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importance of art in education
importance of art in education
importance of art in education
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Many times in life, the importance of the creative mind is overlooked in a hope that beyond that mind is something of more importance to society. The need for someone to find a cure for “x” or to discover why “q=p” is viewed as a higher priority than discovering the next Gustav Klimt or Rembrandt. Being of significance in today’s society is measured in beakers and equations not watercolors and pencils. Because of this mentality it is vital that teachers not overlook the merit of teaching and incorporating art into his/her daily lesson plans.
What many people do not realize is how incorporating art into a lesson plan can not only add to the learning practice, it can bring fun and introduce different elements to a seemingly mundane or routine experience. In addition to these things studies have shown that incorporating art in lesson plans can raise the level of SAT scores. According to the College Entrance Examination Board, “SAT scores of students who studied arts for more than four years were 59 points higher on the verbal portion and 44 points higher on the math portion than were the scores of students with no course work or experience in the arts” (Sakura).
Cutting art from a school’s program, due to financial cutbacks, may prove to be more costly than keeping it would be. Martin F. Gardiner of Brown University’s Center for the Study of Human Development found that first-grade students who regularly received just one hour of music and one hour of visual art each week showed “improved reading skills and were significantly ahead in math skills compared to control groups in other first-grade classrooms” (Gardiner). What do these statistics show us? Obviously it means that art is more...
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...cate art programs in our schools. If schools are looking for an equation that proves that art is necessary, this is it: art + children = success.
Works Cited
Ansary, Tamim. More Art, Better Schools. 2006. 27 Sept. 2014.
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Gardiner, Martin F. Study of arts, music may enhance young pupils' math and reading skills. 12 Feb. 1998. 18 Sept. 2014.
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The Importance of Art In Schools. 27 June 2000. Sakura of America. 19 Sept. 2014.
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The Painter’s Keys. Genn, Robert. 2006. 18 Sept. 2014. .
Wachowiak, Frank and Robert D. Clements. Emphasis Art. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc. 2006.
We are constantly being bombarded with visual culture throughout every hour of the day, though at times it may seem overwhelming and desensitizing, it is only getting more prevalent. Paul Duncum is an art educator who is corporating these aspects of visual culture in the classroom everyday and also teaching his students to do this as well. I have talked about Paul Duncum educational history, his contributions to art education, his teaching philosophy, and how I can use his beliefs and teachings in my future as an art educator. With my new found knowledge of Paul Duncum and his teaches, I hope, as a future educator to follow in his footsteps of incorporation of our society’s importance of visual art in my classroom.
In the United States, fine art education in public schools has been a controversial topic for years. Due to funding, imagine your child had to choose between art or math. Well of course a parent would choose a math course because they would not survive in their future without counting. Although, fine art gives an opportunity for a student to express themselves with their thoughts and feelings through the participation of the fine arts. As in today’s society, everything is considered “art”.
A well-developed theme in To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, is education and its importance to aging. Scout learns self-control, courage, and standing up for what is right. Scout Finch’s education process begins outside of the classroom with Atticus, her father, as the teacher. The Finch family lives in Maycomb County, Alabama, during the 1930s, where prejudice and inequality of races is widely accepted and practiced. Atticus stands alone, in defense, when a black man is taken to trial for the rape of a white woman. Scout learns, through her father, many valuable lessons that influence her actions daily.
Turbide, Anne F. "Why Art Programs Are Beneficial to Students." The Synapse. N.p., 15 May 2015. Web. 10 May 2016.
A recent development in public education has been the decline in arts programs nationwide. Budget cuts to arts programs are responsive to decreases in state funding, especially in states with conservative economic policies. Many states have also enacted legislation disabling local school districts’ abilities to justify employing art and music teachers. Consequently, several problems have manifested themselves, including the loss of arts programs proving detrimental to the overall quality of education for today’s children. First and foremost, arts programs improve overall performance in core school subjects; this is demonstrated clearly through higher test scores amongst students with exposure to arts and positive correlations between arts and core class engagement. Other reasons supporting retaining arts programs include to help foster community development, produce creative minds, develop problem-solving skills, aid in child development and visual-spatial skills, and encourage underprivileged students to remain in school (Metla, 2015). By removing arts programs from some public schools, an alarming issue of public concern arises. Public education, given that it is considered to be a non-rivalrous and non-excludable, is deemed a public good (Clark, 2016). Cutting arts programs in public schools, especially when cuts transpire in schools saturated with heavy minority populations, creates inequitable education and creates a serious issue of public concern.
