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Alexandria Green
Instructor: Donna Cucunato
Tapestry of a Liberal Studies Education, 497
18 May 2011

Reflection II:
Arts/Physical Education

The following provides a detailed map of the courses completed under the umbrella heading,
arts/physical education. Providing the broad range of departments represented therein, I found it
particularly important to provide course summaries.

Course Title: Teaching the Visual Arts, ART 350

Professor: Jamie Kough
Date: Fall 2009
Description: Explored the elements of creativity in the visual arts and how they could be taught
effectively at all age levels (K—12, special education). Students learned to develop an entire
school art program and produced a portfolio of projects and lesson plans. The course was divided
into four areas of study--art basics, art history, final lesson plan, and student teaching. Each unit
built upon the previous, a model for scaffolding in the classroom.

Course Title: Music, Movement and Drama for Teachers, LBST 310
Professor: Brandi Merchant
Date: Spring 2010
Description: This course examined the connected relationships of music, movement, and drama
and their importance as teaching tools in the K–8 classroom. The course explored and evaluated
basic music theory and State Content Standards and Framework in designing and developing
lesson plans. Choreographic studies were infused with drama to create theater and/or individual
expression using everyday curriculum. Video viewing, audio listening, and applied arts activities
were utilized weekly.

Course Title: Physical Education for the Elementary School, AT 307

Professor: Donna Cucunato
Date: Fall 2009
Description: This course was designed to provide students with a basic understanding of the
purpose of physical education and methods for implementing a physical education curriculum in
the elementary school. Analyses were made of fundamental movements, which when modified
make up the skills of all sport and dance activities. The California Physical Education
Framework served as a foundation for developing lesson plans.

Course Title: Health Education for Teachers, EDUC 431 ONLINE

Professor: Howard Keith
Date: Spring 2010
Description: This course provided teachers with a basic understanding of their role in the total
school health program and how to create an emotionally healthy classroom environment. Topics
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that were examined included: suicide, eating disorders, chronic and communicable disease,
dating violence and health risk behaviors such as drug use. The course also examined the
California Education Codes regarding parents' rights in the areas of sexuality education, laws
regarding child abuse reporting, and legal responsibilities regarding student safety.

