Lauren Allison UWS

The introductory session of the integrated arts module allowed me to understand how vital the arts as a part of the curriculum. The session was really interesting as it showed how people tend to focus more on curriculum areas such as literacy and numeracy, under appreciating the value that the arts can have. It made me more aware of how the arts can be used throughout a variety of curriculum areas. During both the music session and the visual arts session, we seen different ways that the arts could be introduced in the classroom.

In the visual arts session, we discussed why it is important to let the children be creative and imaginative and not limit them to what we believe to be accurate representation of objects or what we consider to be a ‘good piece of artwork’. We as teachers should value and appreciate all work produced by the children in our class as each piece of art will have a story behind it. By dismissing their work, we would be showing that child that their voice is not valued and this may affect their confidence and deter them from creating anything else. As teacher’s we want all our pupils to be able to express themselves freely using the arts without feeling judged or scared. We looked at the progression of a child’s artwork from the scribbling stage in the early years to the transitional stage just before the move to high school. Whitehead (2010) discusses the importance that the scribbling stage has on the overall development of young people. By looking at the different stages of children’s artwork it allowed me to see how much thought and hard work a child can put into a piece of art without us even realising.

In the music session, we learned how we could engage the children in the classroom using rhythm games. This is a way of introducing in a fun, entertaining way that will allow all children to get involved without feeling nervous as it is carried out as a full class. This way there is less pressure on individual pupils and they are not being taken out their comfort zone.

Overall, I found this session greatly beneficial as it allowed me to gain a more in-depth knowledge about the arts and how they can be introduced into the curriculum through art and music. I look forward to learning how further aspects such as dance and drama can be integrated into the curriculum.

References:

Whitehead, M. (2010) Language and Literacy in the early years 0-7. 4th Ed. London: Sage.

Both my notes and my partner notes that we took while observing the student teacher were similar. From observing the teacher, we were able to see that they make use of a loud clear voice to engage and address the whole class. He uses a varied range of tone and speaks at an appropriate pace when addressing the children. However, we both suggested that the teacher should stand up and move around the class more to be more involved in the lesson and allow himself to be more available to the children in the class. We also agreed that they should make more use of gestures to allow the children to better contribute to the lesson and use more positive body language so the children see him as approachable when they require help during a task.

While watching the video I was surprised that more teachers do not make use of recordings during their lessons as they have a great deal of advantages. This approach is seen as effective as it allows reflection to be made and points to specific areas where improvement can be made. A lot can be learned from the recording itself, as it offers a degree of reality as it is a source of visual feedback. I was surprised that my partner and I were able to identify similar strengths and areas for improvement for the teacher which showed that these areas were noticeable for both of us.

I didn’t find the tasks very challenging as me and my partner managed to identify notes and observations that had a great deal of similarity so it made the tasks easier to complete as we were on the same page.

I believe that I am clear about the difference between feedback and judgement. Feedback is normally given in a positive nature and allows for improvement to be made. Constructive criticism can be given by pointing out the strengths of the individual as well as what needs to be improved upon. This is beneficial as it encourages the individual in the right direction while also building their confidence as they are aware of their strengths. Whereas judgement is of a negative nature and is based solely on criticism which doesn’t allow for progress or improvement to be made.

If I could take one idea to placement with me from these tasks it would be the importance of giving and receiving feedback in order to allow for progress and improvement being made. During placement, it is essential to give your partner detailed feedback which will allow them to grow and improve on their skills while also providing information on their strengths which therefore will help build their self-esteem as they know they are doing a good job.

I am quite nervous about the upcoming placement as it is a daunting experience however I am also excited as I will be able to gain a lot of insight and knowledge from observing teachers in action. The placement is an important part of the year and I want to make the most of the experience. I hope that my partner and I are able to work well together and allow for effective feedback to be given to help us both identify our strengths and the areas in which we could improve upon.

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