Reflect on what you have learned about visual arts elements and principles, analyzing the art of professional artists, and using children's picture book illustrators as an entrance to both understanding and making art. Please complete this reflection after we have had all of the student presentations in class.
I really liked our section on visual arts. My mom has always been into card making and visual art things like that, and I would do it with her here and there, but I never truly discovered the joy in doing visual art until I was in College. I think that students can benefit a lot from being able to express themselves through visual art. It's good to know that there are so many different artistic ways to express ourselves. One person may do it one way, and another person another way, but neither is wrong, just different. I think the more opportunities we give our students to be able to express themselves in all different ways the more likely they will find some way that they can feel confident expressing themselves.
I also really liked being able to learn all the variety of ways that different popular children's book illustrators express their stories through art. I learned so much from them and I think the students would benefit a lot from learning about the different children's books illustrators as well. I we can so easily over generalize what is considered right or beautiful, but when we step back and see all the different ways that a story can be expressed through art, it opens up our creative abilities and makes it so we can feel more open and free to express art in our individual way.
Overall I really enjoy visual arts and I think it is a great way for students to be able to learn and create!
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Field Reflection
Field was a such a great experience. We did two lessons that specifically focused on the Arts and other lessons where the arts were integrated. The students really enjoyed them. We were in a classroom that had a very traditional way of learning, a lot of lectures, and even more work sheets.
Our first lesson we did was to help them wrap up their Colonial section in Social Studies. We read a childrens book about the colonial peoples trek to a new land and the work it took to make this their home. We then took several of the pages that we felt had the best potential to pull movement from, and helped the students portray different parts of the book. It was really fun to see them explore social studies and dance in a different way then they ever had before!
The next lesson that was focused on Arts was our theatre lesson we did the last day. The part that I took charge of was having them do a couple warm up circle games. First we played energy ball. This was really fun for them because its a simple but really fun activity. When a student would get really into the game and have a lot of energy with catching and throwing the energy ball we would stop and focus on why we liked that, and how that would be important in theatre.
The next game we played was catch the leader. This is the game were everyone is following a leader doing hand motions and such, and there is a person who doesn't know who the leader is and has to guess. This was really fun because they liked trying to stump someone, and all students were able to actively participate. This game had a lot of things that we could learn from it and apply to actual theatre. That was nice because not only were they having fun but they were able to use higher order thinking by having to analyze this activity and tie it theatre as a whole.
It was so fun to be able to do these activities and see how excited the students would get about learning the same old subject in a new and interactive way. I think when I get my own classroom the arts is something I really want to focus on, and make a part of my students common learning.
Our first lesson we did was to help them wrap up their Colonial section in Social Studies. We read a childrens book about the colonial peoples trek to a new land and the work it took to make this their home. We then took several of the pages that we felt had the best potential to pull movement from, and helped the students portray different parts of the book. It was really fun to see them explore social studies and dance in a different way then they ever had before!
The next lesson that was focused on Arts was our theatre lesson we did the last day. The part that I took charge of was having them do a couple warm up circle games. First we played energy ball. This was really fun for them because its a simple but really fun activity. When a student would get really into the game and have a lot of energy with catching and throwing the energy ball we would stop and focus on why we liked that, and how that would be important in theatre.
The next game we played was catch the leader. This is the game were everyone is following a leader doing hand motions and such, and there is a person who doesn't know who the leader is and has to guess. This was really fun because they liked trying to stump someone, and all students were able to actively participate. This game had a lot of things that we could learn from it and apply to actual theatre. That was nice because not only were they having fun but they were able to use higher order thinking by having to analyze this activity and tie it theatre as a whole.
It was so fun to be able to do these activities and see how excited the students would get about learning the same old subject in a new and interactive way. I think when I get my own classroom the arts is something I really want to focus on, and make a part of my students common learning.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Music Reflection
After reading the text, working with music in class, and preparing your group presentation, what are your thoughts about using music in the classroom and particularly, how do you want to use music in your classroom?
Music is powerful. Plain and simple. It pulls at the senses and the emotions. It effects mood, and concentration. It is highly tied with different cultural, and social groups. But in more of a learning sense music is quite impressive. I love how the text talked about how music uses so many different parts of the brain. It affects emotion, memory, and language, but at the same time affects us all individually in different ways.
I think music is an excellent form of art to use in the classroom. Whethere trying to set the mood for an upcoming lesson, or trying to help them flash back to a different culture and time. Music has power to do what words simply can not.
In my classroom I would like to use music in activities to help memorize important information. I want to use it in History like I previously talked about. I would like to use it in literature, and I would like to let the students explore and use it in their own unique ways.
Music is powerful. Plain and simple. It pulls at the senses and the emotions. It effects mood, and concentration. It is highly tied with different cultural, and social groups. But in more of a learning sense music is quite impressive. I love how the text talked about how music uses so many different parts of the brain. It affects emotion, memory, and language, but at the same time affects us all individually in different ways.
I think music is an excellent form of art to use in the classroom. Whethere trying to set the mood for an upcoming lesson, or trying to help them flash back to a different culture and time. Music has power to do what words simply can not.
