Blog Two--Arts in Education
We have read information about the ways students learn (Gardner, Howard--Multiple Intelligences). Read the following interview, reflect on the information and opinions there and on your own experiences with the arts in school. In times of money crunches, the Arts almost always 'take a hit'--in other words, art/music/ theatre programs are often cut from the curriculum to save money. Some schools have integrated art into the various curricula (math, social studies) partly as a stop gap measure, but also because children learn in different ways. 
Do you like "art" projects in math (tessellations), art history in world civ, etc.? What about music? Where do you think music could be used in the curricula to benefit student learning? I am passionate about the arts, but not all educators are. What do you think about teaching "art for art's sake." Should the fine arts stand alone in a school's educational program?
Delisio, Ellen R. "Putting Arts in the (everyday) picture," 2009.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/chat/chat129.shtml
Due: Sunday, March 18, 2012 by 11:59 p.m.
posted by Cheri Anderson @ 6:00 AM
6 comments
6 Comments:
I personally think that art is an amazing tool used in schools. I was completely shocked when I read that the arts are usually the first things cut when money is tight. Although I am not very good at art myself, I enjoy expressing myself and being creative through art projects. I think that some students actually learn better when they work on visual art projects for certain classes. All students should be able to express themselves in school besides working on worksheets and reading books. Also, I think a great tool for learning in Elementary school is learning songs. The students can transform the material they need to learn and study into a catchy song that they will remember. In general, I think music is extremely important to learning because it has been connected to brain development so many times.
You said in your comments that you were passionite about the arts, I am that times 10. The arts are a learning way in their own. Music, art, and theater all can be intergrated into every area of studies. i know that will not be the perfect way for every child but i think it touches enough to help everyone. Music is shown to help in math, theater in history, and art in science. I personally enjoy when teacher shelp out with that stuff. It really involeve students into a lesson in a different way then sitting and just listening.
I think that art should definitely be a part of the curriculum. It makes me sad when I hear of schools that have to cut the arts classes. I think that other classes should use art to teach because it can be very useful. Like in my math class, we had a project to build a plane and plot points on it. It was an enjoyable experience while we learned about math. I think that the arts are good for kids because it is fun. Some classes are difficult for students, but they can always have fun in an art or music class. I would be so upset if arts were taken away from schools.
I think arts are a necessity in school. Without arts, students wouldn't be able to be creative and have imagination. Math and english and science and social studies are all great subjects and need to be taught but students need variety and ways to be creative as well. I think it is a great idea to incorporate arts into these subjects. I remember in grade school making songs and jingles to help remember rules in math and english. Just a simple thing like that made learning so much more fun and incorporated music into the lessons. I think arts should definitely remain an important aspect in school.
By adding creative projects or class activities, the teacher will definitely be spicing up class and getting the students' attention. Music was important to me in grade school. My older siblings were both is marching band and had been in band since grade school. At OLG, I missed class to go to band because there wasn't "time" for it in the schedule. The school really didn't even care about the students who were intersted in music beyond the concepts of beats and melodies. At St. Barnabas, I had to skip part of class, all of lunch and recess to go to band in a humid attic of the school. Again, the school didn't consider band important. You never heard anything about the band. Just sports. We were never recognized for out ISSMA or any kind of musical achievements. We were ignored and tossed to the side. Arts allows those interested to succeed and others to explore and find something that interests them. By making them poorly funded and recognized, schools are ensuring the limiting of students' interests in arts.
Any student that is allowed to show off their artistic skills in a class for a project loves to do so. Instead of the regular boring class, add art to make the class more appealing. Being crafty in the classroom is a big plus and will keep the kids focused on the assignment or project. At St. Barnabas, my 6 grade teacher would make up jingles to help us remember things in English. I really wish we did that in high school because we would have fun with it! I was in choir at Roncalli and i loved that it is a class that anyone can take. It allows people to show off their talents.
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