I. Metacognitive Reflection

Providing opportunities for students to excel in the arts, physical education, and health
refines the skills necessary to take part in the world--creativity, teamwork, and self worth. As
result, they are invaluable parts of a child’s education. These areas of study should be validated
as subjects in of themselves, rather than used as “supplement” (a.k.a. reward). They offer
opportunities of multiple intelligence; tapping into parts of the brain that otherwise would not be
activated. For example, creativity is lost if not fostered as a child. With the onset of puberty, the
pressure to assimilate is so heavy that it is repressed. Unfortunately, these activities are the first
to be cut under the pressures of achievement testing. Ironically, these are the most praised and
memorable activities in elementary school. The aforementioned courses provided strong
reasoning for the arts, physical education, and health in school. They emphasized learning as a
mind/body connection; a philosophy that is since rooted in my thoughts about education.
Movement is inextricably part of mental processing. Talking, writing, and acting out
ideas are all valid ways to process newly learned information. All three actions constitute muscle
movement in their own right. Verbal communication engages the muscles in the mouth, written
communication engages the fine motor skills of the fingers, and acting engages the gross motor
skills of the body. Though some children learn best while engaging fine motor skills, others excel
when their gross motor skills are put to the test. Too often, children become disinterested
because the traditional teaching model caters solely to the former group of students. Even so, all
students experience boredom with the vast amount of seat work in the classroom. To avoid
disinterest, teachers can employ the active learning model, which uses the arts as a part of the
teaching process. In Music, Movement, and Drama for Teachers, it was emphasized that the arts
have power to commit information to memory unlike traditional methods. For example, using the
ROTE method to teach a new song produces memorized material within minutes. The teacher
begins with a period of focused listening in which she sings the song, giving students words or
patterns to listen for (i.e. “What color is the basket? How many times do I say the word time?”).
Next, she sequences the song using “I sing, you sing” (one line at a time, then two, then four,
etc.). Then, a second period of focused listening involves students closing their eyes, singing the
words silently in their heads while the teacher sings aloud. Finally, students and teacher sing
aloud together. I will never underestimate the power of a memory bank of songs! As long as the
concept is attained first, rote memorization is not inherently good or bad.
Moreover, competition is not inherently good or bad. It is the nature by which the
competitive spirit is utilized that makes it so. Motivated intrinsically or extrinsically, children
gain some understanding of self-worthiness and physicality through competitive sport
participation. In Physical Education for the Elementary School, we engaged in conversation
about how to facilitate healthy competition. Using social referencing, children learn to react to
victory and failure from coaches, parents, and peers. This process of socialization lends itself to
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the positive and negative effects of competition in youth sports. As parents are enrolling their
children in sports at ages younger than ever before, children are beginning the process of
specialization much sooner. Instead of sampling a variety of sports, the focus shifts to one in
hopes of excellence. Beyond basic fitness, sampling is the goal of a well-implemented physical
education program. Children will excel in some sports and struggle in others. Different children
will shine by way of varying activities. Positive coaching, lowering the affective filter, and an
element of fun, creates a healthy competitive environment. For me, this was a lesson in
behavioral teaching methods. With the pressures of testing, all too many classrooms have grades
posted, achievement ladders, etc. For struggling students, this is detrimental to a healthy
competitive spirit. Children need to be given the chance to shine in their areas of strength, not
called out for their weaknesses. I will be a positive coach on the field, during instructional time,
and in tutoring sessions.
Keeping children moving enhances the learning process by increasing circulation,
allowing time for the information to be committed to long term memory, and stimulating the
release of good chemicals in the body. In Health Education for Teachers, a particular focus was
on the relation between physical and mental health. Stretching before a stint of sedentary
instruction provides oxygen flow to the brain and thus, narrows children’s attention on the task at
hand. Once instruction ensues, the number of minutes a student can stay focused is equal to his/
her age plus two. Elementary school teachers must plan their instruction time accordingly. After
that staggeringly short amount of time, students need a chance to process new information. The
site of the hippocampus in the brain absorbs and sorts the information before distributing it to
various places in the cortex for long term memory. If the hippocampus is overloaded, new
learning will not occur. By consciously reducing the amount of sedentary instruction, the
probably of overloading the hippocampus is slim. Among other neurological benefits, exercise
increases the number of capillaries around the neurons facilitating oxygen flow, releases
endorphins increasing alertness, and produces the neurotransmitter dopamine improving mood.
Incorporating movement into the classroom seems like a no-brainer next to all its benefits. I vow
to keep my students healthy by adding movement into everyday activities.
I vow to advocate the arts. Something curious happens when children draw. They are
communicating an idea much larger than can be expressed with elementary level vocabulary.
This is especially true for young children who are beginning writers--the drawing expresses the
main idea, the writing is the support. Colors exude feeling, line expresses emotion, shape
delineates constraints. In Teaching the Visual Arts, the professor emphasized that there are no
mistakes in art. She forbid the use of erasers claiming that which seems “out of place” can be
used, molded, and layered to create something new. This is especially important for children
‘round the age of 7-8 because this is when an obsession with “correctness” develops. Moreover,
we were discouraged from using the term “like” in evaluating a work of art. Liking or not liking
a finished work does not pay tribute to the artistic process. It does not denote use of line, color,
value, perspective, composition, etc. What a valuable lesson! The product of learning is not
nearly as important as the process. If taught effectively, art lowers one’s affective filter because
there is no “right answer” to bubble. I struggled with this as a student of art. I wanted to be
Monet. However, I am not Monet. I am Green. By receiving undying positive reinforcement, I
overcame my obsession with perfection in the manner of a child.
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II. Significant Artifact

