Unit 1 Reflection

1. The studio lessons related to identity because they offered us to explore how
we view ourselves in a new and creative light. It helped give us an idea of
how to bring art into our future classrooms and to help give our students a
creative and beneficial approach to learning about them. I know for me
personally, our studio lessons challenged me to open up and really explore
my identity. It is important to have children at an elementary age level start
to do that so they can be fully comfortable with themselves. Art helps
children learn to say what cannot be said (Eisner, 2002).
2. You can use visual art by integrating it into your everyday lessons and
classroom by having one lesson focused on identity. You can read books
about a person finding out about who they are and then have your students
write a reflection about the book and relate it to themselves. Like Pink said,
children learn better through stories because they can relate to them (Pink
2005). After the children read and write their stories, they can look through
newspapers and magazines and find pictures that describe them. They can
then share their finished projects with the class.

Eisner, E. (2002). Ten Lessons the Arts Teach.

Pink, D. (2005). A whole new mind. New York, NY: Riverhead.