Field Experience and Arts

Class was the most fuffiling experience of my life. I have the opportunity to see how much children are self motivated to learn.

For the Greatest part....

Last week, we finished with our field experience. I never thought that I could be so sad and heartbroken to be done with it. The students were sad to know that Tuesday was our last day with them. They made cards for us with, they gave us high fives, and some were almost crying. I guess they really enjoy our time with them.

We really work hard to make these 3 last weeks to make the most of it. We did some brain boosters games, we made them do some maps and posters and displayed them outside of the classroom; both were part of our lesson plans. The posters ended up to being a competition. The students work really hard. Afterwards, the

y pick the top 3 winners and we got ribbons for 1st, second, and third place. We also gave special awards to those who did not won but their work was amazing. We even learned a song about the Mountain Men with movements and everything.

This is the most excited part of my teaching experience. Most of all the card that they made for us said..."Mrs. Ravert & Mrs .Loveland, Thank you for making us to make those cool map and poster" They were really excited about it. I think was the most effective learning experience for them because when the students had any free time, they

wanted to color, make another poster, another picture... It was amazing to see a new picture done either for us or about the mountain men.

I really going to missed them....I understood how much different a teacher can make.

However, the load of homework and the time that we have to do it, I felt that we need more time between Thanksgiving break, the end of the field experience, and the first day of school so that we have time to do our homework. But again, I guess when we are official teachers, we won't have time to take a break in between holidays to stop and take a break before the holidays extravaganza!!

For the Worst.....

Even though I was sad to finish with my filed experience and recognized that they really loved to have US there, that was not the worst part of this week.... My Father died on Thanksgiving day... AND... I feel that everything we (my team teacher and Me) did will be long forgotten after Thanksgiving break.

I don't know what is going to happens after our absence. I just hope the teacher keep working hard with her students. I hope she remember all the questions and hints of what a great teacher should be doing. "Reading aloud to the students while they are doing whatever they want and teacher not even asking questions to the students about what she is reading..." is NOT an example of what a teacher should DO. This is just ONE example of what is going on there.

The cooperative teacher was very helpful and let us to do what we needed to do at any time. But I was very surprise to know that she really didn't do anything about the students in her classroom that struggles with the language or any learning disability, or even language barrier.

After I showed to the teacher my Psychology Assignment, She noticed what we (Elementary Ed. Students) were looking to documents through our observation. She changed her style of teaching. She started to sit down with ELL students and did one-one scaffolding, using different teaching approaches. No to mention the many times I did with one of the student that have been neglected. The teacher told us to ignored her (the student) because the student had

an emotional breakdown... The teacher didn't know why the student have been crying all alone since the beginning of school.

My heart is full of mixed feeling because I was sad to see this part of my first semester to be over. I really love those children. I just hope that this experience will never be erase of my mind because It has taught me how important it is to be a good teacher. Someone who really care about ALL her/his students. I created a Journal learning calendar in which the student, that I was working with, records the times that she was pay attention, asking questions, complete homework by herself or with assistance, and/or make a comment. Once she reaches 10 stamps she gets a prize. (I provided enough for a moth). The last day she was doing so great... she was another kid.

Now, the bar have been raised for me. Next semester will be another great experience, I need to make meaningful for the students that I will be teaching. I need to be a good example always and never lower the quality of teaching....ever! I know that the only way that can happens is by keeping myself update with the latest courses and teachers training.

My goal is to get to know my students so well that I can recognize ANY student's special need or attention. I am so grateful for this experience that have helped me to see what a REal Teacher is about.

I have never thought that we can inspire so much children through arts. I was very delightful to see them working so hard in their posters and pictures.

I also noticed that students that struggles to communicates their ideas or feelings, Arts help them to communicates with others in an artistic way. I saw that happened many times in that classroom. And those students were the ones with the most beautiful and creative posters.

I really enjoy this time in the field.

The Time is getting closer.....!

This past week has been an amazing roller coaster and it will be worst for the next 2 week before we are in our way to student teaching field experience. And I am not too excited about that. I know that is going to be fun but it is very intimidated to be in a classroom already with our little experience. Somehow I feel that it will be okay.

Everything, every class content is coming together like a puzzle. Every key assignment is building up to what the real deal about becoming a teacher is. This is a very important step of the

beginning of our journey.

Last week, I also learned on Social Studies that we just have to stay calm and that we have been trained professional. On Foundation of American Education, we learn that they are so many little details that can get us in big trouble if we are not careful. Things such: copyrights, teacher-student relationship, classroom management, some other topics.

In Creative Arts we were working on how visual arts can help the students to learn in a meaningful way and retained the information that they learned. And psychology, we also talk

about how meaningful teaching, including Multiple Intelligence can enhance our student's learning process, not to mention how effective that type of teaching will help our students with special needs. Specially with visual arts and technology tools such as Web quest, Digital Story, and pod/vid casts. Teaching is really doing a 360 degree rotation.

