During week one's first workshop of AED1260.1 (The Arts in Education 1), I was apprehensive and a bit nervous at the start of the class as it was all new and the very first class I have attended at university. It helped having met new friends as we tried to find the room together. Once we were in the class, it was very welcoming, and the activities we did, such as gathering in a circle and saying our names, then making a game to try and remember everyone's names by walking to the person, was a great way to start. I really enjoyed forming small groups and performing tableaux, which at the time I didn’t know what they were but was a freeze frame working in a group to show something. We used it to show a story; ours was Jack and Jill. We also used it to show a place in the world; we chose the leaning tower of Piza. It was a great bonding experience as the class would have to guess what we were.

The most uncomfortable moment was the very beginning of the class, as entering was daunting, to begin with, but once we did a circle warm-up and played the name game, everyone soon felt more comfortable, including me, as we were all in the same boat, to begin with.

 

The most enjoyable moment for me was when we performed tableaux, which I had never done before. Having to talk to new people and create small groups, finding out common interests, and getting to know each other while trying to create a freeze-frame picture together was so fun that I was not expecting to like it as much as I did.

 

I discovered throughout week 1's workshop that after getting to know people, I grew a lot more confident and comfortable in the class, which was very different from how I was in high school, as I was very quiet then, but I realised that I learn better when I have a teacher who is kind and inclusive of others and doesn’t make you feel scared to do something new. It was really fun.

What did you notice about your emotions during the workshop? How did these emotions manifest in your body? Might these be similar to a primary student’s emotional experiences?
In this workshop, my emotions ranged from fear to excitement. Fear of change, as going from high school to university is a big step for me, and massive change excitement because it was the first class that I attended and I was excited to see what university life was all about. This first class introduced me to the arts and was an exciting step into how that can be implemented in my own classroom one day in the future. The emotions caused my palms to sweat slightly as the nerves got to me, but once I was in the class, all the excitement stirred up within me and gave me a burst of energy and excitement, filling my body with happiness. I believe that the emotions I experienced would be what a child would experience once they entered a classroom for the first time. Many children feel just as nervous and scared, but I also think that they will get excited to experience something new once they realise it isn't as scary as they once thought.

Primary school students would most likely learn from interaction rather than just written work or slide shows and be able to create physical elements in the arts, so learning how to implement these elements of the arts into my future classroom is helpful in knowing that I will be able to teach in different ways. The first class of this week showed a taster of what could be used as an interlocutory lesson in my classes in the future, taking elements of inclusivity and fun to create a carefree classroom where no one feels scared.

 

Week 4 was presentation week, so we asked to present first to get it over and done with due to us both being very nervous. It was a presentation on why the arts should be implemented in primary schools. We were nervous and kind of scared to perform. We had a little bit of time to do an activity that was getting us ready for our next assignment, which was a storyline from another story and creating something a little different with the same meaning as the original book. We did one about a treasure chest.

Can you reflect on yourself as a learner?
As a learner, I am more of a visual learner; I respond better to interaction than written work. For example, I was put to the test during week 3's online work as I struggled to focus and tended to get distracted. During week 4, I liked it better, as I was more comfortable and liked that interaction.

Can you gauge your reaction to this workshop compared to the first and now?
During the first workshop, I felt nervous but excited about something new. As the weeks went on into weeks 3 and 4, the online week of week 3 made me miss the class and wanted me to get back to it. Week 4 made me nervous as it was presentation week, and although I felt more comfortable, I was still scared as it was my first proper assignment due compared to week 1, where I felt new to things and had no worries as assignments were the last thing on my mind to worry about. In my mind, things could have been better or changed. As it was our first proper presentation, it wasn't too bad, but we definitely needed to control our nerves and maybe get more practice.

What did you notice about the way you collaborated in the workshop?
The way I collaborated in the workshop was different from how I would've done it in high school. I was more outgoing and more involved in the tasks of the workshop as I was comfortable with those around me and felt welcomed and invited. 

How does drama foster collaboration and cooperation?
Drama fosters collaboration and cooperation, as you all have to work together as a team or group to perform a final piece. Through collaborating with your team, ideas and imagination are created to develop together. Ideas are explored and teamwork is needed as it is very important to be able to collaborate with one another.

What did you notice about the emotional experiences of other people in the workshop?
I realised through the workshop of week 4 that sometimes you can pick up on their emotions. Such as when someone is nervous you can see it but when they feel comfortable around someone their emotions change and overall feelings change.

Did the group work help you understand others better?
It did as I got to know each other's personalities and how to work in a group and be able to understand one another. I knew through group work when one of my team members was struggling or when they didn't feel comfortable so through all that it helped me understand everyone's emotions.

What did you learn about others in the workshops?
That others can experience the same emotions you do but in different ways. some are more excited than others and some find it harder to interact with others there are different levels to each person's mentality and everyone is so different and individual and you can make some great bonds with people you might not of even thought you could have.

Then we moved into partners and mirrored each other's actions I was with the other Paige this was a cool idea that I have never done before I always like the new activities that we do.

Then “painted” our bodies red for the arms, blue for the legs yellow for everything else then our teacher would say red and yellow for example and we would have to make a statue of us in these positions this was a unique idea that I liked as it makes you work with a partner and bond with them through something kind of silly but fun I understand why kids might enjoy this activity.

Then we played a game called Breaking the Eight which was really fun.

Dance maps which was an activity sheet with different styles of dance in circles on it I was with Joe myself Paige and Miryim we had to connect from one side of the sheet to the other a dance move and make up a dance this was cool as it required us to be creative and imaginative.

We regrouped into a circle and made a machine one person at a time joining in to create a different part of the machine this required us to have to work as a team as a while class to make this "machine" function".

