Hello class!
I'm posting this a little early because I'd like to go over it in class tonight to answer any questions you might have.
You actually have 3 assignments this week, all due next Monday, January 30th, at midnight. These three assignments are: 1) to watch The Miniature Earth video, 2) visit the Iraqi Children's Art Exchange and read it's various sections, and 3) read pp. 1-20 in The Girl with the Brown Crayon by Vivian Gussin Paley. There is a fourth assignment, of course, which is to respond to the questions posted in this blog.
I will ask only three questions, one for each reading/viewing assignment. If you do not understand something, please feel free to email me your question or concern at c.erler@ttu.edu or post your question here.
Here are your 3 questions. Please write a minimum of three sentences in response to each question.
Question #1: Miniature Earth Video
This video promotes a sense of context and perspective on yourself as a global citizen. You might be surprised by what you learn. The facts in this video are regularly updated for accuracy. Do you think you will remember this video a year from now? If so, what will you remember?
Question #2: The Iraqi Children's Art Exchange
You may not agree with political views of the women who founded ICAE, but it would be hard to disagree with their actions. These women - Kathleen Winkworth and Claudia Lefko - practice a strong form of art education for social justice. Read the whole Vision Statement in the "What We Do" section of the website. Can you, as a future educator, imagine yourself founding a program based on the values implicit in this statement? If you answered "yes," use your imagination to envision a program that would put these values into action. Tell us about the program you envision.
Question #3: The Girl with the Brown Crayon, pp. 1-20
Vivian Gussin Paley was a veteran kindergarten teacher when she wrote this book. It reflects years of classroom experience and the accumulated wisdom of 40+ years spent teaching and working with young children. What values do Paley, Winkworth and Lefko all have in common? How do they put their values into action? Name specific practices and strategies they use.
These questions are designed to help you think about the basic values of being a teacher and a global citizen. As an educator, you are entrusted with an awesome task: to help shape the values of future generations. Will your vision be broad and inclusive, promoting global awareness, or will it be narrow and focused on people very much like yourself? These are important questions. I hope this week's assignment will help you focus on what, exactly, it means to be a teacher in today's world.
Feel free to ask questions of your own! I am always happy to respond. In the meantime, I look forward to reading your comments. Thanks,
carolyn
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete#1
ReplyDeleteI think that narrowing it down to 100 in the entire world really puts things into perpective. Many people in our world have many issues. I think that in a year from now I will remember this video because I will want to see if the numbers have gotten better or gotten worse!
#2
I believe what the women of ICAE are doing great things for the children of the program! I know kids love art: drawing, painting, coloring; you name it and they will enjoy making a mess out of it! I think the children will not nessicarly understand what the meaning behind the program is, but I feel they enjoy drawing for others and getting to see others' works of art as well. When I am a teacher and if I needed to set up a simalair program I would do it with pictures! Have the children take pictures of different things everyday to exchange with a "Pen-Pal" every week maybe things as:
What you see when you wake up.
Your favorite toy.
Something you wish you had.
Something you wish you did not have.
The list could be endless but I think children would learn that there is more out their in the world than just want they have and what they know.
#3
I believe children teach us things everyday! I believe Reeny showed Ms. Paley a lot of things, therefore she was open to what the other kids could teach her as well. Children do not have a set idea of how things should be yet; therefore they say what they think and just want to be what they do know... I believe that is what the children have in common and that is what they show their teacher. Reeny knows her skin is brown, so she likes to draw things with her brown crayon. Just like when I was a child every person I drew had blonde hair.
-Brittany
1. The Miniature Earth video was an eye-opening look into the world on a smaller scale. I think I will remember some of the facts that I heard in this video. A few of the main facts that stuck out to me was the facts regarding sanitation and technology. I could not believe that nearly half of the population would live without basic sanitation. Also, the fact that only twelve would have a computer was startling to me, living in the United States where technology is so commonplace. We rely so heavily on internet and technology now that it is hard to imagine life without it. These were some shocking facts that will stick with me for a long time.
