Tag: expressive arts

Week 5 – Feelings and emotions through the arts

This week we began our learning for music, an area I haven’t had a lot of experience with of recent. Leading to not much confidence in this topic area, which I put down to my earliest experiences in primary, where I didn’t get chosen for doing things like the violin. However, I do want to learn key skills to include music in lessons and hopefully make children feel like they can play music even if they may not believe in themselves like myself at their age.

To start with it was vital we were opened up to why music matters. Identifying music in how it makes us feel and how we connect with it. Pondering the way, it makes us feel inside through our listening. The emotions and connections made can create and open up keen interests in areas of music. Seeing the different varieties of how music relates to us can aid the development of being creative in creating our own pieces but also in our cross-curricular work.

Linking to the way that listening to music can create different images and ideas within our minds, leading to writing a story or visualising images. Using this piece from fantasia, we created our own creative writings, which even within my group of five we had different ideas. I enjoyed doing this and letting my mind be evaporated into the piece of music.

“Children and young people will develop, enhance and apply skills gained in the expressive arts in a very broad range of activities…” (Education Scotland, Date)

Putting our ideas together we added the visuals of a storyboard, bringing to life a piece of music, we had only just heard. As well as using tools in collaborative workings and also being enabled through literacy and visual arts.

Music is a stimulus, to other areas of the curriculum, but also the power of our minds. Music can be enjoyed through playing but more so through listening and engaging our thoughts.

“As music and language are cultural products, it’s important to let students speak the truth of their native musical and literary cultures…” (Glauser, H.A., 2019)

This week in drama was our final week, and I can see the transitions through emotions and thoughts I’ve made. From an environment I haven’t had experience with to an area I feel I can value in multiple ways of my classroom. This final input led me to be in the children’s minds as our peers micro-taught us. Being in their shoes last week I could relate to the feelings, and I wanted to be able to engage with the tasks they set as best I could so they could explore their skillset in teaching drama.

Being able to embody myself in a multitude of emotions and connecting with the scenes. As well as exploring deeper the conventions we have done in the inputs we have had.

“…we need to extend our own experience of creative and artistic activity and be willing to step inside such contexts with our learners, demonstrating our own imaginative engagement in the process.” (Grainger, 2003, P. 46)

Microteaching can aid in creative confidence as well as enrich our competence within educating children on drama.

Finally, we explored a new convention of role on the wall this week, explored the way drama doesn’t have to be a specific part of the day it can be incorporated into multiple topics of the curriculum. Here we can see the connections and individual can make to a character or person. They can create a picture of words on how the person is seen or judged by others and how they feel on the inside. As Baldwin explored how doing drama in classrooms can enable connections to be made between the picture’s children see and the feelings that would have been felt.

These “imaging experiences are none the less felt and integrated cognitive, affective and aesthetic experiences.” (Baldwin, 2012)

With this, you can create a future picture and to how these may have changed over time or through a specific event occurring.

I can respond to the experience of drama by discussing my thoughts and feelings. I can give and accept constructive comments on my own and others’ work.

EXA 0-15a / EXA 1-15a / EXA 2-15a / EXA 3-15a (Education Scotland,

Through these sessions, I can link to the feelings and emotions the arts can bring through our engagement. Being able to see how this resonates on the inside to how they are portrayed on the outside. Through musical sounds, words out of a mouth or images on a storyboard, individuals are able to create a picture of emotions in the mind and reiterate these in their own form.

