Video: Kortney Kosheluk shares her experience of hosting elementary students from Regina schools as they viewed The Witness Blanket, part of Kortney’s Education Social Studies 317 coursework.

Kortney says, “I learned a lot from the Witness Blanket, not only from learning about it, but also from helping students learn from it. At first I was sad that it would be leaving the university, but I realized that just because it is gone does not have to mean that people cannot learn from it. It can live on in the others that saw it…So even though it seems like my journey with the Witness Blanket has come to an end, it is not really an ending. It is a beginning for me and my first experience teaching students about residential schools.”

Kortney’s blog can be found at https://kortney23.wordpress.com/

On February 13, the ECS 312 Arts Education students organized and performed a Valentine’s Day show for the residents at Wascana Rehabilitation Center. (See video above) The key focus was on the importance of giving back to the community as well as helping future teachers think about and prepare for taking their own students out to a venue to share presentations from each of the Arts Ed strands. Together we discussed in our class concepts such as preparing students for an audience such as this, how to help students with their performances, the enriched learning that occurs during field trips, and students’ awareness of the Arts community in which they live.

The students opened and closed with a group musical number. Some performed individual singing/musical instrumental pieces. Others worked in small groups to tap dance, perform a poetic reading with dramatization, perform with technological applications, and dance responsively to different eras of music. The students planned their contributions to the show collaboratively. This was a very rewarding experience. The following are some quotes from the reflections our Arts Ed students:

“The performance at Wascana was a wonderful learning experience, which gave me many wonderful ideas for my future students.” ~Amanda Moisuk

“Our ECS312 class performance at the Wascana Rehab Centre was a great experience. It helped me as a performer to step outside of my comfort zone, but what is more important, it helped me as teacher and performance coordinator to witness and experience the planning and preparation processes that goes into a concert like this.” ~Christopher Merk

“Thinking about ways to talk about generosity is in a way very easily explained but very difficult to live out, especially as a group. Realistically, our society is not about giving back, it’s more about taking.” ~Alex Lohnes

“Students learn the importance of being an active part of the community- someone who is concerned with others and is trying to bring joy to people who need it. Doing kind acts makes you feel good. It’s that simple. Programs and performances such as this allow people to experience what doing a good deed feels like.” ~Amy Koskie

“After this experience I have decided, as a teacher, I would make it a ritual to expose my students to people in need. This would make them responsible and sensitive towards their community. This will change children’s perspective not only to focus on themselves but others in the community.” ~Roxan McAtee