Teaching as an Art or a Science
Teaching: Is it an Art, or is it a science?
I think that teaching requires both art and science. They both play a role on each other, because if a teacher only demonstrates one of these types of teaching, their classroom will most likely be very boring.
Teaching as an art demonstrates ways in which the teacher may use creative ways to present the material so it is fun and interesting for his or her students. Some examples are games, “hands-on” activities, and/ or movies relating to the topics being covered. In The First Year, Genevieve DeBose gave disposable cameras to her students for a”getting to know each other” activity. The point of this activity was for her students to be creative and learn
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Teaching as a science demonstrates ways in which the teacher may use a more logical approach to present the material to the students. I feel this is the more traditional way in which teachers teach their class. An example of this could be a teacher lecturing their class about the topic being discussed. I personally feel this type of teaching tends to get boring and the teacher has a harder time keeping the student’s attention. I think any type of teaching need a scientific background or base. By saying this I am agreeing with Robert Slavin who argues “working from a scientific basis helps teachers avoid the pitfall of subscribing to the latest fad.” (Pg 14) Even though a teacher may use an artistic approach, they still must research their material and know it themselves before they can teach it. A good teacher can balance both art and science in their classroom. “The teacher who ignores scientific knowledge about teaching and learning and makes arbitrary decisions runs the risk of using methods and principles of teaching that are ineffective.” (Pg 15) If a teacher balances both art and science, it will make it easier for the students to learn and absorb the information while keeping their attention span. Although depending on the grade level in which the material is being presented one of the types of teaching may need to be
Ken Robinson's goes onto his second point, How every education system has the same Hierarchy when it comes to subjects. At the top is math and language arts, followed by the humantanties, and at the bottom is Arts. He explains how there is a lack of focus on art and creativity. The reason being is because school is to meet the needs of industrialism in the 19th century that needed high math and language arts skills. Art based classes werent view as important because they couldn't make a living on it.
The first reason is that some kids are just not good at art. They were not born with the creative side as some are. They should not have to be set up to fail by making them take a class that they could not succeed in. However, for the kids who are good at it, how are they going to be able to take it, and maybe even make it their profession? For this reason, art should also be offered as an elective so the kids that are
Vocabulary is another skill that can be learned from creating art simply by asking children to explain their creation. They will have to talk about line shape, space, and color. This can be used as a bridge for children who have problems socializing. With art they will learn how to express themselves in a way they usually cannot verbally, and they will be able to cope with the stress of life.
Art in our culture today is not as appreciated as it used to be, due to the decrease in interest, many people find creative arts classes such as drawing classes, and theatre classes are not as important and are useless to the educational system. Schools all over the country have begun cutting art classes from the academic programs, assuming it will be better for the student’s sake. However, a recent poll found that eighty percent of the American people believed that creative arts classes will enhance academic performance. In addition, studies have also shown that arts programs teach a specific set of skills that are not taught in the academic curriculum. This means if the studies are true, cutting arts classes could lower students’ test scores and their overall grades. Ellen Winner and Lois Hetland, the authors of “Art for our Sake: School Art Classes Matter More than Ever-But Not for the Reasons You Think,” stated that, after visualizing different art classes in different schools, they realized that the students are not only taught the basics of art but also the willingness to learn from their mistakes, which are not taught elsewhere in schools. The students are also taught how to analyze their work and their peers work, as well. According to Winner, arts classes are important to the educational system because it teaches appreciation and self-value. It also teaches the students certain aspects of knowledge that
There once was a time in our society that the arts took a strong role in the lives of our young youth and community, but the stress of regulations and test requirements has put the arts in the hot seat. There is no amount of fine art that students would not benefit from if teachers consistently incorporated it in their classrooms. The importance of arts should not be thrown aside for the sake of achieving test scores. There are 6 critical reasons why communities should not be so quick to cut the arts programs and unintentionally hinder students growth.
