Reflection # 10

      I believe that the instructional rubric is the most beneficial rubric style, at least for me. According to the article “What is an instructional strategy?” instructional rubric has many advantages for students. Students are able to visually see the way they will be graded, so they have a guide about what the teacher will be expecting. Students are able to see in which area they did bad, good and not that good since teachers provide feedbacks.  It’s also good for students because teachers demonstrate the ideal model about what they expect. During my high school years, almost all the teachers used this type of rubric and it was really successful.

      I prefer the alternative assessment instead of the traditional assessment. In my Biology class of 10^th grade, the teacher told us we had to choose a partner, then choose a song and then create a lyric based on the theme we were studying (humans  cells). After, we had to create a video using our lyrics with the background of the song we choose. After everyone did their projects, the teacher asked for feedback and every single student gave positive feedback.

*Question: Which type of rubric and assessment are best for kindergarten students? 

*Date: November 29, 2010

*Time: 6:48 pm

Reflection # 9

            The books that I remember reading during my childhood years are Corduroy and A Christmas Carol. Even though I think I didn’t read them at school, they influenced me. Corduroy is about a little girl that goes to a store and felt in love with a teddy bear that is missing a button on his overall. She wanted the bear, but her mother refused to buy it because she didn’t want to pay for a toy that was “damaged.” So the girl save money and buys Corduroy (the bear). She then sews a button on Corduroy’s overall. This story illustrates what’s happening in each scene with images, which help understand better what one’s is reading. It teaches the meaning of friendship and kindness.

            A Christmas Carol is my favorite picture book. My mother tells me that since I was little I have always liked it. Is about an elder man that hates Christmas and due do that four ghost appears to him. The first one advises him that three (past, present and future) ghosts, will appear to him. He learned from his spiritual experience and decides to change from a negative, selfish and lonely person to a positive and happy person.  The main theme of the story is that it teaches the real meaning of Christmas and to appreciate the one’s we love. It also teaches that all of us have a reason to be happy every day no matter how many problems we have. I love Christmas and maybe my love and excitement toward Christmas is influenced by this book.

*Question: Which of the two books is better to integrate in a lesson for elementary children? What activity about Corduroy or A Christmas Carol a teacher could make for elementary children?

*Date: November 14, 2010

*Time: 11: 59 pm

Reflection # 8

The Romare Bearden website Let’s Walk the Block is very entertaining. It is a very organized, creative and fun website. People can learn a lot from this website since it has Barden’s biography, various ways of understanding The Block and a variety of art activities for children.

It has a guide tour that explains what The Block is. It says that it is a panel collage that captures the life of a single block in Harlem. It says that this art is not literal, that it is based on Barden’s imagination. It also tells that Barden used different types of collages materials such as photographs and different types of fabrics, papers and writing utensils (paint, ink, pencil, markers and etc). It also gives people the opportunity to listen to jazz music while analyzing The Block. The website says that while listening to the jazz song, people need to observe the colors and shapes because the notes make up the art work. The website also has ways of incorporating The Block into fun activities for children. For example, for young children there is an activity called Fun Shapes in which children create their own collages using the shapes of The Block.

*Question: It would be interesting to know how much time it took Barden to create The Block

*Date: November 7, 2010

*Time: 11:51 am

Reflection # 7

      The article of Gene Yang is in a comic format that explains how to use graphic models in classrooms. He states that graphic models are a combination of image and text. To use graphic models in a classroom brings many benefits. Graphic models help students who are struggling with reading, since it has visuals. Graphic models are permanent, which gives the opportunity for the students to read at their own rhythm without any pressure and to go back to reread.
      The Gene Yang’s blog is place where people can see his publish comic books and leave comments. He encourages teachers to use effective methods of teaching with graphic models. I am in favor of Gene’s point since graphic novels could motivate students who doesn’t like to read and also could get students out of the technology obsession for a while by reading. It helps students in their cognitive, language and creative area.

                             *Example-"The Eternal Smile"

                                                                                     by Gene Yang

*Question: Does this method of graphic models is effective for all grade levels? Or until which grade level it’s effective for students?

*Date: November 1, 2010

*Time: 2:06 am

Reflection # 6

            Since I want to be a teacher of little children, I could create an activity called “multicolor Christmas object.” I could cut squares from four different colors of construction paper and have four little bowls of those same four colors of the squares and make the children put the squares in their correct bowls and then count them. After they practice their math skills, if it’s Christmas time, I could give them a variety of Christmas stuffs, such as snowflakes, Santa Clause hats and snowmen cut from a white poster board and tell them to choose among those three so they could stick with glue the squares on top.

In this activity, the children could practice their math skills by counting how many squares have the same color or how many squares they will use in their Christmas object and etc. Also, the children could have an art experience by having the opportunity to decorate a Christmas object with the squares. The purpose is for the children to practice their math skills while at same time using their creativity in decorating a Christmas object. After the children finished their Christmas objects, I could make holes on tops of the objects in order for the families to hang up their children work in their real Christmas tree.

*Question: Is this exercise a good balance between math and art?

