My personal history with, and passion for jewellery-making and teaching are what initially sparked my inquiries. I wondered how this adaptable skill could be beneficial for my future students and career. There are three categories in which I will present this intersection of creation and education throughout this inquiry project: my personal connection to the craft, how that connection relates to teaching, and ideas for applied learning in the classroom. I have created a guideline for myself to reference in future blog posts—focusing on why I chose jewellery-making. Why is jewellry making a valuable skill for a future elementary teacher to acquire?
photo created on DALL • E
As someone who loves all kinds of art, the inspiration I’ve felt in making jewellery is unlike any other medium I’ve tried, there’s a nearly endless amount of pieces I can, and already want to make.
“Art” is a very broad term, although I find this defines my inquiry project, rather than just accessorizing. The process is always more enjoyable than admiring the final product. Jewellery-making is a wonderful medium of self-expression and artistic exploration. There are no limits on what materials or colours you can utilize, or what shapes you can create—you are not confined by a square canvas! Making jewellery is a gratifying experience because it is inherently designed to be displayed as wearable art. The ability to wear my creations helps build my confidence and affirms my creativity.
The reasons I find this pursuit personally fulfilling are easily transferable to an elementary classroom setting. From building connections and memories with family and friends to telling a story through the materials I use, jewellery making is suitable for all ages and skill levels. It can be difficult to achieve emotional connection with individual students in a full classroom. Doing a group activity such as jewellery making can make it easier to get to know them, and open up conversations outside of exclusively school-related subjects. Everyone has a story to tell, whether that be a personal memory or a mnemonic device related to a lesson or concept we learned. Making a wearable, personalized piece of art connects kinetic, hands-on learning with understanding over memorization. Going beyond this, I would love to encourage all kinds of creativity as a means of building confidence, patience, and resilience in all of my future students!
photo from mini mad things, featuring an inexpensive necklace project!
As the educational environment continues to evolve, elementary teachers are exploring innovative approaches to engage young students, while implementing creative, meaningful learning into the curriculum. Jewellery making is one of many methods that can be used to foster imagination while unveiling a spectrum of educational benefits! A simplified version of this craft can be included in a lesson as a means to enhance creativity in teaching, as well as teach fine motor skills, patience, organization, planning, and much more. Planning the piece you’d like to make, and choosing colours and shapes, is another method of teaching good organization—such as using their agendas to plan the day. Since jewellery making requires focus and precision, this can be a quiet activity for students to pick up if they have finished class work.
photo created on DALL • E
Facilitating interdisciplinary connections between the subject matter and a creative task is a wonderful way to encourage understanding, rather than repetitive studying, worksheets, or memorization. Of course, writing with a pencil on paper is essential in the classroom, however, if broadening the spectrum of learning with base ten blocks or chips can be used in mathematics, there are essentially limitless kinetic methods we can bring into the classroom! Jewellery-making involves elements of mathematics (especially in measurement and geometric shapes), social studies (considering cultural and historical influences), and even science (when understanding material properties). An educator with skills in jewellery-making, or other creative fields, can integrate these interdisciplinary connections into their curriculum, providing a better understanding of various concepts more enjoyably and imaginatively.
I will be exploring these thoughts further throughout my inquiry project, experimenting with a number of pieces, all with a different creative focus in mind. I have several projects lined up, and my next post will be focused on a lanyard I created for my Wednesday Link2Practice teaching experience!