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Integrated Arts Blog week 5

In week 5 of Integrated Arts we were continuing using the painting by Avril Patons called “Windows of the West.” In week 4 we were making several prints of a section of the painting we had drawn and this week we were to choose the print with most detailing and make a copy of this print of to white A4 paper. The print was in the middle of the A4 piece of paper where we then had to extend the drawing with pen in whichever way we wanted. I choose to stick to adding the features that the original painting had and once I had finished that I put some of my own features in the drawing too.

As some people finished this work before others we were handed out a whole range of colouring in books, from colouring in shapes and making your own drawing to colouring in more detailed pictures. These books were a stimulus to creativity and imagination and some of the books allowed the children with very limited guidelines to draw their own.

Books such as this one shown in the picture is a good way for the children who aren’t as confident with subjects such as math’s to put their energy into completing the drawings. This is also a good way for the children to relax and calm down.

Throughout the workshop of week 5 in music we were using an application called garageband. This app allows children to create their own piece of music and express themselves through this. I found this to be a very exciting and interesting way for children to make music. For children who are less confident actually playing instruments than others this is a good way for them to be creative and use the sounds of the instruments to create a song.

Making your body move.

“Dance – to move the feet and body rhythmically, esp in time to music” (Collins, 2017). The word ‘dance’ is enough to overwhelm by body with the feeling of embarrassment and fear so when I realised that our fist tutorial of the day was dance I immediately wanted to head for the exit. Being creative, […]

Integrated Arts Week 6

Today’s lecture was called ‘Why Music Matters’. The lecture gave me insight into the variety of experiences music gives children, for example, in the classroom, in the school and in the wider community. Many children are already exposed to music and have a keen participation in music through learning to play an instrument or sing, … Continue reading Integrated Arts Week 6 →

Today’s lecture was called ‘Why Music Matters’.

The lecture gave me insight into the variety of experiences music gives children, for example, in the classroom, in the school and in the wider community. Many children are already exposed to music and have a keen participation in music through learning to play an instrument or sing, learning to compose a piece of music, use ICT to create music such as ‘Garage Band’, learn to perform in front of an audience and also learn to listen to the music to understand the key concepts within the music. Many people discover music through simply listen to music and attending concerts.

In today’s music workshop we were placed into groups and given a specific section an academic piece of writing called ‘The Power of Music’. From this we were to create mind maps to simplify what we took from the reading. The specific part on the reading given to my group was creativity. Within this section it discussed pupils who had engagement with music tend to achieve their full learning potential.

From doing this activity it was evident that those who engage in the music or making music will have great impact their intellectual development throughout life. This workshop as well as the dance workshop was how the use of rhythm is needed in both music and dance.

Today was the first introduction into dance within integrated arts. Before we started the workshop we had a discussion as a class about how we felt teaching the arts a lot of us tended to have the same response as ‘unsure’, ‘scared’ and ‘apprehensive’.

We started the lesson by playing games such as tig, number game to make a object/ shape related to the certain number. We were then introduced to the ten step dance sequence, which is jump, hop, turn, slide, gesture, reach, balance, twist, kick and roll.

We then went into groups and worked to create a dance using the ten steps sequence introduced to us in our workshop. From this we then continued on to discuss the body parts used when dancing.

A music lesson which could be done in the classroom is could be listening to a piece of music reflecting on how the music made you feel. Then create a storyboard on what you think is happening throughout the music to then write a story about what is happening linking it to literacy, creating a dance about what you interpret the music is trying to say or creating a play to preform in font of peers.

Reference:

Hallam, S (nd) The Power of Music: It’s Impacts on the intellectual, social and personal development of children and young people. Institute of Education: University of London.

Cone (2009) Following Their Lead: Supporting Children’s Ideas for Creating Dances

Evaluation task feedback

I paired up with Stephanie for this task. Our notes from the videos were simliar but there were a few differences. From the first video one thing we both agreed on was that the teacher’s body language was not always positive e.g. arms crossed, closed body language. One difference that we had was that I thought the teacher used vaired pitch and tone in his voice all the time, but Stephanie pointed out that at one point when giving a child a warning he didn’t change his tone of voice, so the warning didn’t sound like the teacher meant what he was saying.

I didn’t find these tasks hard but I think that I will find it harder evaluating when out on placement. I am glad that I got to use the peer observation checklist for one of the tasks so know I know roughly what to look for when I am evaluating someone when on placement.

