Reflection #15 12/9/10

WHAT:
Now that the semester is over, I have a new question to face, "Where am I heading with the Arts and Arts Integration?" This is a question that I spent a lot of time pondering about.

SO WHAT:
So what did I decide? Well now that I have a good understanding of the importance of arts in education I want to continue to learn more about ways to integrate it into the curriculum. I want to gain more experience in being able to naturally use different art forms in my lesson plans. I also want to try to educate other people in the world of its significance, and try to make it a bigger movement in the schools.

NOW WHAT:
Now the question is how am I going to complete all of these goals. There are many ways of going about this. It needs to not only be an individual task but a group and community movement. By working with other teachers both out in the field and in training, we can help each other with ideas and bounce off what does and doesn't work. Once I get into a working position, I really would like this to become something I work on with my collaboration team. With all of us working for a common goal we can make an impact together. There are a lot of other things that I have in mind, but these are some that I am already aiming for.

Reflection #14 12/2/10

WHAT:
What is the importance of Arts Integration in Teaching? This is the question that I was facing at the beginning of this semester. It is also something that I have deemed to be very important in the educational experience.

SO WHAT:
The reasons for its importance are many; my favorite being a students ability to think, comprehend, and remember. I have noticed in class as well as in field that when students enjoy what they are doing, they often have an easier time remembering it. The arts are also wonderful forms of mnemonics (i.e.-songs) that help the students remember material. I was so amazed throughout my experience in field just how much the students enjoyed doing the art activities. We used songs, comic strips, and drama of role taking to enhance our lessons and it truly improved the students' ability so summarize main points, recall events, etc.

NOW WHAT:
Now that I can vouch for the importance of the integration of the arts, I want to become better at using it. I want to watch other teachers and pay close attention to what they do. I want to practice using it in my own daily life, of studying and such. If I start preparing now, I know I will be better at using it later. This is to be my next step.

Reflection #13 11/25/10

WHAT:
This was our last week in field in which we only spent two days with the class.

SO WHAT:
So while we were there the kids only used te arts a little. As a thanksgiving celebration, they learned a bunch of peotry that they were to act out for their parents and the other 4th grade classes. They practiced on monday, memorizing their lines and putting actions into their "Readers Theater", then on Tuesday they performed them. The class thought it was a blast both doing their own and watching the other groups.

NOW WHAT:
Now that I have seen this integration for the holidays I would love to do things like this in my future teaching. The kids really get into it, and they really did a good job. I also learned they do something similar with the whole school for Christmas. I think that if I integrate the arts in fun ways like this, the class will be more accustomed to these types of things when they're older. I felt that it was very successful, and definately will remember in my future teaching.

Reflection #12 11/18/10

WHAT:

This week we taught 5 Social Studies lessons, specifically about the mountain men, and incorporated 2 arts lessons into them.

SO WHAT:

These arts integrated lessons were our Jim Bridger lesson in which we integrated a trapper song, and our Kit Carson lesson in which we had the class make cartoon strips representing the information they learned in class. Both activities were loved by the students. The trapper song was given to us by our corresponding teacher and it went to the tune of "She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain". It really got the kids excited for the lesson and had a lot of fun. The cartoon strip was used as a summarizing activity after they had completed a 5 part jigsaw on Kit Carson. Based upon the 5 parts they had learned about (Kit Carson's life) they had 5 boxes on w worksheet that they were to fill in telling the story. There was also a space provided to put the topic in for each drawing. The class really enjoyed drawing.

NOW WHAT:

Now that I have used art in my own teaching, I think that the reason for art integration is more clear to me. It is beneficial in so many ways. It is engaging, fun, aid in memory and management etc. I was surprised just how much the class liked it. I want to use this more in my future teaching because it was so effective. I think that schools should use whatever means possible to ensure that their students are succeeding and I truly believe that if used correctly, this can really make a difference. I enjoyed teaching this week and learned so much from the experience.

Reflection #11 11/11/10

WHAT:
This was our second week in field and we didn't notice near as much arts integration this week. There were just a couple things, chimes were used for getting attention and the kids sing the mnemonic songs for their multiplication practice.

