08/27/14

The Rennie Collection & “What Is Art?”

  1. I have always been focused on the sciences, and am not much of an artist. I think that art is something that is created for some purpose, such as displaying beauty or sharing a certain idea or message.
  2. Based on what I described ‘art’ as in the previous question, I do believe that if an artists calls a piece of work ‘art’, it would be considered art. However, there would be limitations to this situation. For example, based on my description of what art is, there should be some sort of meaning behind the piece of artwork. The artist would be able to explain the significance of the piece in some sort of way. In contrast, a person can take a piece of trash and call it art, but only if there is some significance behind this action that turns the piece of trash into a meaningful piece of art.
  3. One piece of the Rodney Graham exhibit that I really enjoyed was “Introductory Lectures”, the red piece that was in the first room of the exhibit. The bright red of the shelf was very eye-catching in the bare room, and aesthetically pleasing because of the mathematical dimensions of the different sections. The subtle comedy of the ‘Freudian Slip’ was also very witty. Although I didn’t really understand the purpose of the piece at first, after listening to Alexandra speak about Graham and his background I was able to understand the significance of the piece.One piece that I did not understand completely, even after listening to an explanation, was the performance piece at the very end of the gallery, “Throwing Potatoes at a Gong”. I could understand how Graham attempted to insert himself and his art into the 1970s by using mediums that made his artwork appear like they were from that time period, but I just could not understand the significance of throwing potatoes at the gong. Was he simply just trying to juxtapose the absurdity of the act and the serenity that is usually associated with the sound of a gong?
08/27/14

Did You Know?

I’ve seen the “Do You Know?” video before, although it was probably an older version, not the 2014 version that we watched in class today. Every time, it’s always a surprise to see the astonishingly large numbers that they present. It’s overwhelming to think about at how fast of a pace everything in the world is changing, and how something that I learned just a few years ago is already irrelevant now, or that some of the most popular jobs today didn’t exist just a decade ago.

This kind of information could possibly cause a lot of people to feel anxious about the future and what will happen in just a few years, but I’d like to take an optimistic approach and think that this only means that options and opportunities are limitless. Life is a constant learning process, and I can’t wait to see what great things people can come up with.

08/26/14

Roles in an IB Education

  1. The role of an educator is to be empathetic, and to care about the education and well-being of their students. Good educators aim to find a balance between being an authoritative figure in the classroom, and being someone who students are comfortable speaking to. A good educator will be passionate about their subject area, and carry out engaging lessons that make students ask questions and want to learn more.
  2. The role of the student is to synthesize the information that their teachers present to them. More importantly, the role of the student is to ask questions and not just simply accept information that is given to them.
  3. As a teacher, the IBDP education is significant because it allows the teachers to grow along with their students, and challenges the teachers to continuously update their own knowledge to keep up with the pace of the changing world and new students. An IBDP education is significant for students because they are not expected to simply absorb the different subjects they enrol in. Students are taught how to learn, and they are also given direction and guidance that helps them to develop life skills that will hopefully allow them to become more successful later in their educations.
08/25/14

Becoming an IB Educator

The IB Programme orientation today was definitely a refresher about what the IB diploma programme was all about, and it brought back a lot of memories of what my own experience with it was like. However, I also learned a lot of different things that I did not know about IB prior to the orientation.

I had previously heard about the MYP programme before, but this was the first I had ever heard about the PYP programme. It was interesting to learn about the different aspects of each, and about how they are designed to cultivate creativity and individuality in students.

Prior to going through the orientation, I had initially only thought of teaching IB as creating another opportunity to find a job, or to teach overseas; however, my perspective has slightly changed. After listening to the different coordinators and IB teachers speak about their experiences with teaching IB and working with the students, it seems like a great opportunity to support students in their curiosity for learning. In my experiences tutoring, it was always rewarding to see my students have that “A-ha” moment when they finally understood a difficult task or were starting to actually become interested in a topic. I really want to be able to experience that on a larger scale, with a class full of students who are engaged and excited to learn more that what is required of them.

I am really excited to start learning about how to become a better teacher. Although it’s definitely going to take a lot of hard work, I will try my best!