Tag: #visualarts

Week 8 – Technology within the arts

Exploring creativity within art is important, with us as teachers to discuss it but also within our classrooms it is vital, we have discussions about it.

“Professional reflection is central to the development of new awareness, knowledge and value shifts which lead to more effective practices in arts teaching.” (Harland, et al., 2005)

In the past self-expression was discouraged in the classroom and creativity has been dismissed. However, continuous-time for reflection means that this can be at the heart of a learners’ creative process.

Creativity within schools engages with the Reggio Emilia approach as they are curious about the world around them and are enabled to show self-expression. Robinson explores how creativity is just as high a status in schools as literacy and it should be explored at the same level. Through a child-directed approach in the classroom, we can engage with the art forms in allowing children to collaborate and work towards different sides of creativity through the arts. Today we explored this through the way children can explore the arts through technology whole opening up their minds to new forms of art. (Reggio Emilla, n.d) (Robinson, 2006)

Firstly today, we explored the program of charanga within a classroom as an online resource for teaching and creating music.

As discussed last time Bloomfield (2012) emphasised the use of ICT as this is a valuable tool to utilise in education and implementing the latest software, which charanga is. This program opened my eyes to how being unconfident in teaching music I can use my digitally literate skills to enable me to teach the whole class music. This resource gives more confidence to non-specialists within education, both teachers and our learners. It is set up to allow all learners to interact with it and engage positively with music.

This resource offers a confidence-building CPD for teachers but also it can ensure “…they are meeting the demands of the curriculum while effectively measuring their students’ progressions, (Charanga, 2019)

Working with this resource can incorporate games into children’s learning to look at the basics of music such as beats and pulses, which can enable children to create their own rhythms. This can build to children who do play instruments bringing them in and playing them in class, but even if not, children can improvise and play an imaginary instrument as they play the beats. These methods can empower children and lead them to feel more confident with music. The music program can look at different paces as the class moves up stages, charanga takes a ‘sound before symbol’ approach meaning you can play the sounds of the music first before actually seeing what it looks like. (Charanga, 2019)

Keeping it simple in music with this resource can allow children to build their confidence and let them lead the method of music. They can build up through time with familiar music and learn the basics at a fun, simple method so they can enjoy music and engage with it appropriately.

In the afternoon we experienced visual arts through making use of form content. By exploring Taylors model of assessment, we could unpack anything within the visual world.

The model gives questions to aid children’s critical thinking of art looking at Process, Form, Content, and mood, asking questions such as: How has the work been arranged, or does it convey feelings about life and nature?

Visual arts have a role in encouraging learners to be more innovative and adventurous in their thinking when responding to art. They are opened to a variety of interpretations and emotional responses as they unlock the “complex layers of meaning, symbols, and metaphors.” (Alter, 2010) As education also discusses how they have the chance to explore the work of artists to enhance their knowledge and understanding of the arts.

Within the workshop, we explored emotional learning cards, something as a teacher I could easily use within my practice and allow children to look deeper into the aesthetic world. Looking into these images we can use our critical thinking skills to further our ideas about how these images make us feel. Working through the form content we could collaboratively work to understand dimensions and ideas about the images as well as open ourselves u to questions, we may ask or that could be asked of the picture.

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

EXA 0-07a / EXA 1-07a / EXA 2-07a / EXA 3-07a (Scottish Government, 2017)

To incorporate technology into the arts and also our voices over the images we filmed ourselves speaking about the picture in front of us. This increased my confidence in speaking about art and through this discovering deeper meanings and visuals within the image. Speaking about the image developed that tolerance for ambiguity discussed in week one. Within art, this is needed to develop that deeper meaning and connection with art. We can build upon ideas and questions to identify stories and creations we may have not felt at that start. These inquiry-based images opened our minds to multiple stories and interpretations as people built their own stories in their heads and also seen different shapes and ideas. This idea of visual thinking can become cross-curricular as we develop the idea of literacy to learn about art and looking at the different words we can connect to a picture. These word banks helped me identify things I did not think about at the beginning, as the words are not be commonly used by myself but learning new words can broaden my images of art.

Inspired by a range of stimuli, I can express and communicate my ideas, thoughts and feelings through activities within art and design.

EXA 0-05a / EXA 1-05a / EXA 2-05a (Scottish Government, 2017)

For children in a classroom, I could identify the links they could make to real-life experiences they may have had or images they have seen. Making these connections can elevate emotions within and lead to opening doors to new expressions within the classroom but also connecting your words to a picture can open up topical discussions. These can look at things such as immigration or personal emotions of moving.

Linking the two workshops together I identified the role of technology in the arts, as it has a big role already in classrooms in the current age so to bring it into our arts education, can enhance a learners’ experience. Children also respond and engage with these methods in a positive manner as they can relate to it.

