10/31 Session 9 Notes

• Faculty present: Joan Jeffri, Pat Miller
• Discussion of creativity/learning through the lifespan
o Joan – in speaking with craftspeople, interested that they spoke to their materials to get them to work with them
o Development through whole life, inside the body and outside the body
o When babies paint, paint paper, legs, walls, hair, no separation of self
o Artists are like children Play and discovery creating something that wasn’t there before layers and layers
o Drawing activity of the mind for everybody
o Universality of early childhood impulses
o Gain inhibitions as we get older and being creative takes time and practice to learn to let go and just have that feeling of flow
o Pat – In practice doing art since semi-retired easier each time, less inhibited each time, comfortable with process that evolves as mind evolves
o Like being a child again, not thinking so much about the outside world as we know it as an adult
o Immediately jump to the end of is it good, is it bad, trying to pull that out of people and validating them so they can get past that and see what they can come up with when they’re free of that
o Difference between enjoyment and pleasure merging of action and awareness the aha moment, creating something new, not just receiving information, but engaging
• EmbARK
o Software freakout, 1st year we’ve done software training this early, previously in January and took about 6 weeks to get the hang of, so started earlier so you’ll have a better handle on it in January, so you’ll be able to hit the ground running. Doing it this way will give more time before you have to work with the artist.
o Next Saturday, skype session in artists studio, upload pdfs for homework assignment this week.
• After this session, evaluations – do this week. Informally, thoughts?
o Enjoy it, but Saturdays are hard, takes up a lot more time than thought.
o Confusing going from building to building.
o How to partner with artist’s working partner, haven’t figured out what our responsibilities are – technology issues? Going to address working as a team today.
o The working partner not stepping up as much as artist would like, might replace him with another awp. Intern not coming in to do all their work, but as part of team.
o Enjoying slow integration with the artist, theory, discussion, then something with the artist, cohort here, helps to strengthen my feeling of having someone to turn to if something’s going on. Artists felt disconnected in past since they only came to 2nd session.
o NYU session, much confusion, not room 600 1st fl Einstein auditorium, thought it was fixed but wasn’t, going to upload to classweb, but takes a while.
o Only 3 more Saturdays this semester, next Saturday at artist’s studio & then two presentation sessions at end of semester. Next semester, only 3 Saturday sessions and journals serve as advisement.
o Encourage to really have a conversation with potential fellows as to the time commitment involved. Think it’s on the faqs, but will check and will try to be more explicit in the future. Interested to see at the end if you feel that the extra work was worth it. See if feelings around this change or not.
o Possibly individual thing, but got my advisor assigned really late. That’s with the school.
• Presentation by Pat Miller: Complementary Conceptual Frameworks Guiding ART CART: Adult Learning Interdisciplinary Teamwork and Health Promotion
• Adult learning
o Andragogy vs pedagogy
o Andragogy guides strategies for instruction of adult learners
o Adult learners decide whether to receive information
• Adult learners are:
o Self-directed rather than dependent on others
o Influenced by prior learning experiences that become resources for learning
o Orientation to learning is problem focused toward immediacy of application
o Readier to learn when there is an expressed goal
o Motivation to learn is internal rather than imposed by others
o Adapted from Malcolm Knowles, 1984
• Think of documentation not as end goal, but as a process
o Why are they participating in this? Just to document?
o Means to an end of someone building up their legacy, being keepers of their culture
o What does having a legacy mean?
o Thinking practically, exhibition, refer to past, pragmatic continuing to work, other people know more about it than me just telling them
o Have you asked the artists why they wanted to be part of this? How do they feel about these people coming into their studio to do this? What the expectations are from them and the awp(s)? How to develop cohesion, what are your goals, these are the ART CART goals.
• Other factors in learning
o Learning styles/functional impairments
o Visual learner/cataracts
o Auditory learner/hearing impairment
o Tactile learner/peripheral sensory loss
o Consider compensatory strategies for above impairments
o Converger (AC & AE)
o Diverger (CE & RO)
o Assimilator (AC & RO)
o Accomodator (CE & AE)
o Combine as many strengths as possible that they might have that they can use when you’re there and when you’re not there. Give them handouts, making font size bigger, get a magnifier, be able to speak to your own advisors and us at ART CART.
o Joan – Real scenario, artist has hearing aid but doesn’t wear it. Fellow was already able to tell they have a hearing problem, because you can tell instantly. How do you deal with that? Not sure how to begin the conversation, but once in there try to find out what it means to them and why they don’t want to wear it. Coming from strengths perspective. Stigma attached to it, work with children and have friends that have hearing aids, come up with technology that helps these younger people with hearing problems. Stigma starting to go by wayside, but understand where it comes from, visible sign of loss of function. Really, a metaphor.
o Joan – Another artist had brain surgery, paraplegic, really angry. Shared with him had brain surgery and couldn’t walk for three weeks. Then he was able to speak to her. Acknowledge and voice your own problems to connect.
o Pat – had chondromalacia patella, had to be in a wheelchair, my patients were so happy. So much more willing to practice the skills they needed to since I was also struggling.
o With tactile loss, OT can really be helpful. Adding a handle for better grip, add a weight to reduce tremor. Quietly observe, talk about it if the artist brings it up.
