2. The Workshop that I got involved at Madison Library
I created the first attachment of the painting “Expression” as a class assignment of Understanding Children and Ourselves via Art Exploration. We were given the different colors – but one color at a period of 3-4 minutes. Through the painting process, I explored my moods, letting my brush strokes freely follow these moods; different moods created long, curved lines, a smiling circle, and short closed curves. I told myself not to conform to any conventions, but I often heard myself telling what color represents what – for example red means bravery or daring. This art exploration without the determined right or wrong “answers” helped me confidently see my metacognition and understand myself. Next, I attached a poster of Children’s Creative Writing Workshop in which I was involved at the Madison County Library as a two-hour service-learning project of my creative writing class this semester. Our project had the kids be engaged in the writing games of placket poem, of character descriptions, and writing inspired by pictures. I basically worked with a girl, who was interesting to me. Her spelling skill was fairly weak for her fourth grade level. So she told me her ideas, and I wrote down for her. I also questioned her so that some of her ideas became well-developed.
The purpose of this reflection is to explore the benefits of these two creative events, – one that I experienced, and the other, me helping a kid experience creativity – and how to choose a developmentally appropriate creative activity for kids of different age levels. After my experience of painting “Expression,” I wrote a journal on that;” I included what I was feeling during the process, and what colors and strokes represented for me. Now reflecting again, I saw a new perspective: how my previous concepts of colors were automatically retrieved at my sight of these colors. And it was also good to reflect that I made my choices of each creation with the purpose, like gluing a green dolphin to represent my independent good friend, who loves dolphins and green. Also I am very glad to see that I created the paintings that were meaningful to me – for example, the green color reminded me of my love for grass and its quality of relaxing me. This reflection helps me realize that children would be painting things that means something to them. So their creative art works will definitely help me understand them as individuals. I certainly remember how much I felt good after this painting project; therefore, I am determined to implement creativity into lessons for my kids, which will really good for their spirit. Second, in the creative writing workshop for children that I got involved, the girl whom I worked with had very good imagination; she chose her story character to be a fairy who guarded the water body of the Kentucky River from pollution. The other girl who worked with my friend wrote a little piece including the music beats which were from her grandmother’s piano and her uncle’s guitar. I was amazed by their creative imagination. In contrast, through this experience, I reflected in the eyes of a future educator that children need more help with their spelling skills first to let their creative ideas fly in their writing. My fourth-grade girl did show her uneasiness with her weakness of spellings at first, so as I described earlier, I took over the writing role from her who let out her imaginative great ideas. After our writing of the story, the girl started drawing her fairy picture with special details; her painting did not need to have spelling errors, and no one was going to point out that her fairy should not be this way or that way. Therefore, reflecting on this experience, I recognize that as elementary school teachers, we should encourage young children more to write their creative ideas, so that their writing is more natural, and they are not scared to do more experimenting with their vocabulary. These two creative events led me think of the importance of creativity both in children’s learning and in teachers’ understanding of children’s thinking.
I included this entry under the foundations of education because it helps push my scope on how to implement creativity into my lesson planning which will give developmentally appropriate learning experience to my young students. My experience of painting “Expression” helped me feel my creative and mental growth: it did give me a chance to explore my understanding of metacognition, which would also become of a great help understand my young students’. Gazing at my fourth-grader being engaged in her detailed drawing of the fairy during my creative writing workshop for children, I questioned myself why drawing was more satisfying than writing for her; her development in spelling could not allow her to have correct spelling for any details flickering in her mind. But now I keep exploring what I wondered in one of my journal entries – why do some people hate writing, despite my strong passion for that? What do I associate the word “writing”? I inquire. The words come to me are meaningful, reflective and creative. So I strongly feel that I would best love to help my young students feel positive with their writing, and then they will overlook their occasional spelling errors in their enjoyable creative writing process.
The purpose of this reflection is to explore the benefits of these two creative events, – one that I experienced, and the other, me helping a kid experience creativity – and how to choose a developmentally appropriate creative activity for kids of different age levels. After my experience of painting “Expression,” I wrote a journal on that;” I included what I was feeling during the process, and what colors and strokes represented for me. Now reflecting again, I saw a new perspective: how my previous concepts of colors were automatically retrieved at my sight of these colors. And it was also good to reflect that I made my choices of each creation with the purpose, like gluing a green dolphin to represent my independent good friend, who loves dolphins and green. Also I am very glad to see that I created the paintings that were meaningful to me – for example, the green color reminded me of my love for grass and its quality of relaxing me. This reflection helps me realize that children would be painting things that means something to them. So their creative art works will definitely help me understand them as individuals. I certainly remember how much I felt good after this painting project; therefore, I am determined to implement creativity into lessons for my kids, which will really good for their spirit. Second, in the creative writing workshop for children that I got involved, the girl whom I worked with had very good imagination; she chose her story character to be a fairy who guarded the water body of the Kentucky River from pollution. The other girl who worked with my friend wrote a little piece including the music beats which were from her grandmother’s piano and her uncle’s guitar. I was amazed by their creative imagination. In contrast, through this experience, I reflected in the eyes of a future educator that children need more help with their spelling skills first to let their creative ideas fly in their writing. My fourth-grade girl did show her uneasiness with her weakness of spellings at first, so as I described earlier, I took over the writing role from her who let out her imaginative great ideas. After our writing of the story, the girl started drawing her fairy picture with special details; her painting did not need to have spelling errors, and no one was going to point out that her fairy should not be this way or that way. Therefore, reflecting on this experience, I recognize that as elementary school teachers, we should encourage young children more to write their creative ideas, so that their writing is more natural, and they are not scared to do more experimenting with their vocabulary. These two creative events led me think of the importance of creativity both in children’s learning and in teachers’ understanding of children’s thinking.
I included this entry under the foundations of education because it helps push my scope on how to implement creativity into my lesson planning which will give developmentally appropriate learning experience to my young students. My experience of painting “Expression” helped me feel my creative and mental growth: it did give me a chance to explore my understanding of metacognition, which would also become of a great help understand my young students’. Gazing at my fourth-grader being engaged in her detailed drawing of the fairy during my creative writing workshop for children, I questioned myself why drawing was more satisfying than writing for her; her development in spelling could not allow her to have correct spelling for any details flickering in her mind. But now I keep exploring what I wondered in one of my journal entries – why do some people hate writing, despite my strong passion for that? What do I associate the word “writing”? I inquire. The words come to me are meaningful, reflective and creative. So I strongly feel that I would best love to help my young students feel positive with their writing, and then they will overlook their occasional spelling errors in their enjoyable creative writing process.
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