Reflection Week #8 - Music

What 
Music is a form of expression that comes through song. It is a powerful tool for helping students not only learn and understand information, but also help them remember it. Students have a lot of information to learn, and it is important that we as teachers use creative ways to help them to do that. Music is one of the venues we can use. Music is also important for student so learn about because it is such a powerful expression of emotion. If students learn how to express themselves through music it is just one more tool in their toolbox.

So What 
My goals for using music with my future students include not only using it to help solidify and enforce the topics we learn about, but also using it in a way that teaches them how to correctly use it. I want my students to understand singing and how to do it correctly so it can be used by them to express their feelings. I also want them to understand that singing is not just screaming the words, and will use the 4 step process to help them understand that.
 
Now What  
After learning about music in our class this week my ideas about how I need to prepare to effectively teach music have changed. I feel like I need to practice the techniques we learned about how to not only teach our students the lyrics, but teach them how to sing the song.  I plan to practice the techniques we learned while also searching for new ones to use. One idea I liked that was used by one of my teachers was teaching solfege. I think that is one way that students can begin to understand how the notes of a song differe from each other. I think it is slightly more advanced so I would probably only use it with older students, but it is one example of the other techniques that I plan to find in order to help my students understand and be able to produce music.

Reflection Week #7 - Dance Presentation

What 
Having the ability to design and participate in creative dance has greatly changed my understanding of it and how it can be used in the classroom. When I first learned we would have to participate in dance I was extremely nervous, a lot like I was with drama. I was yet again surprised by how easy it was to not only create, but to also enjoy. I loved being able to esentially exercise and learn at the same time. I can definitely see how dance could be very helpful with those students that have lots of energy.

So What 
From my experience I will be taking with me a better understanding of exactly how to use dance in the classroom. There are so many things that we can help students more fully understand just by asking them to figure out how to represent it through dance. Things like obscure science topics can become fun memorable experiences, foreign people can be understood by representing them through movement, the possibilities are endless. Dance is so fun, and gets students out of their seat and moving, and that is something I would have never though of using before these last two weeks of learning.
  
Now What
I love how after learning about these topics I can easily begin to see how to use them in my future classrooms. After going to the arts conference this past Friday I realized that these creative arts methods don't have to take up an entire hour. They can be simple quick then minute a day activities. They can be used as an entire lesson of course, but they can also provide a transition from one lesson to the next, or as a way to get the students energy out while also helping them to learn something new. I am going to use these creative arts in my classroom for at least ten minutes every day because I know the arts are so valuable in the lives of children. They learn better when their entire body and mind is involved, and while they are participating in the arts that is what is happening.

Reflection Week #6 - Creative Dance

What
As we participated in dance activities and learning expereicnes this week I came to realize just how powerful dance can be in the classroom. It is such an easy way to create a fun active learning environment. I was just as nervous this week about dance as I was with drama because I wasn't sure what to expect. Growing up I took a couple dance classes, but quit because I was told over and over again that I wasn't good enough. It was refreshing to learn about techniques that don't require students to have certain abilities, and just let them experience the world of dance in a stress free environment. I really found myself enjoying what we were doing and I can definitely see how the dance activities we learned about could help students in class get their energy out while also learning valuable lessons.

So What
In order to prepare for next week and for my field expeience I will begin thinking more about how to incorportate dance into the lessons I am planning. When I am reading through books I will look for was that the text can be interpreted through the eyes of dance. I will also use my textbook as a resource to come up with ideas as far as how I can add a element of dance into the lesson plans I will be delivering during my field experience. I want to keep learning about dance and continually search for ways it can be incorporated.

Now What
In order to incorporate this knowledge and skill into my practice as a teacher I will need to keep a spirit of discovery. I will need to keep a journal of resources and ways that I can use it in my classroom. I will attend conferences and do my best to learn how to better use dance as a learning technique. I know that if I keep dance in the back of my mind while I am planning lessons and activities it will benefit not only me, but my students as well.

Reflection Week #5 - Process Drama fromText

What: 
I was honestly surprised by how much I learned from getting to develop Process Drama using text. I have always loved books and I think that they should be used in the classroom often. Never before did I realize though just how much can be learned from one book. My team's book was called Pink and Say and was a truen story about two boys and their experience in the Civil War.  While coming up with activities I was surprised by how many different topics and core curriculum objectives could be covered in one book. Not only did it cover language arts, but it also went into drama and social studies. Process Drama did all that in a fun and memorable way. It was also neat getting to watch everyone else go through their books because it gave me even more ideas on how to use Process Drama to teach various subjects. I loved the variety of topics the chosen books were on, and how much I learned from them. Process Drama is something I cannot wait to use in the classroom.

So What:
The activities that I will implement in my teaching are endless, just like the lists of possibilities in the text and on the web. I think that it honestly depends on the individual text that is chosen and what activity fits best where. I loved the 21 ideas online and I will definitely be holding onto my book because of all the ideas contained in that. One idea that I know I will probably use more than others, is using music to create a mood. I consider myself a musical person, and have participated in musical activities for a lot of my life. I love it's ability to not only create a mood but to help express feelings. Music can take you to another dimension where you can more fully experience what is being read in the text, and I know that it will help students connect.