The Video for this week that saw was "A Vision of Students Today." This video is eye opening because it shows how important it is that we as country, political leaders, teachers,parents, and students may come to a resolution to step up and

help our students to learn in a 24 century style like China....By year 2016 they will be the #1 country to speak English and right now they have more honor students than people in the US. We need to do something.

As a mother and future teacher, I feel the great responsibility to step up and do my part by making sure that my own children and future students receives the latest and best technological tools and the most creative and engaging type of education. China and other countries are doing it why not us and now.

I wish every parent, every political leader, and every teacher can see how important it is to get out the cycle of the old school style of teaching.

A Vision of K-12 Students Today

ENJOY...!!!!!

Noun Video

Noun Video

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Music, Dance /Movement, and Curriculum

For the las two weeks we have learned that dance is the B.E.S.T and music is AWESOME!!!!!

This components can make a lesson plan to be meaningful and unforgetable for years.

For example in Music, a person/students learn how to perform, sing, analytical and critical listening, read music and regular material, and also to make connection of times and places to their own personal life.

In dancing, students not only use their memorization but they must engage Body, Energy, Space, and Time all the same time in order to perform in a choreographic; which they could be abstract, move-shape-move, theme and variation, and cannon. All these kind of moveme

nts requires a great

deal for critical thinking and concentration.

As teacher we have the dear responsibility to integrate all of those elements with core curriculum material to enhance the education development in every child in our classroom. Once again, if teachers integrate creative arts and core curriculum, They will be satisfying

all requirements and responsibility from the board of education, using almost all M.I at the same time and making fun and educational classroom for ALL students.

After experimenting by myself with my classmates in making a lesson plan where music (Folk) and dance were incorporated, I can see that is doable and effective...AND FUN!!!!!

Last Thursday, I learned lots of core curriculum material such: Social Studies, Geography, Science, P.E. Some lesson plans that stick to my were: the Indians tribes of Utah, Rocks, Water Cycle, movements to certain tune or music genre, the Preamble. These were very good and engaging lesson plans. I love all of them. I know more core curriculum material that I did before. It was an excellent elementary content review!!!

I personallly do not understand how some classroom are painfully boring and bland. Some teachers excuses are "There is not enough time to do fun things; and others said "I am to busy to play games." I believe that if you take the time to make your lesson plans "accordingly to the core curriculum" and integrate arts to it such: dance/creative movements, and music; their lesson duration time will be the same and teacher could have more time to cover more material, assessing, and/or review for a test.

Shall we Dance!!

Or Should I said: "Shall we Move"!!!

This week it been the most roller coaster many classes are overlapping like never before, but its all good. Every time a professor mention how close it’s our student teaching assignment my heart starts pounding like crazy of excitement and frightens feelings at the same time.

Teaching is an amazing Profession!!!

In Creative arts I have learned about....Well I would said I learned How to integrate Dance and/or creative movements in my classroom!!!!!! And the benefits of it too.

Beside that I learned how important of movements in communication can not be separated. when a child is born,

they don't know how to speak to communicate their feelings or needs and through movements children are able to communicate.

We all love to move, even when we are old. Dance or creative movements makes us happy. And when we are happy, our brain are ready learn better (in a higher level). That is one of the main reason why we need to more in a classroom.

Integrating dance or creative movements with core curriculum subjects such as: social studies, science, and even language arts; students will have th

e opportunity to experience, create, and live each personage of a story or history play and/or a performance of their skeleton. Since they will be creating ways to express what their parts are, they will have to memorize and review over and over again the subject material in order to do their best. That process is what we call CPS. Creative Problem Solution, a tool that they can use with all of their classes and also in

real life.

I also learned that dance offered social benefits for underprivileged students by providing an emotional

safe haven; giving the feeling they were special; acting as assimilation tools for recent immigrants and other new kids; and bolstering friendships as they enter new situation. That a biggy for me because when I dance, I do it for me because it makes me feel happy. But now it brings memories from back home. I didn't notice that until now.

Lately, all the classes are beginning to overlap. For example, Creative Arts, Psychology, Social Studies, and Classroom Management are also intertwine with each other. They are also talking how students learn, schema, CPS (Creative Problem Solution), Piaget's, Multiple Intelligence and dance, which makes us happy, and we are happy we can learn much more or better. I love to dance and learn that I can teach my future students core curriculum with dance or creative movements, I am thrill.