One idea from the videos that I will use on placement would be to be aware of my non-verbal communication. Non-verbal communication is just as strong as verbal and it influences how the children see you and will act towards you. I will try to keep positive, open body language so the children find me approachable and are happy and comfortable to work with me.

I am really looking forward to placement and getting more experience in the classroom environment. I think it will be very interesting observing lessons and seeing different ways of teaching and I am sure I will learn alot from this experience. I am exicted about working with the children and learning more about working in a Primary School.

Feedback (SitCom 16/10/17)

Feedback for an individual is important as it helps a teacher move forward and improve. It also allows an individual to reflect on what went well and why. However, feedback in the form of recording your lesson and watching it back would put pressure on teachers and they may not be themselves. Our note on […]

Our note on strengths and improvements were similar yet varied. I suggested that a strength was that the teacher spoke with a good volume and with confidence. Megan suggested that the teacher spoke enthusiastically to the class.

An area for improvement that I suggested was that the teacher could increase eye contact, especially with pupils with challenging behaviour. This would show the pupils that the teacher is watching even though they are not being addressed directly. Megan agreed with this. I also suggested that the teacher could ask individuals questions rather than just talking to the class in general. This would help keep pupils interested and actively listening. Megan suggested that the attention of all pupils should have been grasped at the start of the lesson so that they all knew that the lesson had begun.

In the video, its surprised me that the teacher didn’t ask any questions, however this may be due to only seeing a small section of the day. One thing that surprised me about Megan’s notes was that she said the teacher responded to and interacted with the pupils all of the time whereas I only thought this was done most of the time.

The given tasks were not too easy or challenging. It was interesting which kept us motivated to complete the task.

The one idea I would like to hang on to from these tasks and take with me to my forthcoming placement is that sometimes non-verbal communication is more effective than verbal communication.

I am looking forward to observing different teaching styles during the two-week placement. I am excited to get to know the pupils and gain more classroom experience.

Feedback evaluation task

Rachel’s notes were very similar to mine as we both thought the teacher in the video was confident which meant the pupils in his class listened to what he was saying. We also thought that the teacher was enthusiastic about his lessons which allowed the pupils to feel the same. However the teacher did not … Continue reading Feedback evaluation task →

Nothing surprised me about these videos. However I did like the idea of videoing lessons to watch back as this would give teachers the opportunity to examine any positives and negatives about their lessons and work on how to improve them for next time.

If I could take one thing from the video to use when I’m on placement it would be to make eye contact with pupils as much as possible and crouching down to their eye level. This is a good way of getting pupils to focus on tasks.

As I could watch the video in my own time and at my own pace I found it easy to find points of evaluation. However, this may be something I struggle with when I am on my placement.

I am very much looking forward to placement, however there are aspects of it that I’m feeling slightly anxious about, but I’m looking forward to getting started and meeting the class and teacher I will be working with.

Observation, self-evaluation and communication skills – independent task

In this independent study task, we had to look at observation, self-evaluation and communication skills. This allowed me to think about the way in which I want myself to be portrayed in my upcoming placement. While observing the year 3 teacher on his normal daily routine I used the observation checklist that we will be using in placement to observe the teachers communication skills, after conferring with a partner and comparing notes we agreed on pretty much everything but the one thing we didn’t agree on completely was that I thought the teacher was lacking authority , although this is a good thing that he has a friendly approach sometimes children can over step the mark and not behave as well as they see him as a friend instead of a teacher. Whereas, my partner thinks this is the best way to be as children will be more relaxed in the class so are more likely to enjoy lessons and pay attention if they have a good relationship with the teacher.

I found these tasks okay, I did find them helpful as it makes you more aware of the things that you may do but don’t notice until someone else then sees this. Helped make me more aware to self-observe to ensure I am doing the best that I can. I enjoyed watching about the American teacher who records her lessons to look back and reflect on. Although this isn’t something that I would personally do to reflect I see how It could work for others.

I am aware of the boundaries that should be set between teachers and pupils and it is all about finding that balance of having authority but also to be seen as a role model and someone the pupils can approach If they need help or want someone to talk to. I am nervous about placement as it is something completely different to what I am used to but also excited about actually putting the theory into practice and gaining experience.