In my classroom I would like to use music in activities to help memorize important information. I want to use it in History like I previously talked about. I would like to use it in literature, and I would like to let the students explore and use it in their own unique ways.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Dance Reflection
Think about the reading and the activities we did in class, as well as your own experience with dance in elementary school. Think about how this approach to childrens' creative dance might be different than studio dance (jazz, ballet, hip hop, etc.) or social dance - why do you think children's dance specialists might focus more on childrens' creative dance for education? How do you think you might use dance in your own teaching?
From my own personal dance experience, which consists of all of the previous dance forms named, and from my children's creative dance class that I took my sophomore year of college, I can truly say that there is a huge difference in the cognitive process behind creative dance and all the other forms of dance. I never had experience in creative danced, or modern dance, until I was a sophomore in high school, but it is where I truly gained my passion for dance. I always liked to dance, but after learning modern dance in high school I never look at dance in the same way. Dance moved from just memorizing steps, moves, and techniques into a way of expression, learning, and communicating feeling.
Apart from that I took a childrens creative movement class a couple years ago in college, and it was a whole semester dedicated to teaching me how to take this concept of creative movement into an elementary classroom. I love the freedom, confidence, and out let of energy it provides kids with. One thing I especially love about using this in the classroom is that it does not focus on the child who has the best form, or technique, but the child who is willing to think outside their comfort zone and really stretch their creativity. I will most definitely use this in my classroom because I feel it is beneficial in so many ways! Not only is it a good gym activity but it is also a good way to integrate arts into a variety of lessons.
From my own personal dance experience, which consists of all of the previous dance forms named, and from my children's creative dance class that I took my sophomore year of college, I can truly say that there is a huge difference in the cognitive process behind creative dance and all the other forms of dance. I never had experience in creative danced, or modern dance, until I was a sophomore in high school, but it is where I truly gained my passion for dance. I always liked to dance, but after learning modern dance in high school I never look at dance in the same way. Dance moved from just memorizing steps, moves, and techniques into a way of expression, learning, and communicating feeling.
Apart from that I took a childrens creative movement class a couple years ago in college, and it was a whole semester dedicated to teaching me how to take this concept of creative movement into an elementary classroom. I love the freedom, confidence, and out let of energy it provides kids with. One thing I especially love about using this in the classroom is that it does not focus on the child who has the best form, or technique, but the child who is willing to think outside their comfort zone and really stretch their creativity. I will most definitely use this in my classroom because I feel it is beneficial in so many ways! Not only is it a good gym activity but it is also a good way to integrate arts into a variety of lessons.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Drama Reflection;)
Reflect on any new perspectives you have gained about using drama in your future classroom. Why and how do you think you will use drama techniques and strategies? What specific activities do you think you will use most as you begin teaching? What are your thoughts on integrating drama with other curricular areas?
I have really enjoyed how my perspective of using drama in elementary school has changed from putting on a play, to something you can use daily as an integration in all kinds of lessons. I think that when I actually begin teaching the two ways in which I will use these strategies will be using drama to draw kids in back to learning (after reccess, or an assembly) and to have it be a fun hook at the beginning of my lesson. I think drama will work really well for both of these ways! I am also excited about integrating drama because not only is it something fun and engaging for the students but it helps them put down there guard and move away from their clicks. I think that every classroom needs to feel a sense of security, and comfort, and drama is a great way to achieve that. It will be a great tool to be able to integrate into so many different areas of the classroom.
I have really enjoyed how my perspective of using drama in elementary school has changed from putting on a play, to something you can use daily as an integration in all kinds of lessons. I think that when I actually begin teaching the two ways in which I will use these strategies will be using drama to draw kids in back to learning (after reccess, or an assembly) and to have it be a fun hook at the beginning of my lesson. I think drama will work really well for both of these ways! I am also excited about integrating drama because not only is it something fun and engaging for the students but it helps them put down there guard and move away from their clicks. I think that every classroom needs to feel a sense of security, and comfort, and drama is a great way to achieve that. It will be a great tool to be able to integrate into so many different areas of the classroom.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Reflection #1
Think about what you have learned so far through reading, discussion and class activities and reflect on how your ideas might have changed, things you want to learn about teaching (with, in, about, through) the arts, and why they are important in the education of every child.
It has been clear to me through the last few lessons just how important it is for every student to have the opportunity to take part in the arts, and how important it is for us as teachers to make that possible through integration in all subjects. I have always enjoyed the arts in different ways in my life throughout my life, but I never realized how many studies have shown what an academic difference it can make to the child. It makes me really excited to make this a part of my lesson plans because then it won't just be something that I have a passion for but actually something that I know the students need.
It has been clear to me through the last few lessons just how important it is for every student to have the opportunity to take part in the arts, and how important it is for us as teachers to make that possible through integration in all subjects. I have always enjoyed the arts in different ways in my life throughout my life, but I never realized how many studies have shown what an academic difference it can make to the child. It makes me really excited to make this a part of my lesson plans because then it won't just be something that I have a passion for but actually something that I know the students need.
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