Lessons Learned

     I learned a great deal in this class. Not only did I learn about the embedded importance of arts within the curriculum through my research on my advocacy topic, but I learned how to become more involved in the education system. It is not enough to just have thoughts and ideas on how things should be, but it is my responsibility to do something about it if my research proves worthy regarding the topic at hand. Furthermore, I will never underestimate the power of an outline when writing.  

     As for my topic, Learning through the Arts, art is vital within early childhood. It is developmentally appropriate, universal for learners of diverse needs and backgrounds, it is expressive and exploratory, and there is no means of wrong or failure just expression of understanding based off of personal experience and comprehension. When creativity is merged with the learning process our students are actively engaged and are able to apply their knowledge through their own means.

Blog 4 - Families and Children Stand by the Arts

     As mentioned in my last blog, I was able to partake in a school board meeting regarding the possible issue of cutting the art and music program(s) within the school district which I am using as my host internship site. Through this meeting I was able to observe parents, children of various ages, and community members reflect and defend the importance of the arts.

     To set the background, the meeting took place in the school gym. The original location was moved due to the expected flow of attendees. There were rows and rows of chairs placed but just before the meeting began, I noticed that chairs were full and we had filled a gym with a standing audience as well. Though the meeting was not considered public, community members signed over five pages of a sign-in sheet which listed their turn to speak and address the board.

     After the meeting began, they reviewed topics of discussion. As they reached the issue of budget shortfalls and possible cut backs in the art and music depart of K-8^th grades, the public was allowed to address the Board of Education members. Community members ranging from adult parents, to high school students, and elementary children took their turn addressing their concerns.

After two hours, below are some highlighted comments which I noted:

• Parent: “The only reason they [students] get up to go to school, read, and complete their studies is they look forward to moments to express and explore. This [music and art] is where their hopes and dreams are explored. You cannot take away their motivation.”

• Parent: “My child’s IEP (Individual Education Plan) notes the importance of his participation in the arts and music. It allows him to flow in thought and it increases his ability to perform on tests. It [music and art] is a part of a well rounded education.”

• Student: “Art is my outlet.”

• Student: “I am a high school student here to support the arts in the younger grades. The arts kept me focused while I was younger. I explored with words and music. Today, I am in high honor classes making straight A’s…without art, I would not have been able to achieve my current status.”

• Student: “It [art] inspires us to be better, think out loud and relieve stress.”

• Student: “Colleges look for students that can think outside the box. Without art, music and expression, where will this come from?”

• Student: “Art, music, and band represents the community. It is something that brings us together and defines as one.”

• 4th grade student: “I am good at it. Please don’t take it away.”

• 2^nd grade student: “I made a clay project and took it home to my family to share. It will last forever. I like to paint and talk about art with my friends.”

      In addition to the observations I made throughout the meeting, I was able to talk with several parents. I continued to hear the same repetitive information regarding the importance of art, music, band, and creativity. The insights I gained during this experience was the personal effects art(s) have on people. For many it is personal, and for others, art is a social connection. Regardless of why one believes in art, the commonality was the same, art is vital to our children. The community outreach and support demonstrated through this board meeting proved such a notion. It also gave me the realization that if you believe in something, you have the power to advocate for it. After 3 hours of this board meeting and a vote, the final outcome was to keep the art and music programs. It is a testament on what a difference YOU can make.

Blog 3 - Interacting with Professionals

Coincidentally around the time I chose my research advocacy plan the school district which I am using as my host site was holding a board meeting. The topic of discussion was budget shortfalls and budget cuts. Within the agenda the idea was brought to the board to cut art, music, band and athletic programs for all students K-8^th grade. As the community heard of this news and the possibility of losing the arts within the school system, many residents attended the meeting.

I took advantage of the opportunity to attend the meeting as well. While I was there I was able to discuss the outlook of some current Board of Education members. They shared their ideas on how the arts are important within the school system yet budgets are short and something must give. They further explained that cutting certain programs did not mean they did not believe in its value; they just lacked ideas and monetary means.

