The Accordion Book Project: Reflections on Learning and Teaching

Abstract

This chapter outlines the overarching ideas of the Accordion Book Project, an ongoing effort by Arzu Mistry and Todd Elkin to develop art-centered, transdisciplinary methods for teacher and student practice, inquiry, and reflection. The processes outlined stem from a core belief in supporting the development of agency in young people and teachers so they can become proactive drivers of their own practice (learning and art). The methods codeveloped here bridge education and contemporary art practice. This chapter shares pictures of practice and a supporting educational philosophy involving the use of an accordion book as a hybrid of sketchbook, journal, field notebook, map and work of visual/ conceptual art. The practices outlined here focus on: Developing a responsiveness to the world through ` deep noticing', capturing how ` things talk to you,' developing an ongoing practice using structures and strategies to support cycles of inquiry and action and modeling the use of accordion books as sites of captured reflection, revisiting previously documented ideas, coding them and triggering new explorations.