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Alex DeJong

Wow. Truthfully, it is hard to try and muster up words that can even attempt to describe my experiences and emotions about this trip. This trip was beyond incredible in every way. Every aspect, from the food and culture to the people on the trip to the art I saw, blew me away. This truly was a once in a lifetime experience.

As a very soon-to-be art educator, this trip was absolutely amazing. It will absolutely benefit my future classroom. I have spent the last two years learning about and creating art. Seeing artwork from the masters I've learned about and seeing specific paintings and sculptures in person is absolutely breathtaking. I will be able to use these experiences and share them with my students. Art needs to be experienced in person and not from a computer screen. Art needs to be felt, emotionally of course. I only hope that sharing my adventures with my students will help inspire them to do the same. As an artist myself, this trip was nothing but inspirational. I have already started several works that I hope to finish up this summer. My time at the Little English School was also fantastic. Not many people can say they helped and worked with a class while studying abroad. I learned a lot about how the Italian school system works but also how the setting and environment helps dictate what is being taught. Italian schools have a very strong emphasis on art creation as well as art history and keep the two very separate. Art and art history in the public school system here is more or less lumped together and is also often brushed off. Art is essential to a student's education.

While seeing all the art I learned about was amazing, my favorite experience was the special Jean-Michel Basquiat exhibition in Rome. As an artist, I relate much more to Basquiat than I do to Michelangelo. That being said, I was speechless and in awe when I saw David . Seeing a temporary exhibit solely dedicated to the work of Basquiat while in Rome will never happen to me again. It was truly something special and incredibly inspiring.

This trip was also the first time in Italy. I loved the culture and the food was incredible! I feel very accomplished from the short two weeks I was there. The amount of things I saw and experienced are of a lifetime's journey. I made several friends on this trip and it was really nice to meet other future teachers who are outside my little bubble that is the Center of the Arts building on campus.

I took roughly two thousand pictures during this trip. It really was the best experience I've had in my twenty eight years here. Sara from CIS made this trip run insanely smooth and helped us with any question we had. She was a great asset. Dr. Mee was a fantastic leader and really allowed us to explore and dive into whatever adventures we wanted to pursue. But she also did a great job of teaching us and making sure we got the best learning experiences we could. Again, I felt so accomplished on this trip. As of writing this, I leave to go explore Scotland in two days. This trip also pushed me into exploring more of the world that we live in. Art, culture and people are all around and I can't wait for my next adventure.

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Kelly Walsh
As the days approached to our last day in Italy, I did not know how to feel. I was excited to come home and see my family but once I boarded that plane I knew that my trip was actually over even though it felt as though everything had just started. Italy exceeded my expectations in every way possible. I did everything that I wanted to do and more. I walk away from this experience with new friends and memories that are once in a lifetime. After taking time to reflect on the trip, I can honestly say that doing this was the best decision I have ever made. I was actually very nervous before the trip, although I did not let anyone know this. My whole life I have had another person by my side to do anything and everything with me. Whether that was my twin sister going to camp with me or my best friend going to the college with me, I never have done something for myself. After traveling to Italy, I can proudly say that I was able to go through this experience not knowing what to expect. I have really grown as a person and I am so incredibly thankful that I was able to go on this trip because it was really once in a lifetime.

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Looking back at the amazing experience that I had in Italy, I would not change anything that we got to see or do. My favorite thing about being in Italy was seeing all of the art, living the Italian culture, and experiencing all of the amazing sites/views it has to offer.
After going to Vicenza, Florence and Rome I would have to say that Vincenza was such a gem of a city to explore. The pace of their lifestyle was both peaceful and enriching. I enjoyed the leisure days of going to the museum and seeing all of the creative and preserved art/architecture. It also was a great moment to be able to enjoy our days with having the afternoon coffee or lunch out which in America we do not usually take the same kind of time to just enjoy ourselves. I relate this feeling to teaching art because I experience a similar relaxing outlet while making artworks. This is an idea that I want to bring into my classrooms because art is something that we should have a sense of relaxation when creating.
Going to the Little English School in Vincenza, was another life experience that at first, I was nervous about. I have never seen how international schools run and I was worried about the language barriers with the students. Making volcanos with the elementary students was a fun and interesting activity that we were able to participate in. I found this enjoyable with helping the children out in creating the volcanos. When we participated with the secondary education students, I was amazed at the knowledge of art history that these students were able to recall. This reinforced my idea of making sure that art history is taught in my lessons when I become a teacher. I wish that I had the knowledge of art history the way these students do now. It is great to see the students understanding the vocabulary and how these works were made and knowing this can help the students think abstractly in other disciplines.
My favorite activity that I did in Florence was Climbing the Florence Cathedral Duomo because I got over my fear of heights and in return, I saw a breathtaking view. It was amazing being able to climb inside of the dome and see first hand what it looked like. Trying to wrap my head around how anyone without modern technology or industrial tools could build something that vast with over four million bricks left me dumbfounded. Taking in the view once we climbed all the way to the top of the dome is an image that I will never forget.
Traveling through some of the most cultural artistic places in the world have made me extremely excited to start my teaching career. I cannot wait to be able to both show and explain to my future students about the famous works of art that not only have I studied but also have seen in real life. There is something about standing in front of these works of art that does not compare when learning about them in our art history courses through college. I hope that I get to continue to travel throughout my life because there is an eye-opening moment with every place that I have been to. Going to Italy has made me open up my mind both culturally and artistically and bring back this knowledge that I will be able to pass on to my future students.

