Palmer Museum and Lion Shrine- Steph Duthie

This the artifact from our traveling day that stands out the most to me.  I had passed the Palmer Museum, where this paw and a similar one are located, countless times since my freshman year at Penn State.  I had noticed the paws before but had never taken the time to really observe them and notice them fully.  I learned that the paws have 5 “toes”, unlike one of the popular Penn State logos, which only has 4.  I also noticed that there is actually a claw and hair on each individual tow.  From a distance, I had never noticed this.  I also observed that the back of the paw was completely flat.  For some reason I imagined that the back would be more curved or round.  Another thing I found interesting was that the paws are hollow. 

This artifact acts as a great tool because the picture allows me to see some of the front of the paw and some of the back of the paw (the best of both worlds!).  It also gives a different perspective than what I am used to seeing when just simply passing by.  It can serve as a reminder that things are not always as they seem…especially from far away.  It is very helpful to get up close and personal and make real observations, as opposed to assuming that what you think you know is accurate.     

Self-Realizations

“Consciousness doesn't come automatically; it comes through being alive, awake, curious, and often furious." ~Maxine Greene

The idea of art and more specifically drawing in a classroom has far more potential than many assume. Growing up in the ‘typical’ academically driven classroom, at first glance the ideas of this week’s readings seemed radically insane. However, being able to warp the factory model of schooling with this idea of creativity is how true success is built.

Creativity is how we discover who we are, what the world holds, and what we can grow to be. By leaving time in the classroom for free art (whether it be open writing, sketching, building, creating etc.), as a teacher you can experience what past monotonous worksheets skim.  Learning about what this crazy world not only holds in store for us but how the world truly works is something that can and should be explored through creativity. By entwining drawing through the curriculum, “most work products whether they involve writing, diagrams, or other forms of representation, are more interesting and informative…” (131).  Translated? Artistic exploration in the classroom makes learning more real and enjoyable whether you like drawing or not. There are so many aspects of art that are usually overlooked. Just because one student can’t draw doesn’t mean they can’t take anything from sculpting clay or building a tower out of cardboard.

Steph commented on her own drawing abilities compared to Jaime's, saying, "I'm not very good at drawing."  However, Kris supported the idea that art comes in many shapes and forms.  Just because Steph was self-conscious of her drawing skills didn't mean that there weren't other ways that she could benefit from the activity.  In another light, Kris mentioned that there are probably some things that Jaime isn't so good at that other members of the group may compensate for.

All in all, creativity doesn't only enhance learning, but it also has the power to create learning.

Yet the question remains: how can school directed creativity create learning?

We can now all speak from first hand experience of incorporating the idea of drawing into our classroom.  I’m pretty sure today was by far everyone’s favorite class. By stepping out of the classroom—physically and metaphorically—we were able to discover a new side of learning. We were able to explore and adventure through anything that caught our eyes and there were virtually no restrictions to the possibilities in store.

Many times in a 'typical' classroom environment, creative restriction becomes a hindrance to full discovery. You learn what is necessary and stop where the assessment line is drawn. But why should this thirst for knowledge stop there? 

Growing up, self-discovery was an after school activity. One step through the big glass doors in my elementary, middle or high school and I was shuffled off into in a harsh academically competitive world.  Being able to see how truly wonderful the complete opposite of that world could be through today’s class made all the pieces fall together.

Being able to measure the lion in regards to the tallest person in the class or measuring it’s width by the entire class standing shoulder to shoulder, what (to an outsider) may have appeared to be us running wild, we were actually discovering so much more. We were given the chance to discover ourselves, our interests, our classmates, and the world around us.

Because learning truly is “an aesthetic process of self-realizations” (Maxine Greene). We were learning communication skills and cooperation and observational abilities (science), writing (documenting), math etc. etc.  We were learning, and didn’t even realize it. To top it all off, these academic skills were in addition to the "self-realizations" we were open to finding. And walking out of class today everyone couldn’t stop talking about how exciting the day was. That’s the kind of classroom you want to be in. This kind of excitement—all stemmed from sketching, drawing and creativity revolving around the Nittany Lion—is how you create motivated successful students. And slumping to the point of mid-semester, this is exactly what we all needed.