Learning through the arts can take place at all levels of schooling. Art integrated learning is experiential in nature and makes all children respond with their imagination and emotional strengths. The needs of children will vary with age, social contexts and ability. Stage-wise objectives for engaging children in art integrated learning are as follows.

Art education at this stage needs to link with all subjects such that it becomes a tool of teaching-learning concepts. Art can play an effective role in strengthening the child’s curiosity, imagination, and sense of wonder. They should have a positive impact on the skills related to intellectual, socio-emotional, motor, language and overall literacy. The objectives of arts integrated learning at primary level are to help children:

• Experience joy and eagerness to learn
• Learn to live in an inclusive environment
• Discover concepts of Mathematics and Science in the world around them
• Be aware of interdisciplinary connections
• Enhance observation, curiosity, exploration and creative and free expression
• Explore and understand body movement and coordination
• Develop expressive communication and critical thinking skills
• Foster an inquisitive attitude towards learning and knowledge
• Understand and regulate their emotions
• Create awareness of rich heritage and cultural diversity

As an upcoming teacher, I would like to integrate arts in all my lessons to ensure that my children are more successful and open to the learning environment. 

Study unit 4
Arts integration in the foundation phase
Arts integration has been seen as “teaching through the arts”.  A common definition is a bit difficult to find, as many different art forms and ways of integrating arts into the teaching of traditional content exist. It can also be seen as an approach to teaching in which students construct and demonstrate understanding through an art form.

Children engage in a creative process which connects an art form and another subject and meets evolving objectives. When we choose to apply arts integration principles in the foundation phase, we need to engage learners in teaching and learning activities which encourage them to draw on their prior knowledge with the aim of discovering new concepts and skills and to demonstrate their understanding in a practical way through the arts, they can illustrate how music makes them feel by drawing a picture or writing a story, demonstrate their understanding of the difference between rotation and revolution (when learning about planets, for example) by creating a dance. Arts integration activities promote active learning experiences through which foundation phase learners can internalize new knowledge and skills by engaging in authentic activities which have real-life value. Children must engage with authentic music activities (which include singing, moving, drawing what they hear in the music) before introducing music notation.

Since arts integration encourages learners to demonstrate their understanding through the arts, learners can not only learn within safe, collaborative social environments but to demonstrate their understanding in ways and at a level which they are comfortable with. The arts, especially music and dance, are prominent in various African and international cultures and therefore also offer opportunities for creating learning environments in which learners from diverse backgrounds feel welcome and respected. When foundation phase learners can demonstrate their understanding through the arts, we also promote and accommodate their innate love of music and movement while also adding elements of exploration, discovery fun and play in our classroom.

Arts for most of the children are a way of letting go of their issues or giving the parent or the teacher a bigger and better idea of what is happening in their life for example a child may not say that he is not feeling well today but he may draw or paint an unhappy face or he will draw black lines for a dark place in which he is at that moment, which give the teacher the ability to se that there is something wrong or they can dance and the child will say that he don’t want to dance today but he is always willing to participate.

Make time and space for arts in your classroom!!!!!!

Study unit 3
Play in the foundation phase classroom
Play is one of the most important ways in which young children gain essential knowledge and skills. When children choose to play, they are not thinking “Now I am going to learn something from this activity.” Yet their play creates powerful learning opportunities across all areas of development. Development and learning are complex and holistic, and yet skills across all developmental domains can be encouraged through play, including motor, cognitive and social and emotional skills. Indeed, in playful experiences, children tap a breadth of skills at any one time.

Often this occurs during corner play in the context of early learning or pre-primary programs. Corner play, when well planned, promotes child development and learning competencies more effectively than any other pre-primary activity. By choosing to play with the things they like to do, children develop skills in all areas of development: intellectual, social, emotional, and physical. For example, while children are playing, they can try out new social skills (e.g., sharing toys, agreeing on how to work together with materials), and they often take on some challenging cognitive tasks (such as figuring out how to make a building with smaller blocks when the larger ones are not available). Children are ‘hands-on’ learners. They acquire knowledge through playful interaction with objects and people. They need a lot of practice with solid objects to understand abstract concepts.

