Where am I heading with arts and arts education?

What? I really enjoyed this class. It really helped me see that there are so many was to teach something and include the arts. They really enhance a lesson, the students really enjoy them, and because of that they remember what was learned longer.

So What? Learning through the arts is so important. Some students learn better this way. Students can also express themselves better. The retain the information they learned longer because it was such an enjoyable experience. I also liked teaching with arts better. I feel like there is always room to include the arts in your lesson plan.

Now what? I am going to be sure and teach using all the stuff I learned in this class in my future class. I really like all of the helpful tools I received in this class and I can not wait to try them all out. I just need to remember how important teaching the arts are even if my school and others do not.

Spring Break April 4-10

I am going to Vegas and Six Flags yay!!

Reflection #12

What? This week we got to help the whole 4th grade practice a dance they will be performing for their parents. This was exciting because I remember doing this when I was in the 4th grade.

So what? I felt this was really important for the students to listen to directions and learn the steps. They also got to learn a bit of culture that the song gave them. This gave the students as chance to loosen up and have some fun. Students really had to consintrate to know what to do and I think this really improved their listening skills.

Now what? The students also had to learn a song they are going to perform. The teacher that was teaching the song added gestures to certain words and moved through the song one verse at a time. In that short amount of time all of the students including myself had it memorized and it was not exactly an easy song. He was also adding the beat and throughout the song the students were claping their knees. I think the students learned it so quickly is because the teacher was really into it and it made it fun for the students.

Reflection #11

What? So this week of field experience, my partner and I taught Monday thru Thursday. Two of those days we integrated a creative arts lesson. We are teaching a unit on the Mormon Pioneers.

So what? This field experience has taught me that students love the creative arts. They had so much fun with our lessons. We used Decision Alley to have a students decide whether they wanted to go be a Pioneer and face miles of walking and hardship or to stay homes and be persecuted. I had one student walk the alley and had one side tell her to go and one to stay. Students really got into it and they used convincing statement we had learned about to get them to stay or go.

The other creative arts lesson we used was the "Machine". We had the students act out something the pioneer would have used. For example a hand cart. The students really got into it and they learned the importance of working together.

Now what? I am very excited to start teaching full time where I can use creative arts in most of my lessons. I think that they students really got the most out of it. It was very exciting trying them out and seeing how the students responded to them. I think the students will remember the ideas they learned using creative arts for years to come.

Reflection #10

What? I started my field experience this week. I am working with the 4th grade. My field partner and I decided that we wanted to observe our first week so we could get a feel of the classroom before teaching.

So what? I know that this experience will be very beneficial to me as a teacher. I know that it already is as a student. My class is very quiet. I think this is because my teacher has excellent classroom management. I don't really know any major behavior problems within her classroom. My teacher speaks with a very quiet voice and all of her students respect her.

Although the class is very well put together, I feel like there is too much quiet time. There is not a lot of group collaboration going on within the classroom, where the kids can let loose a bit and have some fun. I think that creative arts could be just the key for something like this. The students can work together as a team through a process drama and probably remember it for years to come. Plus I think creative arts will definitely let the class have a bit more fun.

Now what? One thing I have noticed is that they don't include creative arts very much at all in the classroom. The whole 4th grade rotates everyday. One of the rotations in music. Then on Fridays they have a art activity. Also once a week parents come in the class and tell them about an artist and copy a piece of art work of theirs.

This class could include a lot more drama into the classroom. That was my favorite part about learning about the creative art so I know that my students would enjoy it as well. Next week my partner are going to start teaching and I am excited to see what they class will think about how we include creative arts in the classroom.

Reflection #9

What? I learned that creating a music lesson is hard. My group had a hard time teaching the song. Maybe if you had practice or you had a song given to you but teaching one from scratch is hard work. Personally I think it is easier if you have the words written down so you can read them which a lot of groups did, which I thought our teacher said wasn't the best way to teach a song. Sing not say.

So What? One thing I learned that I will have to do better is to enunciate the words slowly and clearly. Maybe sure they are able to hear each syllable. They also have to have a clear idea of the rhythm.

Now What? If I am going to teach music in my classroom I am going to have to find some great song and music in which they can sing to. I want to make sure they are learning something from the songs because that is a great way to remember things.

Reflection #8

What? Music is the way we can express ourselves through song. It can be very helpful in the classroom. We you are learning something I think that you can remember it better if you put it to song. Students can learn to listen better through song and focus more.

So what? I want to try using music in my classroom to help my students remember things. I still remember songs today that I learned in elementary school. I think that music can also bring your class together. I need to remember when I am teaching a song that they student learn better hearing it and through repetition. Students can work on the beat and rhythm using instruments.

Now what? To prepare to teach music effectively I need to build up my music collection. I don't know very many teaching songs that would be great for the classroom. I will need to learn how to sing a lot of songs before I can teach them effectively. I will need to gather lots of music. I am going to practice by teaching a lesson on Tuesday. If my class does not pick up the song and learn something from it I am going to have to reevaluate my teaching method.