When asked about arts within the classroom curriculum they advised that arts allowed for creative thinking and can be fun during free time. Furthermore, they recently hired a curriculum coordinator into the district that may have ideas to incorporate creative means but they had no specific details on what that meant. Rather, the coordinator was hired to aid educators in switching curricula from the old standards to the Common Core Standards which included new textbooks and new means of delivery to students.

To continue my observations, interactions and interviews, I had the opportunity to talk with a new board member to be sworn in within the next month. He advised that he would oppose any notion in cutting arts within the district. “Arts are what define our youth.” He had no true experience with arts within the curriculum but personally was able to relate to his own personal life. His daughter was just finishing preschool and about to enter the school system. He advised that she loved showing him her work. The work she seemed to express the most joy out of was/is her pictures or personal writings (journals, story writing, etc). He said that it gives him affirmation that arts are valuable in growth and development.

This particular gentleman was also kind enough to offer insights to advocacy. He said being a part of the board is a volunteer position. Although you get voted in, it is not a paid job. He decided it was time to do something and stand for issues that he believed were/are important. However, he noted that being an advocate does not have to go that far. He offered ideas such as writing a board member and attending the meetings help; furthermore, contact your local and state politicians and email your school’s administration staff. He said to get passionate and involved – that is how we [communities and people] make a difference.

I felt I gained important insights during this task. Through other courses I have discussed thoughts, ideas and interviewed principles, a superintendant and a program director. Prior to this event, I had not considered the other side of administration which includes the Board of Education. After talking with them and those that attended the board meeting as public observers, I discovered that the community has a great deal to do with what occurs within the school system. We [the public] have a great amount of power and responsibility. It is up to us to be our children’s advocate(s).

Following my experience with the board members, I was able to attend the very long meeting and discuss topics with parents…more to come on this in our next blog.

Blog 2 - Observation

      I spent a great deal of time in my host classroom observing seventeen 1^st grade students at a local public school. Within this classroom there is one teacher which supervises/teaches seven English Language Learners (ELL) students, two Individual Education Program (IEP) students, four above grade level, and the rest considered within grade or general education. I first observed their small group reading session which included exploring and reviewing new vocabulary words. Most of the review included flashcards and finding the new words in the text (story) they were about to read. At one moment, my host teacher related to words with an ‘ed’, explaining that ‘ed’ words are words which happened in the past. As she said this, she pointed to her back. In addition, one student asked what the word ‘haste’ meant. She (the teacher) said, “to hurry”. The girl repeated it and said, “Like I am running late,” as she moved her arms back in forth as if she were running. The teacher agreed. In this instance, I was witnessing art (drama) within the curriculum in an indirect/unplanned manner – awesome!

     Another highlighted moment I observed was a student that asked about the word ‘snarl’. The teacher said, “to give a look,” and acted it out with her nose scrunched up. One student said, “My dog does that!” While another added, “my baby brother does too.” At this time, the teacher quieted the students and said it was time to read. At this point, art and teachable moments were happening all around us.

     Though this particular observation went on for about an hour, I wanted to carefully point out some interesting insights gained about arts within the curriculum. Imagine if you will those same vocabulary words in an art enriched classroom. What if the teacher had used her current lesson plan but incorporated drama to enhance the meaning of the definition? For example, when showing them a flashcard, what if the teacher read the word, discussed the meaning in group discussion, and then allowed the students to act out the word (like she did with snarl). If you noticed in words, ‘snarl’ and ‘haste’, part of the meaning and definition included movement. Could we not include this with many new vocabulary words? Do we agree that by doing so, tactile, visual, and kinesthetic learners would relate? Furthermore, would this process aid the ELL student to connect to the word by their own methods?

     I believe there is a way to incorporate more of this type of teaching method without disrupting the flow of the classroom. Furthermore, I believe this tactic would still fulfill the purpose of reaching those educational standards. I also trust that it would aid students in achieving higher test scores because we are not only introducing new vocabulary words, but through application of the arts (in this case drama) students are applying the definition of the term. This not only makes learning fun and engaging but it reaches students on different levels of needs and enhances knowledge retention. These are a few of the insights I look forward to advocating during my research. 
     