I think later or at the end of the semester it will make sense why they all want us to learn some of the same concepts with all the teachers. But for

now I think that between Instructional Media, Social Studies, and Creative Arts I am set for life. Meaning I think I will be able to survive my first 3 years of my courier. That reason why, it is because children love to have fun, I do like to have fun...children will learn more an environment where they feel love, accepted, and cared, and where discovery is the Theme of the year!!!

I feel lucky to be in this program and in this class because it really makes me realize how important it is to make everyone in my future classroom love and important, and safe.

Drama in the Classroom!!!!!

Drama is one of my favorite things to do. I love the idea of having the opportunity to integrate drama as a learning tool in my classroom. The most I read about art integration, I get more and more excited of I can do with my students to make their journey of learning an experience that they will never forget.

Since the beginning of the program,

 I felt very overwhelm with all the details and class material, regulations, and information that we have to know in order to be a good teacher. I also knew that I have great responsibility to be prepared as much as I can.  I thought that it was too much material and subjects to cover and not time to have fun with my students besides recess.

Now I can see that it is hope we have so many ways that we can integrate Creative Arts with the core curriculum and they are so…so fun to do!!

This past week, I have the opportunity to work with an excellent, hard working team to put together a lesson about Solar system from the core curriculum integrated with Arts. Oh my gosh.. It was awesome! We sat down, check the core curriculum, we chec

k and read about the drama core curriculum, and we brainstorm about which possible fun activity we could use to dramatize or present the lesson. I was amazing to see all elements come together for our lesson. Music, movements, core curriculum requirements, and of course the FUN-damental

 aspect of drama  (orle play with a group of students and being a planet of the solar system).

It was amazing to me how many other groups used great ideas to

 teach a lesson about history, and how the language arts and how history come alive. From improvisation, Narrative pantomime, tableaus, collective role-play, the characters story-telling and dramatization of different explorers (even though some students were making fun of my English accent when I give them a positive feedback), and

 the all students participation in panel in the role-play with the judge.    

I am excited to use all this tools as much as I can in my future classrooms. I love all of them.  I thing the pantomime tableau and the Newsbreak will be so much fun to use in Social Studies, science and even math…Maybe all the subjects!

Drama is an excellent tool to help our students to increase their comprehension, reading and writing skills because, students, in order to perform must know the content of their personage that they are representing (facts, description, personality, maybe understand their point of view or thinking, looks and likes). Students are expose to critical thinking and CPS 

throughout the whole process of preparation for the performing.

 What a way to teach so many important concepts and curriculum material all at once.   

With, About, In and Through the Arts

Being a teacher is no only a important carrier but a privilege. A privilege because children by nature are excited to discover new things and are willing to do whatever you ask them to do (in most cases) and we, teachers are the one who bring the world into their lives.

Children are like a sponge ready to absorb as much knowledge as we can give them.  But that knowledge of the world (numbers, letters, history, ad science) its been taught, through the years and around the world,  in a straight, direct instruction... That is they way I was taught in my earlier years. I knew that something was missing in my learning process. 

 

From  the beginning, a child starts to express (communicate) t

hemselves through movements, sounds, and color. Their cognitive development needs the support of "Magic" element of Arts.

Creative Arts is the missing link between lecture and understanding. I have learned that "Arts-based learning is built on values for diversity, creative inquiry, active learning and students independence and their ethos." Children need freedom to move and themselves.

I never thought that I could have the opportunity to learn so many and incredible ideas to integrate and enrich my futures students education. To make their learning journey meaningful. It is a must because visual arts promotes reflection; dance uses the body to communicate feelings and ideas; drama conveys decision making and critical thinking "what if"; and most of all their are a fun way to learn and to assess what is the world about. 

I did not know that creative arts integration teach CPS (creative problem solving).  Actively construct new meanings, new ways, many solutions  to solve a problem. It really train our brains to process information, concentration, visualize, empathize, SCAMPER, transform, proceed and evaluate. CPS is like a scientific method or writing process, or even reading process. This is an incredible tool, a must to know knowledge that we, as teacher must teach o

ur students and why not....through Creative arts.

I am so excited about this class!!!! Every class period is new fun experience. It really brights up my day. Energizers and/or warm-ups activity are so fun to do. Not to mention the activities that follows lesson. They really relax and boost my concentration. This is just a scoop of what is in store for us to learn and put in practice in our classrooms. 

We will spend about 7 hours with our students, we need all the tools possible to make our classrooms a place of discovery, of love, of learning, and a excited place where they want to be and learn. Creative Arts integration will make all those goals possible.

  

 I know that it will be somehow difficult to do because I am not gifted or talented, but I am willing to learn how to implement all the techniques that I am learning in this class. Because of the joy that I feel when I dance, or listen to music, or see beautiful painting; I will work harder everyday to learn how integrat

e drama, dance, visual arts to the core curriculum lesson plans so that my students will be happy to discover the world in our classroom.