• Kolb, anything surprising? Always knew not good at AC, always thought of it as a flaw, but now realize that I’m just a different type of learner. Kinda like personality test, constantly fluctuating between 2 opposites. Would be better if questions included context because people learn differently in different contexts, but helps you to think about who you are and when you use different learning styles. And things change, not set in stone.
o Prior learning experiences, self-esteem in learning, possible anxieties about new learning worse if negative experiences around learning or technology in past
• Analysis with student fellow partners.
o How to recognize in artist? Noticed already, observe first. Active experimentation as going along
• Discussion of pros and cons of teamwork based on prior experiences of fellows
o Art cart teams
o Team of faculty
o Team of 2 fellows
o Team of 1 artist & 1 or 2 fellows
o Team of 1-2 fellows, 1 artist, and 1 artist’s partner/assistant (give some thought to weekly agenda, can reduce anxiety)
o Class as a team (faculty & fellows)
o Pat – class on teamwork, taught for 20 years in school of public health all different disciplines, still teach it a couple times a year for fed government upstate NY
• Interdisciplinary vs multidisciplinary teamwork
o *differences among teams
o 1 multidisciplinary different disciplines, working independently
o 2 interdisciplinary different disciplines, working together
o 3 transdisciplinary take on someone else’s discipline or aspects of it, learning from working with them
o *Recognize dysfunctional team from a well-functioning team
• Interdisciplinary teams (ID)
o ID Team members:
o Share common goals
o Collaborate, work interdependently
o Plan, problem solve, make decisions
o Evaluate team related tasks
o Assume leadership roles and functions (take turns so everybody learns, rotating)
• Interactional processes:
o Define and negotiate roles, resolve conflicts
o 3 elements of interdisciplinary teamwork
 1 team development
• Mutually agreed upon goals, role definition; role negotiation; sys of communication; artist-centered; fellow-centered
 2 team management: standardize ART CART
• Leader/member skills; planning; recording; problem-solving preceding decision-making; ongoing monitoring; ongoing evaluation
 3 team process/team maintenance
• Interaction strategies to achieve a balance between: artists needs and wishes, goals and tasks of the team, socio emotional needs of team members. Ongoing questioning
• To what extent are we achieving our goals?
• What can we do better?
• Dialogue between/among team members
o Role negotiation
o Who are the ART CART team members?
 1 discuss effort expended by each team member and rationale for leading/following
 2 re-think your overall goals together
 3 describe differences in approach to reaching goal and potential ways to improve collaboration
 4 seek faculty advisors assistance mediator role if tasks/goals are difficult to achieve and/or communication continues to be stalled
o When go to do the gem, discuss goal of what they want to document – a time span of work, theme, medium, representations from each, etc.
• Conflict resolution
o Scenario 1
 The artist wants to go through her entire past work to select what to doc, as she has not begun to consider any of this until your arrival. She is insistent upon doing this, despite your stating that it may take the whole semester, and the documenting is not likely to happen.
 What are possible causes of this behavior and potential resolutions?
 Anxiety about getting started, self-sabotage, also perfection, wanting it to be perfectly done. Anxiety about dying. Limited time together, but through process they will learn how to do it, so they can continue documenting entire work when we’re gone, we’ll work with them on the continuity plan. One or wo steps before we can walk a mile. Underscore the empowerment aspect. May feel overwhelmed by amount of work they have and embarrassed that they haven’t organized it. Can’t do whole life’s work in one semester, but what works are most important to you. Chaos is not modus operandi. Break it down into bitable parts so you can actually do something.
o Scenario 2
 The artist wants to photo and doc very large work which requires moving and lifting from storage area and high paint racks in the studio. The artist is physically incapable of doing this and she requests that you do it for her. She hints that she can afford to pay you a little for your extra time.
 What are possible causes of this request and possible resolutions?
