ERIC Number: EJ815410
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2007-Sep
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1745-7823
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
If These Walls Could Speak: Reading Displays of Primary Children's Work
Thomson, Pat; Hall, Christine; Russell, Lisa
Ethnography and Education, v2 n3 p381-400 Sep 2007
The first thing a visitor notices when entering Hollytree primary school is the art-work displayed on every wall. This paper, based on a three-year ethnographic study of the school, mobilizes field notes and interview and photographic data to probe the meanings of this visual "display". We argue that the walls (re)produce and promote normative meanings of "good work", the "good student", the "good teacher" and the "good school", which serve both internal and external purposes. They are also a means of promoting an inclusive culture which, while true of arts activities, may not always be the case in mainstream classes. In addition, the school walls support aspects of the school timetable of collective work, and also constitute resources for children to construct narratives about their collective and individual histories in the school. (Contains 6 photographs, 1 figure and 6 notes.)
Descriptors: Elementary Schools, Art Activities, Ethnography, Elementary School Students, Visual Environment, School Buildings, Interior Space, Childrens Art, School Culture, Social Integration, Educational Principles, Foreign Countries, Interviews
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Opinion Papers
Education Level: Elementary Education; Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A