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CC Marsh (2014) [Video file] Retrieved from
https://www.flickr.com/photos/thedreamrocket
/15767221368/in/photolist-q2i8Ah
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When I say the words ‘art
education’ what do people immediately think of? Perhaps drawing, painting, or
dance? But these shallow interpretations are only a small possibility of what arts
education could be; in reality it is increasingly complex. The purpose of
integration is to take a specialized and segregated subject like arts education
and promote dynamic pathways of interdisciplinary teaching and learning that
connects art to other subject areas (LaJevic, 2013). Art can be used as a way
to make meaning of the world, promote high levels of student learning, and can
stimulate creativity and self-expression (LaJavic, 2013).
Although
teachers are beginning to explore collaborative and digital learning, the
majority of teachers still continue to rely on textbooks and supplemental
workbooks for subjects such as math, science, language arts, and social studies
(La Jevic, 2013). While textbooks can be utilized as a resource, the lessons
often become mundane. Arts should not serve the purpose of filling in the empty
time throughout the day, but rather should be incorporated into the components
of lesson planning (LaJevic, 2013). For example, teachers often ask their
students to cut snowflakes in the winter time as decorations for their
classrooms, but what they often forget to mention is how this snowflake
represents symmetry, an essential component of geometry or science in
connection to different states of matter. In this example, the arts were
considered an activity rather than a way of thinking or knowing which
contributes to the devaluation of arts integration (LaJevic, 2013). That being
said, arts integration is not easy, and it requires a level of skill and
understanding that not all teachers currently possess. Since arts’ teaching was
not a formal part of their own education, teaching about the arts can create
uncertainty, making arts integration an intimidating task (LaJevic, 2013). Assuming
that teachers understand art from different cultures, that they feel confident
teaching them effectively, and that teachers know how to encourage students to
explore the arts are dangerous assumptions because it does not take into
account the diverse backgrounds of each teacher (LaJevic, 2013).
This topic is personally meaningful to me because I went to an integrated arts high school, so I am familiar with the concept of arts integration and how successful it can be if employed correctly. Erik Stern and Karl Schaffer’s MathDance is an excellent example of taking elements of the arts in order to ‘spice up’ an ordinarily boring exercise like counting the number of possible outcomes to a problem. Instead of simply asking the students how many ways they can form a handshake, they ask the students to model their answers and compile them into a dance.
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CC Maki Maya (2013) [Video file] Retrieved from
https://www.flickr.com/photos/therightbraininitiative/
10482011575/in/photolist-gYg3Rv
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Chemi (2014) does an excellent job of describing the current dilemma of Arts education. In this metaphor she describes art education as the whipped cream on the schools metaphorical pie. While whipped cream certainly makes the pie more attractive and more delicious some would argue that it is not absolutely essential, and should therefore be omitted from a truly healthy diet. If arts are like whipped cream, then what healthy foods would academic subjects correspond to? In this example, academic subjects were likened to rye bread; a food with rich nutrition that is suitable for everyday consumption, yet it is often bland in taste (Chemi, 2014). Chemi (2014) calls for a new recipe to be developed, one that integrates enjoyment and purpose; perhaps rye bread pudding with whipped cream! We can see real-life examples of this concept in both Susan Riley and Jane Fung’s blogs where arts integration is present in the classroom.
In real life there are no
distinct boundaries between academic subjects but rather they are intertwined.
Arts integration celebrates the rhizomatic overlapping qualities between
subjects and approaches education as a whole. Educators must be willing to get
lost and welcome the uncertainties that arts education brings in order to
develop creative and exciting curricular and pedagogical possibilities
(LaJevic, 2013).
References:
Chemi, T. (201). The Artful Teacher: A Conceptual Model for Arts
Integration in Schools. The
National Art Education
Association Studies in Art Education: A
Journal of Issues and Research, 56(1),
383-3370.
