Comments for Teachers Number 3- Dr. Paige Vitulli

Dr. Paige Vitulli, a professor at the University of South Alabama and an advocate of arts in the classroom, posted a blog post on her blog about mask making. She explains that through mask making, and art in general, students can learn many subjects, such as social studies and history! Mask are found all over the world, from a variety of cultures, so students will be able to explore the many cultures of the world, which, in my opinion, can teach the students lessons on character. I am currently a student in Dr. Vitulli's class, and I just made my mask. I can honestly say that I will do this project with my class one day because of the variety and depth of lesson plans that can be taught through this activity. I responded to Dr. Vitulli and explained to how much I enjoyed this project and her blog post, but also how I enjoy the use of art in classrooms.

Hello Dr. Vitulli! Although I am in your EDU 301 class, I am responding to this blog post for Dr. Strange's EDM 310. I love all of the lessons that can be taught by the use of mask making. I have learned many new teaching techniques by being in your class, and I hope to learn even more as this semester concludes. Art, especially mask-making, allows students to research, but also to be creative. As teachers, it is our responsibility to allow our students to be creative, because that is how they learn. Thanks for sharing! If you are interested as to what I am learning in Dr. Strange's class, follow my blog- longmeganedm310.blogspot.com.

On International Dot Day, Dr. Vitulli allowed her undergraduate and graduate students to make quilts! International Dot Day is inspired by Peter H. Reynold's book "The Dot", a story about how one dot can turn into a collection of art pieces, simply because a child gains confidence and courage. Her students designed on square of paper using crayons then crumpled the paper several times to create a fabric texture. The class, then, connected the squares to create a quilt. This is a great lesson that can be taught in the elementary classroom! I explained how much I enjoyed reading about this activity.

"I love the quit making idea! Ever since you have read "The Dot" to our class, I have been purchasing books similar for my future classroom. This book is so inspirational, and so many lessons can be learned and taught from it, especially in an elementary classroom. The process is so much more important than the product and this book teaches it!"