*Date: October 25, 2010

*Time: 12: 52 am

Reflection # 5

     Rube Goldberg was an engineer known for his great inventions and on how he portrayed it. He expressed his work through art; he explained a task by drawing the process. Some examples of task solutions he made through drawings were How to get the cotton out of an aspirin candy and How to keep shop windows clean. He selected a simple task and transformed it to a complicated and interesting task, since he explained the process step by step.

     I will like to apply Rube Goldberg’s ideas in my future classroom. As Oakley says in his article, students aren’t always book smart; some students understand better through art. Some children need to see and understand a task step by step, like Goldberg portrayed the tasks. For example, I might apply these types of task solutions by drawing to the children the process of how to wash their hands. It is a simple task but a very important one in which many children gets confused.  For some children seeing this task step by step trough a drawing, they might understand better than by just explaining it orally.

*Question: Since Goldberg’s process of explaining a task goes from simple to complicated, might some students get confused?

*Date: October 17, 2010

*Time: 6:36 pm

Reflection #4

      During the journey of life, especially in early childhood, it is important that everyone experiments with art. Creating and playing with art has many advantages. Making art leads them to use their creativity and imagination, practice their motor skills, express their feelings, and it helps them to exercise their hands. Every person is capable of being an artist because art doesn’t discriminate. There isn’t a requirement that they need to have: an IQ above average, or an excellent SAT score. The only essential thing is for children to have imagination, which every of them has it. Pamela Wilson says on her article, every child, not excluding anyone, needs to play with art in order to discover themselves through a very personal experience by using their imagination and creativity.
      During the four weeks I have being in EDU 431, there have been two experiences that can be related to the article. In the first day of class, while each of us were presenting our nametags, I noticed that every one of them were different in a unique way. Ones were very colorful while others were very simple. However, in every nametag the feelings, personality and imagination of the person who created it were reflected. I could notice what Pamela Wilson says about art, that art is a self expression made by imagination and creativity. In last class, while during an art activity, the teacher told us we were going to present our work, but a couple of girls said they didn’t want to present, and the teacher agreed with them. Here it is seen what Pamela Wilson says about for the teachers to keep private the work that students aren’t ready to share.

*Question: Why most of the American schools stop requiring art class after 8th grade?

*Date: September 26, 2010

*Time: 9:25 pm

Reflection # 3

     I totally agree with what Amy Shultz says in her article. The development of literacy and art are essential in an education of a child. I liked how she compared the literacy and art to the process of making a cake. Literacy and art is a great combination for children to develop their artistic and writing side. However, the big question is how to include literacy in art? 
     There are various ways in which a teacher can integrate literacy in art. Teachers can read out loud to the children a picture book, then create an art activity with the theme of the book and later discuss the connection between the book and the art activity. As Shultz says in her article, children can construct collages to illustrate a story, orally explain the story and then write it. This helps students who can have difficulties in reading or writing to improve it through a fun and creative method. This different process gives the opportunity for children to use their imagination through reading, drawing and painting, writing and even talking!

*Question: Until which grade level does a teacher should stop using picture books and start using books without images?

*Date: September 9, 2010

*Time: 11:40 pm

Reflection # 2

      It’s interesting how two women with autism view the concept of autism in two different ways. After reading the two articles, I personally agree with Temple Grandin. I saw the movie Temple Grandin that shows the struggles she passed through which also illustrate a different view toward autism. What impacted me the most after seeing the movie is how the majority of the people doubted her and the minority (her mother and one teacher) believed in her, in her strengths. After all, she demonstrates by her actions and determination that everyone is capable of everything; the difference is that each person has different ways of thinking and expressing themselves.
      After seeing the movie and reading her article, I truly believe in what she says. I learned that there are three ways people with autism think: visually, musically and mathematically, and verbally logic. Temple is definitely a visual thinker and thanks to that, she designed the curve corrals with the purpose of reducing cows stress before being killed. Like Temple says in her article, I have heard of people who are blind, but have the gift of playing any instrument without reading the notes. Some people are better in mathematics, while others are better in painting, but at the end everyone is special in their own unique way.

Question: Are the majority of people that have autism are more likely of being visual thinkers?

*Date: September 12, 2010

*Time: 10: 42 pm

Reflection # 1

     Art has existed since humans life began. Thanks to the arts, we know about our past, our present and “our future”. Humans started expressing themselves by drawings, then by signs, then by sounds, later by words, followed by the alphabet and finally by writing. All humans’ forms of communications such as verbal (poetry and singing), writing (books), dancing, acting, painting, photography and so on are types of art. The difference forms of communications give the options for people to choose which way to express. I completely agree with what Murray Sidlin said “When words are no longer adequate, when our passion is greater than we are able to express in a usual manner, people turn to art. Some people go to the canvas and paint; some stand up and dance. But we all go beyond our normal means of communicating and this is the common human experience for all people on this planet.”

     Many students believe that because they don’t know how to draw a “perfect” flower, then they are not a good artist. However, not everyone has the same concept of how flowers are. Each person is a unique world, and each of them has their own perception. I believe that art class must be a requirement to take from elementary to high school in order to graduate. Art helps students develop and demonstrate their intelligence, emotions and creativity. If more students at the beginning of their education were to get to know the importance of art, I wonder if they would make art a significance part of their life.

*Date: September 6, 2010
*Time: 2:43 am