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Adaptive Art Education Essay

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The field of education has been continuously changing since inception. All departments have to adequately encompass students into a learning environment. This conglomeration of a vast number of students into the same classrooms brings certain challenges. Because students perform on different levels, not all needs are found in basic instructional teaching. Art educators are taking new approaches in educating children with needs beyond what is found in the traditional teaching curriculum. One approach is adaptive art education, a new technique that involves art therapists experienced in working with children in different circumstances into an educational role to create a more child-focused, adaptive curriculum. In this sense, no two teaching experiences will be the same, but a child’s need is met in the most productive way. Adaptive art education allows instructors to have more therapeutic roles in a classroom setting, create an inclusion-based environment, and adjust traditional teaching methods to cater to the needs of more students. Adaptive art education incorporates art therapy into the classroom environment. Most teachers that have attempted this adaptive teaching method have been trained in art therapy. This gives these teachers an advantage since they are well-versed in two different areas. By incorporating the therapeutic aspects of art therapy, art educators are able to meet children with a wider array of knowledge. Research by Karamanol and Salley (2005) supports

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