Now What:
One thing that I have already started doing to help myself prepare to teach and integrate creative drama is to keep a list of all of the various activities I can use. There is such a huge variety of ideas, and I know there is no way  I will remember all of them. Since I know there is a place I can go to look up those ideas I will be able to use them in my own classroom. I have also started to go through the picture books I have at home and place sticky notes on the pages of the book. Those notes contain information about activities I can do in the classroom. I know that by keeping those ideas I can just pull the book out when I go to teach it and have those ideas already written down exactly where I would use them. There are just so many ways to integrate drama it blows me away. It makes things so memorable for kids that I know I will be using it in my classroom often.

Reflection Week #4 - Drama

What -

Today, and in this week's reading, we learned about using drama in the classroom. We also learned a lot of various techniques and ways to implement drama into the classroom. I have to be honest I was extremely nervous to participate in the activities in class when I first walked in the room, but I gradually became more comfortable participating in them. It made me realize that my feelings probably mirrored those that my students will have, and it made me think about how important it is to give students that safe place to express themselves. It also made me reflect on the importance of gradually getting students comfortable to drama.

So What -

Now that I have gotten the chance to experience a variety of drama activities I don't think that I will specifically focus on one in the classroom. I can definitely see myself using Teacher - In - Role a lot and activities where the students take on a character we are learning about like Hot Seating and  Collective role play. I really like the dept of learning that takes place when students are asked to take on a character they are learning about.


Now What -


I never really realized why drama should be used in the classroom and couldn't remember using it as a child except for in school plays. After learning about it in class today and reading in the book I realized it was used more then I noticed. It was amazing to me how, if used correctly, drama can be placed in just about any lesson. It enhances the learning that takes place and makes the learning fun! It not only helps the kids learn the material, but it helps them learn to control their behavior and work together. I also loved that it is proven to decrease separations and cliques in classrooms. I know that in the higher grades especially cliques are a huge problem and I know that when I face that I will use drama as a way to help solve those problems. 

Reflection Week #3 - Illustrators

What...
Most children are exposed to picture books beginning at a very young age.They listen to their parents read and are sucked into the world of the book. One of the things that draws them in are the illustrations. Those pictures are the doorway through witch they enter. Many of the books they are read become beloved favorites. They are used to seeing the creations of illustrators. They have background knowledge of the subject so it is a perfect jumping point for taking about illustrators in a different light.
 
So What....
In order to effectively prepare to teach my students about artists and their techniques/style I need to expose myself to various illustrators and their styles. Many times we stick with what is comfortable, what we are used to, but by branching out we may find something we like just as much or even more. Exposure is the key. Being willing to discover new illustrators and their styles will open the door to being able to teach them effectively.


Now What...
Students learn best when what they are learning is connected to their schema. Many will be very familiar with picture books before they enter the classroom, and even if they are not they will be exposed to them in the classroom. Art is an unfamiliar and difficult concept for many students, but when we connect it to something familiar I believe that makes it easier for them. In order to be able to create a great experience of this type with my students I will continually be looking for new quality illustrators that I will be able to tell them about when I have my own classroom.

Reflection Week #2 - Visual Arts

What? 

This week I learned about the different aspects of visual art: shape, space, color, value, line and texture. In class I was able to experiment with all of the aspects, and experience them first hand through various mediums.  In the textbook one of the things covered was ten building blocks of art integration, and how they related to visual arts. The first two building blocks focused on why it is important to integrate and discussed the skills I would need to teach it. The rest of the blocks provided ways for me as a teacher to integrate it into the classroom. One specific part of the reading that really fascinated me was the snapshot that talked about how a teacher introduced a unit on fantasy. I loved how he slowly revealed the painting and had the students discuss the painting with each other. As I read through chapters it amazes me how many various ways there are to integrate art into the classroom, and it makes me wonder why it isn't done more often.

So What?

As a future teacher, learning about visual arts and how simple it is to integrate them into everyday learning has made me want to continually search for ways they can be used in conjunction with the curriculum. The things that I remember most from elementary school are the times we did art projects. There are only a few however that I recall going along with what we were learning. 

I never thought that I was "good" at art, and that is probably because I was taught to imitate not create. There was always a sample of what I was supposed to produce, and mine never looked just right. I loved the suggestion in the book to encourage students to try. I am sure that in the classroom I will hear the saying "I'm not good at art," especially since I even heard it in our class while we were completing the various elements of art projects.

Now What?

In order to effectively prepare to teach my students in the future I will keep all of the ideas that I am discovering in an area that is easily accessed like a Google Doc or an art journal. I don't want the time I spend in this course, and the things I learn to be forgotten. I never realized how easy it is to integrate art into the classroom until I read the textbook. It amazed me how many places there were that art could be used as an aid. I had not considered it an effective tool for assessment until I realized that both drawing a picture and writing a paragraph were just different ways of showing what you know. Our students are brilliant, but they are smart in different ways. Art is one of those areas that students may excel in if we let them.

When I teach art something I will make sure to stress is that it shouldn't look the same. Art is a form of expression and no two people express things in the same way. There is no "good" art and "bad" art, just art. I want my students to feel free expressing themselves through the medium of art. I know what it felt like to feel like my art had to be perfect, and I don't want my students feeling those same pressures.