In todays lecture, we were accompanied by a group of four individuals from Norway. They had prepared a short presentation about learning and teaching in Norway. From this, I found out that children in Norway, are in primary school from 6-16. This is a massive difference from our education system, with our children being at school from 4/5 – 11. Children in Norway are also given the opportunity to pick subjects in primary school when they reach 13. The focus in Norwegian schools is outdoor learning and is a far cry from our focus on Maths and English. I would love to visit Norway to see their teaching in action as I feel I could learn a lot. I would have liked to have found out more about Norway and the individuals who are visiting, however, they were in the other section and I was unable to spend any time with them.

From here, we moved onto music. In this input we were exploring Garageband. Garageband is a sound mixing app which gives you the ability to create and edit music. These are some of the features of Garageband :

• Midi keyboards can be connected and used
• You can record using a microphone
• You can record virtual amps and pedal effects by connecting a guitar or bass
• You can add a drummer that automatically plays along with your song
• You can add a background track to your recorded music
•  You can add audio and animation
• You can vary the sounds, pitch, tempo and dynamics of the sounds.

 

This app took some time to get used to, especially for those who were unfamiliar with the programme (me). However, once you had a grasp of the basics, it was clear that this app posed endless creative opportunities. Here is a clip of a very basic recording by myself :

We then moved on to creating an autumnal sound through Garageband. This proved to be more difficult for me as I could not get clips to download and play on the app. This is something my peers also struggled with. However, I can see the importance of doing such as task, as it allows children to explore and express their ideas of the sounds of autumn in a fun and creative manner.

I would use the following experiences and outcomes when exploring this app within the classroom:

• I can use my voice, musical instruments and music technology to experiment with sounds, pitch, melody, rhythm, timbre and dynamics. EXA 2-17a
• I can use music technology to compose, record and produce music and to enhance performance. EXA 4-17b
• Inspired by a range of stimuli, and working on my own and/or with others, I can express and communicate my ideas, thoughts and feelings through musical activities. EXA 0-18a / EXA 1-18a / EXA 2-18a

(Scottish Government, 2008)

The next part of my day, took me to art, where we explored outdoor learning. We explored artists such as Richard Long and Andy Goldsworthy. These artists specialise in land art. Here are a few examples of their work:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our group decided to focus our land art on combatting littering. This idea came to us when we saw a wine bottle and some other rubbish lying beside the river. This is something that tarnishes the beautiful scenery and negatively impacts our planet. We decided to use a mixture of natural resources and the rubbish which is polluting our environment. Here is our finished product :

Education Scotland underpin the importance of outdoor learning through their document ‘Curriculum for excellence through outdoor learning’. This document highlights the concept that outdoor learning experiences are more likely to be remembered and provide relevance and depth to the curriculum in ways that would be difficult to inside. Above all, outdoor learning is enjoyable, promotes creativity, is challenging and allows children to explore and grow as confident and responsible individuals.

(Education Scotland, 2010)

Art in the outdoors is something I would love to explore with children, whether it is cross curricular learning or simply art for the sake of doing art. Children will get to breathe fresh air, while exploring their surroundings and being naturally creative with their resources. Our group would never have came up with our idea if it wasn’t for the litter we stumbled upon. I look forward to seeing what ideas the children I will work with come up with.

References 

Education Scotland, 2010. Curriculum for excellence through outdoor learning. [Online] Available https://education.gov.scot/Documents/cfe-through-outdoor-learning.pdf [Accessed 22 October 2019].

The Scottish Government. (2008). Curriculum for Excellence: Expressive Arts Experiences and Outcomes. [Online]  Available https://education.gov.scot/Documents/expressive-arts-eo.pdf  [Accessed 22 October 2019].