Where am I heading with the Arts and Arts Education?

Where am I heading with the Arts and Arts Education?

What? I am glad to say I really enjoyed the class this semester. I had a different view of the arts before we actually got into the class. After the first class I was interested in what was being taught. As the semester continued, I could see myself in the classroom doing what I was learning. I think the students will love doing some of the things that we learned. I do not think I can do it as much as I would like however, I will use it much more than the cooperating teacher in my field. I could see so many opportunity to use the arts in his classroom, but he had no desire to do it. I do understand that it is more that the teacher has to do for preparation, but I do not see why a teacher would not take the time to do what is necessary to aid in the learning of their students.

So what? I have answered a little bit of this question, but I will expand some more about it. If a teacher wants students to learn more and retain more information that teacher needs to create some activity to incorporate the arts in the lesson. I think the students will remember some of the things we did in our field more than what the teacher taught in the whole year. We used so many things to help the students learn with art. We did art for warm ups, we did art for assessments, and we did art for the discussion time. We did experience great learning in some of the things we were able to do. I liked teaching that way much more than without. I am not into lecturing and giving worksheets. The time seems to be wasted that way. I do enjoy implementing process drama and music in the future classroom. I don't know how I could implement dance yet, but I will try to do it somehow.

Now what? I really do not want to forget some of the things we have learned this semester. We have a lot of school left to do before I actually become a teacher. I do not want to stop learning ways to incorporate the arts into my curriculum. It is something I will keep on my mind.

Field Experience 3

I had a great time in Mr. Jennings' classroom. He had the perfect amount of students and the perfect classroom setup. I was amazed about what the students knew. I loved being there and seeing how to interact with the students in the classroom. It is different to get up in front of adult classmates. I would say the elementary students are a lot easier to be in front of if their attention is yours. I was disappointed i n the arts integration in the class. Mr. Jennings would tell us what he had done in the past but I never saw an example of what he was saying. I think it took too much effort to plan something that involved art so he did not do it. I hope this was the case because I would hate to see classrooms not using the arts. I will summarize what we did in the classroom during our instruction time. We had the students perform a singing syllables, we had the students do a process drama about Rome and the battles of Rome with the walls, we had the students do a process drama using a ball and a cup and no hands, we also had the students be reporters about ancient Rome. I say it disappoints me that the teacher did nothing with arts in the classroom because I was able to see how involved the students became and that they were engaged in learning what we were wanting them to learn. I will not sway from using the arts in my classroom like Mr. Jennings apparently has, but I will do all I can to help my students enjoy learning. I see no other greater way of doing so than by using the arts in my future classrooms.

spring break

It is my spring break this week.

Field Experience 2

I am sad to say that the situation has not changed with the use, or should I say the lack of use of the arts, in my fieldwork. I really enjoy seeing the students interact with the arts while teaching other core standards. In the classroom there is a great deal of technology being used, but the other is lacking throughout. The students did have a group art project showing in the hallway, but it seemed like something that took awhile to accomplish. I really wanted to see the use of the arts in the classroom in the form of a process drama, or maybe even having the students sing a song. I don't mean to be too critical of my teacher, he does have some strengths, but he seems to want to take the easy road all the time. By this I mean he wants to pull up a quiz or a test on the Internet and send the students searching for the answers while he does something else in the back of the room. Again, I am disappointed in the process of integrating the arts in this school.

The teacher was impressed with what we did in one of our lessons. We had the students perform singing syllables with some of the contributions of Ancient Rome. It was fun, one could see the students really enjoyed it. I think it is something that is lacking in the schools today. I hope that the schools do not think it is not important in the classroom because I would think to fight the difference in opinion. I will use it in my classroom when I become a full time teacher. I did use art during a geography lesson during my field. I had the students look at a map of the Roman Empire, then they were asked to create an original map of an Empire or a city based on the Roman Empire. It was fun to see what ideas the students came up with. Teaching can be fun, it can take a little more effort in the classroom. How can a person retain the use of creative arts in the classroom? I think it can be done with little effort, there needs to be a desire to do it though!