ReplyDelete2. After reading the vision statement for the Iraqi Children’s Art Exchange, I can definitely imagine creating a program using these values. The program advocates for the rights of children and envisions a world where these children are given a voice and value within the community. I envision a program for children to work together with other children around the world. It could be an organization with a foundation of adult leaders that share the value of the rights for children. Children could have advocates in the schools or school districts and join the program like a kind of club. They could work together with the adults to have their voices heard about how they feel about their school, their friends, and their community. Then, these different locations and levels of club groups could convene for the common purpose of gaining the “full range of human rights.” Children in the United States could gain the opportunity to talk with children in Asia, Africa, and so much more. They could broaden their cultural horizons, as well as learn more about the world and their place within it. My program could help to bring out some of these ideas in order to give the children a voice with policymakers. Children are the most crucial part of an education system as well as a community. I think it is very important to respect and value all children and their rights. The Iraqi Children’s Art Exchange has wonderful values at its core.
3. Paley, Winkworth, and Lefko all share the core value of caring about children. They place value on children and the role they play in our communities and throughout the world. While Winkworth and Lefko put their values in action through a program called the Iraqi Children’s Art Exchange, Paley worked as a kindergarten teacher shaping the young minds that entered into her classroom. She has also written many books exploring some of her classroom experiences, like in The Girl with the Brown Crayon. Winkworth and Lefko give children an outlet for their ideas through art projects. The children’s eyes are opened more to their world and they see other cultures points of view. Paley, on the other hand, allows the children the freedom in the classroom to explore the world and come to an understanding of what is around them. She provokes them to think critically even at such a young age. She especially identifies with Reeny in this story, a very outspoken and thoughtful little girl. Reeny identifies with a Leo Lionni character, Frederick, who is a mouse. Paley embarks on a journey with the author throughout her school year and hopes that the students will really come to understand a full range of personalities, from Tico the outcast bird to Frederick, the stubborn mouse. She allows the children to explore with creating these stories. Reeny becomes fascinated with drawing Frederick and creating pictures with him in it. Paley encourages her exploration in the same way that Winkworth and Lefko encourage painting, drawing, sculpting, and any other kind of art. Whether through art, reading, or writing, Paley, Winkworth, and Lefko share a vision to extend the rights and value of children. They seek to shape their lives in positive ways that will impact the future.
1. I think the video was really interesting and put it into real time perspectives. I had no idea that almost 50 % of the world's population was with out so much. I think I will remember this video for a few years, though probably only when brought up in convo about the world's poverty and issues. I will remember things such as how rich only a small part of the population is & how many people are w/o basic materials.
ReplyDelete2. I think the ICAE had a great idea. My favorite part of that site is when the traded the toy guns for soccer balls. I think that was brilliant. Children see way too much violence these days. I would try to incorporate this ideas and projects into my lessons. I think that art is a brilliant way to show children’s true colors and thoughts, even better than if they were just speaking them. I also think it is important for the children to view and learn about other cultures but also understand that we are all similar.
3. All three of these ladies are remarkable people and educators. They all share characteristics of being compassionate, outgoing, and goes above and beyond to influence the children they reach. Paley taught her curriculum in a completely different way than any other teacher I have ever heard of. She could reach them by thinking outside of the box. The ICAE organizers knew how to show kids they were all similar and also help them express their selves in ways of non-violence to help create peace.
Anna McCarver
1. I think that The Miniature Earth video was not only shocking but a deep insight to what our world is like actually today. I had no idea that 75% of the population was without a roof over their head, or a bed to sleep in. I will remember this video later in life because it made a huge impact on me in the way I think about the other people in the world. What I will remember most is the facts about poverty. I knew poverty was a huge deal in our world, but I did not know it was so severe.
ReplyDelete2. From experience, I know children love art projects. A child's immagination is so innocent and so pure. They are able to draw feelings and explain themselves in many ways a mature adult cannot. I think as a future educator that I might be able to somehow create a program in which a child could maybe draw a picture of something they saw or enjoyed that particular day and then send it to another country in which a child did the same thing. Through this, I believe that children would then be able to experience the daily lives of children from all over the world.
3. Paley, Lefko, and Winkworth all have an extremely vivid and pure care and love for children and their minds. They not only encourage childrens' artwork, but they also embrace the artwork. These women always seem to go out of their way in order to enhance the child's knowledge about other cultures and the ways in which they can relate themselves to other children.
-Sarah Carrell
1. The Miniature Earth video was very eye-opening and something I will definitely remember in years to come. It presented common world problems in a smaller and much more manageable scale for us to comprehend what is really going on. It shocked me that when it was telling where the population would come from only 8 people would be from North America. Again later when it was talking about the people who are wealthier than 75% of the population were those with a bed, closet, refrigerator, and a roof over their heads made me realize that most people in the US have these basics and sadly we do not make up a majority of the world's population.