SO WHAT:
These are good ideas for me right now with being in field, as well as for my colleges. Seeing the mnemonics used was cool cause it is such a good trick in learning things like math. These little tricks can help you memorize things so much better. The chime technique was pretty cool too because she would just go up to the front and ding each little chime while the kids were working and they immediately would look at her. These things are good to see because they can give us ideas of things to use in our future classrooms.

NOW WHAT:

Now that I have seen these tricks and techniques, I plan on sharing them with my colleges and I also plan on trying to start a collection of my own. I want to hear what things were used in my colleges classes in order to get attention. I think that music/instruments are very effective and definitely should be incorporated.

Reflection #10 11/4/10

WHAT:
This week we spent in field in our 4th grade class at central elementary. We have worked with the students on their work when they are struggling and helping out our corresponding teacher with anything she's needed. We also have tried to pay close attention to anyway our teacher has used the arts in the classroom.

SO WHAT:
When we were observing her arts integration for the week, we noticed that she used a maraca in her class. She used it during spelling as a cue for them to respond all together. I thought this was a great idea, rather than having to count or now go, or something like that. Something else cool that she uses is a singing fish for transitions in the classroom. In our management class we learned about having the kids sing songs to get their attention and help with subject transitions. I thought this was an ingenious way to accomplish that. This toy fish plays tons of different songs and they will be given the time of one song to be in their seats, face forward, and ready for the next lesson. The kids would sing along as they returned to their seats.

NOW WHAT:
Now that I have seen different ideas to use the arts in order to aid in classroom management I want to try and find tools like this that I can later use. I found the singing fish to be very fun and effective. I also want to collect instruments such as maracas, triangles, and a drum to use in my classroom. I was amazed just how well the class responded to these techniques and I want to prepare myself by having these supplies ready before I have my own classroom.

Reflection #9 10/28/10

WHAT:
When we wrote this lesson we used the different beats and rhythms to make it more interesting and to keep the children all together. We also wanted to use the same song for the warm up and the song because it made an easier transition. We learned though to be very careful when putting words in order (like she, it) and grouping words.

SO WHAT:
It is important for me to remember to incorporate music into learning. In elementary school, and even junior high, I learned different songs to remember what the preamble was, adjectives, and adverbs, and math skipping. I still remember them now in college, that is the power of music. I also think it is important to remember to be careful when writing songs, to keep it simple and watch word placement etc.

NOW WHAT:
My next steps are to build a collection and to practice using it. Already I am planning on using a mountain men song in my student teaching that tells about what they did. I want to continue to do things like this in my student teaching to get practice at integrating it into the curriculum. I also want to start getting a collection of these songs that both I have done and others. I can get them from my colleges and find them from teachers out in the field already. I think music is lots of fun and really helps the people learn.

Reflection #8 10/21/10

WHAT:
Music is a combination of many things. It has rhythm and beat and tune. Usually it is put together via instruments and/or voices (singing). It should be involved in the classroom because it teaches the kids these things as well as aids in memory, breathing, and is simply enjoyable.

SO WHAT:
I really want to use music in my classroom. It is so useful for setting moods when working. More importantly to me, it can really help them learn! By putting concepts we are learning to music they will be able to remember the material so much easier. I remember in school using music to learn skip counting, the preamble, adverbs, and so much more. The really crazy thing is I still remember most of those songs. Kids really enjoy to sing and I know I always thought it was fun.

NOW WHAT:
I want to start preparing for music incorporation now, while I'm in school. I plan to start finding different songs for the material I will be teaching. I already have a paper with all the skip counting on it, and I will just continue to build. I also plan to collect all of the songs that are being created in class to add to my folders. With songs that aren't available, I can start making up my own songs as well. I will use the folk songs and change the lyrics to fit what I need, just like we are for our assignment this week. I think music is so fun and affective, it will definitely be used.

Reflection #7 10/7/10

WHAT:
My understanding throughout this experience in many ways. I never thought of the word "dance" to mean act out what is going on in a book, simply adding movement to a lesson. I always thought of it as something that you move to music and choreography. Now I see that it can simply be adding movement and interpretation into your lessons. It is much easier than I thought.

SO WHAT:
I will definitely be taking the ideas of using the drum into my future teaching. I liked how you could use it to start/stop or for tempo in activities etc. I also really liked the use of props in dance. I think it added a lot to the dancing, you can be much more creative in what you're trying to portray.