Il viaggio è la destinazione

(The journey is the destination )

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By: Allyson Franklin

Now that the trip is over, I feel like it went by so fast. I was able to see everything I have always dreamed of seeing. Having this be the first time out of the country I am so happy to have experienced it with this wonderful group of people. There was so many great places I saw that I couldn't just pick one. Over two weeks I was able to see 7 places: Vicenza, Venice, Milan, Florence, Tuscany, Piza, and Rome. I have came out of this experience with so much. Not only did it benefit me, but also my future students. Being able to see the students at the Little English School learning about art history at a young age makes me want to connect that into my lessons. I can use the pictures I took and the experiences I had to get my students interested in the topic. I know that when I learned about the dome on the Florence Cathedral I never saw what the inside of the two domes really looked like, but now I will be able to show my students and tell them about how It felt walking through the narrow hallways and steep steps. This experience was life changing. I would do it all over again if I could.

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Amanda, Tara, Lili

1. Wine is cheaper than water at restaurants, so take advantage of FREE water

2. We saw more art in 20 days than most people see in a life time... Go, look, be amazed.

3. Gratzie is "grat-ze-aye" not "gratz-eee"

4. We developed a fear of pigeons, they will dive bomb you.

5. We became masters in Italia's public transportation system, including taxis, trains (Reg and RV), water taxis, boats, and busses. Very affordable, but can be a little confusing.

6. We experienced the craziest drivers in the world, yet also felt the safest.

7. We were welcomed and made friends with locals even if we had to use google translate (which can make you sound very unintelligent), but they welcome you with smiles, kisses on cheeks, and a "quick drink." Being an American is the equivalent to being a celebrity.

8. Always fill your water bottle at a fountain, it gets hot!!

9. We quickly learned restaurants "off the grid" were the best and cheapest!!

10. Always say no to men with roses.

11. We will never know Italian as well as the Italians know English.

12. Italians appreciate it if you try to speak to them in Italian, even if it is only one or two words.

13. Are there even any traffic laws here?!?!

14. We are still trying to comprehend how the Amalfi coast is even a real place and is even prettier than the pictures could have ever prepared us for.

15. The most difficult places to travel to have the most beautiful sights... Burano, The Duomo (Florence), and the Amalfi coast.

16. Learning how to haggle with venders is an acquired skills... Walk away and they'll chase you!

17. Bathrooms: public bathrooms are not free; don't be shocked if you have to pay... be willing to sneak into restaurants if you want free bathrooms. Also be prepared to see the opposite sex, apparently "men's" and "women's" is not popular here. Lastly, because of this, ladies: the toilet seat is most often removed.

18. LAUGH at your mistakes! At times communication barriers will be frustrating, and figuring out directions will be confusing, but embrace the mistakes and use it to be an expert next time.

19. Never underestimate how many carbs you can eat in a matter of weeks.

20. BRING WALKING SHOES and Advil for the pain your feet may endure... bring a Fitbit, or turn your phone's health app on to track the number of steps you take... the number WILL surprise you.

21. There is a big difference between an Italian "minute" and an American "minute" ... the latter is much more accurate.

22. Restaurants won't try to rush you in and out, the culture of dining here is to take your time and enjoy the company of those you are with. The experience changes when servers don't have to work for tips like they do at home.

23. Go abroad, visit Italy, be uncomfortable and learn from others about yourself. Arrivederci for now Italy

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Although my trip to Italy started with being separated from my luggage for 3 days, my time in Italy was extremely positive. Growing up I never thought I would get the opportunity to visit Italy. Studying abroad was something that I have wanted to do since I was in elementary school, and visiting Italy was my chance to live out my dreams. In addition, I was able to live out many other dreams and goals during my stay. On my bucket list I've always wanted to eat a slice of pizza in front of the leaning tower of Pisa. While studying abroad I was able to accomplish this goal. My visit to the Little English School also gave me a taste of what being a teacher in another country is like. It taught me a lot about working with bilingual students and how the education system differs between America and Italy.

Aside from all of the other wonderful experiences I had in Italy, my favorite was definitely seeing all of the art. I've studied art history for 2 years now, and being able to see important art pieces in person was beyond anything I could have ever imagined.

I am so incredibly thankful for this experience and everything that I learned during my stay in Italy.

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Two weeks has gone by so fast and I have experienced things I never thought would be possible. After a wonderful time in Vicenza getting acclimated to the Italian culture and way of life, I was still not fully prepared for all that Florence and Rome had to offer. While these cities were a little overwhelming at first, with the help of our guide Stephanie and my fellow classmates, I found myself becoming more confident and comfortable with each day.

The day we arrived in Florence, after settling into our hotel several of us went to get lunch and explore the city. The hustle and bustle was quite different from the easy going relaxed atmosphere of Vicenza but it was exciting. As we walked along the busy streets we turned a corner and I was stopped in my tracks, awe struck. Right in front of me was the Duomo in all it beautiful glory. I couldn't stop looking at it; I knew it was an amazing piece of architecture and had learned about it in art history class but it was far more stunning than I ever imagined. I wondered how any thing I would see in the days to follow could top what I experienced in that moment, but it just kept getting better.

From Stephanie’s wonderful stories about the art and artists of the Renaissance to seeing masterpieces, like The David, in person I was wowed at every turn. One of the things that added to my enjoyment was being able to share my knowledge of some of the pieces with my non-art major classmates. Additionally, it was fascinating to talk with them about how math, science and English could incorporate art in order to create an interesting, interdisciplinary lesson.

