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Showing posts from September, 2020

Developing Minds: Beginnings of Artistic Language

Developing Minds: Beginnings of Artistic Language Burton, J.M.  (1980, September).  Developing minds: The beginning of artistic language. School Arts, (pp. 6-12). "They have made something where nothing was before." This quote always resonates with me and connects to my purpose. I aim to offer space, time, resources for the creation process. Students might end up just sitting there for awhile, pondering over their next step, but the magic happens when they get started. I have had teachers who were very direct about appropriate drawing techniques and painting tips. I have also had teachers who let me do whatever I want. In all of it, my voice was never solidified as an artist. Actually, I did not define myself as an artist until my latter teaching years. I can now celebrate that we all are with fidelity. We all make things. We all put into life something that wasn't there before.  Burton points out that children will naturally move from explorative to more "thoughtful

Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence

 Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence  Gardner, H. (1983). Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence. In Frames of Mind: Theories of Multiple Intelligences (pp. 205-236). (Available on Course Reserves)  This article highlighted three major points for me: - The neuropsychological proclivities of people paired with the connection to life decisions - The value of looking closely, mindfulness, and understanding the role of perception - My love of symbolism has a longer human lineage that traces our neuropsychological development!  My action-steps: - I plan to look into "Genius Hour," which is an in-class session opportunity to showcase students' unique, independent talents/skills - I plan to make more opportunities for students to showcase their unique intelligences along with observing and documenting their process of those talents. In doing so, they can be aware of how special they truly are! Highlight/Showcase would be a "community" based assignment (my assignments are bundled

The Arts and Re-Envisioning COVID-Era Schools

  The Arts and Re-Envisioning COVID-Era Schools By  Judith M. Burton

Re-Imagining: The Arts in a Time of Reckoning

  Re-Imagining: The Arts in a Time of Reckoning By Judith M. Burton This article highlighted three major points for me: - the sheer value of the Arts beyond dire times - the breadth and depth of our abilities to provide for our society in the US - the necessity of trauma and tragedy to wake us up and realizing that all deserve access to the advances of humanity "It is, therefore, a deep psycho-social  injustice  that the arts play an insignificant role in the education of young people in K-12 schools, both public and private.   For in its absence we do disservice to the full functioning of the human mind, and to the creation and understanding of the complex narratives of culture. For the arts — all the arts — constitute languages of experience, each offering to the mind the resources for thinking deeply, imaginatively and critically." This statement took my breath away because its just too true. The way I teach Social Justice in my classroom (which is a congregation of mostl