ART JOURNAL 10
04/20/2020
Please think about and answer the following questions
- How do you look at teaching art virtually/online in the past?
- Does there any current learning or event change how you look at teaching virtually now?
- How does my art piece (or the process of making this art piece) represent this change or revision?
- How will I apply my current understanding/learning to my future teaching?
I addressed this topic similarly in last week’s journal entry. The COVID-19 epidemic has brought teaching art virtually and online into focus. In the past I had avoided online coursework for the most part, feeling as though it was a less-effective method for learning. However, now and in the foreseeable future, utilizing technology exclusively is an adjustment we have all had to make, regardless of our preconceived notions on the subject.
One of the most important lessons I have taken from this current situation is that, it is often difficult for people to incorporate necessary lifestyle changes into their daily routine and to fully embrace other ideologies, without a dire circumstance. For example, I would not have embraced Zoom class meetings, or online exclusive coursework without this dramatic scenario. I could have appreciated the philosophy, or recognized the opportunities it might hold in education, but to utilize this practice in my daily life took these extreme conditions to stick.
Like jumping into cold water, I have experienced from this circumstance that if I truly want to make a change in my life, I need to put myself in a situation where I feel uncomfortable. It is through this unfamiliarity, which will create the conditions and challenges necessary for me to grow and adapt to new circumstances. This kind of thinking is something I will incorporate into my reflections, and self-evaluations as I construct lesson plans for my students. In what ways can I create scenarios that foster growth and adaptation to new challenges?
In the past I had negative perceptions of technology, to an extent. I felt it was invasive, and conflicting with natural learning experiences and organic growth. As I studied at CSU I looked to find a harmony between these approaches to teaching and learning, combining digital and physical learning with accommodations to different learning types. We have studied Reggio Emilia, Waldorph, State and National Standards, and through all types of educational philosophies, harmony between physical and digital learning is necessary for student success.
Therefore in this entry I thought about myself as a learner, and created a series of self-portraits through the years. Through my academic journey, I have learned that I experience information more fully and retain content better when I learn through physical hand and body movement. I am a bodily kinesthetic learner which is a theorized intelligence that refers to a person's ability to process information physically through hand and body movement, control, and expression. It is also known as the physical learning style or tactile-kinesthetic learning style. As I worked on these self portraits, I stayed in, practiced social distancing, was physically limited, and worked in isolation. It was through the process of drawing these self-portraits that I realized one must still find ways to experience art with a physical component, and that digital coursework can include physical play.
For the next journal I thought about ways that I can integrate physical interaction with my lesson assignments for students at home. This could be having students record a dance acting out an art piece, having students post artworks to Tik Tok, Instagram, or other popular Social Medias, or even researching and finding online art competitions. Many organizations are creating content, fun activities, and prompts for artists as the demand for human connectivity is stronger than ever. Students could even make sidewalk chalk art, or go for a nature walk and paint en plein air. Anything to get students out and about (safely) and feeling a sense of community will go a long way to improving learning and growth under these restraints. Then they can post their work and reflections online.
Documenting their learning through journaling and continuing to explore art in this chaotic climate, these are ways students can ground themselves in art and use creative thinking to navigate this confusion. Also creating lessons that relate to current events can create a sense of importance, and personal relevance. If the current affairs is distracting students from making art, then using the situation as a prompt for children to organize their feelings and make pertinent artworks is a great option. Being flexible and finding opportunity in whatever circumstances arise is vital to my future success as a teacher, and the quarantine has been a valuable life-teacher in this regard.