Abstract

High School students at risk of dropping out of school have often become disaffected with the institutional environment and learning process. In response to this reality two art educators set up an after-school art program for secondary students at risk of dropping out at La Voie High School in Montreal. This teaching report examines how a collaborative and interpersonal pedagogical approach to visual arts teaching combined with an artistic exploration of identity and self image can engage students in a process of learning. Central to this examination is how the process of creating self-portraits with drawing, photography and video, as well as reflections about art, can effectively allow 'at-risk' students to (re) discover the pleasure of learning and gain the sense of being able to create meaning for themselves and for others.