In today’s lecture we focused on the importance of creative partnerships. A creative partnership in a school setting is where professionals work together in order to benefit the children. According to Education Scotland (2015), children can develop skills, knowledge and experience through teachers working in creative partnerships with other professionals. This in effect can allow children to become more confident and skilled in their learning.
Examples of people that take part in creative partnerships are: staff, non-classroom based staff, parents and visiting specialists. These people are vital in aiding children in schools around Scotland. It is important for schools to seek help if they need to be aided in certain aspects of the creative curriculum. For example, a teacher may be focusing on the Egyptian topic. This teacher could contact the arts development officers in giving them dance ideas or even Egyptian clothes to wear. This enriches children’s learning by making their topic work active and enjoyable. This lecture has allowed me to link the important of creative partnerships to arts which has been very helpful to understand. I now know that there are professionals I can contact in the future who will be happy to aid my teachings and the children’s learning.
The dance workshops have been an interesting experience for me. As a previous teacher of dance in schools, I thought that I had to create a dance and teach this to the children. I now know that you do now have to be an expert in dance to create an effective and meaningful session on dance. Through the ten simple dance moves, children are able to create dances by themselves. This gives children a chance to improve teamwork skills through learning and teaching dances together. I have taken a lot from the dance topic and am looking forward to teaching dance in the future.
The importance of creative dance within Scottish schools’ curriculum is a subject that all teachers should consider. According to Cone (2009), creative dance leaves vision to the young people and reflects their own ideas.
Dance should be meaningful, fun, safe and child led. Teachers should allow children to take their creative ideas and turn it into a dance themselves. This is where the child will have the most powerful learning experience. The lecture has shown me that you do not have to be an expert in dance to teach it. Putting the children into the role of the teacher is an excellent way to get the children to improve self-confidence, physical and mental well-being.
Workshops allowed us to improve confidence in ourselves and strive for the pupils of our future classrooms to feel confidence too.
The dance workshop allowed us to compile our dance experience in to a final dance that we will video next week. As it is coming up to Christmas, we decided to use this theme as a stimulus to come up with our own dance moves. We were split into 5 groups where each had a task to teach a lesson about dance. My group had the priority of teaching the class Christmas dance moves using the 10-basic dance moves we learned previously. For example, we used the balance dance move to make out body into the shape of a Christmas tree. This was successful teaching because we used a variation of makes that were related to Christmas. We then compiled all of our ideas in to a full dance, using moves such as Mexican waves and turns. This workshop was a fun exercise that children can use to be creative and improve their confidence and self-esteem.
The drama workshop allowed to create a micro-teaching task with a story theme. My group chose the Gruffallo because it is a book that is very popular and many children and adults are familiar with. My group based this task on early level schooling. We focused on teaching the three drama conventions: Voice in the head, Mime and Hot seating and showed short video clips of the Gruffallo story so that the students understood the story. My particular task was to explain to the other students that they were to Hot seat the Gruffallo and the mouse. Overall, the micro-teaching tasks and we got good feedback, such as positive assertiveness and good use of video of the Gruffallo.
Reflecting on this week’s lectures and workshops, I have found that my confidence in teacher has soared since partaking in this module. I have had many opportunities to teach others regularly which has improved my relationship with others in the class. I have also found that it is essential to have positive teaching styles when teaching a class so that everyone is engaged and enjoying the lesson.
References:
Cone, T.P. (2009) Following their lead: Supporting children’s ideas for creating dances. Journal of Dance Education, Vol 9(3), pp.81-89.
In today’s arts session we had an in-depth discussion on which arts we have experienced on our school placements. Overall, there is an impression from university students that the expressive arts have to be improved in the majority of schools we have been placed in. Some schools have fallen into the trap of being cliché and teaching non-meaningful lessons, for example, using black paper and chalk to create a bonfire picture. In the school that I have been placed in, there is a STEM and Art room that is currently being integrated into the school. This is an excellent way to make thinking visible (MTV, 2013), which is a main focus in Ayrshire schools. In the school staff room, it is nice to see some information on the wall about making thinking visible. Apart from this, the three days I have experienced little art within the school. I believe that the only art I will be experiencing on my placement will be Christmas themed, which can be seen as very cliché. I have not yet experienced any dance or drama. I can understand the frustration that my lecturer has regarding the arts in schools because it mainly consists of the same cliché experiences. There has always been a “crisis” in math and literacy, but why is this when schools spend the majority of the time doing these?
