Transfer of Learning and Teaching Practices
Since I was a child, I like to draw and paint. The art-making process itself is enriching. There is always a new discovery each time I paint. Even though I haven't become an artist, an art teacher, or enrolled myself at NAFA or Lasalle College, I still set aside time and money to hone my skills. My preferred medium is pastel and charcoal painting .
Picture from https://www.slideshare.net/suehaina1/transfer-of-learning-46886334
Whatever concepts I have acquired in the arts, I can easily transfer them into Language Learning and Teaching. For instance, outlining the shapes and determining the focal point in artwork is likened to planning the essay and identifying the topic sentence in each paragraph. Having a working knowledge of the Visual Arts has certainly enhanced my teaching Visual Literacy skills to my young students, who have to tackle Graphic Stimulus Comprehension in their EL exams. In this age, the students must develop their ability to do 'transfer of learning'.
More about that in the future posts.
Recently, I chanced upon a studio in one of the HDB heartlands,
The studio is called 'Sasha & Lulu', a new studio that is located in the western part of Singapore. It is a bright and spacious studio, fully-equipped with all the necessary art tools.
The art teacher assigned to me is Ms Nish. A pastor's daughter of mixed parentage (Chinese and Indian), Ms Nish is a young, vibrant and passionate artist. She has the gift of using analogies, similes and metaphors to break down complex artistic concepts for her students.
Ms Nish and I
"Imagine the cloud is sitting on an invisible table." That's the latest metaphor from her.
Under her guidance, I have been working with a different medium: acrylic. Initially, I was not comfortable with it. Gradually, I learn to "play" with different colours without the stress of thinking I must get it right. Yes, think-out-of-the-box!
"House on the Rock", Acrylic Painting by Te-O (2017)
"Peonies", Acrylic Painting by Te-O (2017)
