Response to Sylvia Kind chapter 2 (blog 3)

how did her ideas relate to mine?

There was not all that much for me to disagree with in this chapter. As it went through the progression of art in a child’s life, it made perfect sense. Most of the learning processes she acknowledged would be applied throughout the child’s world as an early stage learner. This chapter was really connecting the dots for me. It revealed some things that I already knew, but I didn’t realize I knew them. I had several ‘aha’ moments as I went through the chapter.

The bit where she says that making art is actually making play made perfect sense to me, because as a child I used to make drawing games to play with my friends. We would draw little stick figures who would shoot each other! This also exhibited the fact that boys will draw violence in testosterone-rich scenes.

How can they guide me as I approach practice?

These realizations will be invaluable in practice. They provide a factual basis by which I can understand the process that the young artists are undergoing. This could act as a reference material for teachers. They would be able to have a quick check back on this material to make sure that whatever art project they were planning would be appropriate for the age group they are dealing with.

I intend to teach high school, so this material may not be the best suited to my needs, but knowing the different transitions a child has undergone to get to the level they are at when they reach my class will be valuable, especially if I decide to make a funky project where the student has to re-enact an art work they made as a young child. If a student is struggling in a particular area, perhaps this background knowledge will help me to address their needs. I know that I would like to get my students to scribble and make marks according to the kinaesthetic properties of making it, at least for one project.

My Preconceptions (blog 2)

I have noticed that, for the most part, my views on childhood come into direct conflict with other people’s. I have been known to take adversarial viewpoints, in fact I somewhat pride myself on being able to play devil’s advocate, but in this instance, I solidly believe that children may be ignorant but they are certainly not ‘innocent’. Not all children anyways. I think that just because children may not have the tools or understanding of how to hurt and demean people with the level of sophistication and manipulation as adults do, does not mean they lack intent. Children are undoubtedly equipped with a sense of wonderment, and vast curiosity and imagination, but they are also not equipped with the ability to control their emotions and logically surmise conclusions to complex problems. I think of school fights as a prime example.

I remember one time, when I was in first grade. It was recess, and I was in a bad mood, I wanted to be left alone, so I hid under the bridge on the playground. When another boy in my grade approached me, I swore at him and told him to leave, and when he didn’t I threw rocks at his face. He still didn’t leave so I kicked his head against a metal pole. Does that scenario have any trace of innocence in it? No. Definitely not, it does however illustrate that as a 6 year old I lacked the capacities of reason and self control. I reacted with unfettered emotion.

James perceived his world through an emotional lens as well. If James had thought logically about his parents and their demise he would have realized that there was no Giant Rhino, and that his parents and aunts were probably more alike than he thinks.

The way I see it, Children are miniature, immature people. They aren’t like blessings or angels. They each have history and baggage of their own. They all have the capacity to be good or bad, to learn or to be stubborn. A teacher has to be able to react to their needs, and work on their terms; to beat them at their own game. An art teacher would have to understand where the kids are in their lives, and what they are and are not capable of. If you give 30 8 year olds paint and brushes, someone is getting painted on. An art teacher is going to have to give the kids something they want to develop. Their interests may perplex and offend adults, but they are kids after all, they don’t know any better.

Puzzle Documentation 2

Today we discovered that my drawing board is too small for the puzzle!

So on Wednesday our group will have to transplant the completed fragments onto another board or an isolated table.

It was my fault that we used that board, I assumed it was large enough for the puzzle, but that's what you get for assuming I suppose.

We nearly have the boarder of the puzzle completed, some of the larger objects are also taking shape. Chennel has a coral object made, and I completed a planet today.

We have yet to adopt a more sophisticated approach, as I hoped we would. We are still digging through the box looking for pieces. I suppose this suggests that habits of convenience are the hardest to break.

All of our members feel as though we are lagging, especially when we compare to our neighbours. Amanda is apparently a puzzle whiz! They are more than half done, whereas we have only a few recognizable objects. It is important not to get discouraged, but I don't think puzzle making was meant to be a competitive activity anyhow.

At the next opportunity I will suggest to the group that we find a new strategy, and hopefully our progress will improve.

Understanding the learner questions (blog 4)

5. How will you create a holistic portrait of the learners in your class? What will you need to know about them, and how will you apply your knowledge?

