It’s time to be creative!-Week 3

This was Week 3 in the Integrated Arts module and it was all about the importance of being creative and giving the children the opportunity to use their creative minds to make something wonderful. “Every child is an artist. The problem is to remain an artist once he grows up” -Pablo Picasso. I read this … Continue reading “It’s time to be creative!-Week 3”

This was Week 3 in the Integrated Arts module and it was all about the importance of being creative and giving the children the opportunity to use their creative minds to make something wonderful.

“Every child is an artist. The problem is to remain an artist once he grows up” -Pablo Picasso. I read this quote and felt that it was very important and helped me to further explore the importance of the arts. It highlighted the fact that each and every child has an inner artist in them and it’s our job as educators to harness that skill and quality and continue their artistic learning throughout their school experience for them to keep their creative abilities as they grow older and develop into confident, responsible, succesful and effective individuals.

In the weeks seminar we we’re given the task of being creative ourselves, by putting ourselves in the shoes of the children we will soon be teaching. We were given a variety a materials, varying from different textures, sizes, colours in order to create our very own paintbrush. The whole idea of the this task was to show us, as educators, that it is extremely important to allow children to be creative and create something that is personal and meaningful to them.

As children grow older they begin to realise that everyone is different and unique and that their abilities and skills also vary from one another. In arts, children can often compare their work to their friends or the person sitting next to them, as they think their peers work is ‘better’ than theirs, which can have a huge impact on a child’s confidence and self-esteem (McAuliffe, 2007).  Therefore, this is where the idea of children creating their own paintbrush came into practice.  We noted the fact that when children are all given the same old standard paintbrush, is almost as if they are expected and think that they should all produce the same painting. It isn’t allowing for any creativity, uniqueness, speciality and for the children to create something that is all their own work. So, by the children greeting their own paintbrush to then create their own painting is allowing for an equal, fun and valuable learning experience.

Below I have attached images of the process of creating my paintbrush:

We were given a wooden stick to work as a base for the paintbrush.
I used these two colours of wool to tie around the paintbrush to give it texture and design.

This was my final product. I added feathers for some design and some thread to the bottom for design.

Once we created our paintbrushes it was time to create our paintings. I never anticipated how difficult it would be to paint a picture without the typical paint brush. However, it was a lot more fun and enjoyable and made me think less of how my painting didn’t look like everyone else’s, it was unique and a result of my paintbrush. I also learned that you don’t need a range of colours, you can use the four primary colours to create the majority of colours you would usually get on a palette.

The primary colours we were working with for our painting.
This was my finished painting.
This was our sections finished paintings on the wall.

This seminar highlighted the importance of ensuring every child feels like they matter, they are of value and their creative abilities are appreciated, which is at the heart of the Curriculum for Excellence (Scottish Government, 2004).

In the second seminar of the day, we focused on the importance of music within the expressive arts. This was a very practical experience which I was initially very apprehensive about. When I was younger I used to love music and exploring different instruments, however my experience changed when I went to high school. I lost interest in music, it all became to serious and it was always highlighted if you weren’t as good as someone else at playin an instrument. Therefore, when it came to this seminar I felt very anxious and nervous about playing the glockenspiel but it actually turned into a very fun, interesting, informing and enjoyable learning experience.

We were introduced to a very effective learning tool called ‘Figurenotes’ (Figurenotes, 2017). Figurenotes is an intuitive way of reading music. It uses colour and shapes to represent key muss notation. This is an excellent tool to use in primary schools as it allows for the children to go through simple stages towards learning the basics of playing an instrument. We got to try a few songs, my favourite was ‘Frere Jacques’, which I managed to get the hang off after a few tries. It shows me how quickly you can learn a part of a song on an instrument using Figurenotes.

This shows how Figurenotes can be used on the glockenspiel.

To end, this seminar reminded me of why I liked music when I was a child and how it is crucial to allow children the opportunity of exploring music. It showed me that anyone can play music when they put their mind to it. It also highlighted how useful a tool like Figurenotes would be in the classroom. I want to ensure that when I become a teacher I make the arts an important subject in the classroom and it is explored to the best that I can for the children, as it is extremely important to their learning and development into young individuals.