According to Ruppert (2006), 93% of Americans agree that the arts are vital in providing a well-rounded education for children. Although this is the case, it is very unlikely that they will participate in the arts every day like most schools do with math and literacy. Why is it that 54% rated the importance of arts education a “ten” on a scale of one to ten? Some may be under the impression that you do not “use your brain” in the arts, when in fact the arts can allow an emotional intelligence that most subjects cannot bring. Teachers need to realise that they cannot simply dismiss art because they are not confident in the subject. Teachers should be asking themselves: ‘How can I make the arts the most beneficial experience a child can have?’.
In the music session we focused on using instruments and music notation skills that can be transferred into the classroom. To start, we looked at different music notation, such as breve, minim and quaver. We also looked at notes on the tuned percussion and learned the saying Every Good Boy Deserves Football to remember the notes. We then looked at sheet music that got slowly more difficult as the lesson went in. I believe that this was a valuable experience in the sense that I was able to evaluate my knowledge of music and looked at learning music in the child’s perspective. I began by playing the easier songs on the tuned percussion well, but as it got more difficult I found that I kept forgetting the notes. To me, this showed that you do not have to be an expert in the arts to teach them. I believe that lessons like today are something that I could strive to teach in the future, even though I am not the most experienced in music.
In conclusion, I can say that I am very aware of the importance of the teacher in making a child’s education valuable and exciting. The arts should be implemented in education due to the countless benefits that music and art can bring to the classroom. For example, the arts can play an important role of developing creativity and critical thinking in a child (NACCCE, 1999). This in effect allows children to be more imaginative in their work and focus on individualism.
References:
Educational Institute of Scotland. (2013) Making Thinking Visible. [Online] Available: www.tapestrypartnership.com/wp-content/…/MakingThinkingVisible16.05.13.pdf [Accessed: 08 December 2017].
National Advisory Committee on Creative and Cultural Education (NACCCE). (1999) All our futures: Creativity culture and education. London: Department for Culture, Media and Sport/Department for Education and Employment.
Ruppert, S.S., (2006) Critical Evidence: How the Arts Benefit Student Achievement. National Assembly of State Arts Agencies: Washington.
In the lecture we discussed the importance of drama in the classroom. We were shown a video of a classroom that used drama to improve their writing by seeing and hearing about the story they were going to write about. They were active in studying characters by drawing around a person to get a sense that the character was a real person. These activities were a perfect example of a drama lesson in the classroom and I would like to use them in the future.
We also learned important tips in teaching drama. It should be mentioned here that “drama does not involve acting out what has already been decided” as stated by Winston (1998). It is also important to dispel the fear of drama and build confidence in the pupils and yourself as the teacher. Participation in drama is key if you want to gain anything from it, therefore teachers should experience learning drama in order to having a better understand as a learner. According to Neelands (1990), it is about a child experiencing drama and not so much about acting.
In music we were lucky to have a local primary school visit us to teach us how to play an instrument. The school is a part of a strings project that allowed the children to play a string instrument from p4-7. The children were lucky enough to perform in front of Prince Charles at Dumfries house. The children taught us a range of different games to play. For example, they taught us a finger exercise to warm-up before they played their instruments.
I was paired with a girl in primary 7 who taught me to play the Cello. I had never played the Cello so I was very interested in doing so. She showed me the 4 different strings and I learned these by remembering the saying ‘Auntie Daisy Goes Crazy’. I plucked the instrument to begin with and then used the bow. It was very difficult because I had never experienced playing a string instrument before. I was surprised at how hard you had to press down the bow for the instrument to make a noise. Having the children teach us how to play the instrument was very helpful and gave the children confidence in their teaching. It was also endearing to see the children enjoying the instruments so much.
Learning to play the Cello.
In drama we were taught by students in the class in a micro-teaching task. It was interesting to listen to the different stories. One group created a story about trolls and elves which was very fun. We participated in a number of conventions, such as freeze frame, voice in the head and role on the wall. I particularly enjoyed role on the wall because it allowed me to study the characteristics of the person in the stories that we listened to.
We also spoke about what drama activities are appropriate to teach in the classroom. We looked at the poem Dulce et Decorum est by Wilfred Owen. The majority of the class believed that the poem was too gory for primary children. In my opinion, I believe that the poem can be taught to primary 6 and 7 because it portrays the atrocities of war without being graphic. This would give the children a deeper understanding of the war which could be transferred into a drama lesson.
