The key terms used throughout this thesis come from my main research question. These key terms are: body language, micro-moment, performative potential and visual arts classroom.
In this section, I define each term based on my encounters with the literature around it and my own understandings of the term. I then discuss how I intend to use each term within this thesis.
1.2.1 BODY LANGUAGE
Body language is one of the main concepts and key terms used in thesis. The term body language traditionally emcompasses environmental factors, proxemics, kinesics, physical contact, appearance, and paralanguage (Smith, 1979). Body language has also been linked to the term nonverbal communication, since both are overarching terms for any type of
language apart from verbal language (Smith, 1979). Several studies from various disciplines have looked into the concepts of body language and nonverbal communication and together give a broad understanding: Ausburn and Ausburn (1978), Goman (2008), Matsumoto et al.
(2013), Mehrabian (2008), Neill (1991), Neill and Caswell (1993), Pennybrook (1985) and Smith (1979). However, in this thesis I have chosen to focus only on the kinesic aspect of body language which is defined as body movements, gestures, facial expressions, eye contact and posture (Smith, 1979). Still, I will use the term body language despite the narrowing of the term for the purpose of this thesis, as I do not have the capacity to address all aspects of body language in this thesis.
1.2.2 MICRO-MOMENTS
Another key term that is used throughout this thesis is ‘micro-moments’. Micro-moments refer to very short amount of time that is of importance (Beghetto, 2009, 2013a, 2013b).
Micro-moments could also be seen as stop moments (Fels, 1999, 2010, 2012, 2015a, 2015b, 2019, n.d.), and teachable moments (Bentley, 1995; Hyun & Marshall, 2003; Pacifici &
Garrison, 2004), and I intend to encompass these three terms within my understanding and use of the term micro-moments. Thus, I give a brief discussion of each of the sub-terms in order to establish how I see the terms as referencing the same phenomena. First, stop moments according to Lynn Fels (2012) are moments which are temporal, elusive, may be missed, cannot be planned or manufactured, and require that one is present in order to see
what has not yet been seen in the moment. Fels’ concept of stop moments builds on David Appelbaum’s (1995) concept of ‘the stop’, which is defined as a moment where one moves away from automatic thinking and towards embodied awareness, and thus is seen as a movement of transition. Appelbaum (1995) goes on to discuss how the stop can also be seen as a transitory moment which acts as a hinge when moving from something and to
something, it is ephemeral, fluid and transitional. This is similar to Fels’ definition of stop moments, and also teachable moments. Teachable moments, according to Linda Pacifici and Jim Garrison (2004) are ephemeral moments that are between teachers and students in a moment of shared inquiry which are comprised of feeling, imagination, intuition and possibility.
The definitions, concepts and ideas behind the stop, stop moments, teachable moments and micro-moments are similar. The research that I have read coincides around the idea that stop moments, teachable moments and micro-moments describe a liminal space of interaction (within the classroom), where the liminal space occupies a short amount of time, there is both opportunity and risk when engaging in these moments (Beghetto 2009, 2013a, 2013b;
Bentley, 1995; Fels, 2010, 2012, 2015a, 2019; Hyun & Marshall, 2003; Pacifici & Garrison, 2004). The moments are also elusive, often missed, and one must be “wide-awake” to even notice them. However, Fels (2010, 2012, 2015a, 2019) also discusses how the encounter can take hold and be realized, which she calls ‘a tug on the sleeve’. Since all of these concepts and descriptions are very similar, I have chosen to use the word micro-moments for the purpose of this thesis.
1.2.3 PERFORMATIVE POTENTIAL
My understanding of the term performative potential came from an in-depth look into the phenomena of how researchers are using the terms performative and performativity. First, I looked into J. L. Austin’s (1962) work, where he introduced the linguistic concept of performative utterances, and thus created the adjective performative. Austin (1962) establishes performative utterances as utterances which do not describe, report or constate anything; they are neither true nor false; and the uttering is the doing of an action. Another approach to the term performative as an adjective can be see through Fels’ (2019)
etymological inquiry of the word performance. Fels’ (2019) dissection of the word performance leads to the concept that through form or through the destruction of form we
come to action. Another aspect of the term performative comes through the notion of
performativity as described by Karen Barad (2003), “All bodies, not merely “human” bodies, come to matter through the world’s iterative intra-activity—its performativity” (p. 823). Thus through the lenses provided by Austin (1962), Fels (2019), and Barad (2003), I have come to my own understanding and use of the concept of performative. This description can be applied as an adjective to give further description to other concepts and phenomena:
• The actionable
(taken from Austin’s work, 1962)
• Open to possibilities, unknowns, changes, and transformation (Fels, n.d.; Barad, 2003)
• It is fluid and ephemeral (Fels, 1999, 2019, n.d.)
• Intra-activity (Barad, 2003)
Thus, the term performative potential, in relation to my thesis is understood to mean: The potential for action, fluidity, ephemerality and/or transformation, either together,
individually, or simultaneously, but always intra-acting.
1.2.4 VISUAL ARTS CLASSROOM
When I use the term visual arts classroom, I am referring to the context in which I was teaching. The context for my research is an international English-speaking school in
Trondheim, Norway, where I taught in the 7th grade classroom, which had 23 students, for a six-week period. In this school, the art class is mainly focused on visual arts, and as such I was invited to teach on the theme of Belief which focused on the art movements of
Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. Thus, my research was focused on the arts of drawing and painting during my thesis project. I was assigned both this particular classroom and topic by the principal and middle school coordinator. Thus, when I am using the term visual arts classroom in this thesis, this is the context and experience to which
I am referring to.
To summarize, I have defined the terms of body language, micro-moments, performative potential and visual arts classroom to give necessary insight into both the focus and context
of my research. However, one might ask why is my research question and these terms worth researching?