Fieldwork 1

What? I am very disappointed about the use o f the arts in the classroom so far. I have not been able to see how the arts are used in the classroom. I am in the Provo School District and the classroom I am observing has macs for the students to use. The teacher seems a little old school even though he has only taught for 15 years. He seems to take the easy road. The students do give him the respect that he wants in the classroom. I would like to use the information I am seeing to better my education of the arts. I don't know if I will be able to see any in Mr. Jennings classroom.

So what? It makes me feel badly, because I can see the use of the arts in schools as nothing but great. I can see why the schools are not having the arts in their classrooms much. The students need to learn how the world works and I think the integration of art is the way of doing it.

Now what? I will integrate the arts into my classroom; just b doing the little we have done in class, I can see that it makes learning fun and much more engaging. I will hope to see something that will benefit me in tis observation, but I will definitely do what I need to to learn how to use the arts in my classroom.

Relection #9

What did you learn from the process you engaged in to create this music lesson?

I learned that it is difficult for a person who has little music skills to write a song. It was fun coming up with the lyrics and trying to put them to the music of some song. I also figured out as we were working in our group that it is easier to use songs that are easy to place words with. We tried using Yankee Doodle at first, but the form of the song sounded different in my head than when someone else tried to say it. It would be OK if I were then only one trying to teach it, but only if the students knew the tune of the song.

What did you learn from the actual presentation experience?

I learned that it is hard to teach music when inexperience is a factor. I learned that because of inexperience I would need to be extra prepared for what might happen in the classroom. We may not have been quite as prepared as we thought we were. I found myself thinking it would be easy to do, but when we got right down to it we did badly.

So What is important for you to remember and learn?

I need to remember that music is a great way of preparing student's minds for learning. I remember songs much better than I do words that are read or spoken. If it can be placed to a tune the students will retain the information much easier than the alternative.

Now What are your next steps?

My next steps will be to use music in the classroom. I will try and incorporate it into many lessons I will teach. Not only will my students learn, but they will have fun with music. I still remember learning music in grade school. It can seem like it may be hard to do, but with the project we just did I had fun doing it.

Music Integration in the Classroom

What is music and why should it be included in the elementary classroom?

Music is a mix of many different things; it can be a rhythm, it can be a lyric with a beat, it can be words put to a tune. There are many different types of music integrations.

So what are your goals for using music with your future students, and what is important in teaching music to children?

I would like to teach my students with music because it is fun. A child is never going to dislike music, some may not want to sing but those students will learn what is being taught. I was once asked, "why is music so important?" I said, " when a person is singing they are not thinking about anything else while they are doing it. If a student is integrating music into class learning just think about how muh more that child is taking in because he or she is thinking about what is being taught.

Now what do you plan to do to prepare to effectively teach and integrate music in your future classroom?

I liked when we did singing syllables in class as a warm up. I have always enjoyed music in some way and I think it is a great way of teaching students. it is probably used in warm up activity more than integration into the lessons, but I want to learn to use it as a learning method. I want to incorporate it into the classroom somehow.

Reflection #7 Creative Dance Wk #2

What has changed in your understanding of what creative children’s dance is, and why and how to use it in the classroom?

I believed that creative dance was something that took many years of practice to attain. I believed before this class that I would need to have my students bring dance equipment to school in order to participate that day. I know that it is just a movement that is done to represent what is being taught. I can see how this would really benefit my students in the classroom. A student will learn more from the movements than by having to remember all the words for the test. I really had to think hard to find out how to express myself with movement. I still remember well though what we were talking about in class because of it. It will be the same with my future students in my classroom.

So what will you be taking with you from your experience with creating, teaching and participating in creative dance lessons in class?

The one thing that I want to take with me is: I want to show the difference in dance and pantomime. I think that dance has more feeling with it. In class while the presentations were being done on dance, I had a hard time differentiating between the two. I want to teach my students that dance has more feeling involved with it. The more feeling that is portrayed in the dance the more I believe a student will retain.

Now what do you plan to teach your future students and how will you prepare for that?

I want to teach my students the curriculum mixed with dance included. I want to learn how to incorporate dance into all the subjects. I know that it just comes with practice, but I am a little apprehensive about using it for some of the subjects that I may teach. I can see using it it literature because we used it with a book in our presentations, but I would like to try and use it other ways too.

Reflection #6 Creative Dance Wk 1

What new insights do you have regarding what children's creative dance is and why it is important?