Teaching the Visual Arts laid the foundation for an engaging, effective, and worthwhile
arts education program. The professor kept the work rigorous, expecting us to believe in
ourselves as artists. She expected us to walk out of the course with no less than art basics, art
history, and lesson planning in pocket. What power lies in high expectations! For this reason, I
am particularly proud of my final notebook that compiles all the content covered in the course. I
was required to display the information visually, in writing, and with the professionalism of a
portfolio worthy to show a future employer. During the unit on art basics, every concept was
displayed visually with the figure of a tree. For example, line is first defined as “an identifiable
path of a point moving in space. It can vary in width, direction, and length. A line has the unique
ability to express emotion, color, and texture.” Following, the chart displays several examples of
lines that express the foregoing. In doing so, I do not assume that the definition is understood. All
possibilities are then utilized in a composition of a tree. This exercise is repeated for every
element of design--shape, texture, space, dominance, etc. Doing so emphasizes the translation
from definition to utilization.

The second unit, art history, emphasized the importance of contextualization when
teaching lessons. Each scripted lesson plan is accompanied by information about the artist and
decade associated with it. The goal is that students walk out of a lesson with more than a finished
product, namely knowledge about its significance. Of particular emphasis, most art movements
erupted out of rebellion to what came before. For example, the work of Keith Haring stood for
something simple and honest, revolting against the need for complexity in art that came before.
This all compiled into the student teaching component of the course. It involved two one-hour
teaching experiences, of different grade/ability levels. I was fortunate enough to work in mild-
moderate special needs (grades 4, 5, 6) and grade four classrooms. Each step was modeled and
mimicked by the students. Collage, color theory, and drawing skills were used to complete the
composition. It was important that the product, in its entirety, was completed by the student.
Using the same lesson format, the goal was modification--fewer elements and larger print for the
special needs students. With modification, even the most challenged students with special needs
took home a product they were proud of.

This project deepened my understanding of art for one and all. I was challenged with the
task of displaying one element in three forms, attaching contextualization to a lesson, and
modifying instruction for different learners. I believe that the most successful teachers are
flexible learners. They have the ability to think and articulate one concept in different ways--
providing access to the curriculum, no matter the difference! I vow to mimic this process of
scaffolding/modification in everyday lesson planning.

III.Course Outcomes Connected to CCTC Program Standards and CDE Frameworks

Standard 1 - Program Philosophy and Purpose

These courses successfully integrated the missions of Chapman University and the
College of Educational Studies. Chapman’s commitment to personalized education is ever-
present in the small class sizes and differentiated instruction. In every instance, I felt comfortable
asking for clarity because I formed a solid teacher-student relationship. Professors were not
frustrated by my lack of understanding, but rather searched their teacher toolbox to find a new
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way of explaining. In Music, Movement, and Drama for Teachers, the professor realized that we
were not trained musicians. Reading music was a foreign language for those of us who chose a
different interest growing up, including myself who played the clarinet for all of 2 months. When
I became thoroughly confused at the thought that a C note could fall two places on the staff, she
provided examples of both instances. She sang the note in both pitches and played it on the
xylophone, providing me various opportunities to hear the notes.

These courses have been well-rooted in critical scholarship and ethical inquiries. Physical
Education for the Elementary School
included a research assignment of my own choosing,
related literally or liberally to the course content. Involved in competitive dance growing up, my
interest was sparked during a video presentation on competitive sporting. With guidance from the
professor, I analyzed and synthesized my research into a well-written piece of work. It now sits
comfortably in my professional library, a compilation of my work and the work of scholars.
Health Education for Teachers delved into difficult studies on suicide, violence, and sexuality
education. These are not topics to study for the faint of heart. They require the scholar to detach
emotionally, evaluating the information ethically and critically. The class kept a running
discussion board in which students shared their thoughts and received feedback. I remember
discussing the legality of sex education, largely disagreeing with one particular student’s
comments. We both justified our positions and respectfully combatted the other’s point of view,
skills that higher education is bound to produce. Ethics includes actions an individual takes on
for one self. Correspondence beyond the initial post was completely voluntary. Both parties felt
strongly about the topic and took it upon ourselves to discuss further.

