Month: December 2018

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Integrated Arts – 20/11/18
This week was the final class of the module. It included perfecting our dances and getting them filmed in the dance workshop and learning to play the ukulele in the music workshop.

In dance, we continued from the week previous and practised our dance routines to the point they were acceptable to be filmed. The class had time to work in their groups to make sure all the moves were correct and in time with the music to make sure the overall dance was a success. Then the full class came together and made up a starting piece to the dance where everyone in the section danced at the same time. The moves were simple but effective with such a large group and the lecturer was pleased with the outcome of the full class dance section. Performing this dance this week was a lot different to other weeks as we were being filmed. For many in the class, this put more pressure on them to perform well while dancing and being recorded. Even though this did make some people uncomfortable, it was important to remember that it was all for a bit of fun and no one else would see the video except the people in our class. The full experience is to aid us teach our future classes and to give us ideas on how to teacher Expressive Arts classes without feeling nervous or self-conscious.
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In our final music class, we learned to play the ukulele. I found this exciting and intriguing as I have always wanted to learn how to play a stringed instrument. The importance of music education has been echoed for years and there are numerous benefits that come with the teaching of music. However, in the past many authorities did not see the importance of music education. “Music education has always required advocacy to solidify its place in the school curriculum. Music teachers are increasingly called on to justify their existence and importance in the schools,” (Elpus, 2007). In these rapidly changing times, the importance of teaching education is huge, especially in primary schools. With the wide variety of musical opportunities open to children, it is fundamental too take hold of any chances that are available when teaching Expressive Arts. In the class, we got taught the chords that are on the ukulele and practised simple songs to help the understanding of each chord and putting them all together. At the end of the lesson, the lecturer put up the chords to “Last Christmas” by Wham! and as a class, we played through the full song. It was beginners’ level however, it was thoroughly enjoyable as I had never had the opportunity to play the ukulele before. Taking away from this lesson, I know now how to make learning an acoustic instrument fun and interesting for the class. Using instruments which are a bit more obscure and unique can encourage children to be creative and imaginative and motivate them to be more musical and try other instruments.

References
Elpus, K. (2007). Improving Music Education Advocacy. Arts Education Policy Review, 108(3), pp.13-18.

Integrated Arts – 13/11/18
This week’s classes focused on drama and dance. In drama, we did a micro-teaching lesson to the rest of the class in groups. In dance, we began to choreograph a dance to Christmas music using some parts of a routine we had learned weeks previous.

Our micro-teaching lesson was based on a book called, “The Wee Lassie That Swallowed A Fly”. One member of the group read the book to class, pretending they were primary aged children and we were teaching them in a drama class. For many, it was one of the first times teaching in front of many people, meaning some were not as prepared as others. As a group, we chose which drama techniques we would use to complement the activities we would do with them. The group used mime, improvisation and voices in the head which all helped deliver the lesson effectively. Much of the class found that using a book to create a drama lesson was very advantageous for planning and delivering the session. This can be helpful for both the teacher and pupil as bringing in a book the class are already doing in literacy may help them have a deeper understanding of the book, the characters and anything else relevant. For the teacher, if the confidence levels are low and it may be hard to find creativity for the lesson, relying on the class book will be helpful and there will be reassurance that the lesson will be educational for the pupils. “Drama fosters literacy because it allows students of any age to become part of the learning process.” (Macro, 2015) Involving literacy in drama broadens the thought process for any child, which can then be applied to any other area of the curriculum.

As it is near Christmas, our dance lecturer decided to make up a dance Christmas themed. This involved including the dance routine we made up in groups a few weeks previous and add in new moves we were creating this week. To make up these certain Christmassy moves, each group got asked to draw a picture of what they think of when Christmas is mentioned. The results of this were varied and the moves we were left to make up were; lights, mistletoe, bells, Christmas trees, angels, penguins and reindeers. This meant our dance would be very different from the other section, which is good as we wanted individuality and creativity. When the full dance was brought together, each group had a chance to perform their own dance in the middle of the class. Again, for many, dancing is not a strong point, and some do not enjoy dancing seriously in front of a big group. However, personally, I have a background in dance for many years to enjoyed performing and helped lead my team through the dance. The finished product of the full class’s dance was a lot of fun and very enjoyable. We had it filmed which is a nice thing to look back on in the future.

Overall, both drama and dance this week involved the full class to be confident enough to deliver in front of a large group of people. Even though some do not enjoy this, doing things like this repeatedly will in turn build confidence and self-belief so that when it comes to teaching our own class, professionally, it will not be as difficult, and we will have more experience to rely on.

References
Macro, K. (2015) Drama as literacy: perceptions of an interactive pedagogy. Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance. Vol.20(3), pp.337-339.