Music education is important for several different reasons. Music is a very valuable resource for students and teachers alike. Research has shown that musical study improves a child's early cognitive development, basic math and reading abilities, SAT scores, ability to work in teams, as well as spatial reasoning skills (VH1, 2003, para4). Music helps students to achieve in areas of intelligence. “Feis, Revecz, the Pannenborgs, Miller, and others are unanimous in finding that musicality and high intelligence go together” (Mursell & Glenn, 1931, p. 20). Studies have shown that preschool children taught with music and songs have an average 10 to 20 points over those without, and by the age of 15 have higher reading and math skills. Another study showed that students that had taken a music appreciation class scored 46 points higher on the math portion of the SAT, and students who had music performance experiences scored 39 points higher than students without any music experience (Harvey, 1997, para13). Music impacts most other areas of learning. “The area holding the greatest prospects for transfer from music appears to be language arts.” (Hoffer, 1983, p. 46) It has been said that music helps concentration during reading. Music is an affective memory aide, because of its use of rhythm, rhyme and melody. Music for young children helps them to learn language because of the rhythms and patterns involved in learning the songs. The involvement of music in education can help to develop oral language skills, listening skills, and an increased vocabulary. Music can help the comprehension of language and basic facts (Dobbs, 1990, 341, 342).
There have been many studies done to find how music influences a child’s development. The College Entrance Examination Board discovered that students who took music appreciation classes had higher verbal and math scores than those who did not take the classes. (Stephens 2003) The U.S. Department of Education found that in 25,000 secondary schools, students who were highly involved in the music program did much better in math than any other students. (Stephens 2003) These studies and more have found that involvement in music increases chi...
Standley, Jayne M. “Does Music Instruction Help Children Learn to Read? Evidence of a Meta Analysis”. Applications of Research in Music Education, Vol. 27 Issue 1, p17-32. 2008. EBSCOhost. MAGNOLIA. Web. 21 May 2013.
All around the United States, art programs are being cut out of the budget in public schools. The arts include dance, band, chorus, theatre, film, drawing, painting, photography and literary arts. Some school board members feel these art programs are not necessary and do not benefit the students in any way. Elementary, middle, and high school students are forced to quit their passion and feel that their talents are not supported by their schools. Although many are not aware, there is a strong connection between arts education and academic achievement. Unfortunately, due to budget cuts in many public schools, the art classes are first on the list to be cut. It is important that the students, parents and teachers fight for their desire to keep the arts in public schools. Art programs in public schools are essential to the development of young minds; therefore the school boards should enhance and improve the programs and should not cut funding or force a class to be discontinued.
middle of paper ... ... Including arts in the classroom is as simple as playing music. It is proven that just listening to music or even a simple rhythm will engage both sides of the brain and help it to learn more efficiently (Weber 1). Even though this country is in an economic recession, fine arts are a necessity for the schools. The arts may cost a little extra money, but in the end, the benefits of keeping fine arts in the school system will bring about rewards never imagined.
...ls. There is so much that can be gained from arts education. It is imperative that music and art education remains in public schools. Because, even though it has been said many times before, the fact remains that the arts enrich us all.
Art is everywhere , every tv show, every ad , and every book is art. That is why it is a vital part in today 's education system, but in the rush to bring ip standardized test scores art programs are being dramatically cut and forgotten about altogether. With the new focus being on Common Core State Standards, which does not include art as a core, schools are having to take away art budgets to focus on cores that are being tested on.
One of the major arguments for art education in schools is that it improves test scores in other academic areas. A 2006 Gallup poll found that 80 percent of Americans believe that if students
The arts are not only a nice way to pass time; the arts can greatly help with education. Schools in the United States have encouraged children to have an outlet and if the outlet is not sports, most kids take some kind of art class. According to Velasco (2012), a child development specialist, certain students who have taken at least one art credit every year since the start of third grade were more likely to comprehend math and literature easier; for example, counting the beats in every stanza of music or learning the history and background of song lyrics. Velasco also states that students scored 1.5 times better in standardized tests, than kids who did not take an art credit. By helping schools fund art programs, the skills learned by students taking these classes can ultimately help schools excel in academic achievements, and they can aid students to a brighter future.
Kaiser, M. (2002, June). National standards of art education. Retrieved October 29th, 2002 from http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/. Provides the national standards for art education. Also has teaching materials and professional resources for art educators.