|
1. Investigating the world beyond their immediate environment. 2. Using the arts to recognize their own and other's perspectives. 3. Communicating their ideas effectively with diverse audiences using the arts. 4. Using the arts to translate their ideas into appropriate actions to improve conditions. Click on Read More to access Resources and Curriculum Ideas. Students develop global competence through the arts by: The image above is one taken at the Navratri Festival at The Galaxy Education System (TGES) in Rajkot, Gujarat, India in 2011. Enjoy the audio file which is also from that festival. Click the image to enjoy a brief glimpse of this fabulous celebration, 9 nights of dancing, to honor their favorite goddess, Durga. a Hindu deity. She is the goddess of the Victory of Good over Evil. The dances are performed by the students at TGES, from the very little ones (PK) through high school, and the festival is broadcast live, online to the world. The arts and creativity are abundant, from the music, singing and dancing to the costumes, which are spectacular.
0 Comments
Each year Earth Hour, a nonprofit organization based out of Singapore, sponsors the event - Earth Hour. They also publish a new promotional video for Earth Hour each year. The video for Earth Hour 2015 was announced today. It is embedded below. Personally, I really like the videos from 2010 and 2013, so please watch them. You and your students will be inspired! Earth Hour takes place each year on a Saturday. This year it is on March 28, from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm YOUR LOCAL TIME. Even though you will not be in school that day, you can do things for the Earth Hour project, connected to your curriculum, definitely a 21st century curriculum project that meets ALL the criteria in our 3 compasses to 21st century education. Some schools, I am sure, are planning to celebrate Earth Hour together even though it is a Saturday. It's exciting to think about being an actual participant in the largest global, live event in history! You can join the Earth Hour project on their web site. It also has a Projects page, and will soon post project ideas for you. In the meantime, though, you can review past projects. Here are some links for Earth Hour, as well as for Earth Day which is Wednesday, April 22, 2015. Both of these pages are on our web site, Greening the Classroom, which also has many, many other resources for ecoliteracy! I will be adding more to the Earth Day resources page. For now, please enjoy the 2015 official Earth Hour video. And be sure to watch the other two excellent videos from 2010 and 2013. Or watch them at these links: 2010 and 2013.
In recent decades the push for higher standardized tests scores has resulted in the virtual elimination of art, music, drama, dance and even recess in the majority of schools. Social studies were also relegated to the sidelines as teachers focused on higher test scores in reading and math.
In a recent survey, 85% of people agreed that creative thinking is critical for problem solving in their career. And with the challenges the world is facing today in our global economy, in our environment, and in social issues, the need for creative ideas has never been greater.[i] As Sir Ken Robinson stated, “Creativity is not an option, it’s an absolute necessity.” Therefore, we must find ways to bring creativity into learning. But first, we have to understand what conditions foster true creativity, which Robinson defines as “the process of having original ideas that have value.” Creativity is now the number one skill in demand by employers. It is interesting to note that current employers keep asking us to graduate students with the skills of creativity, collaboration, entrepreneurship, innovation, problem solving and critical thinking, but that the schools themselves continue to deliver a narrow curriculum devoid of the arts and creativity. Why is that? Guest post contributed by Adam Johnson - Social Justice Educator I am a middle school ELL/math teacher in the South Bronx. I am currently in my 5th year of teaching. I wanted all of you to know about a project that has empowered my students. I hope that you consider implementing a similar project in your school community. 25 students (all ELLs) and I started an after-school art club two years ago called South Bronx Youth Art. We meet every Thursday and Friday from 2:30-5:00 pm to paint and create works of art inspired by the students' experiences and their community. While I can recount many instances of how this program has helped my students' confidence I am most proud of their collective gains on the 2013-2014 Common Core state math and ELA exam. I believe this achievement was possible because of the strong relationships formed through this club and their ability to trust their teacher. This year the students have even started earning money due to interest in their art. The students have set up and administer an Etsy site where people all over the world can buy their art. All profits go to buying more art supplies and directly to the artists. This program is not only building confidence in our students, but preparing them for the 21st century because they are using their creativity to capture the attention of people around the world and using social media to market and actually make money. I highly encourage you to implement a similar type of program.
|
Categories
All
.
Archives
February 2018
|
RSS Feed