NOW WHAT:
I plan to use dance to teach the different movements, shapes, and even the sciences. It teaches the forces really well and it makes learning about weather much more interesting. I want to start collecting things such as a drum and different props that can be used in class. I also might start collecting different weather sounds, etc., to play when going over weather just to add another sense of feeling and depth to the dance. I will do more research and get more ideas over the remainder of my schooling to become better acquainted with ways to incorporate it into the curriculum as well. I liked it and I want to become more prepared to use it.

Reflection #6 9/30/10

WHAT:
I have always loved to dance growing up, but I never thought of it as a part of "learning". This has given me the a chance to see that children can gain so much more in school by adding movement to the lesson. It makes it more interesting, more visual, increases creativity etc.

SO WHAT:
In preparation for field, I want to practice and learn about different ways to incorporate dance into my lessons that I will be teaching. I really liked learning about the brain dance, to get the blood moving before tests and such. I definitely will be using this. Just doing it for class woke me up and helped me relax a little. If I practice now, it will only be more natural to add dance into my curriculum in the future.

NOW WHAT:
I need several things to incorporate this into my practice, most importantly probably being practice. The more experience I have, the more ideas I will come up with, and the more natural it will come. There are other things that I need though. I also will need to start making collections of books that I can use depending on what grade I am teaching, I also need to communicate with my colleges, professors, and teachers to see what ideas they may have. I hope to be able to get collections of books full of ideas, as well as read my textbook in my free time.

Reflection #5 9/23/10

WHAT:
This week in class we learned about the different ways drama can be incorporated into the classroom. I learned there are many benefits in using drama both educationally as well as socially.

SO WHAT:
There are different activities that I believe would be the useful in my classroom. I would definitely have the students close their eyes and envision the stories as I read them, or have them do journal entries as if they were the specific characters from the story. I also really like the activity where there are 4 people us front as a character, and then have them play off of each other as you ask them questions (like we did in class). I think it is fun and helps them learn with perspectives.

NOW WHAT:
In order to be able to better integrate drama into my curriculum, I plan to learn more strategies and practice them in my field experience as well as my lessons in my own schooling now. I know that if I get more used to using it now, it will only get easier with time. I never had thought about how beneficial drama could be, but now that I know, I want to use it to the best degree I can. I want to practice and see what I like and come up with more ways to use it. Now is a great time for me to gain experience and I plan to do so.

Reflection #4 9/16/10

WHAT:
I have never been a theater person in anyway shape or form, but today taught me how useful it can be. I found that you can teach kids cooperation and to give-and-take in life, and make it fun. I really never realized just how much of a connection you can make by simply working together in mirror games etc.

SO WHAT:
There are many different activities I would use in teaching, slightly depending on the grade. One activity that I really liked was the reading activities. I think that by bringing the books more to life, like we did in class, can make learning a more personal and enjoyable experience. It would have made a huge difference in my learning/reading in school. I also really enjoyed the machine game. If that fit into my given curriculum, I would use it in the classroom for sure.

NOW WHAT:
Drama/theater is something that I am not very familiar with, therefore it is definitely something that I will need to practice and experiment with in order to be able to incorporate it better. My sister-in-law is a theater major and has many fun ideas that it can be used in, so I do have that resource. I mostly though want to work on it throughout the next two years of school (with class assignments and field experience) to become more familiar with it and to got the hang of it. I never would have guessed how valuable the concept of drama could be in the classroom, but now that I have gotten a glimpse of it I want to study it out and use it in my future classroom.

Reflection #3 9/9/10

WHAT:
This week in class I really learned about the importance of paying attention to art. There is so much that goes into making an artwork aesthetically pleasing and there are incredible stories that can be made from a piece of art if you take the time to look into the details. There is great value in using pictures in story telling, such as children's picture books. I think that they can add so much to a story. I really enjoy when there are hidden story lines in the artwork or foreshadowing, and so forth; it makes the story even more interesting.

SO WHAT:
There are a few things that I can do to better prepare myself to teach about the arts. One main one would be to gain my own experience. I always have been the artsy type so studying the visual arts comes fairly natural to me; however, I never got into reading as a kid so I am not very familiar with a lot of illustrators. I need to gain more experience in learning about the different illustrators and styles that are used in books. By knowing this, I will be more equipped to use them in my future classroom.

