Why I'm here
A week of art and design in Colchester England LISA STEINER
What a week…from Constable country to London! Following the life of a painter, being inspired by exceptional teaching, and discovering other art teachers from all around Europe…all part of an Erasmus experience. This was a week full of insight, growth, and discovery. Day 1 – Saturday October 10, 2015 Leaving Budapest, my family and work, I felt this was a learning vacation, an opportunity that doesn’t come often with my busy life. So I was really excited when my plane landed at Stansted airport and the adventure began. I arrived in Colchester by bus and I met my host Elizabeth at the bus station. She was a charming British lady who loves to talk as much as me. She was full of stories and information and eager to share her Britishness with me. She cooked up a storm and was extremely hospitable. One night she cooked a full Christmas dinner with brandy, poppers and crackers. Even though I speak English I felt I was learning a new language because of the different words we use in America and the accent not to mention the cultural differences. Day 2 – Sunday October 11, 2015 This was the day when I connected with the other six art teachers from France, Italy, Hungary, and Slovakia. We headed to “Constable country” were we viewed places in Dedham Vale that were painted by John Constable. We had a tour of Constable’s Flatford and the mill his family owned and the place he grew up. We took a riverside walk to Dedham, and as I walked through he fields past the cows and greenery, I felt like I was strolling through one of the Constables paintings. It was inspirational to see the source of the fabulous landscape paintings he created in his lifetime. Day 3- Monday October 12, 2015 The art teachers met at a local gallery and we had a lecture about the national curriculum in art & the teaching of art in British schools. The lady leading us was the head of an art department from a local school where we would visit later in the week. She was informative and full of ideas for us. After lunch we had a Guided tour of Colchester with the absolutely entertaining guide, Eon. The afternoon was spent on a workshop with practical ideas for use in the classroom with an art teacher and trainer. It was a day full of information and new things to think about and try in the classroom. Day 4 Tuesday October 13, 2015 This day met us with a wonderful teacher who introduced us to CLIL (content and language integrated learning focusing on Art). She answered our questions and pushed us to question and understand our teaching methods. We had a short lunch break and hopped over to the culture center to see an exhibit of local artists of all ages. What a wonderful way to get a feel for the community of Colchester. After some practical hands on work with how to use CLIL, we had a discussion and sharing time of our student’s artwork and lessons we have taught in our schools. Day 5 Wednesday October 14, 2015 On this day we traveled out of Colchester to have an educational visit to London by rail. We visited the Tate modern international and contemporary art museum in the morning. A guide from the museum education department led us on an interactive tour with sketching and explanations and ideas of how to use the gallery for art education. Then we transferred by boat to the Tate Britain where we were engulfed in British art from 16th -21sst century. We had a look at Constables paintings as well as Turner. Seeing the work of Constable in the Gallery was very meaningful after spending a day in the place that inspired it’s creation. After the museum visits we got a bite to eat and then headed to see War Horse, a theater show. This was an outstanding performance of puppetry and a wonderful heartfelt story. Day 6 Thursday October 15, 2015 This was a day that I completely enjoyed. We visited a secondary school and observed art lessons and had discussions with the teachers. It was a chance to see how someone else does the same job I do and ask questions, see what is different, and what was better and gain insight and ideas to take home to my own classroom. Brightingsea was an amazing school, the art department exceptional. After we left the school we walked down to the sea and later that night we visited a pub with a local band singing. Day 7 Friday October 16, 2015 On this day we traveled to London again by rail. We went to the Courtauld Institute of art and had a workshop on using the gallery for art education. After this we visited the National Gallery and checked out the western European paintings from the 13th -19th centuries. We listened to a concert and enjoyed the sounds of the century while viewing the art of the times. Looking at the paintings of Dedham Vale, by Constable was a highlight for me. To see the Hay Wain painting that is almost 200 years old and putting it with the memory of the visit to the place it was painted made me realize what a special untouched place it has become. I sat in front of the painting to soak it into my memory and also to use the free wifi of this century to check my Ipad for emails because Elizabeth my wonderful homestay host had no computer…let alone Internet. Day 8 Saturday October 17, 2015 By this time our group of seven had bonded and we decided to all visit Cambridge together on the last Saturday of our adventure. So we set off by rail to a city full of absolutely gorgeous old buildings. There was a real scholarly feel here because of all the colleges. I felt like Harry Potter may be walking behind me. Some of us visited the Fitzwilliam Museum and our eyes were rewarded with the delights of the works of famous painters we hadn’t seen before. I found the ceramic exhibit splendid and spent a good deal of time examining a fantastic collection and by the end wanting to throw a pot on my potter’s wheel. Day 9 Sunday October 18, 2015 This day was spent saying good-bye to Elizabeth, shopping for some last minute things at a true English Tesco, and flying back to my boys in Budapest. I missed home and was ready to return. In a week I had discovered many new things, gained an enormous amount of insight, made some great new art teacher friends, and I think grew as a person, teacher, and artist. A week well spent. Thank you for everyone who helped me so that this was possible. Now after looking back at the week, I am beginning my work on using what I have gained to create an online gallery of student artwork were teachers can communicate and share student artwork and ideas, teacher workshops on using art in every classroom, as well as using art workshops to help teachers bridge the gap and build up the team at my school…The International School of Budapest. |
Highlights of Colchester |
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With the support of the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union.
"The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein."
"The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein."