sensory issues with glue or water or paint? What if a student just hates a certain colour, finds it really jarring or adapting for fine motor skills when you need precision? And the teacher even wondered, you know, could the light in the room, or even if it's raining outside, actually affect how kids behave or concentrate?
They knew about VARK learning styles, visual, oral, read, write, kinaesthetic, but it just wasn't quite hitting the mark for this diverse group.
[Speaker 2]
Right. It's such a common thing for teachers, isn't it? You've got these very concrete everyday issues right in front of you.
And this is exactly where something like action research comes in so handy. It's this self-reflective way of looking at things. A cycle, really.
You enquire, you investigate, you try to figure out systematically, okay, what's the problem here? Like those sensory things in art. And then you actively work on a solution.
It's not just, you know, trying random stuff. It's structured. You observe, you plan what to do, you actually do it.
And then crucially, you reflect on how it went. You keep looping through that to get better.
[Speaker 1]
That cycle, observe, plan, act, reflect, sounds incredibly practical. So what are the real benefits for a teacher using that kind of structured approach?
[Speaker 2]
Well, for starters, it really helps teachers bring students into the process, get their feedback directly. That's huge. It gives them solid ideas for differentiation, for actually tailoring things.
And importantly, it helps build those inclusive, trusting classroom environments where kids feel safe to try things. And beyond that, it lets teachers properly measure if something's working, tweak things that aren't, and ultimately get better results for the students. Plus, just the act of collecting data, like through surveys or chats, opens up really important conversations, not just with kids, but with colleagues too.
You start sharing what works.
[Speaker 1]
Okay, so knowing that's the framework, how did they actually collect the evidence in a busy, hands-on place like an art room? This deep dive mentions a whole range of methods they used, observations, diaries, notes, questionnaires, interviews, even photos or recordings.
[Speaker 2]
And what's really smart here is the mix of quantitative and qualitative data. So quantitative think numbers, measurable stuff, objective, great for stats, how many students preferred X. Qualitative is more about the Y.
It's text-based, descriptive, captures feelings, thoughts, like what comes out of an interview. Now, qualitative can take more time to sort through, and yeah, it can be a bit subjective. But putting the two together, that gives you a much clearer, more balanced view, much more reliable.
[Speaker 1]
Right. And this project really did combine them effectively. For example, the researcher did this really in-depth interview with one specific SEND art teacher, got that rich, personal story.
But then to get a broader view, they sent out questionnaires to 13 other teachers, different subjects, different pathways, but all working with similar students, pathway one and two. And the student data collection, that's really impressive. Three different questionnaires for 30 SEND students across key stages three, four, and five, again, covering both pathways.
And they really thought about how to ask the questions using pictures, voting buttons, multiple choice, even a tool called imprint three, which simplifies text for kids with reading difficulties. They really wanted to capture everyone's input, whatever their level.
[Speaker 2]
And something we shouldn't gloss over is the ethics. They were careful about that, got consent from the school, the staff, the students, make sure all the questionnaires were voluntary, anonymous, kept personal info safe. That builds trust, which is just fundamental when you're doing this kind of research, especially involving young people.
[Speaker 1]
Okay. So let's dive into those influences they looked at. This is where those initial teacher questions start connecting to wider research.
And it's fascinating how much outside stuff can impact learning, like the environment itself. There was a study, Goodman et al, back in 2018, they found for every one degree Fahrenheit hotter it got across the school year, kids learned about 1% less. Wow.
Though, thankfully, AC helps offset that quite a bit. And then there's seasonal affective disorder, SAD. We kind of know this, right?
Shorter winter days can mess with your mood. Less serotonin, more melatonin. Affects energy, focus, even how well your brain adapts.
You see symptoms like low mood, being irritable, finding it hard to concentrate, all stuff that makes learning tougher.
[Speaker 2]
For colour, it's amazing how much colour can affect us, sometimes without us even realising. There's research, Brickey and Hugh in 2016, showing red often links to feelings of dominance, blue more to pleasure. Green, maybe slight arousal.