Resources:

Figurenotes. (2017) An intuitive way of reading music. [Online] Available: https://www.figurenotes.org/ [Accessed 30th September 2017]

McAuliffe, D. (2007) Foundation and Primary Settings, In teaching Art and Design 3-11. (Edited by Sue Cox, Robert Watts, Judy Grahame, Steve Herne and Diarmuid McAuliffe) London: Continuum.

Scottish Government. (2004) Curriculum for Excellence: Expressive Arts. [Online] Available: https://education.gov.scot/parentzone/learning-in-scotland/curriculum-areas/Expressive%20arts [Accessed 30th September 2017]

Creating Minds. (n.d.) Creative Quotes on Children. [Online] Available: http://creatingminds.org/quotes/children.htm [Accessed 30th September 2017]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Review of the skill of questioning

The main aim of this chapter is to inform people of how questions are a very important part of our daily lives. Without them communicating with each other would be virtually impossible. The chapter also looks at different types of questions and in what situations they are used. There are three themes in the chapter … Continue reading Review of the skill of questioning

The main aim of this chapter is to inform people of how questions are a very important part of our daily lives. Without them communicating with each other would be virtually impossible. The chapter also looks at different types of questions and in what situations they are used.

There are three themes in the chapter which are teaching, medical professionals and crime. In this review I am going to focus on teaching as this is the theme that is of most interest to me.

Questioning is very important for young children as it helps them to explore, investigate and get a better understanding of the environment they are in. Having these questions answered with a positive response will improve the child’s confidence to ask questions and it will greatly benefit their learning and development. The chapter highlights the claim that teacher’s ask more questions than their pupils. A lot of research has been done to back up this claim. Research by Dillon (1982) showed that teachers ask approximately two questions each minute while pupils ask approximately one question per pupil every month. Before reading this I had never realised the extent of this problem.

Research by Tizard et al (1983) found that children ask a lot more questions when they are in their home environment. On average children ask 24 questions per hour at home compared to only 1.4 questions per hour at school. The big reason stated in this chapter to why children don’t ask questions in schools is because they are afraid of getting a negative reaction from their peers. I do not completely agree that this is the biggest reason. There are many different reasons why children might not want to ask questions at school. Some of these reasons are being shy or quiet, feeling they won’t get listened to by their teacher, they are worried about getting the answer wrong and they may not feel as relaxed as they do in their home environment when they are at school.

I came across some words in this chapter that I didn’t know the meaning of. I looked these words up in the Critical Dictionary of Education and have noted down the words and their meanings for future reference.

This chapter has got me thinking a lot more about questions and the impacts they can have on people. When working with children I am going to try to be aware of the amount of questions I am asking and will give children the opportunities and time for them to ask questions and not feel pressured into thinking they have to give the right answer.

References

Hargie, O. (2011) Skilled Interpersonal Communication: Research, Theory and Practice. 5th ed. London: Routledge.

Starting at UWS

I have just finished my 3rd week at UWS and I am enjoying it so far. I have learned a lot over the past few weeks and have been challenged by some of the new ideas and concepts. I can see how the skills I am developing will be very useful to me in the … Continue reading Starting at UWS

I have just finished my 3rd week at UWS and I am enjoying it so far. I have learned a lot over the past few weeks and have been challenged by some of the new ideas and concepts. I can see how the skills I am developing will be very useful to me in the future- especially during placement next month that I am really looking forward to.

The module I was most worried about when I started was Situated Communications. I have never been very good at communicating and although I am getting better this is a skill that I have to work on. When I first went to Angela’s workshop I felt completely out of my comfort zone and nervous about what I would be asked to do. After the first few activities and learning the names of some people in my group I started to feel a bit more relaxed. The activities in Angela’s workshops are building up my confidence in communicating and sharing my thoughts and ideas with others. I have found it easier as the weeks have gone on to speak to different people and contribute in workshops.

I have found all the classes very interesting especially Digital Literacy and Maths. I had never heard or thought about all the different ways you can use technology to teach literacy and other areas of the Curriculum for Excellence. One thing I had never thought about before was using computer games and linking this in to literacy and other subjects. I can see how this would encourage reluctant children to engage and take part in an area of the curriculum that they usually don’t show enthusiasm for or that they struggle in.

