Anorexia Nervosa and Art Therapy

I don't know if anyone would be interested in reading this article but I thought that it was very interesting. I was looking up articles and ideas for my lesson plan and I came across this article that thought that it was interesting. 

http://www.drawntogether.com/anorexia.htm Check it out. 

I was personally captivated about it because it talked about one case study of a Korean girl. Because I am Korean I guess i tend to be interested in what is going on with other Korean people. I know that anorexia is a huge problem in Korea and thought that this article was interesting. Maybe it is something in our beliefs that make us more prone to eating disorders?

Developing Critical Rubics: Last Blog =(

I understand the idea of having a rubic for research papers and presentations but it is very difficult for me to accept the idea of have rubics in an art setting. Granted, it is important that a student, who may not enjoy an art class, to not have the idea that the class is an "easy A", I think that if there are rubics in an art setting than it should be grading care in a project rather than content. I think that the article makes sense that you can categorizes students as being novice, intermediate and experienced but I do not think that the article made it clear why it matters what level these students are in. I think that if you like art you should go for it and not have to be labeled at a novice or any other label. 

In my Inpretation of Poetry class one of the assignments that we had to do was write two sonnets. I did everything that I was supposed to. I made sure it was 14 lines, had every other line rhymn, and had the last two lines have a change in feeling and made sure they rhymned as well. I followed everything that we had to do and then from there on I added my own artistic flow to it. I came up two two sonnets that I was very proud of and ones that had alot of emotions I was feeling at the time. When I got them back they were all marked up and alot of what I thought about and took time to put in it were questioned. I got a B+ on the poems and feel like I was marked unfairly. I followed the rules and the rest was my thoughts and they,apparently, were less than perfect. That really upset me and I think I will make it a point, in my future classroom, to make sure that there was effort in the work and to give every child their own creative license. 

Extra Credit: Art Gazing

The other day Stephanie and I went to the Shaffer Art building to see the student's art exhibit. As we were looking at all the different forms of art I am across one students set of pieces. Jen Hanely was her name and for some reason I was very intrigued at what she was doing in her pieces. Her ability to put in so many different textures and feels to one of her paintings was very interesting to me. The painting on the right was very soft and flowed well. The painting to the left (my favorite of her collection) was very strong. There were different elements in it that gave it many dimensions and textures.

Whenever I see art work done by students or whenever I see someone creating something I find it fasinating that each line and each stroke of a brush can create an image. I think it is so cool that people have can create pieces of art out of what they have in their heads. I, for one, have always been jealous of this talent because I have so many things that I see in my head (e.i. clothes I want to design, the perfect dress, art work) that I want to get out in paper but never can express it. Sometimes it can get very frustrating but I am happy that I at least have the ability to write what I am thinking and the ability to apprepicate what others create. 

Pictures: Paula Kluth

I enjoyed this article because it explained more about art as a medium. I believe that using mediums in the classroom are very important to reach children at different levels and give them different views of the same thing. In my own classroom, I know I will be using music, art, and many different mediums to interact with my children. It is important to me that my students feel comfortable in what they will learn and be exposed to all different kinds of learning.

Not only do these mediums help children with special needs but also these mediums can help everyone in the classroom. I think that inclusive classrooms are very understanding and educated in that all mediums and resources that are helpful not only to their special needs students but also to your "typical" student. Elevators do not only help people in wheelchairs but also help everyone else as well. Mediums are very important! They benefit everyone. 

Art is very interesting in getting children with autism to learn in the classroom because alot of their lives are comprehended through pictures. This is something that I would be interested to learn alot more about.

Romare Bearden: The Block

The website that we had to take a look at was very interesting and educational. There were many mediums that I thought were very interactive and held onto my attention. I loved the option of being able to zoom into the collage and taking a deeper look at the art piece. I also liked that there were so many resources that were friendly to children that would expose them to art, keep them entertained, and way from the television!

When I realized that this site was made by the Met Museum I wanted to see what else the Met offered to children. I found many events that were specific to children. The thing that excited me the most was that there were also tours of the Museum specifically for children with special needs. I loved that they had a hands on exibit and that they open this option to everyone , not only children with special needs. I think that the Museum really understands that what will benefit one child can benefit another. I am very excited that I stumbled upon this feature of the museum and I am excited to take some of the kids I know, back at home, to these exibits over the summer.

Comics in Education

I am being 100% completely honest when I say this: I think comics in education is one of the most brilliant things I have ever heard of and I wish I could have came up with it myself! I have had an epiphany! Children love comics or at least would rather read them than textbooks. And if educational material were made into comic books or “graphic novels” children would be more willing to learn! I love this idea of comics in education and think that teachers should put more effort into making education more fun for their students. I think that if teachers put in a little bit more time into finding educational material through graphics or made them themselves than they will see a great improvement in how well their students pick up on the material.

