18/09/18 – Interdisciplinary Learning

While teaching the expressive arts one of the most effective ways of enhancing the children’s learning is through the planned approach of interdisciplinary learning. By using this approach, it means that the teacher creates links between different subjects to promote the children’s learning and this helps the children use what they learn in other areas. They are able to transfer their skills and knowledge they learn from one art to another which helps promote problem solving, communication and creativity. To use this type of approach it is most effective when the learning is tailored to meet the learners’ needs and ensure there are appropriate next steps. (Scottish Government, 2012). I feel this type of approach to learning would work very effectively when teaching the expressive arts as the teacher would be able to create ways and activities that would expand their knowledge of the arts and make them expand their outlook of the arts.

Although having done the expressive arts in school, the subjects were very individual and there wasn’t many links or crossover between the subjects. In terms of art, we were taught how to use different materials and techniques but we were all to create the same picture. There were not many opportunities to for us to use our own creativity and ideas and this is what needs to change, we need to give child more opportunities to create and express their thoughts, feelings and ideas.

“Picasso once said this, he said that all children are born artists. The problem is to remain an artist as we grow up. I believe this passionately, that we don’t grow into creativity, we grow out of it.” (Ken Robinson, 2006). When we teach children in school we shouldn’t be trying to have them think a certain way or or show them that their work isn’t good enough because that’s how children lose their creativity and begin to have a negative outlook on doing things different from the rest and being individual.

 

During an art workshop we got a chance to experience an activity that could be used in the classroom, we were given materials and resources and were to create our own paintbrush from the resources we were given. It was clear when all the paintbrushes were shown together just how different everyone’s ideas were and the difference in creativity, structure, colour and size. We then had a view described to us which allowed us to all create a painting using our own imaginations of what we could visualise in our head.

This would be a great activity to do with the children as it encourages them to use their own imagination and creativity, meaning that the repetitiveness of being shown what you are supposed to do and just copying the teacher are thrown out the window and it’s up to the children to create what they see in their mind, meaning there are no two pictures the same. This activity could be used for more than just the expressive arts alone it could be integrated into literacy and writing.

 

Reference List:

Scottish Government (2012) CfE Briefing Interdisciplinary Learning, Available at: https://education.gov.scot/Documents/cfe-briefing-4.pdf (Accessed: 18th September 2018).

Ken Robinson, Ted Conferences, LLC (2006) Do Schools Kill Creativity?, Available at: https://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity#t-611584(Accessed: 18th September 2018).