I’m looking forward to the rest of this year and all the new experiences I will learn from.

Review of Chapter 5 “Finding out about others: the skill of questioning” (Hargie, O. 2011)

The focus of chapter 5 is to portray the characteristics of questions, the differing forms of questioning that exist and the effect that the use of questioning can have upon different scenarios and situations.  Within the chapter, Hargie stresses the importance of the use of questioning with regards to a child’s cognitive development. Hargie refers … Continue reading Review of Chapter 5 “Finding out about others: the skill of questioning” (Hargie, O. 2011)

The focus of chapter 5 is to portray the characteristics of questions, the differing forms of questioning that exist and the effect that the use of questioning can have upon different scenarios and situations.

 Within the chapter, Hargie stresses the importance of the use of questioning with regards to a child’s cognitive development. Hargie refers to Cook to further emphasise this point by saying, “It is important for the child’s development that parents take time to answer these questions (Cook, 2009).” He further goes on to discuss questioning within the classroom setting. Hargie states that children are less likely to ask questions within the classroom as they believe they may get judged by their peers. Hargie backs this claim up by citing several sources, for example he refers to Dillon who states, “Interestingly, one major reason given by students for their reluctance to ask questions in class is fear of a negative reaction from classmates” (Dillon, 1998). From personal experience, I can relate to this study as in high school I often felt reluctant to asking questions, as I would not like my peers to know that I am struggling or not understanding the given task.

Hargie then goes on to discuss patients and doctors. He discovers that similarly to pupils and teachers, the doctor (like the teacher) is the person who asks majority of questions during their time together. Hargie sited West’s study which states “physicians ask most of the questions and patients provide most of the information” (West, 1983). I both agree and disagree with this statement. I agree with the statement that patients provide most of the information and this is done so for the GP to diagnose what is wrong with the individual. However, I disagree that they ask most questions, from my own experience I have found there is a fair split between myself and the GP for question asking.

Hargie proceeds to discuss different types of questions and their functions. The discussion was focused closely upon open and closed questions. He describes open questions as requiring a longer and more detailed response. On the other hand, Hargie states that closed questions do not require a detailed response and are often short. From this, he believes that closed questions are the easiest questions for an individual to respond to as they may not require a lot of thought. I agree with the above statement from Hargie as I have seen this in action in every-day life, when being asked a closed question it is almost like an instinct to answer without using significant thought process.

Reference List:

“Finding out about others: the Skill of questioning” – Chapter 5 – Hargie, O. (2011) Skilled interpersonal Communication: Research, Theory and Practice 5th ed. London: Routledge

Skilled Interpersonal Communication (chapter 5).

The main aim of chapter five: ‘Finding out about others: the skill of questioning’ in Hargie O. (2011) Skilled Interpersonal Communication: Research, Theory and Practice. 5th ed. London: Routledge, is to assist the reader to understand how using appropriate questioning … Continue reading

The main aim of chapter five: ‘Finding out about others: the skill of questioning’ in Hargie O. (2011) Skilled Interpersonal Communication: Research, Theory and Practice. 5th ed. London: Routledge, is to assist the reader to understand how using appropriate questioning techniques can assist a person in ascertaining information.

One of the of the themes in the chapter is about misinformation and non-verbal signs, how they can affect a response.  Another theme is that when it comes to questioning a variety of techniques used together can have a better success rate than using just one technique and can make a more effective communicator.  Hargie, discusses the converse of this also and claims that here is also some suggestion that there are occasions when just one, or two techniques used together has a more effective effect.  As evidence to support this Hargie states “closed questions are usually easy to answer” (Hargie, 2011), he goes on to state “In fact finding encounters, they are of particular value”.  As evidence to support his claim, Hargie refers to research conducted and quotes “In the medical sphere it has been shown that doctors are two to three times more likely to ask yes-no questions that any other type of question (Raymond 2003).  As further evidence he then refers to Morrow et al (1993) which found “Pharmacists were following the clinical algorithm approach of eliminative questioning for diagnosis”.

The chapter serves to emphasise that questions when used properly can help a skilled communicator find out the information required, however it also discusses how not all answers are true as misuse of questions or styles can influence an answer.  This serves as an appropriate reminder to not believe everything you hear!

