Thursday 26th January

There are many benefits to introducing print making into the classroom. As well as it being able to develop ones creativity skills, it develops ones skills in ‘problem solving, teamwork, communication, listening, personal reflection, debating, being objective and critical, developing own visual language and artistic interpretation.’ (Learning at YSP Teaching Resource, 2013, p.8).

When looking at printmaking from the perspective of a learner within the workshop which we had took part in today, it provided me with the knowledge that there is a lot of work and time which goes into a project such as this. This is why I believe that it is a good activity for children as it involves a lot of commitment.

This is an example of one which I had done on a evocative object belonging to me.

‘Printmaking can also develop literacy skills through encouraging critical and expressive use of language in response to the student’s observations’ (Learning at YSP Teaching Resource, 2013, p.8). This lesson was also in conjunction with a writing task which could easily be done with children. As the objects which we used for this project were objects that were sentimental to us, we then also had to write a small paragraph on something about this object.

From the perspective of a student teacher, I believe that it is important that we bring lessons like this into the classroom as it is important to the children as stated before, it can help develop skills which they will need later in life. The present education system faces challenges that include lack of creativity within the classroom.  Meeting these challenges calls for ‘new priorities in education, including a much stronger emphasis on creative and cultural education and a new balance in teaching and in the curriculum’ (NACCCE, 1999, pp.5-6.)

References

• Learning at YSP Teaching Resource: Exploring Printmaking. (2013). 1st ed. Yorkshire, p.8.
• NACCCE. All Our Futures: Creativity, Culture and Education. (1999). 1st ed. London, pp.5-6.

Thursday 19 January 2017

Digital Media/Film-Making

Film making is where the illusion of motion is created through frame-by-frame pictures. Animation is something which should be taught to children as it brings many advantages to a child. Some of these include: developing critical observation skills; encouraging critical thinking; encouraging collaboration and co-operation etc.

When film making is brought into the classroom it also ameliorates their creativity skills as well as many other aspects which some teachers may not have considered.  David Parker once introduced this topic within a classroom and found that the children developed their literacy capability even further by doing this. David Parker (1999) continued by explaining that the lessons had been structured around reading and writing activities based upon the source text. Key questions had been resolved around what images, movements or scenarios were suggested by the prose and how pupils could change these into a script format.

Activities which can be interpreted into a subject such as this is one which we had taken part in within today’s lecture. This activity included making a thaumatrope – this is a scientific toy which dates back to the 19th century.  It is made up of a cardboard disc shape which has two different pictures on each side. When the disc is rotating rapidly, the two images combine to become one. This is an example of one which I had done during today’s session:

This activity enforces the children to learn that the world that they see is made up of frame-by-frame pictures.

References 

• Parker, David. “You’ve Read the Book, Now Make the Film: Moving Image Media, Print Literacy And Narrative”. English in Education 33.1 (1999): 27. Web. 19 Jan. 2017.

 Thursday 12th January 2017

Expressive Arts in Culture

Allowing a child to be expressive during an arts lesson is extremely important. In order for a child to be expressive, there are many requirements that a teacher must implement within the classroom.  Some of these rules may include ‘engaging students in reflection about what they learned, how they learned it, and what it means to them. Using student assessment of their own and peers’ work as part of the learning experience  and providing opportunities for students to revise and improve their work and share it with others.’ (Silverstein and Layne, 2010, p.3).

Prior to this session, all students were to bring in an evocative object to which they will be basing their piece of artwork around throughout the rest of the sessions to come after today. (Turkle, n.d.)states that ‘theory enables us, for example, to explore how everyday objects become part of our inner life: how we use them to extend the reach ofour sympathies by bringing the world within.’ By reading this, it allowed me to notice what objects I have a distinct attachment to.

Within the few days I had to choose my object, I had noticed the I had a close attachment to my watch; a gift from my older sister, given to me on my sixteenth birthday. Once I had noticed that I wear this all day, everyday, it seemed obvious that I should choose this as my evocative object. It made even more sense when reading that ‘evocative objects help us think about such things as number, space, time, causality, and life’ (Turkle, n.d.) as my watch does exactly that.

References

• Silverstein, L. and Layne, S. (2010). Defining Arts Integration. 1st ed. p.3.
• Turkle, S. (n.d.). What Makes an Object Evocative?. 1st ed.

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