Arts Integration in Education Essay Example For Students

Arts Integration in Education Essay Paying for Performance Making Content Connections Through Arts Integration Willing M. Sloan Dwindling school resources, as well as pressure to meet the demands Of the NO Child Left Behind Act, have led many schools to narrow the curriculum, leaving behind arts instruction. But, through carefully designed integrated curricula, educators can still provide students with arts education. In the united States, some schools and districts have had to let go Of visual art, music, dance, and drama instructors due to shrinking budgets. At the same time. Administrators moan the fact that they can no longer find room in the school day for classes outside of core content areas because so much time must be spent preparing students for standardized state assessments. Despite these woes, arts education advocates argue that while teaching art for arts sake is certainly beneficial for all students, studies also show that participating in the arts can actually boost student achievement in other academic areas. Therefore, arts groups are partnering with schools to provide professional development tort teachers interested in integrating arts instruction across content areas, Making the Connection Between the Arts and the Brain In 2004, the Dana Arts and Cognition Consortium assembled neuroscience from seven US. Universities to study how arts training can enhance academic performance. The findings, detailed in Learning, Arts, and the Brain, The Dana Consortium Report on Arts and Cognition (2008), show that young people interested in doing art?studying and performing music, dance, and drama ?may also demonstrate increased motivation to learn in other subject areas, which leads to improved cognition. Learning to play a musical instrument can also have a significant impact on students, according to the study. Learning, Arts, and the Brain shows that music training can bolster young peoples memorization skills, providing them with the ability to manipulate information in both working and long-term memory. Music training can also help children make gains in math and reading classes. For example. The study noted links between childrens practice of music and skills in geometrical representation and correlations between music training and both reading acquisition and sequence learning. Because, as research shows, music and arts training can elf students in other academic areas, educators are finding creative ways to integrate arts instruction into a variety of classes. Arts integration curriculum design gives all students?not just those identified as gifted and talented ? the opportunity to express their creativity and to learn critical-thinking, problem-solving, and innovation skills , gut sometimes integrating art into the curriculum is easier said than done. Developing and implementing a curriculum that meaningfully integrates arts instruction (and meets identified standards) requires a great deal of professional development and planning, collaboration, ND teamwork among educators Schools Arts Integration Using arts-integrated instruction and incorporating Howard Gardeners theory of multiple intelligences, the At Schools model combines interdisciplinary teaching and daily arts instruction, offering children opportunities to learn through all the ways in which they are able, the Schools Web site explains. Based at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (LING), the A+ Schools program was established in North Carolina in 1995, and now there are 42 Schools across the state. Gerry Howell, executive director of the Schools program, argues that many subjects have gotten left behind due to UNCLES narrow focus. But through the A* Schools reform model, students learn rich content, master skills and standards, and still engage in fun and exciting arts instruction that enhances their understanding of content. Howell says arts instruction supports the A* Schools philosophy of educating the whole child: Our view is that the arts honor and support the needs of the whole child and they support the natural ways that children learn. When a school applies to be part of the program, staff must undergo a three-year training process. Howell says schools should set as their goal to have tour art teachers?visual art, dance, theater, and music?and form partnerships with local artists and art organizations, agencies, and councils that can enrich classroom instruction. Sir Gawain And The Green Knight EssayStudents investigate, interact, and reflect on issues directly through dramatic conceptualized experiences provided in the classroom, explains Lisa Citron, the programs founder and executive director. The plays deal With tough questions close to home, about life in the Old West and their own families and schools, then and now. To train teachers to use the (Out)Laws Justice curriculum, the organization leads a five-day institute for classroom teachers and teaching artists, in which participants learn to integrate the necessary content, teach drama skills, and work with reluctant students to help them take ownership of their learning. Teachers learn to guide students to do the thinking talking, decision making, and problem solving, all the while keeping clear learning outcomes in mind, says Citron. Pushing Past the Paper The benefits of arts instruction cannot be measured by standardized tests, but dents can certainly use the skills they gain in areas outside tot the arts. If the point is to increase students academic achievement, then providing a rich, creative curriculum will serve that end. Statistical research ( Americans for the Arts) indicates young people who participate in the arts are four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement, perform community service, participate in math and science fairs, and win writing awards, and three times more likely to win school attendance awards, says Dean. Integrating the arts just may help to keep students interested and involved.