Norway has very different aspects of culture compared to Scotland. From today’s session we were identifying the contrast between Scotland and Norway. There are two different written languages depending on where you come from in Norway. In the earlier years, the Danish ruled Norway and some of the citizens wanted to keep the old language however some wanted a new language hence why there is now two spoken languages in Norway.
Relating to schools, we established that the Norwegian classroom teaching isn’t as interactive as it is here in Scotland. Scotland has a lot of outdoor learning encouraged throughout its teaching, however Norway students don’t have the same opportunity and they have discussed that this is an aspect of learning that needs to continue to be introduced.
It was discussed today that the arts isn’t as effective in Norway is it is here in Scotland. Pupils have stated that the teachers are not as creative as they just give them pictures to look at and copy to draw it. Music and drama is also combined together therefore pupils aren’t getting the benefit of both subjects as an individual subject. This has a negative impact on pupils learning as they aren’t getting the opportunity to have a well-rounded education as they haven’t had a good chance to learn about the Arts.
Within the Arts workshop, we were looking at different variations of environmental Art. We worked in a group of five which allowed us to gain collaboration skills as we were working as a team. Our task was to create a powerful message using only what was in front of us outside. Within our group we used natural materials such as rocks, ripples in the water and leaves etc. Our message was to focus on the statement on breaking down barriers. This lesson is a great opportunity as it allows pupils to be creative and make a powerful statement by using materials that are round about them (Watts et al, 2007). By encouraging outdoor learning, it allows pupils to feel free to be creative in a different environment and to also acknowledge the art they have around them on a daily basis (Waite, 2010).
Today we started to gain a better understanding of the app GarageBand. GarageBand is an app that allows you to play around with various sounds and instruments such as piano or the drums for example. Garageband would be beneficial in education as it allows pupils to create their own piece of music by using the various sounds and instruments there is to offer. Pupils can decide which instrument they want to use and what sounds work well with it. Throughout this session, it was quite hard to try and get the grasp of the app as there was just so much to choose from however with a better understanding of the app now I feel that I would be able to use Garageband in the future.
In relation to pupils, I feel that pupils would need to have guidance on how to use the app as it can be quite confusing to navigate therefore pupils would be frustrated if they didn’t know what to do. Headphones would also be required when using Garageband in the class as it can become quite noisy and therefore some pupils would begin to get annoyed by all the noises or the class could just become chaotic. By using an activity like this allows pupils to engage with the Arts but in a more active and enjoyable way. It is important as teachers that we maintain pupils focus when completing this activity though as many pupils can go off the topic due to there being so many options on the app which could cause distractions from the task.
Using Garageband on the Ipad’s allows pupils to follow what the teacher is directing them to look at. Ipad’s are also beneficial as they have various opportunities to things such as record yourself or create your own sounds (Ruisamki et al, 2013). This gives pupils the opportunity to be creative in the own way and allows them to develop play as they are able to use the Ipad to control different sounds (Sharp, 2001).
Overall, it is important that we embrace different cultures into our arts lessons as they have various things that we may do differently therefore it is a great opportunity for pupils to get to understand about other places in our world. As teachers, we must ensure that our pupils are able to be involved in outdoor learning to look at the Art we have outside in our environment. In order to do so though we must make sure that as the lesson goes on that we find ways to keep pupils on task!
REFERENCES
Waite, S. (2010) Teaching and Learning Outside the Classroom: personal values, alternative pedagogies and standards. International Journal of Primary, Elementary and Early Years Education [Abstract, Online] Vol. 39, Pg 65-82. Available: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03004270903206141 [Accessed: 22nd October 2019].
Watts, R. Cox, S. McAuliffe, D. Heme, S. (2007) Teaching Art and Design 3-11. (Reaching the Standards). London: Continuum International Publishing.
Ruisamki, H. Juvonen, A and Lehtonen, K. (2013) The Ipad and music in the new Learning Environment. The European Journal of Social and Behavioural Sciences. [Abstract, Online] Available: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/157586743.pdf [Accessed: 22nd October 2019].
Sharp, C, (2001) Developing Young Children’s Creativity Through the Arts: what does Research Have to Offer. [Online] Available: https://www.nfer.ac.uk/publications/44420/44420.pdf [Accessed: 22nd October 2019].
