Summary of first week
This week seemed really long for some reason. I got familiarized with kids and their ways of working.
I figured there are three kinds of kids in this group.
First: those who were not very interested in doing embroidery but they have to do it because they have been put in this course.
Second: there are kids who really want to do embroidery but they struggle with conceptual thinking, the exercises and the practice of embroidery, they take time to do work but they try and keep themselves going.
Third: kids who are very interested and are good with conceptual thinking and embroidery but they lack visualization power. Theyfinish their work, which is a good thing.
I have been very frustrated, stressed, worried to see these kids that they have not been able to draw naturally. They think so much about the correct line and the wrong line.
All of them draw the same visuals? Some of them don’t think that it is their own work (issue of ownership). When they try to explain their work, they parrot what they hear from others in the class. (Issue of conformity) They are not free. I see some of them struggling and some of them taking things for granted (the first level of coming to grips with challenges in learning just like students of art and design everywhere?). I am learning about myself while working with these children. I am questioning my own understanding of learners and my own methods of facilitating them more and more.
Do I need to expect anything from these kids?
What is this Summer Camp about?
Do I keep my emotions and reactions aside while working with them?
There are so many things that I want to work out with them and everyday I discover new things that should be worked on with these kids, for instance how am I to break the methodology that has become so structured which is making their thinking limited.
How do I work on principles of design with them? I discovered that Nandini and Suvarna are motivated to learn and are good with conceptualization but when it comes to using colors, they have very little sensibility? Sometimes when you try to work well, you try to do much and add so much that it loses its essence. That is what is happening with them.
There are so many things that I want to tell them, but time restricts me and it irritates me. I know I need to make the best use of time and plan well and try to do what is possible to achieve in any given time. I know a lot can be achieved; I just need to plan better.
There is a huge gap in the thinking levels of the children. I wonder how there is such a huge gap. What are the reasons? The immediate need is to help them expand their minds in terms of conceptualization and visualization which I am finding tougher to do as it is difficult to mould their minds and it takes time. They need to observe more closely the things around them and ask more questions that come from their own curiosity and not as a standard response but they don’t do it. There is also a need to get them to use what they learn more intensively as they do not connect the learning’s from one activity to another (issue of interconnections).
Tools like graph paper which enables them to do geometric designs more easily or if they are asked to use art and design devices like only wavy lines in different ways to give a different feel to what they are seeking to articulate, the use of cut-paper snowflakes which holds a surprise element as they don’t know what design will be created by cutting paper in different ways. It is only after understanding some basics that they can use, for instance, paper snowflakes to do appliqué work, embroidery work, and printing. These tools can be used any point of time to come up with designs but it will not make sense if these tools/learnings are not been used.
It is easy to just show them a skill or teach. But they need to discuss more, share more, read more, see more, do more and do more faster.
This week seemed really long for some reason. I got familiarized with kids and their ways of working.
I figured there are three kinds of kids in this group.
First: those who were not very interested in doing embroidery but they have to do it because they have been put in this course.
Second: there are kids who really want to do embroidery but they struggle with conceptual thinking, the exercises and the practice of embroidery, they take time to do work but they try and keep themselves going.
Third: kids who are very interested and are good with conceptual thinking and embroidery but they lack visualization power. Theyfinish their work, which is a good thing.
I have been very frustrated, stressed, worried to see these kids that they have not been able to draw naturally. They think so much about the correct line and the wrong line.
All of them draw the same visuals? Some of them don’t think that it is their own work (issue of ownership). When they try to explain their work, they parrot what they hear from others in the class. (Issue of conformity) They are not free. I see some of them struggling and some of them taking things for granted (the first level of coming to grips with challenges in learning just like students of art and design everywhere?). I am learning about myself while working with these children. I am questioning my own understanding of learners and my own methods of facilitating them more and more.
Do I need to expect anything from these kids?
What is this Summer Camp about?
Do I keep my emotions and reactions aside while working with them?
There are so many things that I want to work out with them and everyday I discover new things that should be worked on with these kids, for instance how am I to break the methodology that has become so structured which is making their thinking limited.
How do I work on principles of design with them? I discovered that Nandini and Suvarna are motivated to learn and are good with conceptualization but when it comes to using colors, they have very little sensibility? Sometimes when you try to work well, you try to do much and add so much that it loses its essence. That is what is happening with them.
There are so many things that I want to tell them, but time restricts me and it irritates me. I know I need to make the best use of time and plan well and try to do what is possible to achieve in any given time. I know a lot can be achieved; I just need to plan better.
There is a huge gap in the thinking levels of the children. I wonder how there is such a huge gap. What are the reasons? The immediate need is to help them expand their minds in terms of conceptualization and visualization which I am finding tougher to do as it is difficult to mould their minds and it takes time. They need to observe more closely the things around them and ask more questions that come from their own curiosity and not as a standard response but they don’t do it. There is also a need to get them to use what they learn more intensively as they do not connect the learning’s from one activity to another (issue of interconnections).
Tools like graph paper which enables them to do geometric designs more easily or if they are asked to use art and design devices like only wavy lines in different ways to give a different feel to what they are seeking to articulate, the use of cut-paper snowflakes which holds a surprise element as they don’t know what design will be created by cutting paper in different ways. It is only after understanding some basics that they can use, for instance, paper snowflakes to do appliqué work, embroidery work, and printing. These tools can be used any point of time to come up with designs but it will not make sense if these tools/learnings are not been used.
It is easy to just show them a skill or teach. But they need to discuss more, share more, read more, see more, do more and do more faster.
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