Friday, December 3, 2010
WINTER ART EXPERIENCES
A teacher has photocopied a Christmas tree pattern for a unit on winter. Children will color, cut, and paste the tree onto a piece of blue paper and then create a snow scene with paint, crayons & glitter. Critique the creative merits of this activity. Is it an example of a teacher-directed project or child-centered art? Support your decision with references to our Reggio Emilia readings & discussions. Offer alternative suggestions for winter art experiences.
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This is not an activity teachers would do in a Reggio Emilia school. The Christmas tree pattern does not let the child create what he/she thinks a Christmas tree looks like; all the students' Christmas trees will look the same. Also, the background color of blue will be the same for everyone. Some children may want to put their tree on a different colored background, and should be able to do so. The use of paint, crayons, and glitter at least are letting the children be creative and do what they wish with the materials, as well as being able to cut, color, and paste their own trees. This activity is definitely a teacher-directed project rather than a child-centered one. A better winter art experience, a child-centered one, would be to supply the children with the materials, and have them create a scene with them of what they think Christmas looks like. The children would be freed to use their imaginations and creativity, and every child's artwork would be different.
ReplyDeleteI do not think this is an example of a Reggio project. This would be more like a holliday craft project. By the time the class would be done with the project they will all like similar. The trees will all be the same because they were all pre-cut. If the theme was trees then I would let the children cut out their own. this would give a variation of different shapes and sizes. i would ask the kids where they think the trees would be found. Have them create the surroundings using different colors and materials so they could become more creative. i found out that kids like to copy their friends work a lot. i would like to try putting kids at their own tables so they can use their creativity with out copying ideas from others to make each piece more origional.
ReplyDeleteThe only creative aspect of this project is having the children create the environment in which this Christmas tree is located & yet, this is very limited in creativity. Instructors in Reggio Emilia schools would not lead an activity of this kind because in many ways, this activity limit’s a child’s artistic abilities. Instead of using a Christmas tree pattern, Reggio instructors would inspire the children to create something from imagination instead of forcing them all to use the same pattern. They would also allow them access to a wide variety of materials & not just have them use paint, glitter, and crayons and blue paper. They would inspire their students to think outside of the box & explore their ideas. For example, they would encourage students to create 3D projects if they desired instead of sticking to drawing/painting on paper. This activity is an example of a teacher-directed project and less of a child-centered art activity because they are being forced to do the activity in certain ways with certain materials.
ReplyDeleteI could not see this activity working very well in a Regio school. Pasting the tree onto blue paper is having the child basically paste there christmas tree outside when students know, the christmas trees they have are placed in the homes. The children in this activity are not scribbling, coloring or really getting any art experience in at all. I think a great activity around winter would be what we did in class with the shaving cream. Children love to use shaving cream and by putting food coloring in it and changing the colors, they can see a cause and effect piece and then put the paper they chose over it. They can cut out things they would like to use such as a tree, snow man, snow flake, ornament, or just a plain piece of paper. Childrens imaginations run wild and im sure out of some of the creations, a winter wonderland will come about.On page 35 in our books it states " Cause and effect and making predictions- Mixing colors seres as a precursor to more formal critical thinking skills by providing cause and effect experiences that prepare children to make predictions." Also below that, it states that a language acquisition and new vocabulary can be by talking about the textures and mixing colors.
ReplyDeleteThe activity that the teacher is working on is not really child centered, it is definitely more teacher directed. This is a good example of the reason why children want adults to draw pictures for them instead of doing it themselves. We talked about a similar example to this in class. A child was asked to draw a picture of a bird, which he drew with a lot of detail and took his time on it. Later, the teacher gave the child a photocopied picture of a bird while they were doing a counting exercise. When the child was asked to draw a bird again, his bird looked much more similar to the photocopied picture of the bird. When children are given photocopied pictures, they begin to think that there is a right and wrong way for something to look instead of being creative and using their imaginations. There are many more winter art experiences that the children can partake in that does not involve photocopies. A really neat thing they could do would be to study snowflakes. They can go outside after it snows (assuming they live in a region that gets snow ) and the teacher can talk about the science behind snow. They can look at snowflakes under a microscope and see that they all have different patterns and textures. They can read books about snowflakes and then they can create their own snowflakes and hang them up in the classroom to create a winter wonderland.
ReplyDeleteThis activity does not seem Reggio based at all. Everything pre-cut and pre- determined with materials and supplies goes against almost all teaching philosophies related to Reggio Emilio schools. Forcing the children to do the same actives with identical materials leads bland results in which the child doesn't learn as much about the environment as they could. Also, this activity infers that all children celebrate Christmas. I think that this is also goes against Reggio philosophies of understanding РIf the children were to find something about winter that they enjoyed, it would be more conducive to each individual. It may even seem clich̩ , but snowflakes are a perfect idea to work with. No two are alike, there is viable science involved, and it is secular. In the winter, children could go outside and observe snowflakes, then take that into the classroom and render their favorite flake.