I left my language poem - which I was in a group with Joe Miryim and myself and another Paige we had to utilise a box as our object and to corporate it into the poem we had Joe sit on the box read the poem and whenever he said left or right we would say it louder and pop up behind from Joe in a staggered pattern. This made us all laugh and have so much fun creating this idea to be our own.

Then personal study/ reflection

Gathered in the group from the previous week for the assignment our colour is yellow so we organised to dress up as minions and have a party storyline I said minions as a joke but then we all agreed that it would be a good idea as we aimed to make It for a year 1/2 class which we believed the children would really enjoy.

How do the practical activities and unit information inform your personal understanding of the use of dance as an expressive learning process through which educators can facilitate creativity in primary students?
My personal understanding of how practical activities through the use of dance provide an expression of learning and creativity in primary schooling is that through dance creativity is learnt and children are able to express themselves release stress, be able to bond with one another and just be silly in a sense that realises any pent up energy from previous classes which require desk work.

Do you have strategies for managing pressure as you move through the unit? What are they?
I can't say I have much of a strategy when it comes to handling my stress it will hopefully be developed soon but in the meantime, I just try and take it step by step. I try not to overthink the course too much and just do what is required of me to the best of my ability I hope throughout the course I soon get to develop how to have a strategy for dealing with the pressures of the units.

What has been the most important personal realisation in the last few weeks in this unit?
That things may seem scary but when you work together as a team and get to know everyone it is a very welcoming group of people and there is no need to be scared as everyone is thinking of themselves rather than your act.

Why is it the most important?
Having a welcoming community is important as without it you may feel scared and alone but having a welcoming class makes you feel a lot more accepted and feel free to express yourself.

During the week 7 workshop, I felt tired to begin with but whilst doing the activities I felt more energised 

In this lesson, we started off like usual in a circle saying our names and an action then getting everyone else in the circle to repeat then we called on someone else in the circle swapped spots then they would have to say someone else’s name etc we do this every week and I really enjoy it as not only does the teacher get to memorise your name but the students can remember everyone else too.

Then made another circle and had actions 1 to 4 then had to do them and someone would slightly change them and we would copy this activity was fun as it involved everyone coming together.

Then we played a game where we were in a circle and someone would be the leader and someone would step out of the room and come back in and not know who the leader is making us change our movements they have 2 guesses this was such a fun game and everyone had a good laugh whilst playing it we got to understand one another and see each others facial expressions we knew what each other were thinking.

Dance whispers someone at one end makes a dance move and has to go all the way thru the line and see if it remains the same did half a class one then a full class I sucked at this game but it was so fun everyone enjoyed trying to remember how to do the dance moves and we all attempted to cheer each other on what was funny is if someone made a mistake we would all laugh together it was a real bonding experience like we were all a big family.

Birthday dance is a number corresponding with a dance move 0 thru to 9 this was all about our memory really we would have a list of dance moves given to us and had to create this dance with a partner having both of our birthdays together. Writing our names using hand gestures leg movements etc we used our noses and elbows then did our dance for our birthday this was a creative way of creating a dance for sure.

Making up a dance for space rabbits of Brooklevoon was by far my favourite thing we had done in the class ever I loved the song and the creative process it was so fun incorporating our ideas to create such a cute little dance I will defiantly be using this in my classes in the future. 

Personal study 

Group performance (gathering back in our groups from week 5 and discussing performance) This was just a way of collaborating with one another to have a flow of all of our ideas.

The skills most relevant to media arts applications are those related to artistic expression (p. 282, Delivering Authentic Arts Education).
This is relevant because I believe that artistic expression is very important for children and especially in education it allows children to be themselves and express themselves as a whole without it creativity would not be expressed in the best way that it can be. skills such as collaborating to perform with one another and engaging the students are very important a skill that I must learn to incorporate.

What do you know about media arts? What technical skills in media arts do you feel confident with?
I know so far that media arts takes a long time to develop and that is pretty skill based something that may take time to develop. The technical skill in media arts that I feel confident with is filming as it is the most basic form of media arts that I can be involved in.

I can plan to develop my competency in media arts in education by exploring it more and developing my skills I can use videos within my class and show my students how to use fun apps to be creative and explore the arts.

Social and Emotional Wellbeing:
Have you noticed whether you are kind to yourself as you move through this unit?
I think I may be very critical but also don't take myself overly seriously as I know its meant to be fun and games I know that when my mind goes to criticise myself that I have to remember that in order for my future students to have fun I also have to have fun and that they may be feeling the same things I feel and I have to know how to address them if I sense that.

Have you noticed thoughts that get in the way of you embracing the workshop content?
Yes, I think sometimes what If someone judges me and if I'm not good enough in that area but then I remember everyone is in the same boat and that if I ever have any problems I have plenty of people to ask for help if ever needed. I quite enjoy the content and would love to continue it. By far my favourite workshop by far and has content that I can clearly understand and develop on.

Which dance, drama or media arts strategy are you keen to try out with a group of primary students?
Dance would be my favourite one to explore as I loved the activities and for someone like me who doesn't really like dance, I was so happy to get involved and have fun. I can't wait to explore the dance field with my students it will be a really fun experience for them and I've seen through prac that dance can be incorporated in many ways within a classroom and I can't wait.

Can you comment on the process of devising a dance, drama, and media art performance as a group?
It was a stressful but very fun process I loved the creative process and the way I got to put my input in and it allowed me to show that I can be creative. It tested me in a way as I didn't know how I would do but we worked so well as a group everyone put into it and gave it their all for a first performance I believe it was very good I was very proud of us all and what we did we divided up all the tasks within the group and all of us made sure to always be involved and collaborate.