Education : My Personal Philosophy Of Art Education

This article is based on a study that was funded in 2001 by the National Art Education Foundation and it focused on the use of arts education in juvenile detention centers in the United States (107). The purpose of this study was to figure out if art education helped children and teens in juvenile detention centers to have a better vision of the future (107). The National Art Education Foundation created a survey to support their research and it was composed of 17 multiple choice and short answer questions (108). The questions in the survey asked people of each institution about funding, instruction, demographics, and participation in the art programs. This survey was given to each of the 478 public residential juvenile correctional facilities

Art is around us everywhere we go. Art can be in architecture, landscaping, performances and paintings. The arts can affect the way people think and how they act, like when a young child draws or paints a picture, they have to make small choices that can help them in many aspects of life. BUt sadly the beneficial education tool of The Arts has been in a rapid decline. In her article, School Art Programs: Should They Be Saved?, Valeria Metia says, “During the 1999-2000 school year, 20 percent of schools offered dance and theatre classes, but in the 2009-10 school year, only 3 percent of schools allocated funds for dance classes, and only 4 percent taught theatre.” Since this decrease in art programs students ages 5-18 are missing out on valuable characteristics in their education. Art gives students improved test scores and better thinking skills, significantly higher graduation rates,better performance in schoolwork,development of habits including problem solving, critical and creative thinking, and working with others and a happier and better school day. SInce art is so beneficial to a student's learning we should push harder and get art programs into our public schools again.

Everywhere you look you see art. It is everywhere in our life today and has become an important part of our daily life. Arts education helps students develop creativity, visual learning, self-confidence, decision making, improved academic performance, and self-motivation. All are necessary to be successful in life. “Art education isn’t something we add on after we’ve achieved other priorities, like raising test scores and getting kids into college,” said the First Lady Michelle Obama. Art education is important for future students. It allows students to learn about themselves, their culture, their community and the world around them. Creativity and Imagination will be encouraged through the development of an artistic mind. Art uses science, math, and creativity. Art uses math because it involves shapes and angles and when people make an art project with geometric shapes they use math to find what is this angle worth? Science needs art because art helps people to understand and see what they are learning in science classes. Scientists always use and draw models that include art.

Plain, repetitive academic classes can definitely become old and dull—especially when it could be all that’s happening daily. Students become bored and dissatisfied with this lifestyle, but the integration of arts can cause various changes in a student’s life. The arts in classroom curriculum open up a diversity of things for students to develop their interest and enjoyment in or express their minds. It not only allows students to enjoy life, but to also expand their academic skills. However, the focus of schools is on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics—STEM, rather than on STEM and the arts: STEAM. Schools all around the world are focused on STEM because the world is developing and becoming more complex. Students need to have the skills to think critically and deeply, solve problems, garner and analyze evidence, and make sense of information. Arts education enables students to develop these skills, open up their minds to new perspectives, enjoy life, and flourish.

Why are art classes the first to be cut in schools? It is not only because they have large budgets, but also school administrators do not realize they are necessary to the curriculum. As these cuts are being made, it is causing children and students to be less cultured and hinders their creative ability, which will help in their future careers. Therefore, it is important to have art classes in schools so children stay in school and are interested, can develop skills which will further their education, and develop skills to help with life and future careers.

This paper is a critique of “Art for our Sake: School Arts Classes Matter More than Ever- But Not for the Reasons You Think,” by Ellen Winner and Lois Hetland. The main purpose of this paper is to inform people about the importance of art classes and how they can positively impact a young student’s life, it also examines why art classes are beneficial to the educational system. To have a better understanding of how these elective classes can help, researchers examined several art classes and learned that art classes teach each student a set of central skills such as reflection, self-criticism, and innovation, that is not taught in

The arts have been an essential part of culture since the beginning of civilization. Over time, art education paths became more normal in society, and were implemented into schools. These classes have gone through numerous budget cuts, but statistics have kept the field alive, showing improvement in core subjects is associated with a sound foundation in at least one art. The fine arts come in many forms, and each one is unique (Encyclopedia of Career and Vocational Guidance).

