First Day of Class: Creating a Safe Space

Becca, B r i a n, Danielle, Andrea, Irene, Bella, Julia C., Alex, Kyle, Laryssa, Stoni, Cameron, Cydney G., Chloe, Alyssa, Amy, Gurvan, Bob, Bradley, Jess, Lorenzo, Tate, Sydney M., Nicole, Julia M., Jared, Scott, N'kosi, Demi, Mark, Mina, Julia R., Derrik, Michaela, Megan

Even before students get to the classroom, creative teachers do an incredible amount of work.


Education and the Arts

The first day is an important day in the semester. Our class will not survive without an attempt to get to know each other and create a container for art to flourish in a free, non-judgmental, supportive and safe environment. The behaviors exercised in our class, models the kind of learning environment TAL 324 students will eventually implement when they become teachers of the creative arts.

Names

A first exercise that consumes the whole time period of this first class is learning each other's names. But it is such an important feature of this class that we could not start that first day without it. Most classes on campus do not take time to develop this kind of rapport but we believe it is essential for art makers to work in an environment where cooperation, collaboration and positive group dynamics grow as they develop the kind of interpersonal relationships needed to feel safe. and create.

The Circle

Given the limitations of our room 308A, we try to create a circle so that we all look at each other while remembering our names. The circle also allows for a non-hierarchical organization of the group right from the start. Although the course appears as a lecture, we try to make it as experiential as possible given the creative process necessary to make an arts course a viable tool in education.

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