(Standard for Provisional Registration with GTCS, benchmark 2.1.2) |
TASK 1: OBSERVING THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
Spend some time observing the learning environment. Note the following: Is there much display of expressive arts practice in public spaces/corridors/classrooms? Are these displays related to knowledge and understanding within the expressive arts? Specify the content of the work that is displayed. Throughout the corridors there are a number of different displays of the expressive arts, there are also pieces of work done by the learners within classrooms. The displays are related to knowledge and understanding within the expressive arts as the captions alongside the practice have an information box saying what the learning objectives were i.e. there was a display of animals that had been filled in with scrunched up pieces of tissue paper to recreate texture as well as sheep being made from cotton wool and so on. There was a label next to it saying “today I learned how different materials can give texture to my art work”. Is learners’ work displayed? Are there labels and written explanations? Yes, in the shared open space there are displays of the learners’ work with labels and written explanations for the main displays. Inside the classrooms the artwork was accompanied by a related piece of written work. What kinds of spaces/facilities are there for performances? The library is used for rehearsals for the school plays and smaller performances, but there is also the dining hall where a stage is erected for performances. What range of media is being used? Are both two and three dimensions covered? Is digital media used? What is the range of instruments that learners have access to? Within the classroom the learners have access to scissors, glue and a range of coloured pens, pencils and paper. Due to limited space in the classrooms there is a large store cupboard in the shared open space where there is a range of paints, glitter, material and other materials for the learners to use during expressive arts inputs. There is also a store for musical instruments which can be taken home by the learners to use and practice, the instruments are mainly small brass ones for ease of transport for the learners. Digital media is used but only for the upper primary, there is a trolley which holds a number ofiPadsthe learners can use as well asMacBooks. |
TASK 2: OBSERVING LEARNING-IN-ACTION
In consultation with your mentor identify two expressive arts lessons (dance, music,drama, visual art) to observe. For each lesson, make a note of the following: During my time on placement I was not able to observe any expressive arts lessons as they are timetabled for a day I could not attend. However, the learners do get a scheduled block for expressive arts and the teacher who takes the class in the beginning of the week tends to integrate drama into her practice, which I could not observe due to me being able to attend only once a week. The upper primary school take part in a dance project to take part in the Kilmarnock Day of Dance where surrounding area schools take part and perform for everyone. Although I was not able to observe any of the lessons I was aware that the school does embrace expressive arts and the learners get to take part regularly. |
Month: January 2017
Week 12: Room 13
Art
We mainly focused on the art pieces that Room 13 have produced today. Room 13 began as an empty space in Fort William which was then used as an art space for children and young people. Looking at the pieces produced from that room where there is absolutely no dictated direction or expected outcome it is incredibly interesting and thought provoking to see what the children create. It really highlights Robinson’s (2007) statement that we are all born artists and we all have the capacity to create and express. A lot of the pieces featured serious themes and real life issues. It’s clear the children are asking questions and are critical thinkers of the world around them. It made me realise that children observe a lot more than what we think they do and we should not brush off a lot of their questions telling them that they are too young to understand.
Music
I really enjoyed today’s input. I feel like I understand and learn concepts better visually so learning about Figure Notes was pretty exciting for me. I found using Figure Notes is a much easier way to digest and translate standard music notation to play, it will set the perfect foundations for young people and musical beginners to begin to read music. Not only this, it will make playing music more accessible to those who require additional learning support such as dyslexia and autism which makes reading complex marks even more difficult. An example of this can be seen in the video here.
FigureNotes are definitely something which I will use in the classroom as it made playing the xylophone a lot easier for me and can make it easier for children who work better with visuals.
Week 11: Micro-Teaching & Ukelele
Drama
The workshop was focused on micro-teaching again where we watched how other groups had incorporated drama into teaching about a book. The group chose Harry Potter which I thought was absolutely fantastic as it is a book that the vast majority of young people and adults know and love. Using a medium like this shows how effective drama can be with enhancing teaching as, although we were all 18+ there was a buzz of excitement around taking part and imagining we were in Harry Potter ourselves. Every group was engaged when it came to the activities set and the creativity from the mini performances we did were acknowledged, appreciated and enjoyed by all. I thought it was a brilliant input and it perfectly showcased how using drama can increase learning and enjoyment in learning.
Music
Today we had the opportunity to learn to play ukulele. It was a fun hands on workshop which highlighted how there are some instruments that you can pick up with absolutely no prior experience and learn the basics in a short space of time. Ukuleles are being introduced into more and more school replacing the recorder as it was found that the recorder took a little more effort to provide a produce something impressive. Ukuleles however, after learning the basic chords, can be used to play a large range of songs which will keep the learner engaged and encourage them to learn more and more songs. They are great for the younger pupils as well as they are easy to hold because of their size and the fret boards are small which an accommodate for smaller hands.
Week 10:
Music
This week was mainly focused on taking care of our voices because as teachers we will need to use them a lot and proves extremely difficult if we lose them! As professional “voice users” the care of the voice is essential to the teacher’s career, as they are particularly at risk of developing voice problems. (General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS), 2010). We began with practicing a number of vocal warm ups and methods to help control breathing to highlight where in the diaphragm the voice comes from and how to prevent straining it.
We were also made aware that singing a line and having the class sing the next one back is an extremely effective way to bring the attention back to yourself as a teacher and stop the learners from talking. This method saves the strain on your voice from shouting and it also saves time on behaviour management. Learning more singing lines that can be used in the classroom is helpful as I have already seen a few in action on my serial days and how great they are in settling the class. We were then shown the video below to demonstrate that singing is not the only way to use the voice in the classroom, beat boxing and rapping are becoming ever more popular and can definitely be used with the learners to capture their interest and engagement.
References
Arts Education Partnership (2011) Music Matters: How Music Education Helps Students Learn, Achieve, and Succeed [Online] Available: Moodle [Accessed: 31 December 2016].
BBC (2010) BBC news – Colours and shapes are helping people to read music. [Online] Available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/8579853.stm [Accessed: 8 January 2017].
Cone, T.P. (2009) Following Their Lead: Supporting Children’s Ideas for Creating Dances, Journal of Dance Education, [Online] Vol.9(3), pp.81-89. Available: Moodle [Accessed: 04 October 2016].
Duffy, B. (2006) Supporting Creativity and Imagination in the Early Years. 2nd ed. Maidenhead: Open University Press
East Ayrshire Council (2016) School’s musical visit strikes the right chords at Greenmill primary – east Ayrshire council news. [Online] Available at: https://www.east-ayrshire.gov.uk/News/article/schools-musical-visit-strikes-the-right-chords-at-greenmill-primary [Accessed: 31 December 2016].
Education not Limited (2013) Teachers TV: Drama in the Classroom. 14.04 mins. [Online] Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkaCtuJBD5A&feature=youtu.be [Accessed: 31 December 2016].
Eisner, E (2002) The Arts and the Creation of Mind. Yale University Press.
Mason, R (2004) The Meaning and Value of Craft. In: Hickman, R. (ed) Art Education 11-18: Meaing, Purpose and Direction. London: Continuum, pp. 124 – 143.
Millar, P (2004) The Dot. 3.45mins. [Online] Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5mGeR4AQdM [Accessed: 4 October 2016].
Robinson (2006) Do schools kill creativity? 19.24 mins. [Online] Available: https://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity/recommendations [Accessed: 2 November 2016]