     The next key observation which I want to point out was the science lesson. This was a whole group activity that the teacher believed was a part of the arts. She explained that although arts were not always a part of the day, this was a good example of when it was used. She handed out each student a worksheet and asked them to get out crayons. The worksheet was a step by step process where the student had to follow along coloring each picture per the instructions listed. The overall outcome was to allow students to visually see how camouflage worked in nature, in this case, ocean life. For example, the instructions read: color the coral orange and the sea grass green. Next color the sea horse brown w/orange stripes. Finally color the rest of the picture blue. The finished product proved that the sea horse was hard to see in the overall picture. Students easily picked up on it.

     In this particular activity, we discover that worksheets and colors can play a role in teaching students academic concepts. However, the process in this routine is very cookie cutter (all of the art work will turn out the same). It brings understanding but not application or meaning to the overall lesson or objective – which was to understand camouflage and its purpose for ocean life. To enrich this lesson plan, I would first connect the concept of camouflage’s purpose to the children’s real life….maybe explore ways they have seen it used (from military concepts to playing a game of hide & seek). Next, you could use the worksheet if you would like – or – what if there were two science centers which allowed students to explore camouflage.

Center 1 – This center provides problem solving and deeper understanding toward the objective.

Materials:

(Keep in mind that the ocean life and ocean environment products can be real, which is preferred, or something as simple as cutouts.)

·         Provide samples of ocean life: a sea star, a clown fish, a shell, and other various sea life examples.

·         Provide samples of ocean products which simulate camouflage: coral, sea grass, sand, rocks, etc.

Task:

·         Students spend time matching the ocean life to the proper protective camouflage sea item.

·         To ensure accuracy, there would be real pictures of sea life ‘hiding’ in their natural environment which match to the provided manipulatives.

Center 2 – This center provides opportunity for student application (using art) and teacher assessment.

Materials:

·         Plain paper

·         Crayons

Task:

·         Students must draw and color their own ocean life with guidance from teacher instructions such as: you must have two living creatures hiding in camouflage.

     Overall, this type of approach allows students to explore, imagine, create, and be involved with the learning process, yet meet objectives. The standard/objective can still be achieved but the arts apply what they are learning. Furthermore, through this process, teachers are able to directly assess if a student understands the objective by noting if their created picture has examples of camouflage in it.

     To summarize my experience, I want to reiterate that my host teacher is involved and cares for her students. Her classroom is a warm, organized and socially stimulated environment. Furthermore, I noted several of the students’ artwork throughout the room (though many were cookie cutter projects). I firmly believe that she is a good teacher. However, I do believe that the purpose of using arts within the curriculum to meet the needs of each child has been overlooked. I believe that through careful and purposeful planning, educators can use the arts to further enhance student learning, will permit opportunities to apply knowledge, and allows students to be engaged in the learning process. After this experience, I am determined to seek a better understanding of how arts (music, art, drama, etc) are important to the learning process.

Blog 1 - Interviews

I once had a college peer (a few years ago) ask me why I was an Early Childhood major. She said, “…you seem so smart. I would have guessed that a better fit [for you] would be with high school students. What will you do with little kids?” Although her comment was meant as a compliment, I was actually discouraged by her lack of understanding on the importance of the growth and development of young children. She is a good example of the struggles and challenges early childhood educators face and why there is a need for advocates within this realm. There are many adults that do not understand the needs of young developing children.

With this said I reflected on my most personal afflictions and discovered that arts within the curriculum are often overlooked for their value and purpose within the classroom. My host classroom is a diverse 1^st grade class that contains 17 students which include seven ELL students, two IEP students, four above grade level and the rest considered within grade or general education. So I wanted to advocate the need of enriching the curriculum which reaches out to each student based on their individuality and unique needs. To dig deeper, I reached out and interviewed my host classroom teacher, the school’s art teacher and the music teacher.