I am very grateful that I have gotten to read this article because it is definitely something I will be using in my own teaching! I love seeing articles and hear different teaching mediums and methods because it gets me excited and gives me a lot of ideas that will enhance my future student's classroom experience!

Post #7: Rube Goldberg

Rube Goldberg’s art is very interesting. It reminds me of the way that little children make up complex stories to answer a simple question. I think it is adorable and would love to try to draw one for myself. One thing that I thought was a good idea in this article was to draw the way that people thought how children learn. I thought that this was a very creative idea. If people, mainly teachers, understood or had an idea of how children learned and followed that guideline then children will benefit greatly.

Shouldn’t teachers understand how children learn? Sure Rube Goldberg’s picture may have a pot and a conveyor belts in his diagram but if teachers had their own understanding. What steps and levels students need to accomplish to get to the next then than I believe that teachers would stress these levels on every child and help them accomplish what they need to know. These types of drawings can also help students evaluate what they know and can help them come up with creative pictures!

Post #6: Art and Sef Expression for Children with Special Needs

This article talks about how art is very important in the expression of all people. I believe that both music and art have this impact on a lot of people I see around me in different ways. For instance, in an earlier blog I mention Ethan, a boy I worked with over the summer. Ethan has autism and he enjoys music every much. Music is what sparks his creativity and what he used to express his feelings. You can tell what kind of mood Ethan is in by the song that he decided to listen to.

But on the other hand Joseph, Ethan’s twin brother, expresses himself in extraordinary ways through art. Joseph had cerebral palsy and does not use speach as a means of communication. He is a little bit more difficult to please than Ethan but when he laughs it is that much more worth it. Joseph LOVES it when people color for him but definitely has a huge say in how he wants things done. He asks you to draw parts of animals bodies, such as an animal in one of Eric Carle's books, but has a say in what color he wants you to use and what textures he wants it to be, such as dashes, dot or swirls. The end product of what he has people draw for him is sometimes more enhanced and more beautiful than the original. We try to get Joseph to draw and color his own pictures but because his hands do not do exactly what his mind wants, he usually gets frustrated and asks people to draw for him (usually his mom). The first line in this article reminded me of Joseph because his mom really wants to draw pictures with Joseph and get his creativity going but she is a mother of three children, two of which have special needs, and one that is three years old. She has to cook and do a lot of things at once and coloring with Joseph sometimes gets pushed back in the lists of priorities. Either way Joseph continues to love drawing wether or not he gets to do it often. I believe that one day Joseph will be a great artist and well be able to sell his drawings that he will be able to draw himself!

Post # 5 Style Sells

This article has made me “re-realize” how much art and aesthetic appeal plays a role in my day to day lives. Everything that we buy, as a society, deals with aesthetics. The article talked about the 1950s, when television sets first came out, and how televisions “served their purpose” but weren’t really nice to look at. They were “ out- of- place objects located within the same space as attractive living room furniture”. Today this is not the case with television or any other form of technology. Everything is the “cutting edge”. With the rise of flat screen televisions and colorful IPODs, now we can customize our lives to make them what we can think of as beautiful. Why get a blue IPOD when greens your favorite color? This article really opens up my eyes to how much art and aesthetic beauty play a role in everything and how much science must go into making a product.
An example of this in my own life is as follows:
I was walking around in the Carousel Mall when I decided to check out the Apple store. Low and behold there it was. The most beautiful, cute Nano IPOD that just reminded myself of me so much! I wanted it so badly but I already had an IPOD. I can see other parts of the article in my past experience now how aesthetics fits into components of design through need. I didn’t need a new IPOD but I really wanted this one. Design makes people want to upgrade even though their “old” software is still good and running. I believe this is how the fashion industry works as well. I never drew a correlation with fashion marketing and art before let alone technology and art. It is truly fascinating how this article has changed my perspective on art and life.

Post # 4: Literacy and Art

I like the ideas of the article about literacy and art very much. It opened up my eyes to people’s different ways of thinking and understanding. Just because people can’t write a paper or write down their thoughts doesn’t mean that they are bad students. Many people who are visual learners have a hard time doing just this, the designated way that school systems today expect everyone to do. If you think in pictures and in art how difficult would it be to write a paper in 25 minutes as your exam? I have no idea but I expect that it would not be easy. I think that schools should encourage students to explore different ways of learning and find out which method works best for them.
Although I do not necessarily think I’m at my best as a visual learner there are many things in my life that I can and want to express visually. Lately I have been keeping a journal and doing random art projects and it is surprising how much these two hobbies coincide! I love being able to express myself both visually and with words. This article has also helped me realize how much art really does play a part in my life. Whenever I listen to music, I never realized this before, but I draw a picture in my head or a scene of how the song is making me feel. After reading this article I want to connect art and writing more into my life and I have set a goal that I want to try to actually draw out a picture of a song and see how it comes out. I definitely believe that this article has and will expand my creative side to make my art and my writing something that comes from the soul.

