Arts 

During today’s lecture and seminar, we focused on how the arts can be integrated in all areas of the curriculum. We focused on visual arts and how Avril Paton’s Window’s in the West (1993) painting can be used as a stimulus and can be particularly useful in literacy.

After researching this painting I was able to find out that Windows in the West was painted using water colours and is now bought and owned by the city of Glasgow for the Glasgow Gallery of Modern Art and is currently in display at the Kevlingrove Art and Gallery Museum. Paton (2017) explains that the painting took her 6 months to complete from the winter into the summer. The feeling of snow inspired Paton to create this masterpiece.

“Windows in the West” By Paton

As a group we used process, form, content and mood to help us discuss the painting. This allowed us to explore the art work in great depth and detail. This would be a great tool to use with children as they would be giving an informed response using visual analysis to describe the painting.
Using Paton’s painting, we then began to make prints of our own focusing on one particular section of the painting in great depth. To begin we used polystyrene boards to help trace the outline of the building onto the card. We then used our pen to fill in the marks on the board creating a drawing of the building. Using yellow, red and blue ink we rolled this onto our board and then transferred the board onto a coloured piece of a4 paper creating a print. While doing this task, my group was discussing how this would be a perfect task to integrate with literacy in the classroom. We could get the children to create prints of their own based on a story they have created themselves.

Print 1

Print 2 – In this print we added more detail and more colour – Making the print more visual.
As future teachers it is important we allow children to experience the arts through different ways. We don’t always have to deal with textbooks when we study literacy, we can get the paint brushes out and have fun with it. We can integrate the two subjects and make learning enjoyable for the children.

Using the Tallis Habbits Pegadogy Wheel (2017) always reminds me to be persistent and I must tolerate uncertainty.

Drama

When I first heard we were going to be taking part in drama lessons at uni, my legs started to tremble and a feeling of sickness and nerves took over me. When the word drama comes to mind, I think way back to primary school and how I was really never interested in the subject. However, as I know I will have to teach drama in the classroom, I wiped away past experiences in my mind and focused on the future. I was willing to take part and be open to new experiences.

The Curriculum for Excellence (2004) states that when children take part in drama it allows children to have rich opportunities to explore themselves and to be creative.
Through our seminars we have learned many teaching techniques that are illustrated in the mind map that I have created:

Drama allows sensitive subjects such as bullying t be spoken about and put into context. It allows learners to think about thoughts and feelings of others and the learner also has the opportunity to feel what its like experiencing being in other people’s shoes.

References :

Thomas Tallis School. (2017) The TALLIS Habits Pedagogy Wheel. [Online] Available: http://www.thomastallisschool.com/tallis-pedagogy-wheel-guide.html [Accessed: 3rd October2017]
Glasgow Life (2017) Glasgow Museums – Windows In The West. [Online] Available: http://shop.glasgowlife.org.uk/windows-in-the-west-kelvingrove. [Accessed :3rd October 2017]
Paton, A. (2017) Windows in the West. [Online] Available: https://avrilpaton.co.uk/prints/windows-in-the-west [Accessed: 3 October 2017]