I enjoy seeing such young students work from life. It's uncommon for children to use direct observation in drawing and creating art. It's interesting to see the differences between drawing from their imaginations and from life, such as this still-life set up. It really broadens their abilities, beyond filling a sketchbook with page after page of fairies and dinosaurs.
Students were hesitant to engage with the wire materials this week. However, once they began manipulating the wire, they were more comfortable and really succeeded in creating interesting wire sculptures.
I think it is important to note that while we are writing a lesson plan, we have a preconceived outcome. Yet this outcome is bound to change. Yes, specific objectives may be noted and expected in the plan, but other objectives may not come forward until they have the opportunity to present themselves in the lesson. It is so important that, as new teachers, we are open to having malleable plans, goals, and outcomes. I was not disappointed that this lesson was imperfect. I was excited about the goals, outcomes, and objectives that the students discovered themselves through experimenting with the novelty of wire as an artistic medium. After all, aren't we trying to learn through experimentation?
That is a good point for us to reconsider;in the sense, how could we, as teachers, manage the balance between considering students' abilities (or the goal of the lesson) and providing them with challengeable opportunities in real classroom settings?
ReplyDeleteExactly. I feel that after a lesson is taught (for the first time especially), the instructor should re-visit the plan and re-write it to reflect the way students reacted and engaged with the lesson, whether it was "successful" or not.
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