Start of Semester:
Please answer each survey question in a few thoughtful sentences (January 22nd, 2012)
1. How do you envision using art in your classroom?
Response: I'd like to incorporate art into my future classroom curriculum as much as possible. I personally feel that children often learn best and remember more of a lesson or activity if there is a creative aspect incorporated into the learning process. I think art and crafts project would be useful to incorporate perhaps after reading a story aloud, during a science lesson and in combination with children's written stories.
2. What do you know about integrated learning / integration?
Response: As of now, I'm not particularly familiar with the concept of integrated learning. I hope to learn much more about it via LTC 4240 and how to employ it in my future classrooms within the coming months.
3. Rate your comfort level in making art, and discuss.
Uneasy 1 2 3 4 5 Comfortable
Response: I'd say that I'm currently at a level 4 comfort level in making art. It really depends on the specific genre of art (for example, I feel that I'm a much more skilled drawer than I am a potter or a painter). However, I do feel a certain level of pride with most art projects that I complete with effort. I'm also quite fond of doodling...on everything!
4. Rate your comfort level in analyzing and talking about art, and discuss.
Uneasy 1 2 3 4 5 Comfortable
Response: My comfort level with analyzing and discussing art is probably at a level 3. I'm not totally clueless and do have some favorite artists (Dali & Alex Grey) but I'm not all that knowledgeable about art as an academic subject and would likely avoid discussing it openly only to have someone correct or disagree with me about the subject.
End of Semester:
Now that you have [almost] completed the course, please answer each survey question once more in a few thoughtful sentences.
1. How do you envision using art in your classroom?
Response: I envision using art lessons in my future classroom all the time! I plan to create units where art is the focus of at least one of the lessons within the unit so that students are getting art based activity and instruction imbedded with other content areas several times throughout the school year. I also plan to VTS with students regularly and then have them employ their thoughts/feelings/emotions/hypothesis and ideas into written pieces. Additional ideas include using puppets with instruction, incorporating some version of an expressive sound poem during the year, having students create collages at the beginning and end of the year that they feel represent their identity, and creating a classroom quilt with each square representing/celebrating a student. The center of the quilt will represent our classroom community.
2. What do you know about integrated learning / integration?
Response: Integration is an integral, essential component of successful teaching. In order to provide quality, thorough, well-rounded instruction to students, teachers must strive to create lessons and activities that integrate a variety of subjects and skill sets.
3. Rate your comfort level in making art, and discuss.
Uneasy 1 2 3 4 5 Comfortable
Response: My comfort level with making art is still a 4. I certainly think there's always room for progress and improvement with really any skill or passion in life. However, I'm pretty proud of many of the works I created this semester and through creating these pieces, I came to recognize that my job is not to be a professional artist or to be perfect at making beautiful works of art but to create pieces of art that guide students toward meeting their educational and artistic goals.
4. Rate your comfort level in analyzing and talking about art, and discuss.
Uneasy 1 2 3 4 5 Comfortable
Response: My current comfort level in analyzing and discussing art is currently at a level 4. I'm more knowledgeable now of different artists, pieces they've created, and styles they're notable for than I was before taking LTC 4240. I'm also now more informed and comfortable on how to analyze pieces of art (such as noticing and understanding metaphors or overall themes). Furthermore (and perhaps most importantly for my career), I am more comfortable than ever now to select pieces of art that are appropriate for classroom students to analyze and will foster creative thinking, thoughtful discussion, interest, personal connections and participation during lessons and activities.