Questions…Questions…Questions…

In my opinion, the main aim of this chapter is to explore the skill of questioning in its entirety. This is done by taking a deeper look into the different forms/types of questions and how effective each type is in … Continue reading

In my opinion, the main aim of this chapter is to explore the skill of questioning in its entirety. This is done by taking a deeper look into the different forms/types of questions and how effective each type is in relation to communication. Depending on the scenario, different styles of questions could be the most appropriate in order to find the relevant information to the best standard possible.

The key themes within this chapter include education, healthcare, and crime. For each of these main themes they are being related to questions in that particular context appropriate to that theme. Also, in relation to each of the main themes, the purpose of questions as well as the types of questions being used/asked are analysed.

One claim made in the chapter is that “Physicians ask most of the questions and patients provide most of the information” – Brashers et al (2002: 259). Evidence used to substantiate this claim was from, West (1983), who found that of 773 questions identified in 21 doctor-patient consultations, only 68 (9%) were initiated by patients.

One of the theories presented in the chapter is that we see a person better for who they are by listening to the questions they ask and not just the answers they give. “Judge a man not by his answers but by his questions” – Voltaire.

On reflection, I don’t believe I agree with everything published in this chapter. One part I may disagree with is where it is stated that patients don’t feel comfortable asking questions of their doctor for the reason of not wanting to come across as ignorant. My reason for disagreeing is through personal experience of always feeling comfortable and relaxed when discussing anything with my doctor or dentist etc.

I was able to identify meanings for a couple of words I was unsure of by finding them on the Critical Dictionary of Education and noting them down for future reference.

Chapter Reference:

‘Finding out about others: the skill of questioning’, in Hargie, O. (2011) Skilled Interpersonal Communication: Research, Theory and Practice. 5th ed. London: Routledge.

Climate Change

Climate change is something I have always been aware of. Throughout my primary education we had an Eco committee that were a very influential group, and by having this group we got the chance to learn about how we could help the environment. As I have gotten … Continue reading

Climate change is something I have always been aware of. Throughout my primary education we had an Eco committee that were a very influential group, and by having this group we got the chance to learn about how we could help the environment. As I have gotten … Continue reading

Review on Chapter 5 – “Finding out about others: the skill of questioning.”

Chapter 5 “Finding out about others: the skill of questioning” (Hargie, O. 2011) AIMS The aim of this chapter is to show to that there are a variety of types of questions and how these are put across by the questioner to the person or group receiving the question can determine someone’s answer. The subject …

Continue reading “Review on Chapter 5 – “Finding out about others: the skill of questioning.””

Chapter 5 “Finding out about others: the skill of questioning” (Hargie, O. 2011)

AIMS

The aim of this chapter is to show to that there are a variety of types of questions and how these are put across by the questioner to the person or group receiving the question can determine someone’s answer. The subject of questioning is not to be viewed as straightforward, instead they should be viewed as interpersonal, core life skills; in that without them, participation within social situations would be impossible, there would be no sense of conformation and without this,  discussions would have a lack of control.

THEMES

There are many themes within the chapter, including: Social interaction of children within the learning process. Young people naturally ask a number of different questions throughout their time growing up in order to take their environment and create sense of awareness for what is going on in their life and what is going on around  them and their social situation. This can take form in their household. A claim is made within the chapter, where adults are highly encouraged to answer their queries to provide insight to what is being speculated, in confidence that their question is relevant and worth asking. However, questioning is used highly within Education, it is claimed that there is a negative correlation between questioning and self confidence. Children who are growing older do not feel as strong when asking questions than they were when they were younger. Daly et al (1994), in a US study investigated that in terms of question asking the following felt more at ease… males, whites, higher income groups, higher self esteem and those who felt accepted by the teacher. I agree with this claim, as from experience in high school, I felt reluctant to asking questions of my teachers because it was intimidating as if you were the only person struggling. Whereas, in primary school, the classroom atmosphere was welcome to questioning as that is what children do.

Within the health sector, doctors/nurses were claiming to be asking questions frequently, and not getting many questions back from their patients. A claim,made by Siminoff et al,(2006) that patients did not want to show lack of knowledge about their medical situations by asking various questions that are inevitable to a professional. I disagree with this claim as I feel that doctors are specialised within their field for a reason purely to help their patients and identify problems, rather than to be viewed as high in society.