NOW WHAT:
The importance of knowing the different elements of art, styles, and illustrators is that by knowing them I can incorporate them in the classroom much easier and be able to make connections between the art and the different subjects. For example: as a child I loved art but hated reading. If I was to read a book and learn about the style of art, and then use that style to create my own art work, I would have enjoyed and appreciated that book so much more. I even would have made my own story to go with my artwork. There are so many ways to make learning more interesting and to increase a child/persons learning abilities and I think that this is an amazing way to do it. Yes there are different kinds of learners, but generally, I think these types of activities would be beneficial for children.

Reflection #2 9/2/10

WHAT:
This week in class we learned about different art forms and then did rotations practicing the use of them in class. The reading taught me things that I generally already knew, but hadn't thought much about. It gave me more insight on the benefits that art can have on your main teaching subjects such as math and english. I found it to be really interesting.

SO WHAT:
Learning these different uses and benefits makes me want to use it in my own school life as well as my teaching preparation. As a child in elementary school, I always used art in projects as much as possible. If I was doing a book report of my choice I would make a drawing representing what I had read, and things like that. The sad thing is as I got older I have mostly stopped doing that. I think that if I used it with books I was reading and what not, it would be a good way to remember what I read and it would be enjoyable. I want to learn and practice these tips so that they will come more natural to me in use as a teacher.

NOW WHAT:
Now that I have been made more aware of the wonderful affects of visual arts in the classroom I plan on finding out ways to incorporate it into my student teaching as well as regular teaching. As I start to make lesson plans I can think of different art projects to incorporate and aid in the learning experience. I have an enlarged respect for the arts in the classroom and I think that if I work hard on learning more and better ways to incorporate them that my students will do better not only in my class but in all areas for their futures.

Reflection 8/26/10

WHAT:
As a child in elementary school, the arts were used a lot in the classroom. I actually had core classes and then specialty classes, so I was able to get a wide variety of the arts. In math we would use paper or candy to demonstrate what we were learning or even sing songs to learn the times tables etc., in english we would draw out what we were reading (draw out a story line of event type thing), in music class we sang songs and danced, in history we would draw pictures or make models of some sort demonstrating what we were learning in that chapter. A few times we even were given the task of playing out different people in the civil war, studying them in detail. These are just a few of the times I remember it being used. As I read the chapter and reflected back on past experiences, I realized just how much these art projects aided in my retention of this material.

SO WHAT:
A mentioned before, I have started making a lot of relations between information the book has been giving and my own personal life experiences. I noticed that for the most part, the things that I remember the best from elementary school are the activities that made me feel involved in the classroom, or things that I was able to make connections to; most of these were events involving the arts. The teachers that I enjoyed the most were the ones that did more than lecture and give worksheets.

My absolute favorite teacher was my 5-6 grade history teacher. She was one of the most impacting teacher for me as well as for many other students that I know of. In her class we would imagine ourselves in ancient Egypt and then draw pictures of what we thought we would have looked like if we were alive in those days. it was also in her class that we learned all of the 50 states and capitals by both songs and by drawing little rhyme books so we could make connections to remember the states to their capitals; my personal favorite activity was the civil war reenactment where we were each assigned a different person from either the union or confederates, and we had to study them and then play them at the end of the year as we went to war on the playground.

There wasn't many teachers that I didn't like in my school experience. The only thing that I really didn't like was work sheets and reciting things in class, I was a shy kid, and really enjoyed being able to do little hands on projects or group things where we could learn from each other. I want to learn fro my past experiences and be able to make learning enjoyable, there are so many kids that believe that school is boring (and lets face it, a lot of the time it is), but it doesn't have to be. I want to be that teacher that the kids enjoy going to class for and that they can walk away saying "I learned something today".

NOW WHAT:
Over the next semester and couple years before I have my own classroom, I want to learn more ways that I can integrate the arts into the classroom. I want it to be natural to be able to think of little ideas to keep the classroom flowing smoothly and effectively. I plan on talking to my friend and cousin and finding out ideas of how they have used it in their classrooms, as well as read up on the different ideas our book, or uen, or some other websites that might have ideas.