Class #2:  Friday, July 4^th

The Keynote speaker at the “Graduate Summer Conference Day” was Cheryl McLean.  She spoke about using research based methods within Creative Arts to address challenges and promote change in our world.  She mentioned how creativity is an important part of the educational process.  I agree with this statement, as it is crucial for both teachers and students to engage in creative thinking. In order to deliver material that is accessible for all students, teachers following UDL in the development of learning materials must engage students by incorporating creative methods and allow students to demonstrate their learning through the use of creative arts. McLean reiterated that we must move away from students working for marks.  This refers to the many assignments that require students to regurgitate the information that we have delivered to them in order to receive a grade.  The use of creative arts within our practice requires students to interact with the concepts that are being taught and develop an interpretation of the material.  In doing so, students are engaged in the processes of communication and reflection.  

The arts infused curriculum that was addressed in this morning’s keynote presentation directly links to the use of many of the ipad applications that we have been exploring in EDUC 5163.  By introducing students to apps that incorporate creative elements such as photography, collaging and visual-audio integration, we are providing them with the tools that they may use to voice their understanding.  The integration of creative arts supports the use of UDL in developing methods and materials that work for all students.  The use of creative arts in the classroom facilitates a flexible approach where teachers can adjust the expectations for the individual strengths and challenges of each student.  McLean mentioned the importance of “bringing out the unfamiliar from the familiar”.  We must allow students to use familiar mediums (such as drama, dance, photo story, song or other) to demonstrate their understanding of a concept or theme that may be less familiar.  On the other hand, this concept may also be interpreted as practicing Constructivist approaches where by we build upon our students’ previous knowledge of a concept to further develop their understanding.