The exchange of knowledge and ideas about lessons continued when we arrived in Rome. After surviving the truly terrifying cab ride from the train station to the hotel the sightseeing began. Starting with the Pantheon one day, the Vatican the next and finishing with the Colosseum it was quite clear that art and history go hand in hand in Rome. While the historical aspect of the art in Rome is astonishing there are only so many times one can see images of Mary and Jesus before you become a bit numb which is why I was so pleased and excited to find an exhibit of the art of Jean-Michele Basquiat on display. I will admit that Basquiat’s work is not exactly my taste but it was refreshing to see an exhibition of contemporary art among all the historical pieces we had encountered. While viewing the exhibit once again the lesson ideas flowed.

Finally, I am so grateful to have been able to experience this amazing program and make so new friends along the way. Thank you to my fellow classmates and travelers for not allowing our age differences to detract from our ability to explore and learn together.

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Courtney Clutts

There are no words to describe my final thoughts about this experience. I had always thought that I had a fairly large view of the world as a whole, but now that I have seen things that I never could have imagined that I would see, I have a whole new perspective. From visiting the Little English School to attempting to communicate without the use of language, I could have never imagined that my perspective could have changed so much. I believe that interacting with various (and extremely different) personalities from all walks of life has changed me not only as a person, but as a future educator as well. I want to see how I can apply everything that I learned on this trip into my future classroom and teaching practices to engage and focus my students. I can never show my appreciation enough for all of the friendships that I formed and memories that I made!

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Anya McCaig

I am absolutely beyond grateful for this trip. When my parents picked me up from Dulles International, I realized I had a multitude of memories to share with them. The Italian lifestyle is distinct, savoring living in the moment. This is a feeling I hope to carry with me long after the trip is over. For example, I noticed that a relaxed, slow-paced communion was the norm for locals. Soon enough, my new friends and I picked up their kind of schedule. "Siesta" time was around 3 or 4 pm. Fittingly, we welcomed this as tourists. The evening meal usually started late as well. The meal helped me take in the sights, tastes, and overall environment that Italy had to offer. Speaking of sights, Italy has a great way of preserving its history. It is refreshing to hear about the restorations of art treasures like frescoes that would have been lost otherwise. Having studied art history and then seeing the works in person gives a strong emotional and visual impression that I can share with my future students. I look forward to reliving these moments through my pictures, entries, and new friends for years to come.

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I honestly was very happy with my experience here in Italy. My favorite town we visited was Vicenza just because of how small and cozy everything was. It was definitely harder to communicated there because not many people knew English. The lack of communication forced me to learn many phrases that helped me out in the long run. I even got compliments and mistaken for someone who was from Italy, but they soon realized I only knew a small amount of phrases. Florence was my second favorite city that we stayed in. I loved all of the shops and beautiful art work. We were so close to everything and that helped us with staying out of the heat. I never knew it got so hot here, but now I know that if I come back, I will need to bring sun screen, a hat, and possibly an A/C unit for my hotel room. Rome was a little too busy for me but I did appreciate it's rich history and beautiful ruins. If it was slightly smaller and less people, I would have enjoyed it more. I'm so glad that I got to experience the sights of many cities and make so many new friends.  Overall, this trip is unforgettable.

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Perspectives of Michelangelo's David: Jasmynn Clark and Kelly Walsh

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Perspectives of Michelangelo's David: Jasmynn Clark and Kelly Walsh

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Jasmynn Clark: Art Education

Seeing Michelangelo's, "David" was absolutely phenomenal. As a future art teacher, there were so many thoughts and feelings going through my head. His beauty, the smooth carving in the marble, and powerful stance mentioned in my prior art history classes were not exaggerated.
Something that additionally struck me was the work put into the lighting above the sculpture. There was a glass mosaic ceiling above him. I learned in class that the glass ceiling was made specifically to shine light on the sculpture. The precision and work put into the ceiling most definitely paid off. This would be a great lesson for children in how displaying art can make such a difference in the overall appearance.

Kelly Walsh: Health Education

The art piece of the statue of David has a beautiful story behind it. Michelangelo decided he would turn an unwanted block of marble into something remarkable, thus being this ideal/perfect man. From a health perspective society is always searching and attempting to label the perfect woman or man which is just unrealistic. Because of this I would say that the statue is a superficial view of a perfect man. David does symbolize a perfect man but it is in a very different way. He symbolizes the ability to turn something considered "ugly" into something beautiful. The statue definitely represents more than just a stereotypical beauty and that's what makes the statue so amazing. Learning about this statue (which I had 0 knowledge about before coming here) it has taught me that there is beauty in everything and this is a message that I can easily deliver and incorporate when I teach my students in the future.

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Reinforcing Art History Through Tirst Hand Experiences: By: Alex Dejong and Alison Scher 

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Reinforcing Art History Through Tirst Hand Experiences: By: Alex Dejong and Alison Scher 

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Alex:

Back in my 2D process class, my professor spent well over an hour talking about a painting that broke the rules for its time and really dived into new artistic territory. I saw that painting in person the other day and it was nothing but breathtaking. The Holy Trinity by Masaccio is a fresco located in the Santa Maria Novella in Florence, Italy. One of the many points my professor made was the use of perspective. This painting stands very tall and the figures are life-size. Masaccio involves the viewer by including three different eye levels. The viewer can look below their eye level, at eye level and above creating the illusion of real space. Painted in 1425, Masaccio's painting is one of the first and best examples for the use of the vanishing point to create this believable space.