I really enjoyed learning about dance in creative arts. When we were told to put on our dancing shoes for the class I thought to myself, "Oh Boy this class will be boring." I am continually shocked with how the arts are fun for students; they are also very informative. I liked the class; my interpretation of the class changed when I became aware of what dance was. I like the term creative movement, it helped me classify dance better in the classroom. I think dance is important because it allows students to express themselves in different ways, yet the body tells the story.

What important philosophical and practical things became clearer as you worked in class?

My mind worked in with the story to help my body and limbs create a movement to express the thought. It was fairly easy to identify the way the mind had to change gears in a sense to function the way we needed to process the information being presented. It became clear to me that I was learning things about the book I would not have any other way. Dance involved the best qualities of learning. I was able to share emotions through movement. A student may have a difficult time expressing emotion verbally or by other methods; dance makes it much easier to accomplish.

So What does that mean for your preparation for next week and for field? Now What do you need to do to incorporate this knowledge and skills into your practice?

I need to actually think about it in my teaching and how I will actually use it to tie in with other things trying to be taught. The whole week I found myself returning to the dance moves and the fun time we had in class. I am learning to think about how I will incorporate what I am learning into my teaching. I feel this is the key and the first step of using creative arts in the classroom; one must feel it will teach. How I will teach a certain subject with dance will come with experience as I learn the material and the core better.

Reflection #5-Drama

What did you learn from developing a Process Drama from text?

I learned that there are many different ways to use drama in the classroom. It is an easy way to incorporate kinistethic learning into a classroom setting and get the students up and moving. Process drama can be used without much planning, or with a great deal of planning.

What did you learn from the other team presentations?

From the other presentations, I learned that there are many different ways to use drama in the classroom. It can present itself in new and exciting avenues so the students do not get bored. It is helpful to use scripts during drama activities, especially when introducing an activity or concept.

So What drama ideas will you try to implement in your teaching?

I would use Decision Alley because students can use their imagination to perform the subject being taught. I would also use Freeze Frame to encourage the students to be aware of others actions and performances. I especially like Pantomime. It forces the students to use deeper thinking because they are not speaking. They have to concentrate on their actions and how to get their thoughts to be published without words.

Now What - How will you prepare to teach and integrate creative drama in your teaching?


I will practice some of these techniques in my observation times and think more about kinistethic learning while planning future lessons. I can also use the techiniques with my own children and practice how to implement the concept effectively.

Reflection #4 Drama

What have you learned?

I have learned that Drama is not having a play or some kind of a great production in the classroom. I guess it could mean that, but the things we learned in class were very fun activities to keep the students learning. Class showed me that instruction can be fun and children can have a great time learning.

What are your new perspectives about using drama in your future classroom?

I think Drama in the classroom is needed; I think this because I reflect on the way I learned in Elementary School and I can see myself learning many things much better while having much more fun doing it. All children can be involved without feeling uncomfortable; I would have never thought this could ever be the case because I hear Drama and I want to jump under the desk and hide. The techniques we learned in class brought great incite into teaching any subject with the use of the arts and Drama.

So What kinds of activities do you think you will use most as you begin teaching?

I will use the technique of mirroring, this technique was able to grab my attention and place my mind into focus. It was a simple task, but it was successful with us. It would be even a greater success if we could use it with our students. There were many other things that I would do; again I think that the Drama opens the doors to some great possibilities by placing us into a world we are not always in, and teach us things in different perspectives.

Now What - Why do children need creative drama? Why is it important to integrate drama with other curricular areas?

I had fun, and I remember all the things we talked about. We go through a lot of information in the class, but I can still remember much more this week than in the other classes. I think it is interesting to me as a whole; it doesn't matter what is being taught, the child will gain a knowledge of things because we are engaging whole brain learning. As a child acts uses the brain to focus on the actions being performed, the idea about what is being taught also stays and is remembered more easily.

#3 Creative Arts

What is the value of using children's picture book illustrators as an entrance to both understanding and making art?

I believe the arts are important in beginning learners because it is what makes sense to them. A child can see an illustration and build on that illustration much easier than trying to learn about a subject or maybe even a story. We discussed in class about how a child can learn more from an illustration to begin with than trying to learn a story and then apply the illustration to the story. Illustrators are important for those beginner readers because the pictures tell the stoy that is being read. If a child can see the picture they will understan what is being said in the story and the reading will make more sense to them. They will also be able to see what the art is speaking to them. Minds will be opened, learning will begin more easily.