ReplyDelete2. I think that this is a very unique and inspiring program. I think that the idea of children sharing with each other what is going on around them through art with students in other countries is insightful. Not only are students being exposed to other cultures, but children are also able to express their views on the world with everyone. Children have such a different and beautiful way of viewing and I think that in my classroom have pen pals with students from another place would be a way to implement this same idea.
3. I think that all three infancies the importance of children’s views. I think that through the art program students are sharing their thoughts with the world through art. Paley demonstrates this through the entire book so far, which is dedicated to telling and understanding the imagination of a child in kindergarten. I think that these three women are intrigued by the imagination of children and understand that as much as we can teach them, we as teachers can learn even more just by observing and engaging in conversations with our students.
1. Watching “The Miniature Earth Video” was not at all what I was expecting. It was eye opening and a little gut wrenching. I am very guilty of taking my daily life for granted and getting upset over little things, but seeing a video like this really makes me want to take a step back and reevaluate the dumb things I take for granted. I will most definitely remember this video a year from now and I will be interested if the statistics have changed at all, and if so, in what direction. I think we all have these ideas in our head of what kind of people the world is really made of, and I can say personally I was proved wrong by this video.
ReplyDelete2. I think the program is a very inspiring one, and something that would be good to expose children to. Art is a way of personal expression, and really there is no wrong way to do it, and I think letting kids know they have that freedom and don’t need to be afraid of messing up will let them go wild with their creations. I think incorporating things from other countries for the kids in my classroom, from kids their age is the best way I could tie that in with my curriculum. Kids connect well to what they understand and if what they see is created by kids of the same age they are more likely to appreciate it.
3. I think that the biggest commonality between Paley, Winkworth and Lefko is their love for letting children grow through expression. I think they see that limiting the kids on what they are “allowed to see” or “allowed to do” only hurts them. All of these women want the children to know that they as educators/mentors care about what they have to say, and what they see. They allow for the children’s voices to be heard through their expression of art, and participate alongside them.
1.Yes, The one thing I will remember overall is how much I take for granted the things I have every day, and that there are many people living on less than a dollar a day all around the world. the video really puts things into perspective for the more fortunate like myself. I do not think about how many people don't have running water or electricity. it is truly devastating and makes me wish I could help everyone in the world.
ReplyDelete2.I could definitely envision a program that is centered around the values of the program I read about. I would love to do a program that gives students the physical and emotional tools it takes to be successful. One where students can be in contact with students not only in other states but also in other countries, we could send them letters each week along with art the students have worked on. I think this is a great way to understand the world around them even at such a young age
3. Paley Lefko and Winkworth use artwork for the children to express themselves and show how they understand the world around them.the book demonstrates teaching yet lets them think about the world around them in their own way, expanding their minds. it does not matter how old or educated you are, adults are continually learning from their students, just as students learn from their elders.
1) I extremely enjoyed watching The Miniature Earth video. Getting perspective on the majorities and minorities of the world really made me think about where I stand as a human being. I saw that I was both in the majority of most things as I'm the daughter of two successful Americans, but I'm also in the minority when it comes to a couple of things. It gave me a mixed emotion kind of a feeling. Another thing thing the video made me realize was how big Earth actually is, how small I am, and how ginormous our universe is. My mind always tends to wander around relative proportions and different outlooks, so I probably went a bit overboard when I was thinking about this. Even though I liked the video I probably won't remember this a year from now, but only due to my lack of memory.
ReplyDelete2) I love learning about programs like the Iraqi Children's Art Exchange. Firstly, I love art and the expressions through art, so in my opinion art is a very important part of a child's growing stages. This program helps kids express their views and feelings to people all over the world. They get perspective on other parts of the world too. It opens up emotions and creativity that children might not know they have. These kinds of programs are definitely a must have in the world, but I don't see myself being a founder of one. I'd be more of a seldom volunteer.
3) Something that is clearly very important to Peley, Lefko, and Winkworth is the mind of a child. Children, even though they are young and have little experience, of some of the most creative and imaginative beings on this planet. The view of a child can open up our minds and the minds of other children with something as simple as conversation. Paley definitely gives a vivid demonstration of this as she takes us into the minds of kindergartners. Another important thing is how much the three care about the kids and their art. They give children the freedom to be as creative they can be and make light of the importance of encouraging children.