Being able to learn about this painting in the classroom was unbelievable. To hear my professor sing its praises and then to see its glory in person was unbelievable. Art lives around the world and it is vital for students to learn about art from other cultures and time periods. To fully appreciate the work and the learning, students should be encouraged to travel and witness these stunning works of art in person and become emotionally engaged with them. As future art educators, I know I will be sharing my experiences in hope that a student of mine will also seek adventure in the pursuit of art.

Lesson idea: Have the students construct a picture using one point perspective. The students should research a city they would like to visit and find landmarks of that location. Draw a landscape using one point perspective and have them include identifying markers of the city they researched.

Objective: Students will be able to research a city that they want to travel to, pick several key landmarks of that location and draw a city landscape using one point perspective.

Target grade level: 6th-7th grade

Alison:

Traveling through Italy so far has been a  culturally stimulating environment to be surround by. When we arrived at Firenza (Florence), I was excited to be in a city that has a large amount of art to see. Going to the Uffazi museum was great to see all of the paintings that thus far, we have only learned about in our art history classes. It was amazing to stand in front of artists like Leonardo da Vinci, Caravaggio, Botticelli, and Aartemisia Gentileschi. Seeing these artists in person after studying them for years, gave everything we have learned more meaning and perspective. It is eye opening to see the actual size and explore every detail up close.

There are many ways that I can take my experiences in Florence and incorporate them into my future classroom. I would include art history or the artistic styles in which the artists practiced into all of my lessons. It is also important that I can share with my students what I have learned on this trip with my students so they can be enriched in both the art and culture of Italy.

Lesson for ceramic figure sculpture:

Lesson idea:

After teaching students the history behind Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus, the moment where the goddess of beauty was born from the sea, they would make a figure sculpture out of clay using the sea as a theme.

Target ages: High school grade levels

Traveling to Italy has been an inspiration for us as future art educators. Enforcing our knowledge with seeing these art works in person is something that we will never forget. I am looking forward to going to Rome and seeing more amazing art that I can incorporate into lessons!

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Art and Social Studies; A Perfect Match by Amanda and Vicki

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Art and Social Studies; A Perfect Match by Amanda and Vicki

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After touring around Florence, we began discussing the huge connection there is between Art and Social Studies. Vicki is an art education major and Amanda has social studies as one of her concentrations. Art is a form of record keeping so historians use art all the time to learn about the past. It is truly a snapshot of a past time. Art can be used in social studies to physically show students things like: what people looked like, and depictions of famous moments or scenes. Not only does it give students visuals, but it also allows for historians to learn about the times. Art gives the viewer ideas of how people looked, what they wore/styles that were popular, and what was valued/not valued for example. Sometimes instead of written documents from the past, art is all we have, we have learned and continue to learn about the past by studying art and trying to interpret what it means. Art and history go hand and in hand.

In addition to giving students visual insight to a specific time and place, art can show progressions in social structure through the subject matter depicted. For example the dramatic shift in artistic style and subject matter between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance shows not only the rediscovery of Ancient Roman texts and art but also the rise of humanism. By placing divine figures such as Jesus and Mary in contemporary settings or surrounding them with contemporary people Renaissance artists lessened the gap between heaven and earth. Humanistic philosophy also allowed artists of the Renaissance to explore alternative iconography such as Venus to express ideas that were popular at the time. While the example used here was the shift between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the same types of changes can be seen during the Protestant reformation, the rise of the merchant class and the industrial revolution.

In conclusion, art and social studies are to content areas that are easily blended to give students a full, well rounded understand of a specific time and place as well as changing social structures.

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By: Maggie and Allyson

On Friday, we made our way to Florence. We left the quiet small town of Vicenza to the loud city of Florence. Our first impressions of the city was from what we saw on the way to the hotel, which was graffiti covering the sides of buildings and  people frantically running to get on their trains. Once we got settled in at our hotel, we decided to explore.

Maggie:

I ended up with the group that went to a market place for lunch. Everything there was chaotic, but smelled so good. Being that I've eaten pasta for every meal possible, I decided to get dumplings from one of the stations at the market place. They were the most amazing things I've ever had. Who knew that Chinese food would be delicious in Italy?

Allyson:

I decided to go with a group that wanted to walk around and get lost. Since my group was art majors, we noticed a building that looked like something we have seen before. All of a sudden, we ran right into The Duomo. It was amazing. The structure and color of the building was beautiful. However, the dome was what people come to this church for. Many of us are going to climb to the top of it on Monday! It's 376 ft high! After that we met with everyone else and went to this organic pizza place for dinner. It was pretty good considering Maggie had apples on hers.

The next day we met with a guide, Stephanie. She had an answer for every art question, which allowed us non-art majors to follow without trouble. We ended up seeing The Statue of David, and The Birth of Venus in different museums.

Maggie:

Something that really stuck out to me in The Academy Museum was the small section dedicated to musical instruments. They had so many old pianos and trumpets on display and it was very cool to see where our modern instruments came from.

Allyson:

Being able to see sculptures and paintings from all of my art history classes in real life was incredible. I was able to check off seeing the David, Birth of Venus, and Judith and Holofernes off of my bucket list, which made me so happy. Seeing them in person made me feel like I was in a dream. Like how did those artist create such beautiful things?

Overall, Florence has been art/food/museum filled and it has been a wonderful experience. Can't wait to see what else Florence has to offer.

