Reflection #3

What? I think it is a great idea to use a children book illustrators to entrance the learning of art. Children books are something they can relate too. When they look at a picture from Picasso some students might be a little overwhelmed, maybe not really get what is going on. With a children's book they know right off the bat the picture is telling a story. The can use those pictures to imagine they are somewhere else.

So What? When teaching about art I can use the activities we learned in class. We can explain how an illustrator did their work. We can have them write their own children's book and make the pictures for them. I can also compare and contrast from several different illustrators. I can ask them what they like better.

Now What? I think learning about illustrators is important. They can use their imagination to play out a story in their mind. It is a great outlet for creativity. I think it important for me to research about different illustrators so that I can teach my kids how they are able to complete works of art through story books.

Reflection #2

What? In class we explored visual arts. We learn about terms like line, shape, color, value, texture, and space. We also learned about principles like proportion, balance, variety, rhythm, emphasis, and unity. These are important things to think about when looking or creating art. Art is up to your imagination but you will find you will have at least one of these terms or principles in every piece of art.

So What? As a teacher I understand that I need to be aware of these terms and principles and their definitions. I want my students to understand them as well. The best way to learn something is through example. So I would show them a piece of art and have them point of the terms in the work. Then they can go about creating their own work with those terms in mind. Art is every where you look and it creates harmony and a soothing atmosphere.

Now What? I think a great idea to make sure all my students understand these concepts is to show a piece of artwork for each term. This way they can also see how they can apply them to their art. I never really considered all of these term when looking at art but now when I look they stick out like a sore thumb. I really want my student to be able to produce great works of art and I think that these terms are the first stepping stones to achieve that.

Reflection #1

What? I have taken a couple of class in high school in the arts. I took a calligraphy class and a photography class. I also taught preschool in high school and that was full of the arts. We had to make a bulletin board each week describing the theme for that week. We constantly had to use arts to make these more interesting. In my regular classes I can not think of anytime where the teacher integrated art into the class except maybe humanities. We had to make our painting that describe something using colors and figures.

So What? When I was a little girl I remember I wanted to be an artist. I use to draw in my sketch book every night before I went to sleep. I loved to draw people. I loved to fantasize about the kind of person I would be or one I wish I was and then draw them. I also have a scrapbook I have made of my early childhood. I think it is important to make a diary of sorts of our memories. My calligraphy teacher was crazy and he loved to play music as loud as it could go. He encouraged us to use our imagination to make art work and incorporate calligraphy. My photography teacher wasn't very sociable but I learned a lot of about the mechanics of how to develop film. The creativity of taking a picture came from within. I need to figure out ways to make my classroom feel safe so that they can express themselves through art. I think art is a good way to reinforce something and I think they would remember an art project more than anything else they did in school if it meant something to them.

Now What? I need to gather lots of ideas to integrate art into my class. There could be some form of art included into every lesson of every topic. We could set aside time in the day to express art. We could go on a field trip to expose their senses and give them ideas to express their creativity.