What does Art offer to Education?

Arguably arts as a means of academic and personal development is an important element of any education. Still, it is often assumed that Arts in education is only for people aspire to become artists. The challenge faced by educators then is to justify the existence of arts in the school curriculum on the basis of its contribution in boosting academic achievement in subjects such as literature, physics, math and ‘non-art subjects’. As students face the daunting task of learning new content, educators are poised to determine effective teaching methods where students not only acquire knowledge of a specific subject but improve self-awareness, self-esteem, inclusion, creativity and a greater level of comfort working with their peers.

While some teaching methods may have little to do with art, it has been argued that arts-based methods are integral to expression where students have difficulties describing experiences and feelings in words. The integration of psychological and educational teaching methods with a variety of creative therapies such  drama, music, painting, and  photography is Informed by contemporary research, and meet the objectives of the principles drawn from the Positive Psychology, Social and Emotional Learning framework .

To emphasize, general education reforms, such as the No Child Left Behind Act (2002) hold schools accountable for standardized test scores in mathematics and reading while emphasizing the four pillars within the bill:

• Accountability: To ensure those students who are disadvantaged, achieve academic proficiency.

• Flexibility: Allows school districts flexibility in how they use federal education funds to improve student achievement.

• Research-based education: Emphasizes educational programs and practices that have been proven effective through scientific research.

• Parent options: Increases the choices available to the parents of students attending Title I schools.

While the quality of teaching and inter-personal skills of the teacher matter, the increase in students from culturally diverse backgrounds means that educators often have to revise their own teaching practices to accommodate and reflect social, cultural, religious difference and  boost academic achievement. Brainstorming for example may enable students of all ability and cultural background to introduce ideas in a nonjudgmental context. Teachers are able to modify the content, process and teaching methods to suit an individual student’s need. To achieve this, they use indirect approaches to learning such as in-cooperating arts into learning. For example, Helene L.Perry changes the content of math problems for middle school students to reflect their personal interests, streets in their neighborhoods, and interactions in their social lives. Educators use collective judgment based on related research and informed knowledge on current educational approaches which have produced results.

Nonetheless, the usefulness of the approaches that schools implement within the context of the educational system given the available resources is debatable. Even though arts-based methods - the use of play and other creative activities have long been incorporated into learning there is still a need for more research on the effectiveness of these approaches, how they are achieved and how they can be sustained.

Undoubtedly, certain conditions may foster or impede students learning and coordination. For example, schools can make little difference in overcoming the background factors that negatively affect a student’s academic development/achievement. They include student’s truancy, lack of interest, and the complexity of the content of study.

More research is needed if educators are to produce a powerful case for positioning the arts at the center of primary and secondary school curriculums as a means to achieving the goals set out in educational reforms. To succeed in the long term educators require commitment, sufficient resources, and a policy context that allow for unconventional teaching and learning methods to thrive.

REF:

Chisholm, I. M. (1994). Preparing teachers for multicultural classrooms. The Journal of Educational Issues of Language Minority Students, 14(11), 43-68.

Coholic, D. (2010). Arts activities for children and young people in need: Helping children to develop mindfulness, spiritual awareness and self-esteem. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Marzano, R. J. (2004). Building background knowledge for academic achievement: Research on what works in schools. Ascd.

Kohl, H. R. (2012). The Muses Go to School: Inspiring Stories about the Importance of Arts in Education. The New Press.

Taccogna, J. (Ed.). (2003). Powerful teaching: Developmental assets in curriculum and instruction. Search Institute.

Zakaras, L., & Lowell, J. F. (2008). Cultivating demand for the arts: Arts learning, arts engagement, and state arts policy. Rand Corporation.