 

References

 

Charanga (2019) Non-specialists often worry about 3 things when it comes to teaching music. We’ve got them covered! [online] available:https://charanga.com/site/non-specialists-often-worry-3-things-comes-teaching-music-weve-got-covered/[ accessed: 31/10/2019

Scottish Government (2017) Expressive Arts: Experiences and Outcomes[online] available: https://education.gov.scot/Documents/expressive-arts-eo.pdf[accessed: 31/10/2019

Reggio Emilia (n.d.) The Reggio Emilia Approach[online] available: https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/reggio-emilia-approach/[accessed: 31/10/2019

Alter, F., (2010) Using the Visual Arts to harness creativity[online] available: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228811183_Using_the_Visual_Arts_to_harness_Creativity[accessed: 31/10/2019]

Harland, J., et al. (2005) The Arts-Education Interface: A mutual learning Triangle?Slough: NFER

Robinson, K (2006) Do schools kill creativity? [online] available: https://www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_do_schools_kill_creativity/transcript [accessed: 31/10/2019]

Week 7 – Pedagogy of Autumn

Within integrated art this week we got to listen to Norwegian students and hear their experiences of teaching in a different country which led to incorporating a northern perspective on art within our inputs this week.

As our visual arts workshop in the afternoon was going to be outside we focused on the creation of an autumn piece of music. Looking at the season and linking to outdoor noises children could create their musical pieces through garage band.

Education Scotland (2017) emphasised the use of ICT as a method for learners to realise and enhance their compositions and also they can understand the processes of music at work.

Bloomfield also discussed the way “ICT provides children with many opportunities to access music-making, give rapid access to information and provides the individual with final results which look and sound good.” (Bloomfield, 2012 pp. 78)

I was intrigued and inquisitive as we learnt more about the resources, anxious with putting instruments and sounds together, not knowing how it would sound, and not being musical myself I was unsure. But using this technology I became more confident as the lesson progressed, gaining more trust in my skills.

Learning how it all works and comes together can be technically a little scary, however being able to compose and hear your work in action can be fun children. They become creative in the process and look at sounds they already relate to in their life. Using research skills and look at natural, autumn sounds, mixed with instruments, which they may not have heard before.

These creativity and problem-solving skills children develop as they make their own music creations are key in creating a well-rounded child able to perform confidently. (Russel-Bowie, 2009)

Within the visual arts workshop, as mentioned earlier we took our learning outside, becoming creative with the natural environment. Creating our land art showed a creative intervention in our learning world. It takes teachers out of the routinised system they get themselves into within the classroom. Artists such as Andy Goldsworthy are key to look at within this outdoor learning input.

“It is easier to enhance creativity by changing conditions in the environment than by trying to make people think more creatively.” (Alter, 2010, P. 4)

Being able to get the northern perspective on art from the morning, it was interesting to look at artic art. Exploring the way they use natural environments outside to create their art pieces. With the schools in Nordic countries design and creating art from the snow that has formed outside. An example of our outdoor teaching looks at the idea of season focus and how right now can focus upon the pedagogy of autumn. Creations are made with a positive and creative purpose and focus upon what we see every day at that time.

Nature provides an abundance of materials that can be used to identify multiple creative perspectives and activities. Children are intrigued and interested in the natural materials in front of them and enable their creativity to show through and grow. The outdoor world awakens you and allows changes in our focus and ideas. The fresh air can enable thinking, that may be within the classroom had faded, opening their eyes to the different ideas that can come from seeing material and their formations. This change of perspective can be used through cross-curricular learning with links being made to maths or climate change. Outdoor learning can also create new ideas from walking around areas or even just through talking you can identify new, good ideas. This can be linked and incorporated into our teaching and the children’s ways to learn.

Dissecting the depth and complexity of their work by identifying creative questions, making diverse observations and exploring multiple viewpoints as they use their creative thinking to process outdoor art. (Trishman, 2006)

Inspired by a range of stimuli, I can express and communicate my ideas, thoughts and feelings through activities within art and design.

EXA 0-05a / EXA 1-05a / EXA 2-05a

Working on my own and with others, I use my curiosity and imagination to solve design problems.

EXA 0-06a

(Scottish Government, 2017)

Linking our arts together, I can identify the ways in which our pedagogy can spread over the different areas of the curriculum. Within music and visual arts, we could explore the pedagogy of autumn and link in the outdoor learning that is at our fingertips, even within a classroom with technology. Linking our creativity outdoors to the sounds we hear, opens up our minds to the materials that can be used outside. We can create images outside and back these up with our musical, sound creations, combining two expressions of art into one. These can involve the kids in the technology of the computers or taking pictures of their creations and also to the materials they have sourced and process to a problem they have created. Expanding this further, their expressions of art can become a show or presentation on the theme of the season and visualises the way different forms of art can be integrated together to open up creative and inquiry skills within ourselves.