To conclude, I am able to understand that you do not have to be an expert to teach/learn drama. The most important factor is participation in the arts. Full participation allows you to have a meaningful learning experience which is what music and drama set out to do.
References:
(Neelands, J. (1990) Making Sense of Classroom Drama: A guide to classroom practice. Heinemann Educational Books
[Accessed: 07 November 2017]
Winston, J. (1998) Drama, Narrative and Moral Education. London: Falmer Press
In music we focused on the importance of the voice in the classroom. We discussed that the voice is the main way of communication within the classroom, therefore it is crucial that we use our voice. It is important to warm your voice up before raising it. We were advised that you should warm your voice up in the morning by speaking to family members or animals before heading to work. We looked at some websites such as the British Voice Association (BVA) for hints and tips to manage our voice appropriately. This was very interesting because it used techniques that I was unaware of, for example quieting your voice so children have to concentrate more on your voice. This is not only effective in getting the class to listen, but is also beneficial for your maintaining your larynx!
We looked at Choon Baboon to give us ideas of to consider in the classroom. The videoclips are specifically helpful for those who are uncomfortable with teaching music in the classroom. We warmed up our voice and learned a song about dogs which was very amusing. Looking at this lesson in a child’s perspective, I can appreciate that this would be a fun and interactive lesson that children would thoroughly enjoy. The lecturer taught us some songs to sing with children, such as ‘Doctor Knickerbocker’ and ‘Have you ever seen a penguin come to tea’. These songs were difficult because they also incorporated actions. These songs were also fun and very interactive.
To finish the workshop, we created a song with different musical instruments. We worked in groups to make our own tune. My particular group’s song theme focused on a haunted house. We used 2 drums as footsteps and a knock on the door, a tambourine as chains, maracas as the weather and tuned percussion as chimes and a build-up. Overall our song worked out very well. It sounded very eerie which we set out to do.
Our Halloween themed tune.The instruments my group used to create the Haunted House tune.
Drama was based on the theme of Halloween. We focused on 4 conventions: flashback, fast forward, slow motion and narrator. We also focused of the work from Augusto Boal who was the founder of ‘Theatre of the oppressed’. His work meant that the audience become active in the play and could change the scene that was happening.
The lecturer went into ‘teacher in role’ and explained that he was an estate agent and was selling Dalquharn castle. There had been rumours of incidents that have happened in the castle and the price of the castle had depreciated because of this. In order for the price of the sale to increase, he is willing to offer people money to stay in the castle overnight to disprove the rumours.
We had to use the four conventions to make different scenarios of what happened when we arrived at Dalquharn castle, such as what happened previous to the incident and after the incident occurred. These four conventions are another example that I could teach within the classroom.
I believe that the drama inputs so far have really increased my confidence in teaching drama. Before, I was unsure how to teach children drama but now I have several ideas to take away that I can look at for the future. From reflecting on these inputs, I can see that both can improve confidence in children and also educators. I believe that I have become closer to people in workshops because drama and music have allowed me to work with others who I usually would not interact with. Music and drama have also improved my confidence and has allowed me to not be afraid of trying new things.
References:
The British Voice Association [Online] Available: http://www.britishvoiceassociation.org.uk/ [Accessed: 03 November 2017]
Today we learned about the importance of music and had our first dance session.
In the lecture we spoke about ‘why music matters’. The class was shown a video of why music can improve a child’s ability within the curriculum. According to the video clip shown, music is more important to the child’s education than first thought. I was interested to find that college-age musicians are emotionally healthier than non- musicians. To me, this proves that music plays a very important role and shows it can make our lives healthier and happier. As an aspiring teacher, my thought is that musical experiences should be given to children in the classroom, school and community. In my opinion, it is unacceptable for a teacher to refuse to teach music in their classroom in the 21st century. There is significant proof that music has many advantages for children’s cognitive development, therefore every educator should consider the role of music in the classroom.
I was very excited to find out what the dance workshop entailed. I have danced in previous years and find it relaxing and fun. We did a variety of starters to ease us into the lesson which I thought was beneficial. It was obvious that some people were nervous and the starters relaxed them. One example starter we participated in was to get into one large line and move around the room in any way we pleased. The front of the line lead the group and created a dance move that the music playing made them feel. For example, when a rock song came on, a person may play the guitar. This starter was enjoyable and very beneficial in making everyone feel comfortable in the workshop.
In dance we worked on a variety of different exercises in teams. For example, I worked in a group with 6 others to create a body template and label where bones, muscles and organs should be placed on the body. Overall, my group struggled with bone placement but did fairly well.
