#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.