So What can I do to effectively prepare to teach about artists and their techniques/styles?

I think a child can be taught the same way we learned in class. A picture has many different elements that make up what is seen on the paper. Showing students art and helping them to understand what it contains in it will help them to begin to understand art with all it's different forms and techiniques used to create it. I need to learn more about art myself. If I familiarized myself with many different pieces of art, I will be better prepared to show those techniques to my future students.

Now What - Why will that be important to me and to my students?

It will be important in many different ways, first I will learn Art along with it's techniques. If I learn the Art I will learn the artist from one piece to the next one. I will learn and broaden my way of thinking about my world. So in essence, the more that I know the more my future students will know. Art is something that is shared, so the more I have to share about art the more my students will learn about it. I am excited to learn more about how we cann incorporate art into the classroom, because I really do want to use it as a learning tool in the classroom.

Reflection #2 Creative Arts

What? We learned about Creative Arts in class. I really had no idea about much of what what was said prior to class. This is going to be the case for many things we do because I am so clueless on all of art and anything to do with it. I was able to see the difference in elements and how they are involved in a painting, the same with the principles of visual art. It is interesting to learn how an artist makes a plain piece of paper look like something, and how they can do it with all the things we are learning in class.

So what? What does this mean to me as a teacher? I would say that I can at least explain to my students what the elements are in a picture. If a person can recognze what makes the painting come alive then the art means so much more to them. if I am able to help my students see the importance of art in their lives they will be much more cognitive learner. The arts are important to students and I should be able to teach them how to make art important to themselves. It is interesting how children can be drawn into an imaginary world by the surroundings they see. Imagine what it would be like if that imaginary world came out of the painting and helped them to learn and grow in other ways in a lifetime.

Now what? How will I prepare to effectively teach my future students? Well I would be more prepared because I would have a basis of teaching the arts to them. With a basis the rest comes easier for them. How has my perspective changed? I think that I have always wanted to show art to my students in some way, but I just did not know how. I would like to take some extra time and learn more about what has been taught. I think art can be fun to learn in a classroom, I think it would be fun to learn how to teach with it in the classroom. How will this change the way I teach my future students? By learning the visual aspect of art I will be able to show many different art pieces and understand why someone did what they did. i can't do that now, but I hope that soemday my students can learn from what I am going to learn which will help them appreciate art more in their lives.

Arts and Me

What? I do not remember any teacher integrating the arts into my classroom as a student. I remember when we would do the normal art projects for the Holidays. We had art class too, but the teacher did not use it to teach a specific topic or help me better understand a topic. All I remember is my fifth grade teacher taught me to draw a box in three dimensions.

So What? I don't really remember much of what was taught to me concerning the arts. None of the teachers thought it was important in the classroom. I wish I would have learned more when I was an Elementary Student because I could have gained a better interest in The Arts. Throughout my lifetime I really had no desire to have art be part of my life. I did have a Music Class my freshman year here at UVU. It has been over ten years ago, but since that class I have been able to get interested in some of The Arts. I was required to go to some different things for the class. In the meantime I got married and learned that women like to go to shows and plays. I have even learned to enjoy watching dance. I think anything besides a movie all the time will help impress the ladies. My wife and I enjoy going to Musicals occasionally.
so, I wish that I could say I had more to incorporate to my career as a teacher. I know I need to know more to help the classroom be integrated with the great things in life. I am excited to learn more about The Arts in this class.

Now what? I want to and know that I am going to learn much about art. I enjoyed the first class, it really got me thinking about what I can do with art in the classroom. Another class this semester helped out the thought process by teaching that all students learn differently, some need to see things in a different way in order to learn. I know that I will use those things I will be learning in class this semester for the future classroom. I need the arts in my classroom. In the interview for entry into The Program, the question was asked, "Do you believe that Arts should be in our schools with the amazing technological advanced we are seeing in schools today?" I answered with a resounding yes, this is what makes the students minds open to the many possibilities that await them. I need to learn how to do just that, and I will learn all the things to help me be the best teacher I can be.