Interview 1 (Host Teacher)

My classroom teacher noted that the first issue she sees as a challenge included budget cuts. Stating, “Unfortunately many schools do not have money and when they are looking to make cuts they look towards the arts.” She continued by saying, “My biggest challenge is having enough time with my students. Our day is only so long and we have so many things to fit in. We are also being told specifically how to do certain things. There are new initiatives always coming up. Right now things are changing due to CCSS (Common Core State Standards).” Therefore, she feels the arts do not ‘fit’ into her daily routines.

I found this interesting because she also stated that songs were good for reading and math concepts, music can be used to incorporate cultural aspects, art projects express emotion and creativity. She resumed, “I think that the arts are very important in early childhood development. Art gives students a creative outlet. It gives them different ways to express themselves. Art is important but it is not a core subject. My students go to art class one day a week. I do not have any formal instruction in my classroom. I have my students do art projects and crafts at various times throughout the year or as a treat. My students do a lot of drawing in connection with their writing.  It helps them with details and descriptive writing.” Therefore, I found it perplexing that she justified arts within the curriculum but did not see the need to spend the time incorporating it on a regular basis. This made me wonder if it is a lack of training and understanding on how to complete such a task or if there was another reason.

Interview 2 (Art Instructor)

I went on to interview the art teacher of the school who gave me more direct insight to what she believes the underlying issues are: “I believe that one of the current issues related to this topic would be that standardized testing may be stifling the creativity of our students because it can lead them to feel that there is only one right answer to the questions. Also, as the public educational system of our country pushes for more and more focus on the academics we are making less time for the arts and doing less to cultivate the level of creativity that we will need to be successful and competitive in our global community.”

She passionately stated, “…for those students who dislike an academic subject in its purest context approaching that subject through the lens of art may help to motivate that student to want to learn….[art] may help to make that subject less intimidating for the student.” More specifically, art is especially important to ELL and special needs students. Sometimes art is all they have to fully communicate and share personal thoughts, ideas and understanding. Furthermore we discussed how art is everywhere and in everything: illustrations in a story, culture, technology, on and on. It is universal and nonjudgmental toward the creator.

Lastly, she wanted me to be aware of the foundation art puts forth toward other learning. In order for a child to reach their fullest potential they must have access to create. It is the least restrictive environment but the most enriched way to experiment: a place of no wrong or right answer.

Interview 3 (Music Instructor)

To finish my interviews, I briefly discussed music with the school’s music teacher. She asked me to observe a class before the interview. She later explained she wanted me to see firsthand what she does with the students so I would have a clearer understanding of what music does for students. It was an intriguing approach toward the subject at hand…and it worked. I saw engaged students who sang with their voices high and bodies in motion. As the teacher worked from different notes from her recorder (instrument), she would ask the students to mimic the note with their voices. She advised that this technique helps them hit parts of their speech that are not fully developed yet. Furthermore, music incorporates body language which is social expression. ELL students are involved and following along with English words – this directly helps with language development. The rhythms of beats relate to patterns and academics: patterns are found in math, language, grammar, literacy (poetry, rhymes, etc), science and more. Music directly and indirectly relates to cognitive, social, emotional and physical development.

I gained multiple insights toward my advocacy efforts. There is a clear need of arts within early childhood development and it appears there may be a lack of understanding of those needs. The interviews influenced my decision to work on arts within the curriculum and stay focused on how various domains are affected and how we can incorporate it within our daily classroom academic routines. The area which my topic will be focused on is: arts within the classroom curriculum to include: literacy, mathematics, and social-emotional growth.

Questions for colleagues:

·         Reflecting back on your personal life, how have the arts (music, art, drama, etc) influenced your learning as a student?

·         Based on your current educational knowledge toward children’s development, how vital are the arts toward growth and development, and how do you incorporate them into your daily routine?

·         Lastly, how do you justify the arts worth to those outside the classroom that do not believe in the quality it offers in educating our youth?