Following up from the previous week, when our task entailed creating a print of a famous Scottish painting, we then had to photocopy our print and extend the image. The photocopy was printed in black and white and to extend the image we drew the rest of the tenement building using a pen. As well as this we used coloured pencils to add colour to the drawing to make it more dynamic. This exercise allowed us to understand that projects don’t need to be disregarded after one lesson; there is always an opportunity to build on a piece of artwork by learning about new techniques and styles. Also, by holding onto children’s work this allows them to feel that their work is valued.
We were also shown examples of types of booklets that can be bought to spark children’s creativeness by giving them a starting point or an initial idea.
We also gained an understanding of how to use musical technology by engaging with a software called GarageBand on the apple mac. I felt this was an interesting tool that could be used within the classroom as it would enable children to hear the varied styles of music that particular instruments produced. As well as this it would allow children to improve on their problem solving skills by allowing them to collaborate their own piece of music, using different musical instruments. This software is also allows you to insert voice clips, sound effects and animations into your soundtrack; thus making it a good tool to use within presentations produced by the children.
It is sometimes viewed within the education system that the only way to succeed academically is by performing well in English and Mathematics. Thus other subjects, such as the arts, are being pushed to the periphery of the curriculum and children are losing out on educational experiences through the use of creativity. However, it is easy to link the arts with other subjects within the curriculum; for example using music to tell a story or drama to act out a social situation. It is up to us as teachers to incorporate the arts into other parts of the curriculum to engage children in active learning and to allow their learning experiences to be more memorable. It has also become apparent to me that it is the responsibility of the educator, to ensure that children are developing creative skills such as evaluating and synthesising. In response to this Education Scotland, (2013) have published a document, demonstrating different teaching approaches that should be used within the classroom to encourage creative learning. This will enable pupils to become responsible for their own learning, whilst stimulating development of the skills listed above. The document also states that educators should use supportive discussions and coaching techniques to motivate children to use their imagination, whilst coaxing them to reflect on their ideas as they evolve (Education Scotland, 2013). Therefore by doing this, allows children to integrate these skills into other curricular subjects.
References
Scotland, E. (2013). Creativity Across Learning 3-18. [ebook] Education Scotland. Available at: https://education.gov.scot/improvement/Documents/cre39-impact-report.pdf [Accessed 11 Dec. 2017].