1.The Miniature Earth video was very eye opening and I was very surprised about the statistics, they were very shocking. Watching the video really made me think about how fortunate I am to have the things I do and that I should be more appreciative of what I have. I will defiantly remember this video from now because it was so shocking to me! Almost half the people in the world live without sanitation was one of the things that really shocked me along with the percentage of people without food.
ReplyDelete2.The Iraqi Children's Art Exchange is a great program, I can’t imagine what kinds of things these children experience and to have a outlet like art to express themselves is very important to me. I also think it is cool that the kids speaking different languages can connect through art and be understood by each other through art. I think this program is excellent and it is great to connect people through art programs like this.
3.Peley, Lefko, and Winkworth all seem to really care and value what a child thinks. They also value a child making their own unique observations. Peley, Lefko, and Winkworth all seem to enjoy the imaginations of their students and it seems like they really enjoy teaching.
1. The Miniature Earth video was very interesting to me! It was a short video with a great amount of information over the worlds population. The fact that 20 people out of the 100, own 75% of the worlds wealth is the main reason I believe I will remember this video a year from now. You would think people with so much money would be more willing to help those who have barely anything.
ReplyDelete2. The Iraqi Childrens Art Exchange is a wonderful program. Children, no matter what country they are from, need healthy ways to express themselves. Art is simple and fun to children and speaks directly from their heart and minds onto the paper, with out second thought. I could definetly see myself incorporating children from other countries into a history lesson, and then having the children express themselves in some kind of art form after I have taught. Its very important for children to understand that there are kids all over the world feeling the same things they are but have a completely different lifestyle and surroundings. Teaching kids about it I believe would open their minds into a new understanding of how lucky they are to be where they are today, and appreciate it on a new more complex level.
3.These three women all share a love of being open-minded to what a child can teach. It is important as a teacher at any point in time to continue to learn not only from new research but from the children they are supposed to be educationg. I believe a well rounded classroom must have this open, back and forth relationship.A child should not be afraid to ask questions, as well the teacher should feel comfortable to ask their students what they themselves dont understand. Children can teach us things we have forgotten over time, important life lessons.
-Mary Harris
1.
ReplyDeleteYes, I will definitely remember the impact this video left on me a year from now. I think what impacted me the most was the statistics on how many people are living with no sanitation, how many of them are going hungry, and how many of them have no running water.
2.
I could definitely in vision myself working with a program with similar values to these. They students in this program feel protected, valued, and cared for. Which is what every child needs and deserves. If I were able to do these things for children I would do so using music. The children would have an opportunity to listen to various types of music from different cultures; as well as have the chance to make their own music with instruments.
3.
All three of the women are very passionate about teaching and caring for children. They have different ways of doing so but each of them is different the average teacher. These women go above and beyond to ensure they students are learning as well as being taken care of.
1. After viewing the Miniature Earth Video I can honestly say that I will definitely remember it in a year from now and hopefully, for much longer after that. What impacted me the most from the video were the scaled down representations of the different ethnicities that are present in our world. It really puts our lives and our planet into perspective to be able to see a more relatable and understandable representation of humanity.
ReplyDelete2. I can absolutely envision myself participating in a program like the Iraqi Children's Art Exchange. I think that it is a very positive program that can remind not only children, but adults as well, that we are all people living in the same world and we are not as different as we previously thought. If I were to use this program in my classroom I would have the students write poems and short stories throughout the year that detail their lives and the students thoughts and feelings about different events that occur in their lives. At the end of the year the poems and stories would be bound into a book and exchanged with an international school that was also completing a book. This would allow the students to use literature and creative writing to express themselves and relate and connect with children from other cultures as they may otherwise be unable to do.
3. The three women all share an udying passion for helping children succeed and a desire to guide and scaffold their students into confident, expressive individuals. Encouraging the children to create their artwork as they see it, rather than how society or artistic guidelines see it only enhances the childs natural talent and teaches them to be proud and confident in themselves and their creations.
1. I will remember this video because it provides perspective on who the world is truly made up of. The fact that 20 people would own 75% of the wealth is staggering because in America, we would fall under those 20 people. I also thought that it was interesting how it put disease and technology into the statistics.
ReplyDelete2. I could imagine having a program like this because of what it stands for. As teachers we cannot control what a child's home life or environment outside of school might be like, but while they are in our presence teachers can make their world a much better place. Although I don't believe that children should be allowed to act and say and do literally anything they want, it is important to give them some freedom as they get older and show that they deserve it.