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Anne and Courtney

Over the past few days we have seen some astounding pieces of art, architecture and fashion. The most impactful view that we can absolutely agree on would be the David.

Anne:

Micheal Angelo's, David was the highlight of my Study Abroad experience! When I saw the sculpture I immediately felt a rush of emotions of love and appreciation!

I first learned about The David during my sophomore year of college in my Art History class. Micheal Angelo's version of the David is the first of its time where an artists depicted a scene before David defeats Goliath. While other artists during this time are depicting a scene after David battles Goliath. After learning this information my love for the David grow!

Switching gears, when I saw the David in person I almost cried three times and was astonished by the size and craftsmanship! Micheal Angelo's David is perfection and being an artist with a focus in sculpture, seeing The David was the highlight of my artist career!

Courtney:

To be honest, the David was more impressive than I could've ever imagined. Before coming on this program, I knew very little about certain pieces of art and the David happen to be one that I did not know much about. I find it astounding that one person could have carved such a beautiful figure from one single slab of marble. It is too good to be true. To be quite truthful though, the David is not what impressed me the most. I found that Michelangelo's unfinished pieces were what caught my attention immediately. At first I was so taken aback by the beauty of the David that I completely bypassed the unfinished works. As soon as I had the chance to look around the room though, my eyes were immediately drawn to the figures that were incomplete. Learning from Stephanie that these were pieces that he began and stopped midway through confused me at first. I couldn't imagine why some of these statues remained unfinished. The process that Michelangelo followed though showed an immense amount of adoration and concentration to complete his final masterpiece. It surprisingly reminded me that when we see students work through problems that we give them in the classroom and then they destroy it or disregard it before we see it. This is the process that their minds complete. We should never discredit those students who take multiple attempts to finish their work because their may be a masterpiece waiting at the end.

We can all generally agree that the David is the pinochle of sculpture work as we know it today. Not only this, but we can relate it to art, general, elementary and special education experiences in the classroom. Our students can be stimulated through classic pieces of artwork as well as be encouraged to pursue their creative process in art along with academics!

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creativeLili and Laura

Coming to Florence in itself was a bit of a culture shock from the leisurely slow paced, residential Vicenza. There are so many art pieces to see just even standing out and walking around. When we passed masterpieces like the doors to the Duomo baptismal building, it was not immediately apparent that they were so important (though they are a copy of course). Having a tour guide as knowledgeable as Stephanie was so eye opening and helpful for us, especially since the amount of art was overwhelming at first. Getting a first hand encounter with the art and learning the background behind each piece gave each painting more depth and value as a viewer. While we did not extensively study pieces like this in our majors, having this understanding really gives us insight to what artists go through. As art is such an expressive language, it aids in our understanding of how some of our future students go through their creative process and how they can better learn from us if we cater to that. Though our understanding is only limited to surface level, it was still very impressive to see pieces like the David in person and it gave us a whole new appreciation for the city as well as the artists that were here thousands of years ago. Even just seeing the timeline of paintings shows us how art has developed through time and how the boundaries were pushed, especially during difficult times. The risks that these artists took can serve as examples for students who have difficulty going out of their comfort zones and can help teach them to learn to push themselves in their own processes.

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Anya McCaig and Tara Horvath

Vicenza was our first stop in Italy. As far as traveling goes, it was a great transition from a quaint, non-touristy town, to more well-known cities like Venice and Florence. Here are some things we noticed about each of the cities.

Vicenza: We were pleasantly surprised with the area. It was interesting to observe how different the atmosphere was from America. A lot of people in American society tend to be rushed and in a hurry. This was the absolute opposite in Vicenza. That being said, we got more of a relaxed feeling from the slow pace of the town. An enjoyable past time would consist of relaxing at the cafe with an espresso while watching other people. Artistically speaking, a few local artists were stationed in some streets and parks. The amount of art was not overwhelming in Vicenza. However, the Little English School (LES) had strong programs that gave students a comprehensive background in all things art and art history.

Venice: A day trip to Venice quickly showed us the differences between certain towns and cities in Italy. Venice reminded us of home because there were people everywhere. Although it was much more touristy and hectic, the views were absolutely beautiful. One would capture the true spirit of Venice from a taxi ride, gondola ride, or even lunch along the water. The city was intriguing because it was mostly surrounded by water. Venice is bigger than Vicenza and the streets are more tightly packed with shops and restaurants. The art of Venice was very colorful. A lot of time and effort was put into the designs of the masks and Venetian glassware. It should be noted too, that the art had a focus on Italian history. Examples like the Doge Palace and the Four Tetrarchs support this.

Florence: We were pretty excited to visit this city near the Tuscan mountains. In comparison to Vicenza and Venice, Florence was more upbeat. It was great that our hotel was just walking distance from amazing Duomo. It is hard to imagine people building the structure many, many years ago. We had so much more respect after hearing things such as the weight of the Dome and how many bricks it took (four million). Like Venice, it was still crowded and touristy. However, Florence has such a rich culture in Renaissance art and the Medici family history. We look forward to seeing more of what Florence has to offer.

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The three of us are art education majors. While we observing classes at the Little English School, we got the opportunity to watch multiple class demonstrations that exhibited art lessons, art history lessons, and the student's work.
This is what stood out to the three of us.

Jasmynn Clark:

I absolutely loved the art history lesson. The classroom we observed was filled with year 7 students. In America, students normally don't receive art history lessons until they are in high school.

