Studio Reflection

Reflect on the studio work you have done this semester. Which experiences did you find the most successful, in terms of Dewey's criteria of a "good" experience, and why? Which experiences did you find least successful, again according to Dewey's criteria, and why? What have you learned about art and learning? What would you still like to learn

I found all of the studio projects I did this summer were very successful. They provided useful ideas of projects we could implement in practical settings when we actually begin to work with children. They also helped us understand the process of creation and planning that goes into various projects.

The first project we did, my project, the one with painting and drawing as effective because it helped us relate symbols and shapes to reality, providing understanding of the construction of images and art and how symbols connect to our work and the world around us. The creative aspect and the flexibility of the creations fed the development and fluidity of the story telling age of our children.

The second project, our fish sculpture/diorama project was engaging as we were able to use both visual cues such as books and tie them to our imaginations to create in 3D. This helps us understand special awareness and distance as we could manipulate our sea creatures in the environments we created. It also encouraged us to explore new textures, shapes and tools.

The next project, where we created a book with our own characters using technology and PowerPoint to bring the book to life. This taught practical computer skills as well as fine motor definition in manipulating the mouse to make our creations.

The last project, our bubble painting and paint mixing was good as it brought in our understanding of states of matter, taught us about the creation of color and also allowed us to freely create without guidelines.

The variety in our projects and what they taught us allowed a strong understanding of the fact that the key to art is flexibility. It taught me that art can be created and defined in so many ways and used to teach and grow in so many ways that they are an invaluable tool to allow for children’s developmental growth. Art is significant as a tool to teach children to be well rounded and to explore their world, moving outside of the box. In my continual learning I would like to develop my own skills and do more research into intergrated learning.