Body template filled in with bones, muscles and organs.
At the beginning I was confused how this exercise linked to dance, but we then went on to speak about how it important to stretch muscles before a dance session. I found out that it was important to stretch from head to toes as this gave the most effective stretch. We focused on each body part solely and stretched for 8-10 seconds on each one. This is a fantastic lesson that can be taught to the younger ages in primary schools and then children can create their own stretches in later years.
The last exercise we completed in dance was creating a movement for each element in dance: spin, hop, slide, gesture, balance, jump, roll, reach, twist and turn. This was very helpful because these 10 elements can be taught within schools for children to create and understand dance.
The music workshop consisted of theory rather than practical. Firstly, we looked at an article by Susan Hallam to understand the importance of music and how to link music with other curricular areas. We split into small groups and focused on a particular part of my reading, my group’s extract being ‘creativity’.
Main points from article on creativity in music.
In Scotland today, ‘creativity’ has a high profile in education and is a big part of Scottish Government policy and Scotland’s education values, as stated by Education Scotland (2013). For instance, Bloom’s taxonomy (2009) is a hierarchical model that is used within schools throughout Scotland to develop higher order thinking skills. Bloom’s taxonomy places creativity at the top of the hierarchical model which shows that it is therefore important within Scottish schools’ curriculum. It was interesting to find out those who play a musical instrument are generally more creative than those who are non-instrument players or participated in visual arts. It was also interesting to find out that the more interaction a child has with music, the more creative they will be.
Reflecting on the idea of creativity, my group was then asked to create a music lesson plan that used a lot of creativity. My group came up with the idea of linking the weather and music together by creating musical instruments and comparing them to weather sounds. This was helpful because it allowed me to put the workshop into a teaching mindset and create future lesson plans.
Today has increased my knowledge of dance immensely and has made me more confident in my teaching abilities and has given me an abundance of ideas to teach to future pupils. Music has also allowed me to think in a teaching mindset and create lesson plans which prepares me for the future. This lesson has also allowed me to link dance and music together in that music is incredibly important for both. For music and dance to be successful, teachers should reflect on their practice and creativeness in order for the child to have a rich experience in these subjects.
Hallam, S. (2010) The power of music: Its impact on the intellectual, social and personal development of children and young people. International Journal of Music Education, Vol 28(3), pp.269-289.
In today’s workshops we focused on music and art. In music we created our own sounds and tunes on the app Garageband. This was a fantastic application that allows you to collaborate sounds to create your own personal tune.
Creating my own tune using the Garageband app.
At the beginning, I struggled with creating my own tune. Apart from music in integrated arts, I had not participated in music in over 6 years. I had not used Garageband before but was very glad to do so. I believe that Garageband is a fantastic app to introduce into the classroom because it allows children to be creative and explore different types of sound. When creating my tune, I decided to use 4 different sounds: piano, guitar, bass and sound effects of rain falling. I also used a video of Lego men which influenced the sounds I used, such as using a cartoon ‘boing’ sound effect when they were fighting with swords which was very amusing.
Overall, I was surprised at what I was able to achieve in such little time on Garageband which improved my confidence in music. I also think that Garageband is a fantastic tool to improve a child’s confidence if they struggle with music like myself. We also looked at different music sites that would be very helpful within the classroom.
In the Art workshop we looked at different colouring books which focus on allowing the person to use their imagination.
These particular colouring books were very interesting because I was very intrigued by the nature of the books. As a child, I know that I would have loved these books as they were more appealing than the average colouring book due to their complete originality. It is an exercise that is good for imagination and to allow children to understand what the meaning of colouring is. According to Gombrich (1977), the psychological effects of colour include calming and stimulating properties. I agree with this statement as I find colouring very therapeutic and calming.
We also used our printed pictures from the week previously and photocopied the print paintings in black and white and in a smaller size. After this, we added to our painting with colour which brought creativity and new ideas of what the painting means.
It was interesting to add to our print paintings because it allowed me to think outside of the box. There are so many different ways that a drawing or painting can be changed which gives children a lot to think about.
In conclusion, I have found that the music resources in today’s music workshop have been very helpful in helping me to create future lesson plans. As I will find music a hard subject to teach within the classroom, it has given me confidence is knowing that there are numerous resources that can aid me in teaching. The art and music workshop have allowed me to understand that creativity is one of the most important factors in these subjects. Creativity in the arts is what makes them meaningful and enjoyable, therefore teachers have to consider their creativeness.