But, the students here were 12 years old. The Little English School teaches art history in both English and Italian. At the time of the demonstration, the children were learning about the Italian Renaissance. When I talked to the children about their experiences in art history, they were excited to share what they had learned in class. I asked the children who their favorite artists were, and many answered Titan. The students were able to go beyond saying that they just liked his work, and claimed that they loved the use of detail and colors in his paintings. I believe that the location of the school being in Vicenza, so close to where all the art is located had a big impact on their interest in the lesson.

Anya McCaig:

One art project I saw at LES that really stood out to me was the hanging sculpture. The sculpture was composed of plastic bottles, plastic materials used for lamination, and sturdy string. The students added color to the plastic with permanent markers. A hair dryer was used to assist in making the plastic pliable. The materials were effective because they were affordable and safe to use for the class. Additionally, art projects that involve collaboration are just as important as art projects that are individually done. Collaboration requires students to exchange ideas. This helps them prepare for work-related situations in the future. The students teamed up in smaller groups for different jobs of assembling the sculpture. I got the sense that the class was very proud of the piece. It was a striking, tactile, and fun art lesson for the year 7 students of LES.

Alex DeJong

One of the most important and effective methods of teaching art is incorporating other school subjects into your lesson. This method of teaching with the arts in mind can lead to a much deeper understanding of the topics covered in the other class as well as a more involved and meaningful art piece. I want to teach elementary school art. Sitting in on Mrs. Karen's year two class was absolutely ideal. I thought her lesson was a fantastic example of arts integration. In her class, the students were studying Pompeii and other aspects of Roman culture. I was able to witness her class construct volcanoes from water bottles and newspaper. As soon as the students started, I walked over to a table and very quickly connected with a student. Together we made a volcano and while constructing, the student was sharing so many different facts about Roman culture with me. She was very clearly engaged. This project revolves around one, if not the most, significant event in ancient Pompeii history, the decimation of the city and its people. Not only did this project incorporate history, it also pulled in science. After all the glued dried, and on another day, the students mixed vinegar and baking soda to create a chemical reaction and make the volcano erupt. Later that afternoon, I went back to sit in and watched the children write down the steps so they could further understand the process and to possibly recreate at home. I was incredibly impressed by the children's recall of the day and the facts they learned. I think this was a very effective arts integration lesson and it will very much inspire some of my future lesson plans.

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Lili Puskar
I never thought I'd see the day that Ivanka Trump gets kidnapped by the illuminati. However, 4th graders delivered a convincing performance with a clear climax, conflict, and resolution with functioning English to us the other day in a play that they conducted all by themselves. Although all of these students come from international backgrounds, their skills matched those of American students. Their teacher, Mr. Matthew, gave them complete freewill and creative agency to enhance their learning of the English language. His method is clearly effective; the students were more than eager to communicate and perform for us. Teaching English to children who come from multiple nationalities is challenging, and it was inspiring to see how easy he makes it seem. Observing his lesson was beneficial to providing me with ideas and inspiration for my future classroom. If I were to conduct a lesson to a secondary level English class, I would borrow his use of script writing and theatre for a unit. Below I have outlined a potential lesson for a day.

Objective: Students will be able to apply their knowledge of storytelling to effectively communicate emotions in a proper context.

Warm up: mad libs. When students enter the classroom, there will be a script on the board with missing segments of sentences, ranging from one word to short phrases. They will have 5 minutes to individually complete it, using new vocabulary terms learned prior to this day. Students who wish to volunteer will read theirs to the class.

Activity: After a brief review and lesson on fiction writing, students will read the first half of a short story (adaptation - watch the first half of a short film) and write the second half on their own. They must include a clear understanding of character development, setting, conflict, resolution and emotion.

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My first impressions of the little English school was with Mr. Chris, Mr. Matthew, and Mrs. Karen. As the three gave their presentations, I  tried to consider the similarities and differences between our education systems. I was most impacted by the passion these three educators had for their careers, and especially their students. Mr. Chris was a very busy man, yet obviously took time for his students and made them his priority. Mr. Matthew discussed how he makes his classroom environment a welcoming one for each student. I personally connected with his presentation the most because his attitude toward welcoming each student and connecting with each student aligns greatly with my personal philosophy about classroom environments. He showed us videos of team building activities he does with his classroom regularly, and when we returned on Tuesday I actually observed him do this. I personally believe that creating a welcoming, supportive classroom environment is the key to having students be successful in a classroom and should be each teacher's first priority. If a student is uncomfortable in their classroom, no learning will occur. Mr. Matthew described what things he does to connect and welcome students into a family like environment. When observing his classroom practice the script of a play they wrote, it was clear that students were comfortable with each other and him. They were also proud and confident of their work. I think creating a welcoming environment should be every teacher's priority when getting a new classroom. But it is also important to continue making those relationships throughout the year. Mr. Matthew described this in his presentation, and it was obvious when observing his classroom. While listening to Mrs. Karen, it was obvious how much she cared for her students. I could immediately imagine her in front of students and assumed they must adore her. I was right. You could also tell by her demeanor and the way she discussed her students that she truly cared and loved the students. It was refreshing to observe such passion and compassion coming from her in her question and answer session. In her classroom it was interesting to see her classroom environment. Students were respectful of her, and each other, and eager to participate. She also created a welcoming environment for her students. I think this was especially useful at the Little English School because many students struggle communicating with English instruction, or with each other because they come from different backgrounds.