You see it in art history too, Picasso's blue period reflecting sadness. And Buren, way back in 2006, pointed out that people with neurological disorders can be especially sensitive to colour. So for them, it's potentially a much bigger deal.
[Speaker 1]
Definitely. And that ties into sensory overload, which is a huge issue for lots of students. If a student has Asperger's or ADHD or sensory processing disorder, things that might seem totally minor to us, like the feel of a certain texture, the buzz from fluorescent lights, maybe even the noise of a paper shredder can just be completely overwhelming.
And that can lead to them getting agitated, trying to avoid things, or sometimes just completely shutting down because their system's overloaded. The research also zoned in on differentiation, specifically in art. Taylor in 2021 talked about planning for needs you can see, but also the ones you can't predict, offering choices, scaffolding tasks.
And the Art of Education University in 2022 made this great point about bringing artists with disabilities into the conversation. You know, talking about Michelangelo and his physical limits or Matisse shifting to paper cutouts when he was in a wheelchair, Van Gogh dealing with epilepsy. It builds empathy, sure, but it also gives students with disabilities a kind of mirror, shows them, yes, people like me belong here too.
[Speaker 2]
Yeah. And what's really important to note is that the teacher in this project felt there was a gap. Okay.
There are general ideas about differentiation out there, but finding specific practical advice on how to differentiate art, especially with the physical materials, the paint, the clay, the glue for students with special needs, that was harder to come by. A lot of advice was quite broad, maybe focused on learning styles in general. So this project really helps fill that gap, looking at the hands-on messy stuff.
[Speaker 1]
All right, let's get to the good stuff. The actual data. What did those 13 teachers and 30 students say?
Starting with the teachers. Well, when asked if differentiating art was hard, half of them, 50% said, yes, it was difficult. Another 30% said challenging.
And the reasons. Pretty much what you'd expect. Not enough resources, not enough time, not enough support staff.
Sound familiar. But despite that, they were trying. Making efforts to give individual help, find alternatives for kids with sensory issues.
Interestingly, on cultural inclusion, most teachers, 69%, didn't find it hard to adapt lessons. But about a third did find it moderately or very difficult. And almost a third, 31%, worried that some art activities might put certain students at a disadvantage in group work.
That's an interesting point about unintended consequences.
[Speaker 2]
It really shows, doesn't it, that the struggles this one teacher felt, they're not alone. It reflects this wider challenge in education. How do you personalise things effectively when you're stretched so thin on time and resources?
Sometimes the big insights just confirm what many teachers are already feeling.
[Speaker 1]
Totally. And what about those environmental factors we talked about? Heat, light, rain.
The teachers noticed that? Overwhelmingly, yes. A massive 92% agreed that a good environment helps learning.
77% noticed light affecting behaviour. And another huge 92% said rainy days definitely had a negative impact. 85% also agreed heat or cold made a difference.
And because of this, all the teachers surveyed said they actively adjust the lighting based on student needs. Okay, now onto the students. Their preferences were really interesting.
So learning styles teachers felt most kids, 68%, leaned visual, with 32% preferring conversational learning. The student surveys kind of echoed that, showing a split between liking videos and preferring discussion. Colour.
Big preference for bright colours, 94%. Red and yellow were top picks. Pink, least favourite.
Only 6% liked dark colours, sensory stuff. Sand, water, and paint were the winners for materials. And sounds, they were split right down the middle between liking the sound of sea waves and the sound of rain.
Interesting. And weather, no surprise here, matching the teacher's observations, 90% preferred sunny days.
[Speaker 2]
It's such a clear reminder that the classroom environment is never just there. It's active. Those subtle things, light, weather, colour, sound, they can be real barriers or real helps, especially for students with SEND.
That student data really gives us a into their sensory experience.