I will have to know where they lie in the developmental spectrum. I will need to determine how developed their sense of identity is. Students with less strongly attuned identities will be susceptible to impression by their peers, and my not want to risk doing something they’re interested in. I will want to know how they talk to each other and what cultural factors are influencing them. I’ll have to know what type of art they are interested in, and what kind of art they are unfamiliar with.

I will need to know these things in order to push them, and find projects that interest them and they can relate to, but I will need to know how to challenge the students with the projects I select for them. If the group is not thinking through their decisions, or are ignorant to the implications of the decisions they are making, perhaps subconscious decisions, I will have to try to stimulate some genuine thought and consideration in the assignment.

6. As a teacher of art, why do you think the knowledge of holistic development is important in providing appropriate instructions for your students?

Knowing what sort of changes the students are going through and what kind of changes they are experiencing is vital to providing the instruction they need. The minds of children are in a state of flux. The way in which students will perceive and interpret the lessons I provide will depend on the state of development that they are in. So in order for me, as a teacher, to ensure the students understand me and are able to accept the content I will have to adjust to their specific needs.

Best/Worst art Experience (blog1)

My best art experience would have to be in grade 12. That was a very formative year in my life; I learned a great deal about myself and developed a strong understanding of the value of relationships. A great deal of this self discovery took place in my art classroom. There were always 2 art teachers in the art room, but they did not teach in tandem. Looking back at this, I begin to make connections with the Reggio system. The negotiations they went through to develop the department does set an example for cooperation in a non dictatorial atmosphere. I may not have realized this when I was younger, but I learnt a great deal from their understanding and enthusiasm regardless of whom was my assigned teacher for the course.

However, at the time I did fully realize how much I was benefitting from being in the same class as my best friend. She and I would be talking and flirting and teasing each other and help one another with the projects we were assigned. Since we both had ADD it was not a surprise that we would drift off together in our own little art world.

Working through artistic blockades and personal strife in that class truly reignited a dormant love of art and expression. It was then that I decided I wanted teaching art to be my life.

To be honest, I cannot really remember the worst experience in my art career. Art has usually treated me very kindly, and so the bad moments do not seem to be nearly as memorable as the good moments. It is arguable, but I would have to say that the worst experience of mine was in Jr. High art class, I cannot remember which grade, most likely grade 7. I was having a hard time making friends in grade 7 on the whole, and in the art class I still felt quite alone and intimidated by the large groups of friends that existed all around me. I remember sometimes feeling like I didn’t belong or that my art wasn’t good enough for the class. I would continue to improve in art from an average student in Jr. High to typically receiving 90%s by the end of grade 12.

After I had read, "Understanding the Learner", I understood why I felt alienated and inferior. For that age, those feelings are a normal part of the developmental process. Many students wished their artwork wasn't good enough, and were uneasy with their new role as young adults. As I grew, I entered other developmental stages. I diversifed my interests and thrived in them. I bagan to really achieve in school, and art was a big part of that.

RE: Kenzie's best art experience

OH WOW!!
that was probably the coolest art experience ever! I lvoed just reading about it, and I got all excited! haha
A bloody tree with human limbs on it! I relish the thought!
I had no idea Kenzie would have a dark side like that!

I tried really hard to make a comment on hers, but it wouldnt allow so I madee a post of my own celebrating her experience which i thought was totally awesome.

Puzzle Documentation 1

This is my first entry and I am a little excited to get started.
Wednesday morning we started working on our puzzles.
Not all of our group members were present, but the three of us made a start.
We just dove in, started grabbing edge pieces and forming coloumns with them, luckily some clumps of puzzle came out of the box correctly connected.

One thing I thoguht we did well was work as a team. We communally decided on the orientation of the puzzle on the board and started giving pieces to one another that they would need for their section of the picture.

One thing I noticed from Amanda and Allison was that they colour co-ordinated all of their loose pieces so that they limited their search when looking for a specific piece. That is a strategy I hope our group can adopt, however, I fear that the puzzle's elaborate design would undermine the usefullness of this technique.

I think that as a learner team work is important, and definitely works in favour of hte ultimate goal, but in this instance, the members of our team were so in tune that there weren't many new ideas or strategies brought up. If there were some conflict, perhaps we would have came up with a more effective technique.

This is a very biased point though, because I am usually a very arguementative individual.