ReplyDeleteI would describe this project as a Christmas craft project, which is “teacher-directed.” Not only does the teacher in this example choose the type of project, but he or she also chooses exactly how it will be executed. This project does not inspire creativity, critical thinking, or problem solving. I think a better way to do a winter project would be to have a discussion with the students about the things they like about winter and/or the holiday season. As the students present their ideas, the teacher could ask the students to consider how their ideas might be communicated in an art project. The teacher could also offer some ideas art projects to the students, but he or she should allow the students to present their ideas for art projects first. If one wanted to incorporate Christmas or Hanukkah, the teacher might initiate a discussion about family holiday traditions of each student. The teacher should be cognizant of, and sensitive to, the fact that everyone is not Christian or Jewish and that everyone does not celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah.
ReplyDeleteThe winter activity above is definetly not an example of anything we have learned in class. It is not a Reggio based at all, especially because the teacher photocopied the same exact pattern for every student. The materials and the supplies were all chosen by the teacher and students have very minimal decision to make. Which means that there is no critical thinking happening. Cirtical thinking is so important these days because it is one thing that students are lacking more than ever. Also, with this project the students are not using their imagination, all of the projects are going to look identical or very similar. This activity would be perfect for the season because you could connect it to science, weather, shapes, and so many other ideas. But I would tweak it so that it would be more successful. First i would gather a bunch of different materials and supplies of all different colors and sizes. I would have paint, markers, and different mediums for them use. The students would get a choice of what they wanted to use. Then we would present them as a class and see all the different types of snowflakes there can be. Another fun activity would to go outside and look at the snow, so that they can get an idea.
ReplyDeleteOverall, this activity could be very successful with some changes that would challenge the students and make them critically think.
This is the usual example of a teacher directed project. I have such a hard time with these. I do understand the importance of having projects that are themed, but we as teachers need to allow for creativity. How do we expect to allow the students to thrive if we give them the "cookie-cutter" activities? There are so many ways that the students can have winter experiences. I just had my students at the YMCA help make a winter mural. All I prompted was that I wanted a winter scene. I laid out as many different art supplies as I could find with a wide variety of colors. The students went to town on it. Not only are they proud of it but I am extremely proud of them. They have been making a point to show their parents even. I think what I love about it the most is that when looking at it you can see the children behind it. There is a purple snowman that in all actuality looks like a purple blob, but I wouldn't change it in the world. That child has even made a point to show off that snowman to other people's parents. I wish more teachers would be open to giving prompts when needed but then allowing for a child-centered activity. Baji Rankin stated, "Like other experiences, its development was unpredictable and emergent. It unfolded as a particular group of adults and children interacted, setting in motion a unique dynamic". We should set certain ideas or thoughts into motion and then allow the children to morph it into what they want (within reason obviously).
ReplyDeleteThe activity above is not Reggio-Emilia based and is defintely teacher-directed. This activity hinders the students ability to think creativily and outside the box. Every student's Christmas tree is going to look the same and there will not be any students imaginition showing. Little children have an imagination like no other and this is the perfect time to let that show.
ReplyDeleteI believe that if the teacher wants to do a Christmas or a winter theme project there are many options, such as, having the students create their own snowman, Christmas tree, snowflake or their idea of what winter loooks like to them. I would have many different types of construction paper, cotton balls, paper plates, fabric, buttons and the list goes on. With all these different types of material the students could use their imagination and create a beautiful Christmas or winter scene. I would also have various types of books on display, some about Christmas, snowflakes and winter in general that way the students could be learning at the same time. I would help assist them with ideas of what they could create but not tell them exactly what to create so they are still thinking critically.
As we talked about teacher-directed vs. child- centered you showed a good example, it was where the boy dres a picture of what he thought a bird looked like and then the teacher showed a picture of a bird and made him re-drawl his bird and he tried to imitate the bird from the teacher's picture. I think that is horrible that the teacher didn't accept his bird because it didn't look like her picture. Like I said before children at this age have a wonderful imagination, let them use it every chance you get.
When teachers do this it is just very selfish. This is not child centered, it is basically only teacher directed, and it instills no creative thought. This is just your classic cut and paste project so the school has 32 mathing peices of art work on one bulliten board. It is very unfortunate that some classroms are reduced to these means of "creating". With this there is no freedom of expression, not to mention if the child doesnt want to even make a tree, or celebrate CHRISTMAS! This is an easy lesson for someone who doesn't want to work. An alternative would be to explore snow, in all forms, and show kids what is is about, then let the project stem from there, not a website for general ed teachers teaching an art lesson.
