This was a tough module, had many challenges and more work. But it was a very interesting one, I enjoyed our assignments because they taught us about being teachers and how we are supposed to deal with learners. 

I had problems with some of the assignments but not all but I managed to get a good mark even though it was tough but it was challenging. I can say I passed the module and really enjoyed all our lessons.

Children of all ages express themselves through music. Even young infants sway, bounce, or move their hands in response to music. Many preschoolers make up songs and, with no self-consciousness, sing to themselves as they play. Children in elementary school learn to sing together as a group and possibly learn to play a musical instrument. Older children dance to the music of their favorite bands, and use music to form friendships and share feelings. 

How important is introducing music to children?

The importance of learning music from a young age has been compared to acquiring the skills of reading and writing. Many experts in the field of child development agree that learning how to play music is as important. Learning music stimulates a child’s cognitive development (information processing, conceptual resources, perceptual skill, language learning), motor skills and has a full-throttle effect on the entire brain.

A lesson plan is the instructor’s road map of what students need to learn and how it will be done effectively during the class time. Then, you can design appropriate learning activities and develop strategies to obtain feedback on student learning. Having a carefully constructed lesson plan for each 3-hour lesson allows you to enter the classroom with more confidence and maximizes your chance of having a meaningful learning experience with your students. A successful lesson plan addresses and integrates three key components:

1.Learning Objectives

2.Learning activities

3.Assessment to check for student understanding

A lesson plan provides you with a general outline of your teaching goals, learning objectives, and means to accomplish them, and is by no means exhaustive. A productive lesson is not one in which everything goes exactly as planned, but one in which both students and instructor learn from each other. 

Importance of Arts integration 

1. Working in the arts helps learners to develop creative problem-solving skills.
2. Teaching through the arts can present difficult concepts visually, making them more easy to understand.
3. Art instruction helps children with the development of motor skills, language skills, social skills, decision-making, risk-taking, and inventiveness.
4. Visual arts teach learners about color, layout, perspective, and balance: all techniques that are necessary in presentations (visual, digital) of academic work.
5. Integrating art with other disciplines reaches students who might not otherwise be engaged in classwork.
6. Arts experiences boost critical thinking, teaching students to take the time to be more careful and thorough in how they observe the world.
7. The arts provide challenges for learners at all levels.
8. Art education connects students with their own culture as well as with the wider world.

At this stage children are both highly inquisitive and energetic. Creative activities such as drawing, painting, clay work, music are both appealing and engaging for young children. At this stage ‘all education should be through the arts’. The objective of children’s participation in visual and performing arts is to:

1.Make learning joyful and engaging.

2.Encourage children to be aware of their environment through keen observation and unhindered exploration.

3.Promote sensitivity towards their environment.

4.Allow free emotional expression, communication and creative involvement.

5.Facilitate children to express freely and spontaneously.

Holistic development is a comprehensive approach in learning which aims to develop multiple facets or abilities of a human brain. Conventional educational and learning systems aim at the development of intellectual capabilities only. But holistic growth aims at the development of physical capabilities, intellectual abilities, cognitive or mental abilities, emotional abilities, and social skills.

Holistic development - it means the development of intellectual, mental, physical, emotional, and social abilities in a child,so that the child can face the challenges and demands of our everyday life. These abilities are important for success in the field of work.

  Every child is unique. He or she has unique personality traits, interests, preferences, values, attitudes, strengths, and weaknesses. The educational curriculum must be able to help every child find his or her unique place in the world in alignment with the uniqueness that he or she has. In order to achieve this, the holistic development of a child is of utmost importance.

What children require today in schools is not just academic lessons. A schooling system that helps a child understand his or her self, emotions, and mental duress while teaching him or her how to build up healthy and functional relationships as well as develop resilience and team spirit is the true form of education.

Such a system boosts the morale of a student so that they can go on to achieve greater heights in their careers while becoming upstanding citizens of the society who contribute to the growth and development of the country. Hence, the holistic development of students is very important right from the beginning of school-going years.

I am excited to learn about holistic development because it sounds so interesting. As an upcoming foundation phase teacher I would really love to learn more about holistic development.