Standards 2/3 - Subjects of Study

The course material covered in Teaching the Visual Arts and Movement, Music, and
Drama for Teachers mostly cover the content specifications outlined by the California
Commission on Teacher Credentialing. These courses were particularly effective because they
focused on both content knowledge and teaching methods. Content standards in Domain 4,
Visual Art, specify that candidates demonstrate a fluency with the principles of art such as
balance, repetition, contrast, emphasis, and unity and are able to explain how works of art are
organized in terms of line, color, value space, texture, shape and form. As detailed in section II,
Significant Artifact, the course covered these elements in detail by way of the portfolio.
Furthermore, candidates should be able to identify and explain styles of visual arts from a variety
of times, places, and cultures. The class studied art movements from impressionism to post-
modernism, identifying the characteristics of each. This study informed lesson planning for the
duration of the semester. Music, Movement, and Drama for Teachers covered the basic fluency of
respective content: (1) elements of dance such as space, time, levels, and force/energy, (2)
elements of music such as pitch, rhythm, and timbre, and music concepts, including music
notation, (3) acting, design, and scriptwriting. This content was taught in lecture format,
providing activity that demonstrated each element therein. It also covered appropriate techniques
to create respective activities with children. We were required to write and present four lessons--
one movement, one music, one drama, and one integration. However, this course did not cover
how to identify and explain styles of dance, music, and theatre from a variety of times, places,
and cultures.

Physical Education for the Elementary School, and Health Education for Teachers far
exceed the content specifications outlined by the California Commission on Teacher
Credentialing. Content standard 1.1 specifies that candidates can describe critical elements of
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basic movement skills, such as stepping in opposition when throwing and/or following through
when kicking a ball. When learning a new skill, it was broken down into steps of action. For
example, the actions that make a pitch include: (1) step back, (2) pivot, (3) rock back, (4)
“cobra,” and (5) follow through. The “cobra” was a nickname for the position of the arm right
before the throw. The steps were first practiced as static actions without a ball in hand. Then, they
were practiced with fluidity without ball in hand. Finally, it all came together with fluidity and
ball in hand. Content standard 1.2 specifies that candidates can describe physical fitness
components, which are included in comprehensive personal fitness development programs. One
unit was focused on the FitnessGram, one assessment and reporting program for youth developed
in 1982. The professor modeled each activity and described how to evaluate the results in terms
of the healthy fitness zone. The class completed FitnessGram testing, requiring that every student
perform the tasks and evaluate others on their performance. Under the Human Development
heading, content standard 3.1 specifies that candidates identify sources of possible abuse and
neglect, and describe their impact on development. Health Education for Teachers covered this
content in detail, evaluating the legality surrounding the issue. We were required to read articles
on the subject and offer our opinions by way of a discussion board.

Standard 4 - Integrative Study

Though the courses were not intended as studies in integration, three of the four
inherently dealt with other disciplines. Teaching the Visual Arts emphasized the effect of
historical and cultural context on art movements. For example, Jackson Pollock’s abstract
expressionism exploded in the decade of rock n’ roll. A blend of southern blues and gospel, rock
n’ roll was a shocking addition to the music industry. This rebellion in music was echoed in art,
artists experimented with expressing feeling rather than illustrating it. The professor emphasized
that students should be able to produce a work of art and tell you about it. This information is
presented throughout the lesson, mentioning pertinent facts with an enthusiastic, “Did you
know...?” Include facts that are pertinent, but also interesting (pop culture is always a hit). For
example, “Did you know that in the 1980s, Michael Jackson’s single glove became an icon?!”