ReplyDeleteThis is not an activity based on the child's experience. The material is pre made and according to the Reggio approach, children are suppose to direct the activity themselves. A good way to get the children active and create their own scene would be to provide an example or picture of what the scene ahould look like. It is a great idea, however it is teacher directed and the child is not really facilitating the learning process. According to Reggio, the children should announce their interest in the activity and the teacher should add material as the child's imagination keep soaring. Meaning, if the child expands the activity into one that strikes his imagination about camping, then the teacher provide the material so that the child may have what is needed to create this scene.
ReplyDeleteThe activity that the teacher has the students working on is not a Reggio Emilia activity. Reggio Emilia would be to have materials placed at a table or somewhere in the classroom and the children create their own christmas tree or christmas tree from the materials they are given. This gives the students to use their imagination and creativity and to explore their mind. Also in Reggio Emilia the chid is suppose to direct the activity themselves and the teacher provides the materials the child may need to create the scene they have imagined. The activity that was presented to the students was pre-made and does not help the child explore his imagination, or use his creativity skills. The project became a teacher directed project instead of a child directed project.
ReplyDeleteThis activity is more of a teacher directed art activity. In my opinion this activity shouldn’t be used in any school setting because it’s not teaching the child much. As far as Reggio Emilia, this activity would most certainly not be accepted. The children wouldn’t be put in a position to critically think and create their own concept of how they believe the scene should look. The colors alone that are chosen are basically telling the child what colors are for Christmas and winter time other than letting them come up with their own ideas of what colors they believe are associated with winter and the holiday season. The main factor of this activity that is not acceptable is that it is based around an American holiday as well as religion. The Christmas tree is a symbol of Christmas and Christmas is the birth of Christ which everyone doesn’t celebrate Christmas. The Reggio Emilia schools are centered on the idea of each child being a critical thinker and exploring the world in their own way instead of the teacher creating the Childs world for them. A activity that might have been better to do with the children that is still centered around the winter theme would have been; the teacher could have placed a bin of items that are usually seen outside in the winter and gave each group of students a bin and from there each student could have created their very own winter world.
ReplyDeleteThe art experience described above is obviously a teacher-directed project, as the supplies, patterns, and processes were all pre-determined by the teacher. This would be an example of what Katherina would call "crafts"; it is just busy work to keep little hands working on some idle, mindless, uncreative project. Such specific instructions stifle nearly any creative act of the child by limiting them to a "correct" way to do it, as well as limiting them to which materials ought to be used and what subject matter is pertinent for a winter theme. Just as hand turkeys are unimaginative, mundane crafts for Thanksgiving and jack-o-lanterns for Halloween, so are Christmas trees for the winter season.
ReplyDeleteNow that the obvious has been stated, let me address what a child-based art project might entail. For starters, a Reggio method wouldn't pick out the project ahead of time like the teacher-directed method would, but instead allow the child to come up with their own subject matter for what winter means to them. Perhaps a student from another culture that doesn't celebrate Christmas would instead associate wintertime with something from their own culture. My Lebanese friend was just telling me today that in Lebanon they decorate a bush instead of a tree. And perhaps there are children who might as well just think of snow or ice or igloos for their subject matter. What's important here is that the child leads the art experience; the more they can choose and do on their own, the better.
I think the fake snow experience was an interesting one with potential for creativity. I ended up buying some that I saw at a toy store about a month ago and played around with freezing it. The snow would allow children to explore something really through touch, and if we were to make enough of the fake snow and obtain a big enough container (something short but with roughly the same area of the table), the children could be asked to bring things in to make a diorama-like scene. This way the children could work cooperatively and collaboratively to make a single art piece as a whole that they personally connect with. Once this is done, I thought the table could then be set somewhere outside that school night, allowing the fake snow to freeze and harden so that the next day the table could be brought back inside and the children could see what the winter cold had done to the fake snow. The rest of the day the children could see the snow progressively melt and become softer. This would be a great chance for children to experience time through an essential element of winter: the temperature, and what it does to things i.e. snow, liquids, etc. And then the children could experience the snow scene slowly melt away and return to its softer origins. The science connections between cold and warm, cause & effect, as well as stimulating them physically by being able to touch and mold the snow with their hands, would be met by an experience like this. This would be more child-centered learning since the children would also be encouraged to bring in items from home to personalize the art, thereby also making cultural and personal connections to other students. This is also an important element of Peaceable teaching as well---engaging the students to learn about each other and therefore seeing the similarities despite their differences, which is conducive for good social and relationship-building skills between peers. This is based on a book called "Waging Peace in Our Schools" which places just this kind of social learning at the center of creating more peaceful schools and societies. I believe peace is an important implicit standard of education, and by allowing children to create something as a class culture, we also show our students the connections we have with each other and why we should learn to take care of one another. What greater standard for education could there be?