Housekeeping: Paper Marche Letters

Hi Teachers! I really like the 3D cardboard letters to brighten things up. These letters are light enough to be adhered to by Blutac or simply prop them up against a plain background.

Housekeeping: Topping up White Glue

Hi Teachers! White glue is my go-to art material (after scissors) because they make crafts stay on for a long time. The longer drying time compensates for its function. I no longer use those commercial small bottles of white glue. At least not in school but I personally still do. The caps get clogged easily and it is also time consuming to top up many bottles with a narrow neck. I recycle these small containers which used to contain air-dry clay. As these containers are not air-tight, I just half-fill them with white glue. The last time these were used with glitters, it created quite a mess so I let the last bit of glue dry up over the school vacation and clean them up by tearing them off! You heard it right, watch the video to see how it's done.

Art Class: Let's Make Rainbow Book

Hi Teachers! I took the first lesson of this term to make something fun with the students. Once the basic steps are acquired, there are many variations that can be created! You can even add glitter or coloured beads on the cover. Only simple materials are needed. Give it a try!

Art Class: Virtual Art Exhibition (SYF 2021)

 

Hi Teachers! I've explored some platforms to create virtual art exhibition. It was really hard to navigate initially but I finally decided on Artsteps. It's a free app. Depending the interface, you can use the app on the iPad to view art exhibition but not to create one. I used my laptop and do note that it uses more memory than usual so if it runs slower on the laptop, the RAM on the laptop could be insufficient. My screen recording of students' work is above. The opening event is here and selected artworks for special mention is here. 

Reads: What the Art Teacher Reads

Hi! I've pored over a few books this school holiday. The NLB OverDrive app is so convenient to borrow ebooks and read on the go. My first choice will still be a hardcopy but if I can't borrow it in time then I will go digital.

My favourite read has to be Made in China. It's especially telling especially when our goods are mostly imported. The mere thought of walking down the aisles of Daiso, Target or Hundred Yen shops excite me. Since we stay mostly indoors now and virtual shops are accessible in a click, who wouldn't like a good bargain? We have no lack of e-commerce platforms in Singapore. With the pandemic, even physical retail stores have online presence or making the shift towards it. There is everything we want but very little we need. This book helps me to think more critically about owning cheap commodities.

Artventures: Teachers Conference 2021

Hi! Teachers attended a conference in Term 2. I particularly like this keynote about emotions and learning in children. The standards of lesson planning in SG starts with a tuning-in (about 10min), keeping the lesson objectives in mind. Instead of diving straight into the learning outcomes, learning is deem meaningful if children understood the purpose of learning what I had intended.

A friend once told me that young children will not know anything about planning for their future but they do enjoy learning if they like the teacher or the lesson. Perhaps that's where emotions come to play.

I remember a Modified Language Experience Approach (MLEA) to writing from years ago on sandwich making. The level teachers had to prepare peanut butter and jam, bread slices, plastic knives and plastic gloves for the lower primary children. It's such a simple snack to make but the children had a blast! A child had offer me her sandwich but I had to politely declined 😁 Then, they ate their sandwiches in the canteen and returned to the classroom to do class writing. The experience was to develop emotions in the fun activity in order to engage children to reflect on the common experience. It was sensorial. How difficult is it to forget about what was taught and the post-learning activity? Was the preparation for the sandwich-making activity a waste of time? Could the teachers have just dive in straight to writing? Can we assume that all children had made sandwiches under similar conditions before? Will the children remember the experience for years to come and have common topic to discuss with their peers?

Never associate teaching with pouring knowledge into empty vessels but rather provide positive learning conditions and trust the learners' ability to make meaning. But of course, we do not equate teaching with learning so assessment comes into place but that's another story for another day. 

References:

https://www.aspeninstitute.org/publications/the-brain-basis-for-integrated-social-emotional-and-academic-development/

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/may20/vol77/num08/Building-Meaning-Builds-Teens'-Brains.aspx

Art Class: Places of Interest in Singapore

Towards the end of Term 2, my youngest students learnt about the places of interest locally. They were all excited to share about the places they have visited and I conclude that a high percentage of the children have visited Universal Studio and Sentosa whereas there is less awareness about our historical sites.

We discussed about the activities that happened at Singapore River and the Cleanup that took 10 years. I showed them some black and white photographs of Singapore River in its dire state. Paintings by pioneer artists which is related to the Singapore River were also discussed. Some children volunteered to do a role play on what they would do if they live by the river while the rest guessed. 

We spent a lesson drawing and cutting the river out from our painted paper made in the previous art class. Then, the children pasted them in their sketchbooks. The rest of the details were drawn in markers.