Integrated Arts – 6/11/18
This week’s class involved music and visual arts. In music, we made instruments from basic materials which can be easy for children to make in class. During the visual arts class, we watched a video of Professor Tim Ingold at the “Thinking Dangerously in Teacher Education” conference.

Tim Ingold believes there are two different meanings of education. The first being the “conventional” meaning which is to instil authoritative knowledge into young people. The anthropologist suggests that this is the more traditional way of teaching and educating younger generations. The seconds meaning could be that teachers take the hands of the children they teach and “lead them out into the world”. This can be unknown territory for both the teacher and the pupil however it is essential to find a balance between the first and the second meaning of education. Ingold’s main purpose of his talk is drawing in both children and adults. He believes that many people see drawing as an art that children “grow out of” and many adults are adamant that they are unable to draw. However, Tim Ingold says that the number of adults that say this only believe this as the result of their drawing does not resemble what they set out to draw. He continues with his talk and emphasises that children should have the freedom to express themselves and draw whatever they want (Ingold, 2013). They should not shy away from the unknown before they start, and it certainly should not cease adults from expressing themselves as well. Letting children start from nothing and giving them the tools to be able to flourish and create things while being imaginative is essential in an Expressive Arts lesson.

In the music workshop, the lecturer decided that we were going to make our own instruments out of basic materials. We made a banjo, made from paper plates, wooden sticks and elastic bands. Additionally, we made a harmonica from lollypop sticks, small straws and small elastic bands. The lecturer showed the class how to make these instruments, but we could choose the colours, shape, size and design of both our instruments so that they were unique and individual.

 

This lesson was fun and creative. It was pupil-led, and we were left to make these instruments exactly how we wanted them to look. For a class of my own, it would be an excellent way of introducing other instruments to the pupils, letting them be creative and giving them freedom to make things without following design instructions. Not one person in the class had instruments identical, which is the aim when combining two art forms together. By including visual arts in music, it opens a variety of creativity for the child and make them aware that, when it comes to these two art forms, they can be as creative and as free to express themselves as they please.

References
Ingold, T. (2013) Thinking Dangerously in Teacher Education. Conference at

Integrated Arts Blog – 30/10/18

This week’s session consisted of music and drama. In drama we focused on Halloween and how we can dramatise it. In music, the lecturer taught us how to be creative on Garage Band in the mac lab.

In the drama workshop, we were taught about the subject within the wider curriculum. Many teachers who do not have a background in Expressive Arts, are conscious of both the theory and practical side of drama. “Drama means different things for different people.” (Kitson and Spiby, 1997) This means that even if a teacher is not confident with the subject, they will be able to add individuality to it and this will enable them to be comfortable when teaching drama as they can go at their own pace and use their own teaching style. Within the lesson, the lecturer focused on Halloween and haunted houses. In separate groups we had to use different drama techniques to deliver a short piece about a haunted house. These techniques include role on the wall, miming, freeze frame, monologues and voice in the head. Each person in the group had a different character and had to portray their feelings and actions through one of these techniques. This was an effective way of learning, because as teachers we will be constantly learning as well as teaching our pupils, therefore it was important that we shared all our ideas to enhance the learning of everyone in the class. “In drama, ‘everyone is a student, and everyone teaches’.” (Booth, 2005) Letting the pupils be creative and imaginative, and letting them express themselves freely in class can aid your own learning as a teacher and your confidence when teaching.

In the music workshop, we were in the Mac Lab and used an app on the computers called Garage Band. This app allows you to create and edit songs, which would be great to do with upper classes in primary. We were taught all the different sounds and instruments we can use on the apps, and how to cut and paste parts and put it together. Even though the start of the session was led by the lecturer, we were able to make our own song, from scratch and make it very individual. This links with the drama workshop, as even though the lecturer had a good knowledge of the app herself, while having a deeper look, the class found different things that the lecturer was not aware of. Therefore, this means that the lecturer is continually learning while teaching at the same time. The freedom we had while on the computers allowed us to be as creative and imaginative as we wanted, which is key when teaching any class Expressive Arts, it is all based on widening their imagination and opening up a new world of creativity that they might not have experienced in literacy and maths, but can certainly use when from now on when learning these subjects.

Overall, the teaching in each lecture was based on both the teacher and the pupils being the leaders and allowing room for creativity in the arts during the teaching and learning of the subject. It is essential that this is the teaching style when delivering these subjects as it will produce greater results and make the subjects more interesting and enjoyable for the teacher and the pupil.

References

Kitson, N. and Spiby, I. (1997). Drama 7-11: Developing Primary Teaching Skills. 1st Ed.
Booth, T, Booth, W. and McConnell, D. (2005). The Prevalence and Outcomes of Care Proceedings Involving Parents with Learning Difficulties in the Family Courts. 1st Ed.