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Maggie, Amanda, and Tara
On Tuesday, our group got to visit the Little English School in Vicenza, Italy. We got to observe and help a lesson on volcanoes in a year 2 class. Their lesson was more of a history lesson. The three of us are middle school science majors, so we wanted to connect their history lesson to a science lesson. This is our idea of a lesson plan we would teach in our own class.

Objective:

The students will be able to explain the movement of tectonic plates in a visual manor while making connections to volcanoes.

Agenda:

SWBAT explain how the movement of tectonic plates may cause a volcanic eruption such as the one that occurred in Pompeii

Activity:

Have a class discussion about where volcanic activity has occurred and when it happened throughout history on the faults of tectonic plate lines.

Have students try to draw the tectonic plate lines by using the dots that mark the activity. Once students have an idea that the dots are the fault lines, introduce a map of the tectonic plates. The teacher will ask to see if the students had correct predictions.

Students will be able to connect the previous lesson about the volcanoes at the city of Pompeii to the fault lines they have been introduced. They will circle the city of Pompeii on their map and find that it is near a fault line.

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Universal Design for Learning and Diffeorentiation

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Universal Design for Learning and Diffeorentiation

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Laura and Courtney

After observing the lessons at the Little English School, we can honestly say that we are pretty impressed. While education is a progressive field, we were not expecting the lessons to be similarly differentiated and have qualities of UDL as we were taught. As we know, the 3 UDL components are Action and Expression, Representation, and Engagement. The students were engaged through various medias such as google classroom, hands-on activities, and collaboration with peers and teachers, as well as us. As we observed, the specialized subjects in the different grade levels all had different elements to them in terms of students being able to access and view the materials with differentiated modes of representation. This included the YouTube videos, transcriptions of videos, printed paper copies of information, and verbal reaffirmation of knowledge. In addition, it was noted that the students had many opportunities to represent the content knowledge with class quizzes, group projects, and model building to name a few. Not only were there key elements of UDL, which wasn't an emphasis as a method of teaching, but it was obvious that it just happened as a good teaching skill. The teachers definitely catered to the different types of kinesthitic, visual, logical, linguistic, intropersonal, and intrapersonal learners. The students got to experiment with the different styles of learning while using their creativity and individualized cognitive skills. This has been proven to assist students with various learning needs to attain knowledge in the classroom setting. Overall this experience has been quite eye opening for us to see how teachers in foreign countries naturally apply differentiation and UDL components into their lesson.

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Being a Health Science major, I constantly observe and take interest in anything that is health related. While staying here in Italy there have been many things that I have noticed that differ from the U.S. A topic that is very serious in the U.S is the use of cigarettes. In Italy there are vending machines for people to quickly purchase a pack of cigarettes. Differing from this greatly, the U.S. has a very strict process for someone to obtain cigarettes, that has become more and more restricted as time goes on. It was very interesting to see the amount of people smoking all around me as if it was no big deal, as in the U.S., it would cause more of a disapproving reaction from people. Another thing I noticed here in Italy was their consumption of soda. Yes every restaurant offers soda as a beverage, but they are typically more expensive and the amount of soda you receive is much smaller than what is seen in the U.S. The amount of sugar intake that Americans have in today's society has been said to be so enormous that newborns come out of the womb craving sugar. On the other hand, smoking has been proven to cause varying types of cancer and many other health complications. These topics are very serious and I think there is opportunity for these two countries to learn from one another to improve not only the health of their own countries but the overall general health for the world.

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Two weeks has gone by so fast and I have experienced things I never thought would be possible. After a wonderful time in Vicenza getting acclimated to the Italian culture and way of life, I was still not fully prepared for all that Florence and Rome had to offer. While these cities were a little overwhelming at first, with the help of our guide Stephanie and my fellow classmates, I found myself becoming more confident and comfortable with each day.

The day we arrived in Florence, after settling into our hotel several of us went to get lunch and explore the city. The hustle and bustle was quite different from the easy going relaxed atmosphere of Vicenza but it was exciting. As we walked along the busy streets we turned a corner and I was stopped in my tracks, awe struck. Right in front of me was the Duomo in all it beautiful glory. I couldn't stop looking at it; I knew it was an amazing piece of architecture and had learned about it in art history class but it was far more stunning than I ever imagined. I wondered how any thing I would see in the days to follow could top what I experienced in that moment, but it just kept getting better.

From Stephanie’s wonderful stories about the art and artists of the Renaissance to seeing masterpieces, like The David, in person I was wowed at every turn. One of the things that added to my enjoyment was being able to share my knowledge of some of the pieces with my non-art major classmates. Additionally, it was fascinating to talk with them about how math, science and English could incorporate art in order to create an interesting, interdisciplinary lesson.

The exchange of knowledge and ideas about lessons continued when we arrived in Rome. After surviving the truly terrifying cab ride from the train station to the hotel the sightseeing began. Starting with the Pantheon one day, the Vatican the next and finishing with the Colosseum it was quite clear that art and history go hand in hand in Rome. While the historical aspect of the art in Rome is astonishing there are only so many times one can see images of Mary and Jesus before you become a bit numb which is why I was so pleased and excited to find an exhibit of the art of Jean-Michele Basquiat on display. I will admit that Basquiat’s work is not exactly my taste but it was refreshing to see an exhibition of contemporary art among all the historical pieces we had encountered. While viewing the exhibit once again the lesson ideas flowed.

Finally, I am so grateful to have been able to experience this amazing program and make so new friends along the way. Thank you to my fellow classmates and travelers for not allowing our age differences to detract from our ability to explore and learn together.