 

References

Scottish Government (n.d.) Curriculum for excellence: expressive arts. Experiences and Outcomes[Online] available: https://education.gov.scot/Documents/expressive-arts-eo.pdf [accessed on: 12/10/2019]

 

Teresa Grainger (2003) Creative teachers and the language arts: Possibilities and potential, Education 3-13: International Journal of Primary, Elementary and Early Years Education, 31:1, 43-47

 

Glauser, A.H., (2019) Why Music [online] available: https://www.kent.edu/tags/hugh-glauser-school-music?page=3 [accessed: 12/10/2019]

Baldwin, P (2012) With Drama in Mind: Real learning in Imagined worlds continuum: London

 

 

 

 

Week 4 – The power of words

Hearing the word microteaching opened a lot of nervous energy at first but once I started working on it, it let me be a critical, creative thinker to develop a lesson plan. Plus getting to use collaborative skills with my team enabled me to not only develop a lesson but develop myself. Microteaching is a key aspect of being able to gain confidence which is vital in teaching children drama.

 ‘achieve an understanding of the inherent principles that inform their best practice and, through self and peer analysis, discover how to extend their own abilities.’ (Bloomfield, 2000)

Teaching drama is something I have never considered or experienced before. We had partaken in these as students but this time we had to use our teacher knowledge to convey them to the “children.”

Choosing a storybook, we identified with teacher in role, thought tunnel and monologue. We used these to enable the children to connect with the book and explore their own feelings in these situations of the difficult themes within. We also felt that the children would connect with the idea of animals and them having a party in the jungle.

It was important to use our skills and choices to engage the children in the drama. While linking into the e’s and o’s that lead our teaching practice. Identifying this area of them in relation to this particular drama lesson.

Exploring real and imaginary situations helps learners to understand and share their world.

  • I can respond to the experience of drama by discussing my thoughts and feelings. I can give and accept constructive comment on my own and others’ work.

EXA 0-15a / EXA 1-15a / EXA 2-15a / EXA 3-15a

(Scottish Government, 2017)

This identified to me the way children can use this storybook to learn about the world. We connected to the way the pupils can use it to explore themes of bullying and inclusion. Being able to convey their thoughts and feelings surrounding these situations, which can be real life for some.

 

In the second part exploring, even more, the way a book can be used to help a child process and create emotional and deep pieces. As it was identified to us, using a mime with no words but adding sound on top can be powerful. Using a story with a forest, we created trees and made the sounds of going through a wood. The silence and darkness, adding in different noises, created a power of silence and connecting with the feelings of the girl in the story, with the fear she might have felt, just like when I heard the word ‘microteaching.’

With visual arts, I didn’t experience the practical due to having to leave campus. However, I discussed with my peers the activities which took place. They explained to me the process of adding lyrics to our images, we painted the previous week. This can be very emotive and brings more out of the picture than the colours and what you see first-hand. Connecting words to our creations can add a deeper level to a personal piece of work. This leads on from the work of last week with words leading to the creation of a painting, to add words on top of the same drawing.

“…learners the chance to interpret, communicate and create meaning for themselves.” (Grainger, 2003, pp. 44)

Being able to express themselves through the arts and the images they have created but connecting words to our creations can add a deeper level to a personal piece of work.

Looking at these two areas I can see the way images and words put together, can create a strong, powerful and creative piece. The words in a storybook can lead to children to open up their own perspectives to the words they hear. As much as viewing an image can lead to the words, we link with them, on top of the picture. Both can create deeper, powerful meanings to these art forms, and also enable a child to express themselves in different but similar manners. Words can express feelings, however mixing them with images, movements or sounds a wider sense of emotions can occur. Seeing the way our curriculum links up is clearly identified in arts this week, with words being central in our art creations.

 

References

Bloomfield, A., Childs, J. (2000) Teaching integrated arts in the primary school. Routledge: New York

Teresa Grainger (2003) Creative teachers and the language arts: Possibilities and potential, Education 3-13: International Journal of Primary, Elementary and Early Years Education, 31:1, 43-47

Scottish Government (2017) Curriculum for excellence: expressive arts. Experiences and Outcomes[Online] available: https://education.gov.scot/Documents/expressive-arts-eo.pdf [accessed: 10/10/2019]

Week 3 – freedom of expression

This week in visual arts we explored ‘Room 13.’ This was in a primary school for children to be enabled to manage their own learning within the arts. This is all done as a social enterprise by the school, as they make money from doing their own school photographs. The children are put at the heart of the project.