In Music, Music, and Drama for Teachers, we were required to create and present a
lesson covering a core subject standard. The objective was to use the performing arts to teach the
content. For example, the following is a movement activity that teaches how slow/fast sound
moves through solid, liquid, and gas:
1. Separate students into three groups.
2. Tell students that they are going to represent molecules.
3. Arrange first group in straight line, students shoulder-width apart (molecules close together, solid).
4. Arrange second group in straight line, students elbow-width apart (molecules farther apart, liquid).
5. Arrange third group in straight line, students arms-width apart (molecules far apart, gas).
6. Give each group a ball and ask them to pass it down their respective line as quickly as possible.
7. Sound travels fastest through solid because it is passed between its molecules quickly.
This activity integrated movement and science, providing all students access to the core
curriculum. Another example studied in the course included poetry as song, and vis versa. Song
is written in prose, an inherent integration.

In Physical Education for the Elementary School, various cultural dances were
introduced as components of a successful program. Third grade California Physical Education
content standard 1.15 reads, “Perform a line dance, a circle dance, and a folk dance with a
partner.” The professor emphasized that these lessons offer opportunities to study history and
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culture. Dances like the “hand jive” and “the twist” were American crazes worth studying.
Dances like the polka had their beginnings abroad, cultural explorations worth integrating into
the lesson plans.

Taught largely in isolation, Health Education for Teachers did not draw on other subjects
to support its own. However, disciplines that fall under its umbrella include psychology, human
development, and physical education. Knowledge therein is integral in creating a healthy
learning environment, physically and mentally.

Standards 5/6 - Teaching and Assessment Practices

Music, Movement, and Drama for Teachers and Physical Education for the Elementary
Classroom were both taught in lecture-activity format. Most often, the professors would offer
direct instruction on the topic at hand and then provide an opportunity that supports it. For
example, the professor described the ROTE method of teaching song and then model it.
Moreover, the professor described elements of the FitnessGram (pacer test, body mass index,
trunk lift, etc.), modeled them, and then provide opportunity for students to practice. Both classes
included a considerable about of homework in the form of lesson planning, research, and
reflection. In traditional format, these assignments were graded on the basis of detail and critical
thinking. Both courses also utilized unit exams, assessing the comprehensive content gained.
These exams required thorough studying in hopes that students would commit the large amounts
of information in memory. Unfortunately, much of the content was lost afterward. For this
reason, I think I gain much more from the homework assignments listed above. These activities
require a heightened level of information mapping, offering a greater chance that the information
will “stick.”

Teaching the Visual Arts was hands-on, through-and-through. The discipline lends itself
to this teaching approach, allowing teacher to model and student to mimic simultaneously. For
example, the following is an activity teaching color and value:
1. Teacher and students dispense quarter-sized amounts of white and one color of their choosing on
the paint palette.
2. Teacher and students dip brush into the true color. Paint a stipe on the painting surface.
3. Teacher and students dip bush into the true color and then into the white one time. Paint stripe on
the painting surface.
4. Teacher and students dip brush into the true color and then into the white two times. Paint stripe on
the painting surface.
5. Repeat, adding one additional dip into the white each time. Paint stripes in succession.
6. The final stripe is nearly white.
This approach to teaching art is effective because it demands active participation, while allowing
students to absorb the material thoroughly. Assessing art is an entirely different task because it is
largely subjective. To make it as objective as possible, the professor graded based on personal
critique and work-ethic. After every completed work, we presented it to the class describing its
intent, elements, and composition. Then, other students commented upon it offering positive and
corrective feedback. I will mimic this approach to evaluation, making it the work of the teacher,
the artist, and other students.

Health Education for Teachers was taught in online format, never once meeting the
teacher or students face-to-face. Although online courses are convenient, the class is largely
disconnected because it is set in “virtual reality.” In this course, the professor was solely the
facilitator. Every week, we were required to post responses to the reading prompts on the
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discussion board. We were evaluated upon our ability to synthesize the information and express a
point of view. I appreciate the method of evaluation, but could have done without the online class
format. Convenience is not a substitute for effectiveness.

