Field Experience - Final Reflection

Each week was a new learning experience in creative arts.  I liked how we would learn the information and then practice it.  This helped us build the skills we needed to present in our own future classrooms.  I was able to observe my classmates and their versions of the presentations and compare that with my own group's presentation. I learned how I can improve my teaching by watching others.  I also learned different ways to carry out an activity, by watching others teach the same one.  I learned a lot about drama and visual art as a teaching tool, which I had never really considered before. I have taught dance and singing before, but never used either to teach a specific school objective.  That was a fun experience for me.  I liked that we used children's literature for both dance and drama.  This is not only a good way for children to appreciate dance and drama, but to help students learn to like reading.  

During field there wasn't much opportunity for art observation because the teacher wasn't a big advocate of arts in the classroom, and perhaps that was because of school policies. She did try to implement visual art where she could, but not much else.  My partner, Laura, and I were able to teach the students a dance mimicking the medieval styles to go along with our unit plan.  We also had the students perform interviews as if they were famous renaissance authors and draw a manor with their groups.  The students really enjoyed having activities that involved the arts.  This gave me greater encouragement to implement it.  Mrs. Castro, our cooperating teacher, was a great example of classroom management.  I learned a lot from observing her.  She was quiet, respectful and straightforward.  Her students knew what was expected of them and what the consequences were for being inappropriate or out of order.  They also knew they could have fun when appropriate and felt comfortable talking with the teacher.

I plan to continue seeking out opportunities to experience the arts.  Whether a concert, museum, art festival, drama performance, or dance recital, I will try to attend these, not just because I want to learn, but because I enjoy them.  I also want to take more classes when ever I can while at UVU.  I hope that I can continue to find classes for the arts after I graduate. I do plan on using the arts as much as possible in my future classrooms.  I will incorporate art to teach visible concepts, such as medieval manors! I will use drama to teach ideas in science and social studies, like we did with the childrens picture books.  I will use music to teach rhythm as well as to help aid in memory retention.  I will teach dance so the students can find a positive outlet for emotion and the khinestetic learner will be able to relate to the material.  The arts can speak to any type of learner.  I have experienced this myself, in my classroom and field observance.  I'm excited to share what I have learned with my future classrooms!

Dance Reflection

Creative Dance
Creative dance in the classroom is a great way for children to be actively engaged (physically and emotionally). Students are more excited and ready to be involved when they're focusing on more than mental processes.  Creative dance, as we learned in class, is different than I would have expected it.  It's a lot less technique oriented, and more about just being up and moving and putting emotion into movement.  It will help a lot of children realize they might have a future in something like dance, even boys.  Along with that, students may learn that dance is an effective learning method. Through our two week study of dance I learned that it is an effective way to incorporate concepts into memory. Creating movement to words creates a physical memory, and adding the music creates a mood which, in turn, creates an emotional memory. The whole experience creates several neural pathways to a concept, making it easier for later recall. Dance is not just a useful memory tool, but a healthy emotional outlet. Creative dance allows expression.  When students participate in creative dance they are able to express their emotions and feelings using a positive outlet.

In my preparation for field, I will use creative dance in my lesson planning.  I hope that by using creative dance I will better understand the personalities and confidence levels of the students I will be working with.  This could help me know what the best approach may be to teaching the class as a whole, and for working with individuals.  I hope that by incorporating creative dance into my lesson plans, that students will grow in their confidence and desire to participate. I believe that creative dance can build confidence and increase the comfort level among peers.

To incorporate the concepts I've learned in this creative dance unit, I will continue to take dance classes my self.  I will pay attention to the effects these classes have on my personal confidence, as well as my physical capabilities.  I believe it is important to stay active and healthy, and will do this now in my life so that I can be an example when I teach my future students about being active and healthy.  We are often taught to model what we teach, and what better way to model being actively engaged than doing it regularly in my life now? I will help the students I am working with in field, and in my future classrooms, understand the importance of building self-confidence and educational understanding through creative dance. I am also interested in finding books and music that I can use as tools for teaching concepts with creative dance. 

The group project was a great experience! I loved working on it with my group and seeing everyone participate during the presentation.  Dance is always fun, so this project was very enjoyable for me. This group was fun and easy to work with.  They all participated and contributed equally and helped each other.  I've learned that equal contribution is the best way to make a project move forward. Through all my group experiences the main theme would center around equal commitment and contribution.  When everyone is committed to helping the project move forward, it is a success.  Sometimes the project turns out different than expected, but when everyone helps it is usually a success!

Music Reflection

 Music is, in my opinion, the best communicator. I really believe that it has the ability to touch the emotions.  When emotions are involved in the learning process, the memory connections are must stronger and more easily recalled. Music should most definitely be included in the elementary classroom. Almost all little children love to learn fun melodies and rhythms. When you apply education lyrics, it will be that much easier for them to retain the information.

From the assignment, I learned that creating music with a familiar melody is much easier than trying to write lyrics and create a melody.  Writing the song was easy because we took the tune of "Mary Had a Little Lamb" and place the information in with the rhythm.  I tried to find away to organize the lyrics so that they had an order to them, such as North to South, however they didn't fit the rhythm very well that way, and that bothered me.  In either case, at least the children would know what state were part of the original thirteen colonies. In presenting, I noticed that some of the girls in the group were singing the song very fast and that was hard for the class to catch on. I tried to slow it down a bit so they could process the information.  That was the only real thing I noticed needed changing. 

I will use music as much as I can in my future classrooms.  I'm sad to say, the only time we sang in my elementary school was when we were preparing for a school recital or something. Luckily, I had personal lessons outside of school, but we did do have some music classes every once in a while.  I like how we've been taught in this program to use music to create songs that are actually about the topic we are learning. Sometimes I just don't think about things like that, so I'm glad it was brought to my attention. I will create songs for any topic possible to help my students better remember. Music is fun and engaging for most students, so to learn something in a fun and engaging way will improve their memories of it. 

I will continue to take music classes. I talked with my music teacher at UVU and she said that there will be a class next fall semester for elementary teachers that requires them to learn specifically about music in the classroom. I'm excited to take that class! I will study more instruments and maybe even a few classes concerning music therapy. I want to minor in music, so this is going to be a big part of my classrooms! I'm excited to help children find a love of music, and learn through it.

The group project was a little difficult because everyone was kind of shy to work together on a song. I felt the most comfortable with it, I think, so I kind of pushed the song along.  Everyone contributed equally. People found books on our topic, we all collaborated on ideas.   It was a fun project and I felt we presented it well together! I would maybe ask my future students to delegate among themselves the responsibilities and choose one thing I want them all to collaborate on together.

Reflection 3 - Drama in the classroom

I honestly learned quite a bit through those drama exercises.  The group drama exercises, surprisingly, encouraged teamwork and togetherness.  We all had to work together to make a machine work, with the parts, and sounds.  We also had to figure out angles and each do our own.  It brought us together as a class as well.  Who knew drama could encourage togetherness and unity?  The pair exercises were fun, as well.  It encouraged leadership with those less inclined to lead under normal circumstances, and for those less inclined to follow, it helped them understand what that felt like.  All this, while still, encouraging unity - they had to be cautious not to go to fast and follow one another - be considerate.  It was also fun. Even the ones we did with the book projects were fun! I never thought about using drama in my classroom before, but now, I would use it everyday!

I would probably start on a larger scale and move down to more individual performance, simply to broaden my students' comfort zones. I'd use class and group games, such as the following circle, with one person performing movement and the rest follow while someone guesses who the leader is.  The machine builder, as a group and as a class, would be fun.  I would then move to pairs, with freeze frames, where the partners work together to portray an event in a photo.  Then I would move to sculpting and the leading games, where one partner is in charge.  From there, I would probably start the ABC story telling, where we create a story as a class with individual additions from each student, giving them each a chance to stand out.  Then we could move on to individual performances and hopefully, by then, they would feel more comfortable performing for the class.  I think a process for progression, confidence, and unity can be built by drama, and I hope to encourage that among my students.

Though I did not realize this before, drama is needed among students.  It is needed because it encourages confidence and public speaking/performing abilities.  Unity is encouraged and strengthened through working together as a group to make something work.  A little competition is encouraged in a positive way, while also encouraging working with a group.  A class can be unified through drama.  It allows them to work together to make something fun and meaningful.  Drama involves many learning styles, thus making the activity more engaging to more students and more memorable for later cognitive recall. By integrating drama into other curricular areas, students will be able to remember the concepts more easily.  By acting out a concept or conversing over a piece of information, students have something to refer back to, in story form, which is so much more easily remembered.  Drama creates emotion, which enables memory.  It is a great tool that will most definitely be used in my future classrooms!

The group project was fun and we got along well. By tying drama in with a book, the book will be more memorable. Concepts from the book are more real when we act it out, or do something that ties in with it.  I learned to use props from other group presentations. I also learned, being animated helps engage your students more.  It is important to include a little drama in your teaching!

Reflection 2 - Visual Art

Visual art creates emotion. Looking at someone's work, or creating your own stimulates the mind.  There are aspects the intrigue the eye like: rhythm, balance, proportion, variety, emphasis and unity.  All have specific meaning to a visual object (some aspects more or less than others).  The picture that stuck out to me the most today was the canyon painting.  I love vivid colors, but the balance, emphasis and unity emulating from the rock faces with the light breaking through was truly captivating.  Grand landscape paintings are my favorite.  The bridge was also an interesting photograph.  The cables added emphasis and a focal point, yet the street lamp created balance.  As was stated in class, with out the lamp the picture would be meaningless.  It's funny how a simple part can make or break a picture.

I can use these concepts in my own art creations.  Sometimes its nice to create something and take a break from school work.  I have already applied some art principles when I created some decorations for my room! It was very fun.  I made two pictures with synthetic flowers and created a polka-dot background.  Both frames actually exhibit all the art principles we learned in class today.  It was a fun project!  It is also fun to view others visual art.  I have many pictures displayed within my own apartment. Now I will be able to pick out certain aspects of the paintings or photographs were art principles were used.

In my future teaching, I will hang art (classic, modern, and simple aesthetic pieces) around my classroom, to introduce students to visual art.  By looking at examples of different art principles students can be inspired and create their own styles.  They can also learn to appreciate many different styles.  I like what we did today in class where we discussed illustrators and designed our own versions of their art.  It is good to use inspiration sometimes.  I want to use this activity with my students and provide opportunities for them to learn the principals of art because those who like art or think they may like to try, will want to know these concepts.  I'll encourage them, because everyone has their own style and not all of the principles will manifest the same in every students artwork.  It will be a fun learning experience for everyone to see the development of an understanding of these concepts in their own artwork. 

The illustrator project was a fun way to learn about different styles.  Many illustrators display favorite art principles.  It is easy to see in a painting or even photograph which principles are prominent. My group chose to talk about David Wiesner.  Everyone worked really well together.  Some members of the group knew quite a bit about the illustrator already so they already had the books.  Everyone contributed fairly and worked very well together. I enjoyed working with the girls in my group! Since everyone contributed, it wasn't a big stress for anyone. That was one thing I learned from participating in this group - when everyone does their part, the load is lightened.  Your trust is strengthened in your group members, and they trust you when everyone does their part! I also learned that I like David Wiesner's style!  Texture makes a big difference in a picture! I painted a little fish picture and it turned out better with the idea of texture in mind! This was a fun, class building and creative project!

Reflection 1 - The Arts and Me

The arts have played the biggest role in my education over any other method or subject area.  I love the arts!  It is truly where my passion is.  In my personal life, music with voice and instruments, as well as dancing, drawing, painting, crafts, even some theater, have all been my prominent interests since I could first walk.  When I was in school, it was always easier for me to remember things when we put concepts to music.  It also helped to do art projects.  I remember when my fifth grade teacher had each student design a cartouche with our name on it for our study of ancient Egypt.  I took a class on ancient Egypt just this last summer, in college, and that art project from fifth grade helped me remember information I needed on that college test.  Art helps the process of remembering and applying, over a long period of time.  I love doing art, music, or theater projects.  It never felt like busy work for me and I really learned from it.  As the text book states, incorporating art into the curriculum is a way of applying what is being learned.

As a future teacher I want to make the arts a big part of my class.  I realize that not all of my students are going to love the arts as much as I do, but I believe it will help them make connections.  We discussed in class some visual cues that can help bridge the connection between the left and right brain of a child. We also discussed how art application, in general, can be an aid to a student's greater comprehension of a topic.  I will use art in subjects like math and science.  I will try to do both analytical and artistic activities, to appeal to different learning styles.  I hope by doing this that my students will learn to open their minds to different ways of viewing things.

Now I will use artistic study methods to practice for what I hope to teach my future students.  You can't teach what you're not practicing, so I'm going to implement my classroom and text findings into my own personal study.  I will also practice implementation of the arts while teaching in my field experience.  Since I'm already partial to using the arts in my study approach, I hope to find it successful in my teaching approach. I'm excited to try it out!