References:
Gombrich et al. (1977) Art and illusion: A study in the psychology of pictorial representation. (Vol. 5). London: Phaidon.
In today’s lecture we learned about the importance of print. It was interesting to discover that the first print created was The Bible and the first publisher in Europe was Johannes Gutenberg. It is important to learn about print as it is the reason we are literate and has allowed us to communicate effectively.
We analysed the popular painting ‘Windows in the West’ created by Avril Paton in 1993. The painting shows a tenement building with snow surrounding it which was influenced by the west of Glasgow. Using Rod Taylor’s (1992) process, form, content and mood model we can discover what the meaning of the painting is.
Process- Due to the size of the painting, it was impossible to paint standing up at the beginning. Initially, the artist had to paint on the floor which was very difficult and uncomfortable. It took 6 months to complete. The artist had left the snow to paint at the end but found that she could not imagine what snow looked like as she was now painting in the summer. She used Norwegian architecture books to aid her in remembering snow which was successful and she finished the painting soon after.
Form- The painting has been arranged in such a way that the building is in the centre. Although this is the case, the startling white snow surrounding the building draws my attention immediately. The contrast of the brown stony building and the white snow makes the snow important as well as the building itself.
Content- The artist observed this building directly every day. She lived in a flat opposite the building but lived in the basement therefore did not have a good view. She never thought about painting the building in a different view until one winter’s day when the snow sitting on the ledges so beautifully inspired her to do so.
Mood- The painting gives me a feeling of reminiscence. The snow in the painting reminds me of winter which is my favourite time of year and reminds me of exciting times, such as Christmas and New Year.
I believe Rod Taylor’s model is a fantastic way to teach within the classroom in the future. Sometimes articulation in the arts can be difficult therefore it can allow children to express what their painting entails through prompting from the particular questions of the process, form, content and mood model.
This particular painting has potential for influencing or using as a stimulus for drama and literacy teaching. A potential literacy teaching would be to examine each flat separately and create a story for each apartment. A potential drama teaching could be to use the painting as a stimulus and link to the literacy teaching, therefore acting out each story. Another idea would be to learn about the west of Glasgow’s culture and how they speak to create a scene possibly using the ‘Glaswegian’ accent.
In the Art workshop we were mark making and learning about colour theory. This particular workshop took me back to childhood and it was endearing to create these marks again as an adult. We took a section of the ‘Windows in the West’ painting and marked polystyrene with pens.
Marking the polystyrene with a pen influenced by Avril Paton’s painting.
We used paint and rollers to cover the polystyrene in paint and then stuck to a coloured piece of paper. It was interesting to see the bright contrasting colours, such as blue and orange.
Contrasting colours
I believe that this particular task would be fantastic to teach in the class. Not only is it fun for children, but it can also be linked to a task in literacy.
Our second workshop was drama which I was very excited about. I have participated in drama in the past and was looking forward to applying it in a teaching context. As a teacher, drama can be scary because it can be less structured that other subjects, therefore it is hard to determine if the lesson will be successful. I think that it is important to teach drama in primary school because I believe it can improve children’s confidence and also teachers’ confidence in their teaching. It also pulls the teacher away from teaching in a monotonous way.
We looked at different conventions of drama, such as improvisation, thought tunnel, freeze frame, teacher in role and hot seating. These different conventions were very helpful to learn because it shows that drama isn’t always about reading from a script. We looked at the story of a dragon using these different conventions to explain how the villagers and dragon acted and felt. It was difficult to ‘pretend’ in the beginning because it is not something I am used to doing very often as an adult. As the lesson progressed, I felt that my confidence improved and I really enjoyed the experience.
In conclusion, I believe that today has given me a lot of new knowledge that I can take to the classroom in the future. I have also learned in the arts that monotonous teaching should be the minimum rather than ‘the norm’. Teachers should have confidence to teach without the use of a power point which can be seen as a ‘protective blanket’. Today has also been helpful in linking subjects together, such as literacy and art.
References:
Paton, A. (1993) Windows in the West. [Watercolour on paper 48” x 60”]. Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow. Available: https://avrilpaton.co.uk/prints/windows-in-the-west [Accessed: 05 October 2017].
Taylor, R. (1992) Visual arts in education. London: The Falmer Press.
Room 13 is a project that was created in Scotland by a group of young artists in 1994 in order to develop creativity that no school or college can give you. The project is run by the young artists alongside professional adult artists which give students and practitioners of all ages a different perspective to what they have learned in the past. The project has become so popular that it has been expanded to schools in London, Los Angeles, Mumbai, South Africa, India and Nepal.