Drake, S., Reid, J., & Kolohon,
W. (2014). Interweaving
Curriculum and Classroom Assessment: Engaging the 21st-
Century
Learner (pp. 6-8). Don Mills: Oxford University Press
Fung, J. (2013, May 17). What You Can Do When the Arts are Missing from
Your Elementary School. In Tch:
TeachingChannel. Retrieved October 6,
2015, from https://www.teachingchannel.org/blog/2013/05/17/arts-integration/
LaJevic, L. (2013). Arts Integration: What is Really Happening in the
Elementary Classroom? Journal
for Learning
through the Arts, 9(1), 1-30.
LaJevic, L. (2013). The lost and found space of the arts in education. International Journal of Education
through
Art, 9(1),
41-54. doi:10.1386/eta.9.1.41_1
Riley, S. (2012, November 30). Use Arts Integration to Enhance Common
Core. In Edutopia: What works
in
Education. Retrieved October 6,
2015, from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/core-practices-arts-integration-susan-riley
Stern, E., & Schaffer, K. (Actor). (2012). Math Dance [Online video]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ws2y-cGoWqQ
Hi Megan!
ReplyDeleteYour blog was insightful for me to read because I had never really thought in depth about how arts could be integrated into different parts of the classroom. I agree with the notion that arts shouldn't serve the purpose of just wasting time in the classroom, but could be an amazing tool that sparks excitement and interest into the students!
It's great to know that your experience in an arts integrated high school was a positive one because I think if more people see how successfully arts integrated schools work, that it will hopefully become a commonplace within regular schools!
The only thing I believe that you could really add to your blog and expand on is various examples of how different factions of art, such as music, visual arts, drama, and dance, could be implemented in various ways for different subjects.
My main question with this approach is: how would a teacher decide what aspect of art to use in order to ensure the best learning environment for their classroom?
I think exploring ideas of how teachers can implement arts effectively into the classroom can provide a much deeper understanding of how to create an arts integrated class.
Overall, I think your blog addresses an extremely unique form of teaching that definitely needs to be explored more since I think it could have an extremely positive impact on the classroom environment and bring a whole new dimension to the resources teachers can use to teach their students.
- Christina
Wow great post Megan!
ReplyDeleteI was so interested if in your discussion of the importance integrating arts into the classroom. We can see even in today's educational curriculum that in most schools, there is only allotted a small portion of time for arts because it is seen as less important to other subjects such as science or math. Myself being a very artistic person found that in school that I did not have the opportunity to fully express my interest in art class because it was such a short time frame. I think yourself attending a art's integrated school really gives you a inside perspective on how using the arts can be such a creative way of teaching students rather than a traditional classroom settings. I believe that asking students to interpret a math lesson learned for example into a dance or a some sort of clapping is a great unique way for students to critically think, and problem solve. My only concern for this type of learning being integrated into the classroom would be is if all children would find this to be their best way of learning? Some children, unlike myself, learn better when they are given books to read and just simply remember facts. Whereas I am a visual and auditory learning, so I would excel in this type of teaching. I think your blog brings up some very insightful points of bringing back the arts into our classroom learning, and understanding its multiple uses. You really gave a personal and insightful perspective on the benefits of incorporating this type of learning in the classroom which made your blog pleasant to read. As a future teacher, would you find ways to implement this type of teaching in your classroom and in which ways?
Awesome blog!
- Sarah
Megan,
ReplyDeleteThis was a great blog post and thank you for sharing your experiences with art education. Art integration in the classroom is such an important topic and I’m glad you highlighted the significance of this in your blog. I believe integrated arts education is very important, but it’s a shame that schools are mainly focusing on language arts, math and science. Reflecting on my elementary school experience art was usually taught as a separate subject and the only time it was integrated into other subjects was when we had to create title pages for units in science, social studies and French. I agree with you that art can stimulate creativity, promote student learning and can be used as a method for interdisciplinary teaching. I believe arts can be taught in so many subject areas and using drama in education can make lessons more interesting and engaging for students. My question for you is, how can educators use art education to engage students that are not particularly interested in the arts? Would art integration be effective for students that prefer traditional methods of teaching? Overall, I really enjoyed reading your blog and like how you used academic sources to support your argument. Excellent post!
- Michelle