Success Beyond the Classroom, Jenny Stice, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students, 12 hours attended.
This class taught its students about the Coral Reef, and how many are dying due to climate change and pollution. We did this with a short presentation, and then allowing the kids to make sculptures of their choosing in relation to the coral reef, made out of found objects, that would otherwise be thrown away and contributed to pollution.
Many kids really took away what was trying to be taught. I saw most students leave with was a better understanding the coral reef and multi-use materials. Many kids shared with me or others around them what they were making which often related to the new information that Jenny had presented them, and afterwards understood how the materials related to the project by sharing their thoughts with the class.
While working here I wondered how well students would work and understand materials during an out of school experience. I found that it gave students a chance to break from their bubbles a bit, learning new material in a friendly, creative environment. I think this is something important to the away from my experience, trying to create lessons that don't feel like homework but instead something educational but fun and creative, so students will want to hold onto the information they are learning.
Urban Arts Academy, Rosie, 2nd 3rd and 4th graders, 5 hours attended
Urban Arts Academy has Preschool, Afterschool, and Summer Arts programs dedicated to providing educational experiences through the arts.
This was a very relaxed environments where the kids had the choice of participating in multiple things in the classroom. Main learning activities during this class were interacting with other kids, and learning through art projects.
It was interesting to see how fast little kids develop their social skill while interacting with one another and their teacher. I think that is one of the most important aspects of a public education. This week students were also given the choice of participating in an art activity. Although it did not serve as a scholastic educational project I think it did help student understand how materials work, which I saw through questions asked and experiments taken during the project.
While I was there I wondered what the kids thought of their routine during the day. After seeing how wonderfully they reacted with their teacher, I hope to take bring into all of my Teaching Artist adventures some sort of positive connection with the students.