Post 3: Tattoos and Teens

Should I get a tattoo? What should I get one of? I believe these are the universal questions for most teenager who wants to find some way to express themselves. I feel like teenagers go through a phase were getting a tattoo sounds so good and they must have one. I know that I go through this same phase very so often but usually end up having doubts about getting one. I liked this article about tattoos and teenagers because it wasn’t a question about whether teens should get tattoos but a matter of what they should get, where they should get it on their bodies and what would it mean to themselves and the people around them. A lot that was said in the article laid out the pros and cons of getting a tattoo for me. For instances a con to getting a tattoo would be that even though our generation sees tattoos as a way of expressing oneself the older generations tend to see tattoos as a sign of rebellion and problems in the future; and a pro would be that with society telling us how to dress and how to act tattoos are more and more seeming to be the only thing that is original to you yourself that no one else can have. The article also talks about getting a tattoo that represents a culture that is different from your own and how that sometimes can be a hard choice to make. I, for one, always wanted a Swahili symbol which means “Hakuna matata”- no worries because I like the meaning and think the symbol is very beautiful.
Every time I go through a phase of really wanting a tattoo I usually back out of it for many reasons. For one, I believe that if you have any doubt about getting it than it is not right for you. TATTOOS ARE PERMANENT! You better love what you are PERMANENTLY putting on your body! Two. My parents are very easy going people but getting tattoos, to them, is out of the question and they probably wouldn’t talk to me for a very long time. I have a great relationship with my parents so I care, very much, what they think of me. Tattoos are awesome and I admire them on many people. I think that they show originality in many people but I think for me, as of now, I will show my originality by not getting a tattoo during a time were tattoos are such a phase.

Post 2: autism

I believe that people who have autism have both a gift and a burden. They have a gift in that they can see the world in a different way from others but have a burden in that their needs are not always met by society. It is amazing how people with autism see the world and understand it in a different way than how I see things. Temple Grandin author of “Autism- The Way I See It” talks about how many autistic people see and think in pictures. Over the summer I worked with a little boy named Ethan as his A.B.A. Therapist and Mobile Aid for his summer camp. I saw him every day over the summer and a week after the program was done I went over his house to hang out with the family. I had worn my hair up every day at camp but that day I decided to wear my hair down to go to their house. At first Ethan didn’t seem to remember me and it took him a few minutes to figure out who I was and ask me to do things with him that we did over camp. His parents told me that he wasn’t used to seeing me with my hair up and, mentally, he was flipping through his picture book so see who I was. To see through pictures that could change on you seems like a scary thing but the fact that these pictures could be altered to match what was going on in the present was really cool to me.

Both Temple Grandin and Donna Williams mentioned created a more “ autism- friendly world”. They talk about how most of the people in today’s society learn and live in a visual world and how autism is separate from this visual world. I believe that people with autism are some of the brightest and most fascinating people in the world and with the growing number of people who are being born with autism shouldn’t it make sense to have programs and other things in the world that are autism- friendly? I agree with both authors that it is important to make people with autism a part of the community and cater to their needs even though they may not be the same needs as the majority of the world. I believe that by helping others we can help ourselves and improve eveyone’s way of living.

Art's Role

Art plays a very important role in my life. Other than the fact that it is beautiful and nice to look at, it also has a personal function to it. When I see an art piece that I like and that speaks to me I always have to stop and appreciate its form. I look at very part of it and to see different aspects of it that I can relate to or see myself in. I, myself, am not a great artist so when I see paintings like this one I am amazed at what this artist did. I feel as though the artist had made this painting for me because I love every piece of it. Because I know that the artist doesn’t know me and doesn’t know exactly what I like, it makes me believe that there is someone out there who likes what I like and who canunderstands me. It is like finding lyrics to a song that fits your mood right at that moment. Do you ever think, wow someone else knows exactly what I am feeling and exactly what I am going through?

Art has that kind of effect on me. It lets me know that I am not alone and that someone out there is feeling what I feel, likes what I like, and can express my thoughts and feelings into an art piece or a song. Art is great in that way because it doesn’t matter if the person who is making the art pieces speaks the same language that I do or lives in the same neighborhood. Art is more “up to your interpretation”, it is wordless and in that sense beautiful to different groups of people in different ways. For instance, you may look at this art piece and see somewhat abstract flowers in a vase. But I see how I felt going hiking with my friends and finding the perfect stop by the waterfall to lie down and feel the sun on my skin. Art brings me to places I have been and places that I have yet to travel. This is what role art plays in my life.

Question: In what ways is music an art?