3.All three women promote for advocacy of children, especially children that may come from struggling homes. They allow children freedom to express their personalities through art and ensure to encourage them in every aspect while providing important instruction. They understand that they are not just teaching these children information, but that they are also teaching them life skills and a new way of cooping with difficult situations.
1. I believe I will remember this video for, not only a year from now, but many, many years from now. I will remember what emotions ran through me as the poverty of the world as a whole was put into a perspective that I could wrap my head around. It is difficult to fully understand the impact of anything when put into a perspective of trillions of people in the world. But I know 100 people. I can make a list of 100 people, and to sort them through with the statistics given in this video would be very difficult to have to see people I know and love living so poverished.
ReplyDelete2. As a future educator, I would hope that I would have to guts and the tools to be able to found something like this. It is hard to imagine myself making a difference worldwide, so I would probably start our smaller, and go within a large city, like Dallas. My goal would be to bring children of all races together, at an early enough age before prejudices are built and cliques are made. I would randomly select children within my classroom, or possibly even children of the same age from different schools in the area, to spend 5, 10, 15 minutes together once a week to get to know someone from a background different from their own, and hope that this experience would stick with them as they grew up, and they would remember not to judge someone before you've been in their shoes.
3. Paley, Winkworth, and Lefko all share the value that children are innocent beings who deserve a fair chance in the world, a world that also believes they deserve a fair chance. All three make it possible for children to feel safe expressing themselves, whether through art or voice, so they learn to make a habit of doing so. They all know that children of a young age retain an unthinkable amount of knowledge. And they teach children that no matter what the circumstances are, there is always a way to overcome any obstacle.
1. The Miniature Earth video was a uniquely designed video that captured the bare truths of our world today with the eye opening statistics of our world issues. This is a video that should be shared with family and friends in the hopes that they resonate with an impulse to make a change in the world. I will remember how shocked I was the first time I watched the video when I learned the percentages of people who had diseases and where less fortunate out of only 100people. Videos like The Miniature Earth, give viewers a perspective that is both refreshing and inspirational.
ReplyDelete2. The values and ideas that the ICAE have for children around the world is a wonderful way to connect children and give them a voice through their masterpieces. Policymakers and Governments often overlook the rights children have. The article was dead on when describing how policymakers need to “respect and listen to their views and opinions.” I would implement a similar program into my teaching, where students can discuss ‘Big Ideas’ like issues and hot topics impacting the world. Students then create their thoughts on paper and send them to children around the world as they then wait to receive ‘Big Ideas’ from children from all walks of life.
3. The value of children and the role they play in our lives and throughout the world is extremely important. Both Winkworth and Lefko are invested in a program called the Iraqi Children’s Art Exchange (ICAE); Paley worked as a teacher who formed and scalpted minds of children in her classroom. Paley has experience writing other books on classroom behaviors, like in The Girl with the Brown Crayon. Winkworth and Lefko help children express their thoughts and emotions on paper through art. Children have such an innocent outlook on life and one can clearly see how Reeny and children who are painting, think outside the box and explore other perspectives. Reeny identifies with the character, Frederick, a mouse. Paley reads Frederick, Tico and starts Cornelius to show her students the different personalities and relationships the characters have with each other. Like Reeny, who becomes obsessed with drawing her mouse Frederick, the children with Winkworth and Lefko explore creating art to reflect their emotions. Both impact children and students and both are helping to shape a well rounded student with an open perspective on life.
1. I believe that yes, I will still be able to recall this video a year from now. I will remember how it really breaks the world down into something that it really is instead of something that everyone makes it out to be. I will also remember how at the conclusion of the video it really puts you in your place. The video shows everyone what they should be very thankful for.
ReplyDelete2. As a future educator, yes I could completely see myself finding a likewise program to either come up with or be a part of. If I ever do set one up, the program would be something similiar to Kathleen and Claudia's, I would have several kids from all different parts of the world come together somehow. Together the children would create a mural or some other impacting project and illustrate on the mural different things that were troubling for each child. I think this would help each child from each different place to become more aware of whats really going on.
3.The values that Paley, Winkworth and Lefko have in common are that they all see beyond, they see whats important. They put their values into action by being creative and going out of their comfort zone to attempt to make an impact.