[Speaker 1]
Yeah, absolutely. Which kind of leads us to think about the tensions and the limits, right? You've got this idea of inclusive education, wanting the best for everyone, but then differentiated education is about celebrating difference, trying to meet specific needs.
It feels like a constant balancing act.
[Speaker 2]
It really is. And sometimes that balancing act doesn't quite work out as planned. The teacher shared this specific story.
It really brings it to life. She had a student with pretty significant sensory needs, tried a group painting project, hoping it would be inclusive. Immediate conflict.
The student wouldn't share, misuse the paint, even when working alone later, used way too much paint, took stuff from others. It's a stark example of how trying to differentiate, if not managed really carefully, can sometimes backfire and actually hinder inclusion for the whole class.
[Speaker 1]
That's tough. And then there are the unavoidable limits like budget and space. We all know those.
They make it hard to provide things that could really help, like proper sensory corners or special digital tools or the right kind of lighting or just having an extra pair of hands in the room. But the good news is through this whole action research process, the teacher did identify some practical doable solutions. Yeah, like for sensory or fine motor issues, offering different sized brushes or scissors, trying tearing paper instead of just cutting, even just practising getting the right amount of glue.
The key seemed to be letting students choose techniques they felt okay with and giving that one-on-one help when it was really needed. And with colour being so impactful, the suggestion was let students explore and pick their own materials and colours, focus more on how they're creating, not forcing them to use a specific colour or material they hate, and for managing light and weather. Simple things like actually adjusting the blinds or lights on gloomy days, maybe suggesting art that feels warm or bright, painting sunshine, making colourful posters, or shifting gears entirely, maybe some imaginative drawing, looking at other artists' work, even a virtual museum trip to keep things engaging.
[Speaker 2]
Exactly. And if you connect that to the Booker picture, all these solutions are about empowering those sense students, letting them take small risks, learn by trying and maybe messing up sometimes, develop skills at their own speed. It's really about focussing on and celebrating what they can do instead of focussing on what they can't.
It makes you think of that Einstein quote, doesn't it? Everybody is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it's stupid. We have to offer the right context for brilliance to show.
[Speaker 1]
So true. So wrapping this up, what's the big takeaway from this whole journey for the teacher and maybe for us listening too? This deep dive really hammers home that action research isn't just about ticking boxes or solving one problem.
It's a real journey of like professional growth, that observe, plan, act, reflect cycle. It turned out to be incredibly valuable even when the teacher felt like they were totally in untarded territory.
[Speaker 2]
Yeah. And what really shines through is that focus on always learning, always improving. The teacher pulls out some great advice for anyone in education, really, or anyone trying to get better at anything complex.
Stay curious about new ideas, connect with your peers, share what works and what doesn't, make reflection a regular habit, try to be systematic, work with others involved. And this is a hard one. Sometimes be open to feedback and be patient.
Change takes time. Persistence is key.
[Speaker 1]
And I loved the personal reflection bit at the end. The teacher realised, hey, I'm affected by weather and light and colour too. And doing this deep dive actually made them want to explore these kinds of differentiation ideas beyond just the art room.
Like how could this apply in math or English? It just shows how starting with one specific question can spark much thinking.
[Speaker 2]
Absolutely. This deep dive into making art inclusive really shows how taking a focused, thoughtful approach, starting from real classroom problems can turn those challenges into amazing learning opportunities, not just for the kids, maybe even more for the teacher going through the process. Exactly.
You just have lines that teaching or leading or even just learning effectively, it is a cycle. You have to observe, adapt, reflect continuously. The real goal isn't just getting through the curriculum.
It's about truly meeting every learner where they are and helping them flourish in their own way.
[Speaker 1]
So thinking about all this, what really stands out to you? Maybe think about a challenge you're facing right now at work, in your studies, anywhere. How could applying that cycle, really observing what's going on, planning a small step, acting on it, and then honestly reflecting how might that open up new possibilities, maybe unlock potential you didn't even know was there.
Something to think about.