 ‘compliance to a set of ‘past practices’ and ‘orthodoxies’ (Atkinson, 2005, Hickman, 2005) that privileges technical skills and teacher-led pedagogies at the expense of creativity and more pupil-led pedagogy which privileges free expressive modes of thinking and making.’

Opening up enquiry-based learning and giving the children a place to express their feelings and emotions and open up their creative side. This room is key in a child’s connection with creativity, as there are no limits to their expression or what they are making. They are in control of their creative learning.

Within the workshop, I opened up skills from my creative side giving me more confidence and pride in my ability. Making my own paintbrush enabled me to be critical about materials and how they would work together, piecing together a rough and smooth side as my choice. However, there was a variety of brushes through the class of big or small plus soft or rough showing everyone’s individual choices and creative minds. Then being able to use the brush to paint with gave a lot of pride, knowing you made something and then used it to create. I can imagine the joy children would have in being able to see the production come to life. Bloomfield (2012) discussed children becoming familiar with materials and absorbing visual shapes, in their heads as they consciously envisage images, leading to them becoming critical of materials and questioning their use.

The painting we created with the brush was done through the reading of a picture. “Visual images appear as the imagination is stimulated, and the children’s experiences are heightened when they are asked to imagine things, as teachers provide descriptive information and encourage sensory responses.” (Bloomfield, 2012, pp. 105)

Without using our eyes but using our minds, creating different variations and colours within the creations.

Scottish Government (2017) state experiences and outcomes at the second level, that teachers can relate to this task:

I can create and present work that shows developing skill in using the visual elements and concepts. (Scottish Government, 2017)

This task reduces the idea of ‘template pictures’ from copying an object or image. These are all independent creations and pieces of work from each individual’s mind are an interpretation of the same reading. They will still see other’s work and feel ‘that’s better than mine,’ however, the reassurance of a teacher praising their work and creativity can lead them a long way in the arts.

Drama focused on historical events and controversial issues in the world. This week I felt much more comfortable and having creative thoughts when I was in my group. I feel I have got to the stage where I am successfully embracing the drama. Drama is successful in bringing out key skills in teamwork and critical thinking about different topics.

‘The arts enable us to have experience we can have from no other source through such experience to discover the range and variety of what we are capable of feeling.’ (Eisner, 2002)

The drama led to expressing ourselves over different topics and events we weren’t involved in but can identify the emotions that were possibly felt. Focusing on the conventions of mime, monologue and voice in head, adding a deeper effect to the scene as emotions and views were shared. The silence in the room was something I really noted from this and being able to connect to how that person felt after what had just occurred.

Bringing to life the realness of these difficult situations can resonate with children as they grow up. Jurinović stated ‘they experience something and perceive something as if they were in someone else’s shoes…’ Connecting with the emotions they would have been going through, can lead children to identify with compassion and empathy.

As I identify a link between these two art forms this week, I see the freedom of expression with the arts. Whether it be through an image of say WW2 or just words being spoken, creating an image. I could see the way children could bring things to life through their minds and be open to being critical of their own thought, but also let it flow out. The way I saw the painting come to life, just the way I seen the emotions come to life, was mesmerising. Children are able to connect with these at deeper levels through the strength of words and connect their creativity to real life.

References

Jurinović, M, R. (2016) Process Drama as a Form of cooperative learning Croatian Journal of Education Vol.18; Sp.Ed.No.2/2016, pages: 239-253

McAuliffe, D (2013) Art and Design Education. In T. Bryce and W. Humes (et al eds.) Scottish Education (4th Edition): Referendum, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press

Eisner, E. (2002). The Arts and the Creation of Mind, In Chapter 4, What the Arts Teach and How It Shows. (pp. 70-92). Yale University Press.