During school, students should be engaged and willing to learn more about what they are learning. With art, there is no need for someone to be good at it. Art is dependent only on the artist herself. If students view art as just another subject, then they are missing the academic value art gives. Art goes beyond having artistic value and surpasses the idea of one's own limits. According to Allyono17, one of the authors of an article in Teen Ink magazine,

A pluralist art curriculum explores issues of social equity by bridging the individual with the world, which is essential because misconceptions about minority populations can lead to ineffective school cultures, disengagement in learning, lower standardized test scores, and weakened relationships with others (Chappell & Cahnmann-Taylor, 2013). Conversely, social equity issues are not recorded in the CCSS statistical achievement gains documents, leaving educators few valid tools of measurement for marginalized populations, and this project could help raise awareness and provide documentation of measurable growth (Chappell & Cahnmann-Taylor, 2013, p. 245). Therefore, in order to help address the achievement gap, create a sense of belonging in

The intended audience for this presentation are an educational advisory boards with regards to advocating for art education in school curriculum in America. This topic is appropriate for parents that are interested in how fine art education helps to improve at risk student

The liberal arts are a vital subject for the curriculum of every school worldwide. However, numerous education reforms set in motion by American government have begun to take a heavy toll on the existence of art programs in schools. Subjects such as theatre, music, dance, visual arts, and many more are being sacrificed economically in lieu of basic subjects that are listed as more important by the state. As a result of these funding cuts to arts programs, students across the nation are beginning to lose crucial opportunities to take part in these traditional fields of study. The liberal arts programs across the nation’s schools provide more to students than can be attained in the basic classroom setting, and therefore should not be surrendered to other subjects that are deemed more prominent. Nearly every aspect of the arts has been in practice since the dawn of man. Before the existence of the world’s major technologies such as the television or the internet, people had to entertain themselves. As Efland writes in his research of the history of art education, “as long as the arts have existed, artists, performers, and audience members have been educated for their roles.” Perhaps the most well-known of the art practices are the visual arts. Everything from cave drawings, carvings, statues, tattoos, piercings, to even decorated dishes serve as examples of the earliest visual arts. These items often served as symbols for cultural deities, stories of the past, folklore, and

"Studies show that students in the arts outperformed their non-arts peers on the SAT by 96 points, while a child who has continued access to arts education has a 74 percent higher chance of planning to attend college” (Urist 9). The arts teach several lessons to children and they provide an equal opportunity for everyone. The arts also provide a different form of discipline and insight into the real world. While others may say that sports make kids strive for good grades, the arts support children in a different way. Others may also say funding should go towards core subjects, but what they don’t know is that the humanities use the core subjects during classes. Even though fine arts are not exciting for everyone, they should receive more funding in schools because fine arts keep kids out of trouble, provide a way to express oneself and help teenagers make life decisions.

"When you think about the purpose of education, there are three. We're preparing kids for jobs. We're preparing them to be citizens. And we're teaching them to be human beings who can enjoy the deeper forms of beauty. The third is as important as the other two," says Tom Horne, the state superintendent of public instruction in Arizona.

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.

With the utilization of visual and performing arts, students can begin to enhance their personal growth. By producing original works, enjoying the time spent on the piece of art, and having a sense of pride in one’s accomplishments, an art student will experience an increase in self-esteem and confidence (Importance). A child who receives praise for their art work from parents and teachers will most likely be more positive in their artistic abilities. For example, when a child brings a painting home to his parents and his parents react with smiles, cheers and display the picture on the refrigerator, the student will in turn feel very proud of his accomplishments. This newly found self-esteem and confidence often expands into other subjects at school to the overall benefit of the individual. Participating in art is also a way for students to