Today we performed a dance routine we which we have been working towards over the last few weeks. We performed as a class and included small group dances throughout the main performance, which worked very well. There were mixed levels of interest amongst the cohort which is to be expected, however everyone who was there on the day really enjoyed it.
After the performance we spoke of evaluation, appreciation, reflection and improvement regarding our performance. We used a form of feed back called ‘three starts and a wish’. This gave oppertunity for three forms of praise and one area for improvement. I feel this method would be successful with children as it helps them to gain a sense of achievement and will build on their levels of resilience, as they will learn how to process critical feed back.
When I received my feedback it made me proud of what I had been part of and it also made me determined to try again when I saw the areas noted for improvement. Hallam (2010), found that activities such as this would see improvements in social skill and collaborative work as the creativity process sees emotions released, life long learning through memorable lessons, self esteem building and confidence gained.
Education Scotland (2013), suggest that there are four key skills that assist when evaluating, appreciating, reflecting and improving. Skills here would be:
- Constructively inquisitive – curious and researching.
- Open minded – divergent thinking and being flexible.
- Harness imagination – inventing and generating ideas.
- Identify and solve problems – Evaluating impact and demonstrate resilience.
Later today in music we had the opportunity to play the Ukulele, this was once again unfamiliar territory for me however I was eager to learn and our class lecturer took us through step by step which was highly beneficial to me. During this lesson I had to learn many new skills such as tuning the instrument and where to place/move my finger tips to play/change cords.
I did lose my way many times during this lesson as did others but we laughed and made light of it, forever trying to keep up with the more experienced musicians in the class. We helped each other, sharing tips and ideas on ways to remember chords and we took part in the class song at the end. Skills and attributes such as there are like those found in a ‘2022 future work skills Outlook’.
As a future educator to young children and generations to come, it is important that I experience these skills for myself and also that I know and understand how others can experiences and use these skills also (Education Scotland, 2013).
In conclusion, the key skills from Education Scotland were used throughout my learning today and it stands to say that the creativity process wither it be dance or music will see people give their attention, problematic thinking, determination as this will pay them back in forms of positive emotions, memory and life long learning.
References:
Education Scotland, (2013) Creativity across learning 3-18. [Online] Available: https://education.gov.scot/improvement/Documents/cre39-impact-report.pdf. [Accessed: 05 December 2018].
Hallam, S. (2010) International Journal of Music Education. [Online] Available: http://moodle1819.uws.ac.uk/pluginfile.php/45685/mod_resource/content/2/International%20Journal%20of%20Music%20Education-2010-Hallam-269-89.pdf. [Accessed: 05 December 2018].
Humantific, (2018) 2022 Future Work Skills Outlook. [Online] Available: http://www.humantific.com/2022-future-work-skills-outlook/. [Accessed: 05 December 2018].
