Study Unit 4 - Arts integration in the foundation phase

 


A new week, a new blog. This week is exciting, and I've got a lot of tasks and assignments on my plate. I'm taking the week one day at a time. I've answered all of the questions in regards to study unit 4 in the sections below.

What is arts integration?

Teaching and learning techniques that address outcomes in several areas concurrently while enabling learners to demonstrate their mastery of ideas and abilities through the arts are referred to as arts integration. Arts integration is a teaching method that emphasizes active participation in both teaching and learning activities, as well as experiential learning, genuine learning, collaborative learning, problem-solving skills, and reflection.

 Why is it important in the Foundation Phase?

When using arts integration principles in the foundation phase, we must engage learners in teaching and learning activities that allow them to draw on past knowledge in order to find new ideas and abilities and express their understanding in a practical way through the arts. Arts integration has been shown to increase learners' motivation and promote academic success and sociability. Schools that encourage teachers to use arts integration techniques in their classrooms have shown higher math achievement and fewer disciplinary issues.

 Arts integration and the CAPS document

Subsequently, foundation phase learners develop their problem-solving and critical thinking ability through authentic learning activities that foster the ability to become aware of the various ways in which we are connected not only to each other but also to our world, while also drawing attention to the various ways in which the various subjects in our curriculum are connected. This is especially true in the foundation level, as the CAPS is designed in such a manner that it encourages instructors to make connections between different courses by integrating them.

We can build learning environments in which learners may grow holistically, experience personal and social wellness, and encourage creativity and imagination by tapping on their inherent love of music, movement, arts, and inquiry when we use arts integration in our teaching.

 How can we transform education through music and the arts?

Adolescents who have received music instruction have improved cognitive abilities and school grades, as well as being more conscientious, open, and ambitious. These impacts are unaffected by one's socioeconomic position. Music enhances cognitive and non-cognitive skills more than sports, theater, or dance combined. It is impossible to overestimate the importance of including music into a child's education. There is a mountain of evidence that shows that a music-rich education enhances children' cognitive function and academic achievement. Simply put, when music is included in the educational curriculum, students learn better.


1. Some people might say that arts integration is a waste of time in Foundation Phase education. Please explain how you would respond to such a statement by explaining your view on arts integration in the Foundation Phase.

First and foremost, I would declare unequivocally that I disagree with them and provide the following input to demonstrate my point. Music engagement among children and adolescents, both within and outside of school, is linked to academic success.

As children play music, as they paint or
draw or design, as they dance or act or
sing, many develop new passions, come to
express themselves in original ways, and
discover innovative pathways to success.

The arts may open a whole new world of possibilities for young people. As a future classroom teacher, I see two primary motivations for schools to incorporate arts education in their curricula.

The first factor for arts education is to enable individuals, young and old, to enhance personal engagement with our broader society. It is less about how the arts prepare students for productive lives and more about how the arts enable individuals, to improve personal involvement with our broader society. Interaction with and enjoyment of the arts may sharpen and nuance our empathy, as well as capture and energize our minds and souls.

The second factor is what is referred to as the "instrumental value" of arts education. When children participate in the arts, they may be able to build abilities that will help them learn more effectively during the school day and throughout their life. Arts education can push children and adolescents to become more effective students and, in the long run, can best prepare them to explore the challenges of the twenty-first century. From improving their ability to express themselves and honing their creativity to promoting the value of hard work in achieving certain objectives, arts education can push children and adolescents to become more effective students and, in the long run, can better prepare them to navigate the challenges of the twenty-first century.

2. Which aspects of study unit 4 did you find the most interesting and challenging?  Please use the following prompts to reflect on your experience:

• What did you find interesting? Please explain why.

The most intriguing element of study unit 4 for me was seeing how I could take arts education and apply it into all other courses. Because it taps into so many various interests, talents, and learning styles, arts integration appears to be the best form of differentiation available.

• What did you find challenging? Please explain why.

The most challenging element of study unit 4 for me was seeing and finding methods to incorporate arts education into other subjects. art is not an extra, but an integral part of life. When you combine a topic area such as science, social studies, math, or literacy with an art form, you are connecting the two and finding methods to truly integrate the two so that they depend on each other. I'm still making the shift to a more art-focused classroom. I want to make sure that when I combine arts and other disciplines, I do so as effectively as possible.


Think of other ways in which music can be utilized during daily routines and write them down:

·    Incorporate song and music into your daily life by adding tunes to uninteresting sections of your day.
·     Listen to a variety of musical styles.
·     Write and sing a song.
·     Dance to music as a classroom.
·     Have musical instruments that are suitable for children.
·     Write and sing a song.
·     Join the jamming/dancing and complete music lessons together.
·     Make your own band by finding instruments in the classroom.
·     Watch kid-friendly music videos as a classroom.
·     Attend school concerts/shows.

Think of activities where you can use music to facilitate goals in other subjects and write your ideas down (try to include as many as possible of the integration types defined by Van Vreden (2016).

The following are characteristics of successful music integration:

·        Musical notions that are actively used to enhance and investigate the substance of other subjects.

·        Contents that meet the needs of both integrated and discipline-based education. This means that one topic's contents do not overwhelm those of another, that teachings are practical and academically sound, and that subject relationships lead to meaningful learning.

·        Activities, expectations, and results that are clearly defined and explicitly taught.

·        There is a clear link between student involvement and instructor facilitation.

·        Learners who understand their positions in the integration process, including their duties, working habits, and well-defined, focused, and active activities.

Because we need to ensure that we have effectively integrated music to support goals in other subjects as teachers, I have included the characteristics as well.

Music can be integrated by the following examples:

Dramatizing / Movement / Playing on instruments / Body Percussion / Musical play / Creating / Listening activities / Singing / Musical reading and notation / Improvising




Provide suggestions on how Visual Arts and Life Skills can be utilized to support musical goals by giving examples of music activities which include elements of Visual Arts and Life Skills.

Visual arts gives students the opportunity to learn via play while improving their skills and methods. Visual arts enhances the learner's own perspective of the world by encouraging an awareness of art components and design concepts present in the natural and constructed environments.

Visual literacy activity: Identify and name all art components in pictures linked to other academic disciplines such as Life Skills (Social Sciences), Languages, Mathematics, and so on by seeing and discussing visual stimuli in photographs and real things.

Patience is a life skill that all parents would like their children to master. When a student begins music lessons, they are simultaneously learning one of life's most essential truths: improvement takes time. Persistence - staying with something even when it's difficult – is another important component of attaining objectives. When a student is coached through their weekly music instruction, they are also taught to persevere and not give up. Some of the world's most successful persons are those that adhered to their ideas after years of trial and error. In today's age of fast pleasure and quick outcomes, this is a crucial lesson for your youngster to learn.


Great article that I have read: https://stagemusiccenter.com/music-school-blog-winchester-ma/2018/7/15/children-build-life-skills-with-the-study-of-music 


This was an intriguing study unit, and I am now able to use music in the classroom effectively. I can utilize music to start each day in the classroom, to make transitions, to use music as brain breakers, to soothe and relax kids, and to use music as the lesson's hook.In my future classroom, I will also incorporate music in the background. Playing music during tasks like painting and handwriting, in my opinion, may be useful to students. I feel it will help students retain attention by reducing conversation. I shall avoid from listening to music while reading or writing. I believe it will be distracting for the students.


Life is a song, let's sing it!





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