Arnie's class... still excited!

Steph, I think you give an adequate picture of just how I as well as many others were probably feeling as well. When Arnie Aprill described how the arts should be integrated into every-day teaching, I realised that this is how I have sub-consciously been feeling about how I want to approach my classroom teaching and pedagogy, but never fully explored.  During my schooling, Art, Music and Drama classes were only ever extra-curricular classes with separate teachers.  This is supported by O’Toole (2012) who states that this separating of the arts and sciences was a common view in schools for years.  During school, to get a good understanding of the arts, I attended private piano and art lessons for a number of years.  Therefore, I guess that it is understandable that I have been struggling with my need to include a variety of arts in my teaching pedagogy whilst holding the misguided belief that they did not really have a place in every-day learning.

I have always wondered at ways that arts can be integrated into the classroom and was excited to discover that there are those who believe the arts should be a central part of primary school curriculum (O’Toole, 2012b).  This, and Arnie’s suggestions and examples made me want to run home and plan a year’s worth of units in which both arts and every-day learning are incorporated to ensure a deeper learning (O’Toole. 2012a).  As O’Toole (2012a) discusses, the arts are a fantastic way of engaging and motivating students, a subject I am extremely passionate about. I am sure no teacher or student wants to reside in a boring classroom where worksheets and teacher talk is the norm.  Instead, a vibrant classroom showing student’s projects and work: a presentation to anyone who views it into exactly what the students have been learning and investigating makes me so excited that I can barely sit still!

During the tutorial, just discussing ways in which to make a question into an authentic, fun, inquiry-based learning experience was more exciting and stimulating than any other planning could be.  I discovered that in most cases, changing 'What' questions to 'why' questions often evoke more questions which students (and I) would actually be interested in and open a gateway to inquiring through the arts.  Imagine planning this way all of the time!!!

Steph, please let me know how you go in introducing some of the ideas about teaching the solar system into your class!  I am now eager to see how much difference this way of teaching makes!  I don’t know about you, but I am looking forward to the next class!  I am also excited about building a teaching tool kit! I am going to incorporate mine mostly into my responses and reflections to the activities done in the class... I hope that is OK?!

References

O’Toole, J. (2012a). Art, creativity, and motivation. In C. Sinclair, N, Jeanneret, & J. O’Toole (Eds.). Education in the arts (2^nd ed.). South Melbourne, VIC: Oxford University Press. 

O’Toole, J. (2012b). The arts and creativity: A manifesto for schools. In C. Sinclair, N, Jeanneret, & J. O’Toole (Eds.). Education in the arts (2^nd ed.). South Melbourne, VIC: Oxford University Press.