Reflection #15

What: This week's blog, which just happens to be our last week of school (woo hoo!), is about where I am heading as far as art integration is concerned.  

So What: Throughout my field experience journey, I have learned many things.  I have learned that some teachers LOVE art and some definitely do NOT. Some teachers love math and some love other subjects.  I have learned that each teacher has their OWN specialty and excel in different areas.  This, I have learned, is why teachers collaborate and work together.  They work together because some teachers really do need help in some areas, but at the same time they could be amazing in other subjects.  Art is a subject that not too many teachers are fantastic at.  Most teachers really have to work hard at incorporating art into their classroom.  It takes a lot of work, just like teaching math, english, or any other subject.  Something else I have learned through my experience is that teachers can teach one lesson while teaching 3 subjects at the same time.  A math project could involve math, art, and language arts.  This is such an awesome thing!

Now What: Something I plan on doing is involving multiple subjects into my lessons.  I don't want to just teach math when math time comes around in class.  I want to involve the children's creativity and their imaginations. I want my classroom to be filled with my students work and projects they have worked on all year.  Most of all, I want my students to understand that I feel strongly about every subject, not just one or two.

Reflection #14

What: Art in the classroom... Is there time for it in the classroom and is it worth it to make the time for art?

So What: My cooperating teacher at Edgemont Elementary was not very good at incorporating art into the classroom, but she was also not opposed to the idea of putting art in the classroom. She has realized that the students learn SO much more through art, and enjoy class so much more when they are able to do art.  One of the ways we incorporated art into the classroom was through a Reader's Theater.  Our lessons, during the 2 weeks, were about the events leading up to the American Revolution so we decided to find a Reader's Theater about those events, and low and behold, we found something that fit what we were teaching perfectly!  It something about the Stamp Act, Tea Act, Boston Tea Party, the Boston Massacre, etc... It was great!  And, the best part was that it had 26 parts, exactly how many students were in the class.  We practiced this play for an entire week and the students performed it on Friday for other students and a few parents.  We helped the students project their voices, get into character, and really get a sense of the time period they were acting out.  It was 100% successful!

Now What: I think art is such an amazing thing and I really enjoyed listening to other people's way of integrating art into the classroom during class today.  I hope that creating my art journal will encourage me to put art ideas into my journal and keep it updated and filled with ideas that I find enjoyable and what students would find enjoyable as well.  

Back to Classes- Reflection #13

I am blogging today because I forgot to blog last week since I was out of town all of Thanksgiving week.  I wanted to talk about my overall experience in field.  

I was really impressed with myself when it came to teaching, and even surprised myself a little bit.  I expected to be scared and nervous while teaching, and instead I was excited and ready to teach the students the information I had been asked to share with them.  Something I learned while teaching is that kids love any kind of interactive lesson.  They love when they are up and moving, and really experiencing the material being taught.  The taxing activity we did with the students (we taxed them each day to help them understand the different taxes the colonists experienced) was an absolute HIT.  They loved it!  They got so upset any time we took money (which was fake), you would've thought it was money they had worked really hard for.  

Teaching fifth grade was a real treat, in my opinion.  Fifth graders are the type to not show emotion in fear that others may make fun of them, but they really do care about you (as a teacher) and want to build a relationship with you.  I enjoyed my fifth grade class much more than I thought I would and it's gotten me very interested in seeing how I'll like the younger grades.