What is Art Integrating?

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What is Art Integration? First, let us begin by defining what exactly art integration is. According to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, art integration can be defined as “an approach to teaching in which students construct and demonstrate understanding through an art form. Students engage in a creative process which connects an art form and another subject area and meets evolving objectives in both” (Silverstein & Layne, 2010). With this definition, we know that art integration is not simply drawing a picture of Goldilocks after reading Goldilocks and the Three Bears. It has to reach much deeper than that for the student to be able to show that they truly understand the subject matter they are on. Being that the definition states it is an approach to teaching, this tells us that art integration should be a method of teaching and not just done once a semester. For art integration to stick to this definition it would need to be something that is done daily, it would need to be a part of the teachers teaching philosophy. This does not mean that the core subject classrooms will become lessons in art history and different art forms, art integration is not the same thing as art education. It merely means that the teacher will use art in conjunction with the lesson to produce a more creative student. Art integration is more of an inclusion in the classroom. This inclusion can be in the form of dance, music, drawing sculpting, and theatrics just to name a few. It would depend on the subject matter of the class to depict how integration would work the best. It would be more difficult to use drawing in a math class, music and sculpting/architecture would be more effective likewise it would be more effective to use drawin... ... middle of paper ... ...curriculum to get students excited about learning no matter what the subject is. The integration of arts will help students on standardized national test, and it also provides college readiness skills. The question at hand is not why we should integrate the arts, but how soon can we, and where do we begin. Works Cited Silverstein, L. B., & Layne, S. (2010). Defining arts integration. Retrieved from http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/~/media/ArtsEdge/LessonPrintables/articles/arts-integration/DefiningArtsIntegration.pdf Gallagher, C. (2013, April 07). The link between art and innovation. Retrieved from http://www.politico.com/story/2013/04/the-link-between-art-and-innovation-89713.html Ruppert, S. (2006). Critical evidence: How the arts benefit student achievement. Retrieved from http://www.nasaa-arts.org/Research/Key-Topics/Arts-Education/critical-evidence.pdf

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