Today during the art workshop we were each asked to draw a washing line with clothes hanging on them which we later coloured in to add to a larger painting. I was also instructed to draw a brick wall on an A4 sheet of paper. I began by coating the whole paper yellow to which I would paint the brick pattern on. I mixed three colours to make different shades of brown and grey that I painted sequentially using one colour for the whole page before moving on to the next. Finally I had to paint the sky which I did on another sheet of A4. However, to add effect I was told to rip them into strips and glue all the parts of my painting together. I added a small amount of rock salt to add some texture and finally finished the painting. I was very pleased with my result and found the breaking down of sections for this painting very useful. In classrooms this could allow for expression due to the range of different results you can get. For example they can choose that what items of clothing go on the clothing line, if covering a theme such as pirates they could use pirate hats instead, and the shape of the bricks on the wall. Additionally the colour range will vary massively as any colour can be used to colour in the walls and sky. Allowing for this freedom with no fear of failure allows children to unleash their full creative potential.

Clothing line painting

I also attended a drama workshop today which I found very interesting and educational. The teacher understanding the apprehensions of teaching or even acting in drama can be daunting for many but outlined expertly the massive benefit it can provide along with showing how little you need to make it work. The resources required amount to the occasional prop to show the teacher is in role easier and you’re imagination. This allows for you to cover complex issues without a powerpoint but by talking to the pupils gathering their thoughts and ideas on situations. Later dramatic techniques that could be used were highlighted and consisted of teacher in role, thought tracking, thought tunnel, freeze frame and hot seating. Upon explaining each of these to us he began us on to a situation regarding a dragon called Sammy. This dragon lived in a cave and was feared by all the townspeople that think him evil. To set the scene the teacher went teacher in role acting as the dragon whilst we asked him questions. I was very surprised to see how convincing the teacher was at becoming this sad and lonely dragon. In classrooms this could allow for an large range of paths for the conversation to go down as its completely down to them  what to ask.  Another dramatic technique used was voices in the head where other members of the class stated what they thought Sammy would be thinking. This method allows children to increase their empathetic ability as they are thinking from the dragons point of view. A further benefit of this activity is it improves their communicative ability and hone their creative skills (Grainger, 2003).  I also engaged in an activity around another character called “Frankie Miller” who has returned home after 10 years of being locked up and they are unhappy with you and the rest of the village. I was tasked along with my group to come up with a scenario explaining why frankie is angry with us and why he was locked away in the first place. All the groups presented their ideas in the form of a thought tracking exercise. It was interesting to see the different perspectives all the groups had with no two being the same. This could allow pupils to gain a wide breadth of knowledge through activities like this as multiple perspectives are being given.

References

Grainger, T. (2003) Creative teachers and the language arts: Possibilities and potential. Education 3-13: International Journal of Primary, Elementary and Early Years Education.31(1), pp.43-47. Available: Integrated Arts module on Moodle. [Accessed 5 January 2017].