Arts Integration Advantages

So which is best? Integrating the arts into classrooms is a relatively new idea. It is also being pushed for by scholars that want change in the education system. There are many benefits towards integration in the classroom. Music, dance, art, movement, and

The pairing of arts integration in the classrooms and a structured arts rich learning environment is the most effective way for students to fully express their creativity and to thrive in academic studies; but, even though using both tactics is the best way, it is not used as often as the majority of school systems place a greater importance on standardized testing based subjects. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts stated that the integration of the arts is “an approach to teaching where the students can construct and demonstrate an understanding through the usage of an art form.” This “approach” engages the students in a way that builds their creative processes and connects the subjects together more cohesively. This cohesion is why arts integration is of importance for the schools systems, which have increased scores, and the students, which not only enjoy their education but also learn and understand more

Next, expectant attitude will be addressed. As for my thoughts on the willingness to learn new things, I believe that it is extremely significant. A quote that has always stuck out to me is “They say those who seek to teach must never cease to learn.” I am not sure of the person who made this statement but it is accurate. Contentment and complacent hinders not only oneself but also the students. Because the world’s inventions, technology, and research are always changing, teachers should be willing to accept that learning never ends. My impulse to create, investigate, and learn about arts integration has heighten. Now that I am learning the full actions and benefits of arts integration, I am eager to find new and exciting ways to incorporate

Artist can integrate content and form, which is where content and skills are forming the visual arts, theater and music whit other core subjects. There is a seamless blending of that content and skill of an art form of a curricular subject. An art integrate is a valuable resource that guides and plans the professional development for the support of

Music, dance, drama, painting and drawing teachers try to incorporate academic lessons into their art classes. Students can be learning both art and academic topics at the same time. This can benefit the students extremely because it will not only engage the students in helpful activities, but it will keep them interested in learning the different topics. For example, schools may play music in the halls to introduce the students to culture that may help them to be open to learning new things in all of their classes. The painting teacher may have her student’s paint a picture of a historical event they learned about in their history class and discuss it in front of the class. The music teacher may ask the students to pick a certain song that reminds them of a book they read in their English class and explain to the class why the song reminds them of that certain book. The dance teacher might assign a dance to the students that will get them thinking of a subject to write their paper on for writing class. The possibilities are endless as to how to mix academics into the arts. It is important to do so to keep the creative juices flowing in the young minds of the students in public schools. By participating in an arts course, students are fueling their cognitive developments and are

When it comes to literature and the arts is very beneficially to the learners as well as the teachers. Knowing that art integration is an instructional style and not just another activity will help teachers smoothly incorporate it into lessons. Also, knowing the types of fine arts can help with students intellectual, social, personal, and emotional skills. Students will be able to communicate better and use their cultural understanding to be greater achievers.

Silverstein and Layne (2010) define arts integration as “an approach to teaching in which students construct and demonstrate understanding through an art form. Students engage in a creative process which connects an art form and another subject area and meets evolving objectives in both.” Arts integration combines curriculum and teaching among dance, music, theatre, and visual art while interconnecting the arts with non-arts subjects. Integration takes many forms as teachers from different subject areas collaborate for rich curricular connections.

After carefully evaluating three possible solutions that were presented in the previous section on implementing arts integration into the classroom, this paper will recommend the solution be, hiring an art teacher. As stated before, hiring additional teachers, for most tend to be very helpful. It can relieve stress and any additional preparation that comes with arts integration. The teacher would be able to divide the work load with the hired art teacher.

Schools and educators are beginning to understand the value of inclusion of art education in K-12 curriculum more and more each year. So much so, that many states are adopting common core standards and hiring highly qualify teachers to teach in the subject area of visual arts. “Research over the past decade reveals areas where effective arts education strategies, especially arts integration techniques, have yielded practical and impressive results,” (Education Digest, 2011). Part of what is driving this initiative is the understanding that some students learn most effectively through the arts (Robinson, 2013). Recent research reflects that art integration correlates with low-performing learners by increasing test scores. Studies conducted in North Carolina and Oklahoma with art integration programs tracked consistent gains in student achievement as compared with state and district averages

Arts education is something that thrives off knowledge and experiences in which students are allowed to have artistic expression. Integrated arts plays a significant role in fostering the development of self expression, and confidence (Hassan). This means that an arts education facilitates students in learning how to understand things through creativity. Arts students who are provided an opportunity to do something artistic task individually, will take initiative. Being allowed to produce original art fosters creativity and creative skills, which help students in developing decision-making skills, making them more confident in their own abilities to enter the real world and be productive and efficient.

Incorporating arts into the classroom, whether as a subject itself or integrating it into the curriculum, is increasingly being accepted as a vital part of being successful in school. Yet, this study is slowly and quietly disappearing. In schools across the country, students are losing opportunities to participate in creative outlets as a result of budget cuts. In May 2005, a poll commissioned by the Americans for the Arts, 93 percent agreed that the arts are vital to providing a well-rounded education for the children.

Arts integration is a powerful way to help students learn, as it helps them develop critical thinking skills. With art integration, the students cannot give cut and dry answers to the questions in the classroom, they have to think and they have to apply what they know about the subject matter. Some concepts in subjects such as math and physics may be hard to grab and just explaining to students and giving them the steps may not work for everyone. Some concepts are better learned with visual hands on objects and making models. I have also seen how easily bored students of all ages can get when learning, integrating arts gets them to think creatively and it influences learning on an entirely different level. Integrating arts will also help the student that is a more kinesthetic learner. It can help the visual and auditory learner as well to further grasp a deeper understanding of the concept. Instead of using exams and papers to test the students’ knowledge of subject matter, a form of art can be used to assess the students’ comprehension. Some students get anxious when they have a test coming, and even if they know all of the information, they can still not showcase what they know on the test. Since the goal of the classroom is to make sure all students are learning and retaining what they have learned, using integrated arts to assess the

Before taking this course integrating art into my lessons was more of an abstract concept, but I did not have the vocabulary and the strategies to back it up, nor did I have the answer to the big question of “why.” Art integration is a way of student and self-expression. It is a way students can express and find themselves and make connections across subject areas and real-world issues. Art integration is also a way for teachers to express themselves as individuals and educators, and really make their instruction to students their own. I have also reviewed concepts that I had learned in the past and forgotten like: primary

Art education has been proven to help with “cognitive ability, critical thinking, and verbal skills” as well as “motivation, concentration, confidence, and teamwork” (Smith). Having the ability and patience to sit down and paint a masterpiece or work through a song on the piano requires high focus and dedication. Students willing to do this will in turn have stronger skills to focus and be dedicated in other subjects. The mixture of all these abilities gained from participation in art programs lead to higher test scores and overall better performance in school. Still, these are only a few of the assets provided by art education.

An equivalent solution to solve the issue of under focused fine arts programs includes organizing a school’s current instruction time more efficiently within the school day. Schools could achieve efficiently using a combination of course integration and more planned and punctual lesson plans. Class time of Core subjects normally take precedent over arts classes and non Core subjects. Maximizing instructional time for all subjects would benefit the students and schools, despite the high cost it would require (Davis). It is sensible to spend time on funded areas, but is also important for students to receive a balanced education. In that case, some fine arts programs are limited to after school and