In all four articles, including the Reinvesting in Arts Education by the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, art as a subject was connected to success in humanity when arts are included in a school curriculum. The success was “measured” not by testing on art specifically but rather tracking schools achievement with or without art programs. The success in academics may or may not have been attributed to the art programs however when arts were included in the curriculum the test scores were higher. In the presentation by Constance Bumgarner Gee, Art for Arts Sake? She champions for the advocacy (promotion) of art not justification (defense). I can relate to this approach. In my current teaching position at a private parochial school, art was not a priority. The general education teachers did the best they could to include art in their lessons, however it was like most often is, the first to go. The school decided to include an art program in the fall of 2018. Ever since that inclusion, with sights set on increasing enrollment, art (and other unique offerings preschool 4K) has been used to market to a wider audience and increase enrollment. Much like the standardized tests directly relating to art and success and high scores, I cannot say that the enrollment has increased because of the newly included art program, but the parents are pleased to know we have one. Right now advocacy for my art program is showing the work; taking the time to display, post online, write articles about art projects and units.
In the statement made by Elliot Eisner, “We do the arts no service when we try to make their case by touting their contributions to other fields. When such contributions become priorities the arts become handmaidens to ends that are not distinctly artistic and in the process undermine the value of art’s unique contributions to the education of the young”. I cannot agree more. He makes the cause that art should stand alone. Art as a subject in it’s uniqueness, can only attribute to the characteristics that every one of these articles listed or eluded to in some form; motivation and engagement, persistence, focused attention, and intellectual risk taking; habits of mind including problem solving, critical and creative thinking, dealing with ambiguity and complexity, integration of multiple skill sets, and working with others; including collaboration and teamwork skills, social tolerance, and self-confidence. Repeated over and over, these values and moral fiber, can be connected to art integration in schools. The spiritual/moral, brain building, and self image aspects of a person’s life cannot be tested, however art can encourage flexing those attributes that cannot be measured in a standardized test. Gee, mentions the “good news” that disadvantaged, low income, urban and rural at-risk students “benefit from art more than regular students”. I am not sure I can fully agree with this statement. Again, a lot of evidence can be collected on benefits of focusing on serving a group of individuals providing a safe space in which creativity is encouraged and celebrated, but I am concerned with the word “more” in to whom this may benefit. What might the term “regular student” mean? Some children may live within financially secure homes but poor in loving environments. When advocacy is our goal I understand why these celebrations may be used as an argument for art inclusion, but caution exclusion from who benefits from art more. Reinvesting in Arts EducationPresident’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities "Valuing the Arts on Their Own Terms? (C’est pas une pipe.)" By Constance Bumgarner Gee “Art for our Sake: School Arts Classes Matter More Than Ever- But Not for the Reasons You Think” By: Ellen Winner and Lois Hetland “Does Experience in the Arts Boost Academic Achievement?” By: Elliot W. Eisner
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorI have a passion for the visual arts and love sharing it with others. I have enjoyed teaching all ages and love to incorporate art history and traditional disciplines as well as innovative ideas. Art is vital to who I am as a creator and educator. Archives
May 2020
Categories |