In my opinion, this is a fantastic project for changing the way art is taught and perceived. I believe that the creativity of a child’s mind can aid the adult artist in making art education more imaginative. The child and adult artist working together can allow each other to not only teach students, but learn from each other as well. Also, I think that other children being aware of this project can allow them to raise their aspirations as they can see that this project proves you can be an artist at any age.
As we can most likely recall from school, the visual arts can lack creativity within the curriculum. Fleming (2012) believes that the reasons to teach Art in education are always vague and sometimes untrue. One example can be to ‘develop imagination and creativity’. This can be disproved by Souness (2005), where it is said that teaching visual arts in the curriculum is often standardised. The specific set of outcomes can force learning to be instrumental and make the child become less creative, which makes it a lot more difficult for a child to excel academically in art. I believe that art is a subject that most teachers struggle to teach because they believe that they do not excel in the visual arts themselves. What has to be taken into consideration is that if a teacher does not ‘excel’ in a mandatory subject, such as numeracy, they cannot simply dismiss the subject.
To conclude, I believe that the Room 13 project is a fantastic way of exchanging ideas and experiences between the child and adult artist. This particular project could be what the educational system needs to make are a more valuable and creative experience for children in Curriculum for Excellence. In reflection, educators need to be aware of the importance of teaching the arts creatively to ensure every child is getting the richest educational experience possible.
References:
Fleming, M. (2012) The Arts in Education: An introduction to aesthetics, theory and pedagogy. London: Routledge.
Gibb, C. (2012) Room 13: The Movement and International Network. International Journal of Art & Design Education, Vol 31(3), pp.237-244.
Souness, D. (2005) Room 13, in D. Atkinson & P. Dash (eds.) Social and Critical Practices in Art Education. Stoke-on-Trent: Trentham Books.
This week has been a very interesting experience in Integrated Arts. The lecture has taught me that literacy can be expressed through drawing as well as writing. Using the extract from Fleming (2012), we used an illustration to symbolise the key points from the extract. For me, the chapters main point was for people to have insight into the value of art and explain that art is more about ‘showing’ rather than ‘telling’. This has inspired me to teach differently and change the tedious way of teaching literacy in the future. In my opinion, blending image and text together would benefit children because I believe that using art in a literacy context could relieve a child of ‘normal’ literacy teachings. This is essential in making school an enjoyable environment for children.
The workshop has allowed us to look at the stages of children’s drawings throughout primary years. We specifically looked at 3 stages from McAuliffe, (2007): The scribbling stage (2-4 years), the pre-schematic stage (4-7 years) and the gang stage (9-12 years). From analysing each stage, it could be seen that there was a drastic difference in each.
From the scribbling stage, we could determine that the drawings were not as refined. The drawings were messier and you could tell that the children were not afraid to scribble. It could be said that this stage may have more imagination. For example, one child from the scribbling stage drew a fire truck with a ladder that had squiggly lines rather that straight, which showed this particular boy had used his imagination to create this picture rather than copying another.
The scribbling stage (2-4 years)
As the children move the pre-schematic stage, it can be seen that the drawings are becoming neater and more refined. Details that have been added would not have been seen in the scribbling stage. The drawings tend to be that of realism, such as landscapes. It should be pointed out that the pre-schematic stage is when the child makes a transition from early level to primary school. It could be argued that change in the drawings could be caused by primary school teachers, where children’s art work could be more ‘controlled’. In this case, ‘nurture’ could take over ‘nature’.
The pre-schematic stage (4-7 years)
In the gang stage, the drawings become even more detailed but most still remain in realism. In my opinion, there is a lot more plagiarism happening in this particular stage which makes work less imaginative for children, which can be referred to an instrumental learning. In the gang stage, it is possible that the children study pop culture and famous artists such as Picasso and Andy Warhol. Instead of creating their own drawings, they are influenced by these artists which can result in lack of creativity.
The gang stage (9-12 years)
In conclusion, I have learned that allowing children to create their own drawings is essential in keeping creativity alive and making art more enjoyable. I have also learned that art is not about ‘accuracy’ and drawings should have imagination rather than plagiarism. Reflecting as an aspiring teacher, I know that my attitudes towards teaching arts have changed forever and I would love to teach art in a more creative way in the future.
References:
Fleming, M. (2012) The Arts in Education: An introduction to aesthetics, theory and pedagogy. London: Routledge.
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.
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