Drama 2

What?
I learned that when you read a text and look for ways to teach from the book, it is easier to pick out different processes to teach.  I learned from other groups that there are many ways to do the same concept (thunderstorm).  I enjoyed the books the chose and what they taught.

So What?
As someone who enjoyed Drama as a child, I have many great ideas.  I love doing group activities and mirroring.  I took a class for two or three years called Kid's Act.  It was a private class were we learned creative drama.  Some of the things we did would be good for the classroom.  It would get my students up and moving and help them learn more efficiently.

Now What?
As a future teacher, I will be able to start now to create lessons and to try them out to make sure that they work.  I can use other teachers and future teachers as resources.  I can begin now to integrate not only creative drama into my teaching style but also all of the creative arts.

Drama

What?
I learned this week that drama isn't just acting out a character but thinking about the world in a different way.  Many of the games we played, I have played before but not in a drama class.  I realized that students can be learning how to think critically and abstractly without realizing they are doing so.

So What?
I really like activities that engage children's minds and can get them up and moving.  The game where one student tries to guess who is leading is one of my favorites.  I also like the mirror game.  I learned through American Sign Language that if a person really concentrates on another persons face, they can see other things around them like movements of their arms and hands.  I want my students to interact with everyone in the class and not just their friends.

Now What?
Children need the oppurtunity to move and learn.  Drama is a great way to get a class moving and learning.  It also helps develop their hand-eye coordination.  Drama uses the natural way that children move and interact.  Focusing those abilities within the classroom will help children learn and maintain information better.

Visual Art 2

What?
This week I learned a lot about the principles of art.  The one that I loved the most was balance.  I am very ocd about things being straight and centered but I found myself liking the assymetrical paintings more enjoyable.  I also liked the different styles of the different artists that we learned about in class.  It was fun to see what different things could be done with watercolors.

So What?
As a future teacher, I can prepare by not only doing research about different artists and their styles but visiting an art gallery, reading the books they may have illustrated, and trying to duplicate their styles myself.  I will be able to get a feel for how they create their works of art.

Now What?
This will be important for me and my students because if I know first hand about each painting and the artist who made them, I will be a better teacher and my students will learn better as well.  They will have more confidence in themselves as artists.

Visual Art

What
This week with visual art, I learned that it is a great tool to get students motivated not only to learn but to do well with reading and writing skills.  Integrating art into everyday curriculum is important for learning and improvment.

So What
This means that as a teacher and student, I should integrate that into what I teach and learn.  I know that I learn better when I can see what I am learning.  Everyone, children especially understand concepts better and actually move through the thinking process using pictures. 

Now What
As a future teacher, my goal is to integrate art into my classroom as much as possible.  It saddens me that so many schools are removing not only visual art but all of the arts.  I hope that I will be able to influence other teachers and administrators of the importance of art in our schools curriculum.