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After years of dreaming, months of planning, and weeks of stressing I can hardly believe that I am actually in Italy. A trip like this has always been on my bucket list but I never thought it would become reality. However, thanks to the amazing study abroad opportunities offered by Towson University, my wonderful family/friends and a lot of hard work I have made it.

After nearly nineteen hours of travel and complete physical exhaustion, my heart soared as soon as the water bus that carried me from the airport pulled into the Grand Canal in Venice. It almost did not seem real. The buildings, the canals, the gondolas. As the sights, sounds, and smells enveloped me my soul filled with joy and I realized it is never too late to live your dream and create your most authentic self.

If my fellow classmates and world travelers take anything from my being on this journey with them I hope it is that with hard work and stubborn determination the world is yours and you can accomplish anything.

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Lili Puskar
Before I set off on my adventure to Italy, I pinned about 50 different articles, tips, and guides on what to do, where to eat, and where to stay. I thought I was an expert even before my arrival - trusting the apparently scholarly tourists who came before me. However, I quickly learned my way around the hard way. Amanda, Maggie, Tara and I came a day early and spent it exploring Venice. Our cab driver gave us explicit instructions before he dropped us off - turn left and take the route around Rialto to get to San Marco Piazza. Naturally, we went the opposite direction. The quiet streets and lack of tourists quickly confirmed our mistake, but we persevered. We winded down narrow streets of tangerine and salmon colored buildings, the smell of fresh pizza taunting us around every corner. However, we were determined to find our way to San Marco's plaza and have our first meal in Italy overlooking the lapping waves that surround the city. Three hours later of reading maps upside down and searching for street signs (which the Italians apparently don't believe in), and we finally made it! Suddenly, we were surrounded by multiple foreign tongues and cameras flashing. We knew we had reached our destination. My Fitbit tracked well over 10,000 steps, and yet we hadn't had a bite to eat. Hungry and tired, we sat down at the first restaurant near the water we could find. A bite-sized pizza and drink with more air than liquid in it cost a whopping 20€. I couldn't believe it... I fell for the tourist trap. I pushed the disappointment to the back of my mind, taking in the scenery to remain positive. On our way back we hopped onto a water taxi to rest our aching legs, which took us along the route we realized we were supposed to take in the first place. Mobs of tourists and gorgeous restaurants lined our pathway for a solid 30 minutes. Although frustrated, we took pictures and wrote down the exact names of places we had passed so we knew where to go next time. Once we made our loop around the entire island, it all began to make sense. We saw the steps our cab driver told us to take that we had missed before, but now we know better. I tried so hard to follow the blog guides, searching from the corner of my eye for every restaurant a yelp reviewer recommended. This day taught me the hard truth of coming to a foreign country, despite my research that told me otherwise. You have to dive head first, get lost, and learn for yourself. No amount of guides or travel blogs can truly prepare you for what's to come. It takes trust, intuition, and trial and error to discover the ins and outs of a new country. Having our CIS tour guide Sara now is extremely helpful, but having a day to play tourist was quite liberating. In a sense I view the experience as a rite of passage; the only way to learn the ropes is by falling off of them a few times. Learning is a part of life, it's how we grow, develop, and change. We discover things about ourselves and the world that were unknown to us before. Of course we're going to struggle communicating, of course we're going to get lost, of course we're going to embarrass ourselves. How not though? Sometimes you have to be your own guinea pig, figuring out what works and what doesn't. Trial and error - it's the way the world revolves.

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SinceLaura, Courtney, Maggie and Anya

So we've been in Vicenza for a couple days now; this is our third day here and it's kind of been interesting with the language barrier. Since Vicenza isn't as much of a tourist destination as some of the other places we will go, not as many people speak English as we were expecting. We have noticed that the population that DOES speak English tends to be younger. Our experience with ordering so far has been a little bit rocky, but I think it's helping us to kind of learn the language and patience a little bit more through the immersion. We actually had an experience this morning where we went to a café and the barista didn't speak any English whatsoever. It was interesting to see how both parties were struggling to communicate with one another. There were a lot of hand motions involved, as well as us using an Italian translator app.The barista and our group were both getting nervous while navigating the conversation.Thankfully we were able to order successfully and able to communicate somewhat efficiently. It's been such an eye-opening experience to see the struggles of communication barriers. We feel like this is an experience that might be similar to that of an ELL student that will most likely be in our classroom in the future. Going through this gives us insight and will allow us to be more patient with our future students that will not know the language we are teaching in.

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Day 1: Vicenza, Italy

By: Allyson, Alison, Anne

Traveling to Italy for the first time was a huge culture shock for all of us. We have been thrown into a place that speaks another language, which gives us a lot of anxiety. However, we are excited to be here and explore to our heart's content. One struggle that we ran into was trying to communicate with the front desk when our AC wasn't working. The concierge wasn't understanding that our room was hot and not cold, since the Italian word for hot is caldo. Eventually, we used hand signals and then he began to understand. There was another experiment of the language barrier when we wanted to go out for a cup of coffee. In Italy, American coffee is called café americano, which we looked up before we came because we are addicted to caffeine. Walking into the cafe, we were nervous to order. The lady looked at us and said “American?”. She was very nice and tried her best to help us order. She also gave us a few tips on words that we could use the next time we order for our coffee addiction. Can we just say, that it was the best cup of coffee we have ever had! It beats Starbucks hands down. Overall, we realize that people here are willing to help us when needed. For today being our second day we feel a little more confident and we are excited for the journey that is the rest of our trip.

P.S. Also, the future coffee endeavors.