Sustainable Development – Learning Log/Directed study 2

This weeks theme was on climate change. First of all in the lecture we went through what climate change was. According to the lecture PowerPoint climate is the average weather at a given point and time of year, over a period of typically around thirty years. We expect for the weather to change however for … Continue reading “Sustainable Development – Learning Log/Directed study 2”

Integrated Arts- Making Music

This week’s class started with us learning how to make music on the computer. We used an application on the computer called ‘Garage Band’ to create a backing track of music. Before beginning this class, I was slightly apprehensive as music is not my strong point, and i sometimes struggle with the terminology. However, I … Continue reading “Integrated Arts- Making Music”

This week’s class started with us learning how to make music on the computer. We used an application on the computer called ‘Garage Band’ to create a backing track of music. Before beginning this class, I was slightly apprehensive as music is not my strong point, and i sometimes struggle with the terminology. However, I was also very excited and intrigued to how we could create a piece of music online. We began this workshop, by our lecturer demonstrating how to use ‘Garage Band’ we were then given the chance to have a go ourselves.

Video (2)

We were also given the chance to create a sound effect track for a short video clip. This part of the task was a lot of fun, enjoyable and engaging. It was very interesting and developed my knowledge of music more and more. I was very proud of what I created by the end of the workshop.

Through using this resource myself in today’s workshop, I considered the ways this could be implemented into the classroom and the skills and possibilities it can give the pupils. The children would have the opportunity to create their own music tracks and explore the different sounds of music. This kind of activity offers children many opportunities to explore the arts and make connections with other curricular subjects such as literacy, drama and dance. By doing an activity like this, it opened my eyes that we can teach music by using modern day technology to create a piece of music. It showed me that, to teach music we don’t always need to use instruments, digital music also is a resource that children can explore and create music in a different creative way.

The second workshop of the day was our visual arts class. In this workshop we were meant to be looking at how we can extend an art activity. We were going to use our Windows in the West print, create a black and white photocopy and then create a pen drawing extending from the original print image. Prior to this class, we were asked to read “Room 13: The Movement and International Network” by Claire Gibb. This initiative demonstrates the importance and excellent ways that from children given the opportunity to be responsible and independent artists. From reading this article, it highlighted to me the importance that as teachers children need to be treated equally and with respect. We need to give the children the independence they need to grow and flourish into young individuals.

Although, when it came to this workshop our lecturer actually asked me and my classmate if we could teach our fellow peers what we learned the previous week as they were off sick. This was a great learning and teaching opportunity for myself and it was a very interesting and exciting learning experience. We had to demonstrate what we previously learned and give assistance if it was needed. It gave me an insight into how to teach an art lesson, at times i did find it difficult to explain what we were doing but i think i eventually got the hang of it.

References:

Gibb, C. (2012) Room 13: The Movement and International Network [Online] Available: http://moodle.uws.ac.uk/pluginfile.php/109358/mod_resource/content/1/Room%2013-%20Claire%20Gibb.pdf [Accessed 8th October 2017]

Integrated Arts – Entry 4

Arts This week, I had the opportunity to work with students who had missed last weeks class on print making. I had the opportunity to teach my peers how to complete last weeks task and the theory behind it, and how we could implement arts in the classroom. First of all I gathered all the […]

Arts

This week, I had the opportunity to work with students who had missed last weeks class on print making. I had the opportunity to teach my peers how to complete last weeks task and the theory behind it, and how we could implement arts in the classroom.

First of all I gathered all the resources that we needed and explained the print making task. The students found the task fun and creative and mentioned that I explained things clearly and effectively. I explained to my peers that print making is not only about arts, but how we could use the subject to focus on other areas of the curriculum for example literacy. We were focusing on “Windows in the west” by Avril Paton, which would be a great picture to inspire a creative writing piece. I think this was a very useful lesson to consolidate my knowledge and pass it onto others.

Music

“I can use my voice, musical instrument and music, technology to experiment with sounds, pitch, melody, rhythm, timbre and dynamics.

Music is such a powerful subject as it can help us develop in other areas and skills such as literacy, numeracy, creativity, social and personal development and many more. Music can help us to become successful learners, effective contributors, responsible citizens and confident individuals.

In this weeks seminar, we had the chance to create our own musical piece digitally through a software named Garage Band. Garage Band is a “fully equipped music creation studio” through your computer. It gave us the opportunity to create our own piece starting from the baseline and building it up from there.

As I am not familiar with musical terms, or composing any sort of music, this was a creative, easy fun way to do so! This would be a great tool for the classroom and I would feel comfortable teaching and letting children in my class explore this app. Here is a video of the music I created :