Yo Yo Ma believes that art is an essential program within education. His goal strives to broaden people’s horizon at a young age, to better equip them, and become well-rounded not only in education, but in the arts. Ma’s argument not is only true, but confirms what I believe as well. Similar to Ma, my arts background started at a young age and has continued throughout my whole life. At a young age, I took piano lessons in order to play along with the grandmother. In school, I have taken multiple art classes not only become I love art, but also to have a “well-rounded” education. Along with art, science has always been a huge part of my life. In the Necessary Edges article, Ma states that when STEAM (specifically-the arts) is added into the
Instead of cutting the art budget to where art programs and teachers will slowly not be a part of the school courses offered, school systems need to be proactive and innovative and use the arts to help students learn and enjoy learning in other classes. Using different aspects of art such as drawing and acting can be outstanding ways for memorizing and studying for the core classes that the school systems desperately try to have their students focus on. School systems and parents are oblivious to the fact that art programs are more than just a time for a student to relax and not focus on math, science, or English. Art programs are enriching and lead to a development in retention, individualized thinking, and can be used as a stress relieving hobby. Not only will it help students while attending school, but it will give them habits to retain information better while also having a fun and relaxing hobby. With the increase in technology and everything becoming technologically based America is becoming oblivious to the dramatic impact the arts have made in shaping society today. By not opening students up to the different aspects of the arts you are leaving those to be closed minded and teaching the philosophy to focus on standardized testing, good grades, and inside the box thinking. This nation was founded on out of the box thinkers and innovators. Do not let the arts dwindle in the American school system. It is receiving extremely effective results in the areas where it is being offered and is being cared for. Think about everything in this country that would not be possible without artist drawing, acting, or playing it for all of us to hear or see. Without the introduction into the arts none of this would ever be. Something as simple as the beautiful red, white, and blue flag pledged to every day would not be here without an artist. The arts is too
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
Throughout my academic career, I have always been confined to a classroom for each of my classes, whether they consisted of physics, European history, or Spanish. To me, some courses are suited for a classroom, while others seem to desperately warrant a more extensive learning opportunity in order to fully appreciate the material. In particular, I believe that art history would be improved immensely by experiencing and learning first-hand the nuances of the connection between pieces of art and their cultural significance.
It is important for children to be able to practise and experiment with different techniques and materials as it helps children to develop control, confidence and technique ; pupils should be taught to ‘improve their mastery of art and design techniques, including drawing, painting and sculpture with a range of materials’ (DfE, 2013, p 177).
A quality education is a critical factor for each and every individual who aspires to live a prosperous life here on earth. Over the course of life, the modes and standards of education are either modified or altered into the different form of learning materials to cater the specific needs of the modern world and people living in this era. However, there is a possibility that educators may have the disagreement on the methods of teaching children to read and write or learn history, science or math, but no one has yet focused on whether these all subjects are taught to all children. People are misguided about the less importance of arts and the great importance of science. However, looking into the history would disclose the importance of Arts
Curricula has been a hot topic of debate since education became institutionalized. Many legislative sessions and parent meetings have been held to discern the best possible information necessary for children. In recent years, it is not only what information is being delivered but how the information is presented. Arts integration is not about simply having students attend "extra curricular" or “enrichment classes” about art, but rather it is the complete fusion of all art forms within the standard math, literacy, science, and history core classes. For example, a classroom of 4th graders learning about basic geometry might also be learning about the art of dance from the same teacher in the same classroom. The students might first
According to art professor Karin Evans, “Art is an irreplaceable way of understanding and expressing the world.” Many people agree that art brings joy and cools students down after all the other hard work they have to think about during the school day. Art education can do much more than taking the stress away from the students. It can help students who have difficulty in core classes and help decrease the chances of dropouts. Art advocates have been stressing the benefits of art education to schools. When many schools are consumed with meeting federal standards taking away art education from the students and hurting them in a negative way. The studies reveal the power of art to inspire, motivate and educate today’s students and
Learning is not a skill that is necessarily instinctual or easy, and therefore different approaches must be used to make learning easier and more fun for students. Teaching is not a skill that can be memorized or made repetitive, and so teachers must continue to challenge not only their students, but also themselves. Teachers that become complacent in their jobs are not good teachers. Those who can find a way to make an old lesson new and exciting will have an energized classroom, and will be reenergized themselves.
Figure 1 represents the answers of 97 people when they were asked whether art education was important in school from kindergarten through the twelfth grade. 100% of them answered that art education was important. This poll was conducted using people of various ages, demographics, and backgrounds (Saal).