Bloomfield, A (2012) Teaching integrated arts in the primary school New York: Routledge

Scottish Government (2017) Curriculum for excellence: expressive arts. Experiences and Outcomes[Online] available: https://education.gov.scot/Documents/expressive-arts-eo.pdf [accessed: 03/10/2019]

 

Week 1 – Visual Arts and Drama

The arts in schools is an important experience for children, in all aspects as it allows them to be creative, within their thoughts and expressions. These can be produced and created through the use of paper, identifying colours, use of their words, or sometimes just the movement or expression is all that’s needs. Reflecting on my experience today I see how these can be produced and how they can link together.

“The arts are not the flowers, but the roots of education” (Crowther, 1980)

I identified with the child’s perspectives within the aspects of drama and visual arts, especially through drama where insecurities become apparent in an individual’s minds with possibly feeling nervous during a drama lesson or feeling their artwork is dismissed. It is important to further a child’s creativeness through allowing them to be inquisitive to their ideas and pieces of work, asking them questions about what is that you have created or why did you choose these colours. Some children will be able to stand out, but some may need that little bit of time and have that reassurance there that this is ok too.

Visual arts interactions play a key part in a child’s interactions through a creative process in the classroom, learners can gain from their expression and identification of skills. “Visual art education develops an understanding of the creative practice through knowledge, understanding, and production of art in contexts.” (INSEA, 2018)

Reflecting on visual arts today I was able to select this painting of flowers, done by a child within the early stages. Noticing this painting through the colours of the flowers stem and buds to it standing out on the black paper. The precision the child has taken in the colour choice and strokes, amazed me for the early years. McAuliffe (2007) explained how ‘children’s artwork tends to progressively demonstrate closer attention to detail,’ however there is still the common factors for this age and stage, shown through the bigger brush and creating big strokes, or using the larger piece of paper, so the child doesn’t need to be concise and can express themselves fully on a bigger scale.

Education Scotland (2017) states visual arts to look at learners gaining rich opportunities to be creative and to experience inspiration and enjoyment. This was evident at the ways this can be done from seeing a range of work from primary school learners.

Children create these images on paper but with the use of drama, they can make these images become actions or the opposite of being able to make their movements into a still picture. From my experience, today of being involved in various drama conventions such as hot seating, thought tunnel, freeze frame and improvisation. All these enable the children to link their visual thoughts into actions, with the main convention to bring them out being teacher in role. The curriculum experiences and outcomes state how ‘exploring real and imaginary situations help learners to understand and share their world.’ (Education Scotland, n.d.) Both visual arts and drama enable children to do this and connect the two together.

Looking at both these aspects within arts in my practice I want to let the child reach their full capacity of creativeness and not restricting their minds. I would want to display their artwork so they can look back on it but also make connections as they partake in their drama lesson. As a child can hopefully link their learning through drama to creating an image in visual arts, being able to express further than their movements to add colour or an idea of how their idea looks. I want to be open to letting the child use the arts to escape and express to you their ideas

5 year old’s painting
Description of painting

 

References

  • Education Scotland (n.d.) Curriculum for excellence: expressive arts Experiences and Outcomes [online] Available at: https://education.gov.scot/Documents/expressive-arts-eo.pdf[Accessed: 10/09/2019]
  • McAuliffe, D. (2007) Foundation and primary settings. In Teaching Art and Design 3-11 (edited by Cox, S., Watts, R., Grahame, J., Herne, S. and McAuliffe, D.)London:Continuum.
  • Crowther (1959) in Crowe S. (2006) Lifelong Learning and the Arts: “The Arts are not the Flowers, But the Roots of Education“. In: Chapman J., Cartwright P., Mcgilp E.J. (eds) Lifelong Learning, Participation and Equity. Lifelong Learning Book Series, vol 5. Springer, Dordrecht
  • InSEA (2018) The InSEA Manifesto 2018 [online] available: http://insea.org/InSEA-Manifesto [accessed: 10/09/2019]