I don’t have no skills

I want to correct a message that was briefly presented in our Drama PLO skit the other day. The main focus of the skit was to get across the main for content areas in drama and one exemplar of each. At one point the student (Ida-Mae) said she lacked drama skills, to which her teacher Mr. Raskob replied, something down the lines of ‘that’s alright, you don’t need skills!’ (I am obviously paraphrasing here, but that is more or less the impression I got).  For the sake of our skit saying this was fine (we had lost our script from the previous day, and therefore didn’t have much time to review the new script).

When teaching in a "real" class, I would like to suggest that it is never a very good idea to tell a student that they don’t need skills to do ____ activity. If our drama activities are not building confidence in some sort of skill then why are we practicing them? We can let students know that the activity is fun, but also that they have some skills to work with, and hopefully they will improve on them by participating. In truth, Mr. Raskob did show little Ida-Mae various skills throughout the skit, and assured her that she had some basic skill in these areas and would build on them. So, when a student says “I can’t do that, I don’t have the skills,” do what Mr. Raskob did, show them what the skills are, and that they can indeed do them!

(Photo adapted from: Hip Hop Shakespeare)

Useful 

      Art

So recently I read Evan’s blog about how art is useless unless people attach emotion to it, and initially I agreed. In fact I still think the point is valid when considering many art pieces, but then I started to read this article about web design and colour theory.  

For those of you who, like me, know very little about colour theory, this site provides useful information to help choose, and defend choices related to, colours and layout for our E-portfolios. The article explains briefly why complimentary colours are useful in a website, how to reduce eyestrain (something you want to think about if you don’t want to make future employers suffer while reading your E-portfolio), and how to frame with colours in order to make important points pop out. 

One of the most interesting points for me was when they touched on vibrancy of colours, specifically that brighter colour are more likely to make readers more emotional when viewing your site, while more muted colours can keep a mind more focused and relaxed. I would really recommend checking out the article if you haven’t yet decided what colours to use for your E-portfolio, because it appears in this instance art is very useful! 

(Colour wheel image)

Curiosity Killed the Cat...

There are many cliches I dislike because they are, well, cliche. They lose their meaning from overuse and they can convey confusing messages if people have been exposed to them in different ways. Really, they are often a lazy, uncreative way to convey what you mean. The cliche mentioned above is especially aggrieving to me now, because I think it sums up what we do as a society, or what we often fail to do: foster curiosity. 

I have no special gift. I am only passionately curious.

-Albert Einstein

I hardly need to make an argument for the benefits of curiosity, as the usefulness of this trait becomes readily apparent when considering artists, scientists, historians, teachers, and many other walks of life. Curiosity is a powerful motivator, and helps students develop into deep ponderers and creative thinkers. In a strong arts program, as teachers, we need to let students know they do not have to fear curiosity, like our friend the cat. If they want to mix paint colours, let them (buy cheap paints for this). Having students experiment and play with their art materials will get them interested, and when they have some outcomes from their experimenting that look positive to them, or if others comment on something interesting they discover, the students will hopefully gain confidence in their art abilities.

Curiosity begets learning, as evidence here are some pictures from a nature walk I went on today with my sister.

I was curious as to what some functions on my camera do. By fiddling around with some settings I was able to get the lichen lit up while leaving the background darker. 

I love taking pictures of small insects, plants, etc. I fondly remember my grade 6 teacher taking my class out on a field trip to find bugs. I would highly recommend going on bug or flower hunts with students, it sparks an interest in the world around them and can provide  models for drawing activities. Integrated arts and science lesson anyone?

I saw a wasp and wanted to take a picture, then I noticed that it was being attacked by an ant that had clamped down on the its wing. They were both trying to sting each other, and I found it very interesting to watch. It took an initial bit of curiosity to get close enough to notice. So, to instill intrinsic motivation in your students during art, and other subjects, try to foster curiosity in your students!

Take home message: don't use cliches.