Within the chapter, Hargie discusses the many benefits and drawbacks to using open and closed questions. It can be examined that seen that open questions enable us to go into depth; whereas a closed question leads to restrictions as the questioner is in control of what is being asked and cannot be manipulated. I agree that this is a valid claim and can be recognised in  social circumstances. However, I believe that closed questions provide direction to the conversation, whereas open questions can go off on  tangent, not relating back to the question reiterated at the point of the conversation. This can be proved by the claim made within the chapter by Smith et al, 2006 which says Their potential for structured control is one of the reasons that teachers use significantly more closed than open questions in classrooms

Reference list:

‘Finding out about others: the skill of questioning’, in Hargie, O. (2011) Skilled Interpersonal Communication: Research, Theory and Practice.5th ed. London: Routledge.

 

Urban Environment Blog

From the Ted Talk video “It’s our city. Lets fix it.” by Alessandra Orofino, I found that over half of the worlds population live in cities. This means that urban population is increasing which has many advantages as well as disadvantages. Global problems such as climate change, the energy crisis and poverty are all factors … Continue reading Urban Environment Blog

From the Ted Talk video “It’s our city. Lets fix it.” by Alessandra Orofino, I found that over half of the worlds population live in cities. This means that urban population is increasing which has many advantages as well as disadvantages.

Global problems such as climate change, the energy crisis and poverty are all factors which are caused by urbanisation. With mass global energy consumption and gas emissions occurring within our cities, urbanisation and overpopulation is the underlying problem. Building cities has caused good quality public spaces to generally disappear, which inhibits relations between people who live there.

However, increasing urbanisation allows for recreational activities, housing and better transport routes. When more people live in one specific area the government will put more money into this area, which increases job opportunities and prevents it from becoming run down. Cities allow human happiness to flourish.

Political process can help combat challenges faced by the urban environment in many ways. For example, moving to cleaner technologies such as electric cars which will help reduce the 80% of gas emissions from cars within cities. The preservation of natural resource areas and the protection of habitats and species will reduce environmental pressure.

The Skill of Questioning

Within the book Skilled and Interpersonal Communication is a chapter titled The Skill of Questioning. The main aim of this chapter is to describe the wide variety of questioning styles used by people in everyday life. Throughout the chapter there are several key themes. Firstly the author has examined the advantages and disadvantages of different […]

Within the book Skilled and Interpersonal Communication is a chapter titled The Skill of Questioning.
The main aim of this chapter is to describe the wide variety of questioning styles used by people in everyday life. Throughout the chapter there are several key themes. Firstly the author has examined the advantages and disadvantages of different styles of questioning. Also the author analyses the different circumstances where questioning styles may differ such as due to who is asking or being asked the question.

The chapter claims that small changes in how a question is worded can impact on the response it initiates. A study by Harris (1973) asked respondents either “How tall was the basketball player?” or  “How short was the basketball player?” Respondents who were asked the tall question gave greater heights as their answers than those who were asked the small question. This gives a clear link between the wording in a question and the response it brings.

During the chapter open and closed questions are compared. Dohrenwend (1965) carried out an investigation in which he concluded that in research interviews there are greater advantages to using closed questions as this increases the control over the answers the respondents can give. However, Dillon (1997) further argues that using closed questions in research may provide information which is inaccurate or incomplete.

I found the chapter to be very informative. It made me think about the different styles of questioning I find myself using in everyday life. I particularity found the statistics on teacher questioning to be insightful. Corey (1940) conducted a study which showed the teachers asking questions on average once every 72 seconds. While as teachers it is part of our job to ask questions, is this too many? Are children able to answer this many questions? Are we simply bombarding them? This is something that I will take into great consideration going forward with my studies.

The chapter goes into detail around the concept of implication leads. These are questions which are worded in such a way that they provide the respondent with the answer that is expected of them. Giving an opposing answer to the one expected will usually lead to the respondent being ridiculed. These sorts of questions are used a great deal within the media and politics.

 

Reference List

‘Finding out about others: the skill of questioning’, in Hargie, O. (2011) Skilled Interpersonal Communication: Research, Theory and Practice. 5th ed. London: Routledge.

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