In music we had the chance to do some improvisation on the glockenspiel which everyone found very fun. I think that fun is extremely important in a lesson as it engages the learner and makes it easier to grasp a concept. We were also shown a website called Charanga which has lots of different teaching resources on it. It breaks down the lessons into manageable chunks which can be added to each week. I have since had the chance to look through Charanga myself and think that I will use this in future lessons. Below I have linked the website.
Art today was an interesting experience for me. Normally I would say that I am not very ‘arty’. I find art difficult and frustrating as it never turns out quite like I had imagined. By creating our own paint brushes in any manner we wanted, I felt less anxious. I made my paintbrush shorter than an average one as I prefer to be close to the paper while I work. This then gave me better control and I enjoyed it far more.
Below is a photo of some of the paintbrushes the class made.
Also, by having the lecturer talk through a mountain scene with the class we were all able to take away our own view of what the scene should look like. There were common elements that had been described but everyone’s art at the end was unique – different use of colour or spacing made them all different.
This is something I very much enjoyed seeing as I feel that schools can sometimes take away this individuality by being overly prescriptive. Ken Robinson, (2007) states in his TED Talk that schools force the creativity out of children by making them focus on other more academic subjects. Therefore, it is important that we as teachers show children that creativity and the arts are just as important as other subjects.
The importance of creativity, self-expression and fun are what I took away from both of today’s sessions. By making our own paintbrushes in art we were able to free ourselves from the constraints of normal paintbrushes. I saw this at first as a bit of a challenge as I like order and rules. The idea of ‘mess’ or disorder in a classroom is something that many teachers do not like. They prefer order, obedience and keeping tidy as that is what many school experiences in the past have been (Gabora, 2017). However, after making my own brush I felt far freer to express myself and there was far less frustration when creating my art as the brush was exactly what I wanted it to be. There was no issue with it being too fine which normally makes me acutely aware when I make a mistake. When I went over the edges of the paper – something that would normally upset me- I did not focus on it too much and so I was far more relaxed.
The picture below is of my mixing palette. Very ‘messy’.
The completed painting is below. I was very happy with it and looking forward to seeing it once it dried.
References
Gabora, L. (2017). What creativity really is – and why schools need it. [Online] Available: http://theconversation.com/what-creativity-really-is-and-why-schools-need-it-81889?fbclid=IwAR1ViR3sIjDYGMk704xyGUC34unnuWgiAbAXSmeVmnTf82VFMDDlHor-164 [Accessed: 18 September 2018].
Robinson, K. (2007). TED Talk. Do schools kill creativity? [Online] Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY [Accessed: 18 September 2018].
