Creativity is at the heart of Curriculum for excellence. It lays out the fundamentals of what incorporates a: ‘successful learner’ (Education Scotland, 2013.) Before entering this module, I must say that, I have always engaged well within ‘Integrated arts.’ Throughout my school years- primary and secondary- I was always involved within the creative arts department: helping out at after school clubs and going on trips to the theatre. Coincidentally- it was one of my primary teachers with a specialist in drama – who inspired me to become a teacher. I am extremely looking forward to experiencing what this module has in store for us over the following weeks!

‘’embracing mess’’ was not a familiar term for me until today. I have to say- mess is not appealing to me- however I am willing to embrace this in my classroom and have a tolerance for ambiguity as this will provide the best outcomes for my pupils.

Our workshops today included Visual arts and Drama. In art, we had the chance to view pieces of art created by children of various ages:

 

 

 

The top right picture stood out the most for me. This was completed by a five year old! The range of bright, vibrant colours used against a dark background conveyed a clear contrast and highlighted the use of different patterns. Majority of the early years’ pictures were of houses, shapes, flowers etc- as we progressed further up the school -the drawings had a real motive behind them- and it was apparent the fine lines and shading had been completed using precision with various tools. A piece of art can convey – a childs emotions and perhaps what they are going through in their life- it is a form of communication (McAuiffe, 2007.)

Drama is my favourite sector within Integrated Arts. This will remain a focus of mine in the classroom environment  as I have always excelled in drama. It is an excellent way to allow children to express their selves and become more open in the classroom. Today we explored a story based upon a dragon in a village. This was used as a stimulus for multiple drama conventions including:

• Hot seating
• Teacher in role
• Thought Tunnel
• Freeze Frame

The convention which worked best – in my opinion- was ‘Hot seating.’ This allows an individual to embrace the character and get a true feeling for the role they will be playing through a series of questions asked by the audience. I was not a fan of ‘Thought tunnel’ as I didn’t find it useful due to it being over so quickly. Surprisingly, I had never heard of this convention. However- if children used this convention effectively- I would be willing to use it within drama.

To conclude, I am now fully aware about the importance of being tolerant in the classroom. It is important to try avoid setting boundaries within art. Freedom within art and drama is key. As practitioners, we need to permit children to form their own ideas and opinions. A classroom with all the same pieces of work is very cliché and boring. I am keen to engage in what the next few weeks will bring- furthermore-  adapt my own knowledge to become the best teacher I can be in the modern classroom.

 

References

Education Scotland (2013) Creativity across learning [online] available: https://moodle.uws.ac.uk/pluginfile.php/36809/mod_resource/content/2/Creativity3to18.pdf

McAuliffe, D. (2007) Teaching Art and Design 3-11 [online] available: https://moodle.uws.ac.uk/pluginfile.php/36832/mod_resource/content/2/McAuliffe%20D%202007%20foundation%20and%20primary%20settings%20teaching%20art%20and%20design%20childrens%20development.pdf