 

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: 25/10/2019]

 

Trishman, S., (2006) Artful thinking: Final Report.Harvard: Harvard graduate school of education

 

Alter, F., (2010) Using the Visual Arts to harness creativity[online] available: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228811183_Using_the_Visual_Arts_to_harness_Creativity[accessed:25/10/2019]

 

Russell-Bowie, D. (2009) What me? Teach music to my primary class? Challenges to teaching music in primary schools in five countries Music education Research, Vol. 11(1) pp. 23-36

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 2 – Linking to real life

This week’s experience opened my eyes to linking the arts to other areas within the curriculum, having confidence in mark-making, opening up a creative side and being able to explore pieces of art through other aspects of the expressive arts. Thus enabling me to add deeper meaning and individual stories to them.

Firstly, visual arts identified the way in which the arts explored interdisciplinary learning within a classroom, focusing on how literacy can be taught through the arts. Connecting together in class, I could pick out metaphors in a text, creating drawings over the words. This can assist the learning of literacy as this can relate visuals to the written word. Marshall (2014) identified ‘art integration while embracing art objectives, essentially utilizes multimodal arts-based learning to enhance comprehension of academic subjects.’

This focus shows the benefits of using art to linked learning, identifying how these subjects thrive from being learnt through arts. Shaw (2016) discussed in his ted talk how when we draw, we can remember more which can aid children in their academic learning in the way “utilising a multimodal arts-based learning to enhance the comprehension of academic subjects” (Marshall, 2014.)

Bringing literacy to life

Bloomfield (2012) as well discusses the ways children use their creative instincts to explore ideas and interpret information in new ways, helping children conceptualise and overcome an academic area they feel weak in.

Within our visual arts workshop, I felt the fun that children would have in art and also the belief and confidence it can give a child. As I discovered in the lecture about how if a child draws over writing they are more likely to remember more, I can also identify the common road-block being a child saying ‘I can’t draw,’ which I can relate to strongly. However, I discovered that from making a dot a child can begin to believe in their drawing ability, if you can write you can draw, you can make a mark and let the creative juices flow. The arts allow children to ‘celebrate multiple perspectives.’ As Eisner (2002) showed that ‘one of their large lessons is that there are many ways to see and interpret the world.’ From this dot as Eisner stated, many children would see it in multiple different forms, from the start of a butterfly to a bud of a flower. Children could make one small mark with the ink and then expand from there, giving them more feeling to say that they can draw and develop their artistic skills.

Mark making

Children learn their own way to interpret a dot in their minds and create an image that they then add to. This workshop opened my eyes and even made me believe I could create multiple different images from this mark. See what you can do, what could you create from this dot below?

Moving onto the drama workshop, I still felt anxious, as it is still a piece of the arts I don’t have much experience or confidence with. This week was looking at five new conventions, thought tracking, still image, narration, flashback then flashforward.

With these conventions, we looked closer at a painting to create drama. The painting was Avril Patons ‘windows in the west,’ identified below.

Windows in the west

With this painting, our minds could wander to what was going on beyond the windows, was there sad news or happy news, a party or a process of grieving. I was a bit reluctant at first as I don’t find myself that creative but as Csikszentmihalyi (2013) discussed creative surroundings can stimulate individuals, which is what the picture could elevate creativity in someone and facilitate interactions and a greater environment of ideas.

Creating these stories can be provoking to the child’s mind, as they begin to wonder through the thoughts and feelings and then expressing the emotions that these individuals were experiencing. It sparks difficult interactions of death and abuse to happy interactions such as birthdays and love. The children may not fully interact with the painting but once it comes to life a child can connect with it at a deeper level. As Benjamin Franklin put it ‘Tell me and I will forget, show me and I will remember, involve me and I will understand’

 

I use drama to explore real and imaginary situations, helping me to understand my world.

EXA 0-14a

 

Linking these two workshops together I see links in the visual art of an image and how we can perceive images. Whether it be a full painted picture or a dot made on a page. Our mind can connect with it and lead us to be creative, as I can see by the way ‘windows in the west’ was brought to life in the drama workshop and then the way a dot was added to through our minds. The way our thoughts have all identified different situations and events from still images and added detail and information, all adds dimension to our children and individuals in helping them relate to real life.

 

 

Referencing

 

  • Fleming, M (2012) The arts in education: An introduction to aesthetics, theory and pedagogy. London:Routledge
  • How to draw to remember more – Graham shaw – TEDxVienna [online] available https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=107&v=gj3ZnKlHqxI[accessed: 19/09/2019]
  • Marshall, J. (2014) Transdisciplinarity And Art Integration: Toward A New Understanding Of Art-Based Learning Across The Curriculum, Studies in Art Education, 55:2, 104-127
  • Eisner, E (2002) The Arts and the creation of mind New Haven CT: Yale University Press
  • Csikszentmihalyi, M (2013) Creativity: The Psychology of Discovery and Invention New York:Harper Collins