Week 2 Reflection

In the past, I have interpreted the following state standard for Kindergartners as merely a nudge to get the students involved in as many media as possible.

Standard 6: Creative Processes Students shall demonstrate creativity using a wide variety of media, techniques, processes, and tools to develop expressive (communicating, moods, feelings, and ideas) works of art and design.

  

Now I am wondering, How do I make sure what they are doing is creative? How can I build basic skills and allow for divergent problem solving?

I realized this past week is that I do not often teach in a way that allows for divergent responses from my younger students. I have always been suspicious of the word, "creative, " as it can be tossed around like pretty and good.  I have held that a firm skills base is needed in order for students to let loose and be creative.  I think I do well in allowing for open responses in  art making in grades third and above, but I tend to use guided lessons for the K-2 crowd.  I think the last paragraph of Chapter 4 explains how a strategy like VTS can help make meaning for the younger kiddos. Paraphrased, the last thought is that students must explore ideas in order to make meaning. The kinders are not meta-cognitive yet.  Maybe by combining VTS with projects that are more open ended, I can get them used to questioning and decision making that will help them create increasing meaning as they grow. Before tackling the BIG IDEA I want to use for this class, I reviewed the of Piaget , Kamii, and  Werner to help form a better picture of my kinders. Ideas expressed by these theorists have influenced and provided validity to the work of Abigail Housen. Piaget thought that learning comes from within the child through the process of discovery.  Kamii saw teachers as facilitators who provided students with materials and challenges that motivate the student. Werner said that out feeling of unity with the world comes from developing out aesthetic perception. These theorists describe learning for children as best done from a child's point of view, because they think differently. They describe qualitative changes and metamorphoses. I knew the aesthetic stages were based on stage theory, but  I can see it better in this weeks reading.

The week 2 reading also helped me to understand the difference between Stage 1 and 2 viewers a bit better by providing sample dialogues, then analyzing them.