For example, by playing with geometric blocks they understand the concept that two squares can form a rectangle and two triangles can form a square. From dancing a pattern such as step forward, step back twirl, clap and repeat, they begin to understand the features of patterns that are the foundation for mathematics. Pretend or ‘symbolic’ play (such as playing house or market) is especially beneficial: in such play, children express their ideas, thoughts, and feelings, learn how to control their emotions, interact with others, resolve conflicts, and gain a sense of competence.

In the foundation phase classroom play is structured into various games in which the child needs to participate namely, clapping with body action games, clapping, and singing games- This game can either be played standing or sitting. The important element here is a challenge. Different players must combine and adjust their clapping, trying to match their clapping patterns in increasing tempos. Every handclapping game is accompanied by singing. Concentration and coordination are important factors that will keep the players together in any singing game, stone passing game-Sitting in a circle, a stone is passed on the beat while everyone sings the song. A slow child/or a child that cannot feel the beat will end up with a pile of stones in front of them. The rhythmic movement of passing the stone is important, dancing play- Across Africa, there are dance songs that incorporate elements of play. The elements (teasing, humor, unexpected contacts, taking turns) are important to people’s conception and categorizing of the performance, music-drama play.

Its important for the teacher to remember that play have a role in the child’s life and can contribute towards the success of the child.
 

Hey everybody!!!!!!

I must say that it a very stressful semester, eish but we will get through it. 

In study unit 2, I have learned a lot of new things and the things that catches the eyes the most were the music elements. I know some people would found this funny but I listen to music just to calm my mood or when I'm with my friends or when I'm in class and the children have music ring or when we play and they have to sing or do a rhyme, but I did not care about notes, high and low..... I have heard about that but I was not interested in to going deeper in to music because it seem to be difficult for me. 

Secondly, I loved the different music activities they used as examples. How to use music in class and integrate it in Life skills, Maths and Language and just to see how it can affect your child's development.

I would like to use and include all three in my classroom so that children can learn a wider variety of music and go back in history as to where it came from and how to use it still in today's world of age and as I've seen children are very creative nowadays so they can maybe create something new in between not to change it but to spice it up a bit.

Everytime we work through a study unit, I come to realize that music are not that difficult as I use to see it. Do not get me wrong I love music a lot but do not ask me to read notes or to sing according to the specific notes, but in this unit I have learned that it is actually not that bad. I have learned about the beat, rhythm and body percussion, etc. I have also learned about the instrument and the things I can use as instruments.

For this question, I fully agree with the activities and the content that was represented here in study unit 2. I totally loved and enjoyed the video's that they have used and I think everything were straight to the point.

Till next time!!!!!!

Part 1

I feel really, really tired!!!! I have had an hectic week with school reports and tests that needs to be done and when I arrive at home I have to do my assignments and worksheets on efundi or on paper to get it done on the laptop afterwards so that I don't fall behind and meet my deadlines. 

Part 2

For me it was super awesome to learn how much impact music have on a child as a whole, it literally develop that child from the inside out and have so much benefits that could have an positive impact or negative one on the child's future and how much they can explore through music, dance and drama with or without instruments. 

Part 3

I value this information in this study unit so much because it gives me a different perspective on how I see music and it sets out the information clearly so I can give back and interpret it in the classroom. I will have a clear indication on which aspects to focus when we are busy with music, drama, etc. I cannot wait to learn more and become completely in love with LSKM.

Hi, I'm Samantha Wehr .....from worcester in the western cape. I used to work at a creche and that is where I decided that I want to go further in education and work with kids. The reason why I have decided that I want to do foundation phase is to work with the kids just to see how amazingly they express themselves when they feel safe around you and they know that they can trust their teacher and especially how deep a child could get into your heart even when you don't have a connection with that child, you somehow build a bond with every little person in your classroom.

When I saw what LSKM really are, I literally got goosebumps because I hate singing...... I use to say to the class I will count to 3,then you start singing till one kid refused to sing until I sing along with them till now I'm still singing with my learners. My expectations for this module are to learn more and to love singing and share my knowledge with others.