 Remember to focus on our strengths, mission, and purpose. Do what you’re qualified to do and delegate other tasks. I really want to help you with this instead, refer to services that can help, pragmatic – insurance liability, etc. Possible they aren’t thinking that it’s already photographed somewhere, slides or photos may exist already. Just need a thumbnail, doesn’t have to be high-res. Payment indicates power dynamic of who is serving who, instead of working as a team. $5k worth of free service, software, time, classes, administrative & faculty work.
o Scenario 3
 AWP is often telling the artist what to do, dismissing the fact that you had all written and agenda together the previous week with takes to complete at the next meeting. Awp refers to you as “little mother” and laughs. The artist smiles and laughs quietly, looking a little uncomfortable.
 What might be causing the awp to talk in such a demeaning way to you and what are possible resolutions?
 Because you are young, a grad student. Awp usually closer to artist age, might be uncomfortable/worried about being taken seriously. Can be condescending to younger generation if they don’t respect their expertise. Address directly, that’s not appropriate to be saying to me. Partner may be feeling threatened by relationship/dynamic between artist and fellow. Awp might be feeling left out. Make sure all 3 of you are a team; really be aware of their relationship and your relationship with both of them. Answer undefensively, this is my role to be here and work as a team with this process.
 Every visit, take 10 mins to go over agenda for that meeting and then 10 minutes at end to plan for next meeting. If don’t finish all objective in meeting, they can do it in between or add it to next week, etc.
• Health Promotion (HP)
o HP involves providing a variety of indirect and direct services (ex. consultation, education, counseling early treatment) to groups and independently to increase their awareness of well-established risk factors for specific disease and conditions.
o If risk factors (ex. hazards of falling from unsafe environment, inactivity) are identified and understood by more educated consumers, readiness to change and adapt lifestyle behaviors might be facilitated, thereby preventing premature morbidity, mortality and decreased quality of life(CDC)
o If someone’s smoking in studio, talk about risks, and ask for consideration, smoke breaks, window open, or outside, etc. Tries to change habits so people begin to live healthier lifestyles.
• Primary prevention (pp)
o Prevention of disease or disability before symptoms through education & consultation (ex. smoking cessation, exercise, nutrition, vaccinations)
• Secondary prevention (sp)
o Involves making referrals for needed services, providing screening for early detection of diseases and beginning treatment after risk factors for specific conditions have been identified to forestall illness, injury or disability
o Examples:
 bp screening to prevent high bp, mammogram, colonoscopy
 Environmental assessment screening to reduce fall hazards/prevent falls: eg GEM and introduction of strategies to remedy risks if indicated
 Mental health, cognitive, memory screenings
• Tertiary prevention (tp)
o Is practiced by licensed health and social service practitioners as they intervene with clients/patients who have acute conditions; impairments that limit health, function, and participation
• Why environmental assessment? The GEM
o Answer: Opportunity to reduce and/or prevent falls
o Falls; leading cause of non-fatal injuries in US
o 1 of 3 65+ fall annually
o Reduces abilities to do activites of daily living
• Conditions increasing fall risk
o Lower body weakness
o Difficulties with walking or balance
o Polypharmacy or wrong dosage or meds
o Vision problems
o Foot pain or poor footwear
o Home hazards – see GEM
o Most falls are caused by a combination of risk factors. The more risk factors, the greater chance of a fall
• Person-environment-occupation
o assessment of occupational performance in older adults: person environment fit
o What does artist do routinely? (to gauge if they are going to be able to sit & document for 3 hours straight or if they’ll need breaks, etc)
o Is this less the same or more than a year ago/six months ago/etc? (to identify any decreases in function)
o What can the artist do? (self-care, work, leisure, time management) (not going to know day 1, but you’ll get an idea of this over time)
o What factors facilitate or hinder occupational performance? (biological, psychosocial, environmental) (not there to be paternalistic, only there to help if a problem actually exists)
o What are the artist’s self-perceptions of competence/confidence in all these areas?
• Environmental Assessment (GEM)
o Walkthrough of GEM on classweb
o Print out or do on web? Recommended to do directly on web so you don’t have to do it twice. Slow process, working with the artist, nothing behind their back, not telling them they have to do this or should do this or need to do this, but asking them to think about it. if it’s a real fall risk, address immediately, frame as I’m even worried about falling, brainstorm with them how it can be fixed. Figure out which items are observational and which you need to ask the artist or working partner directly. Making suggestions or just observing? If they’re simple suggestions, brainstorm together. Can print out the action items and give to artist or whole thing with action items highlighted.
o Model of stages of change
• Final Presentation Assignment
o On syllabus
o 1ST visit, gem and talking about documentation, another visit learning about them and their lives. Actually vice versa post-skype training session.
• Spring schedule is decided by the team, 4 hours (including travel), aim for 3 hours in studio? Give yourself a morning every week to document for rest of your life so you can get it all documented. We’re a catalyst. There’s a beginning, middle, and end. Figure out ways to maintain it.