Standard 7 - Introductory Classroom Experiences

Physical Education for the Elementary School included the opportunity to teach a
movement lesson of your choice. The course material was synthesized into a scripted lesson
detailing its purpose, transfer of skills, motivation, teaching style, materials, warm-up, activities,
and closure questions. There was a strong emphasis on managerial strategies and reinforcement
of which was cover in the course. The managerial strategies were to be kept consistent.
Reinforcement included general, specific, and value comments throughout the lesson (i.e.,
“Good, I see that everyone has mastered parts one and two of the dance sequence! This means
we are ready to learn part three.”) The lesson was developmentally appropriate, matching the
grade level standards. I chose a second grade lesson on the a folk dance, the heel-toe polka. The
dance sequence included basic motor skills and gestures of which students were already familiar.
We were provided the opportunity to practice the lesson with our colleagues before teaching the
lesson in an elementary setting. As a result, I received feedback and was able to tweak the
activities when necessary. This process modeled how to prepare for lessons in the future.
Practicing the lesson before implementing with students is invaluable.

The concluding unit in Teaching the Visual Arts consisted of two student teaching
experiences. Unlike the foregoing choice assignment, the lessons and site assignments were
created for us. The professor modeled how to modify the same lesson for increasing grade levels.
For the first assignment, I volunteered to teach a mild-moderate special needs class with grades
four, five, and six. With guidance from the professor, I chose the lesson intended for grades two
and three of average ability. I arrived prepared with supplies organized and in hand. Four teacher
script materials were required--a simple lesson plan that could be read from afar, a supply list, an
art history information page, and a letter to send home to parents detailing the project. This
process mimicked the behind-the-scenes tasks that teachers have to accomplish every day. It
allowed for ease of teaching. I will conclude with an unforgettable anecdote in which the student
intuitively felt the emotion of color:
A student at the back of the classroom was having trouble staying on task. When the opportunity
arose, I knelt beside her and inquired about the sad faces that filled the background. She replied
profoundly, “My person is blue and blue is a sad color.”

Standard 8 - Diverse Perspectives

As a future teacher, the responsibility to rise up a generation of global citizens—a
compassionate, xenocentric community of learners who are, quite literally, moved to curiosity—
hangs on my shoulders. Defined by the leading Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, culture is
“the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity
for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations.” Teachers possess the
responsibility to transmit knowledge, hence are propionates of culture. How much more
compassionate we would be if American culture was marked by xenocentrism, the study of
culture with an inferior attitude in mind? This is a far cry from our current ethnocentric situation.
In Music, Movement, and Drama for Teachers, the professor asked us to consider dance and
communication as conditions of human life. In this light, it would be inhuman not to use the arts
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in rising up culturally sensitive pupils. She encouraged teachers to infuse dance, song, and stories
from various cultures. For example, she introduced a Ghanaan song entitled “Obuasi Misa Na
Na.” American children are particularly successful at singing in African tongues because many of
the syllable sounds are familiar. This song was taught in rote and paired with a game. A lesson
might begin with a story about Ghanaan people--people who often sing and dance to relieve the
pressures of poverty. In learning dances from other cultures, Physical Education for the
Elementary School echoed this drum of thought. This marks the intent of a xenocentric
classroom, pupils who are not afraid to explore outside of themselves.

Standard 9 - Technology

Online in format, Health Education for Teachers used technology as the course’s only
means of communication. Articles were posted in BlackBoard for easy retrieval. A new
discussion board was opened every week on which students posted their responses to the reading
prompts. The virtual discussion board is an effective technology tool in moderation. In an
elementary classroom, it provides a good introduction into uses of technology--other than video
games, dvd, and Mp3 that students are comfortable with already. Furthermore, it requires
students to articulate in writing ideas, opinions, etc. It is, essentially, the virtual equivalent of the
“pair share” teaching strategy in which students share information verbally after instructional
time.