This week whilst absent I sadly was unable to participate in the group performance of the dance that involved the combination of all previous dances in one with the halloween theme. Below is a screenshot of my groups section of the dance.

I also sadly missed an improvisation session on glockenspiels in music which I would like to have attempted to improve my musical talent. By just promoting improvisation in the class it allows all pupils to stand as equals due to previous musical knowledge such as the ability to read musical notation not being used.

However, during my absence this week I decided to research the potential benefits of teaching the expressive arts. For example I learned about how painting can benefit pupils along with other areas of the arts such as playing an instrument. Whilst the benefits are not immediately obvious as they are not reflected by any assessment or definitive feedback they are essential in developing skills that are simply not possible in the other outcomes like literacy and numeracy. They can greatly enhance a variety of different qualities such as collaboration skills, improved creativity, increased emphatic ability and becoming more emotionally aware (Fleming, 2012).

References

Fleming, M. (2012) The Arts in Education: An introduction to aesthetics, theory and pedagogy. London: Routledge. Available: Integrated module on Moodle. [Accessed 5 January 2017].