ART AS SOCIAL JUSTICE 1 ART AS SOCIAL JUSTICE 14 Introduction In the world that we live in today, instructors are faced with many things to teach that students must learn in order to succeed. This, however, rarely includes discussing difficult social matters. It is up to the instructors to expose students to matters of social justice that surround them. Furthermore, we have learned that culture does not have to be forfeited for students to excel scholastically (Kraehe and Brown, 2011). It can be intertwined with lessons so that there is exposure and discussion around the social justice areas. This will help students keep an open mind when faced with these types of challenges in the future; as well as, help them deal with difficult …show more content…
Art is an easy way for students to collaborate and express their feelings or thoughts on unfairness and discrimination. It encourages students to participate with society and see themselves as valuable. It can show social justice on issues such as stereotyping what beauty is. A person seeking to use art needs to decide what message they want to express then choose the designs, shades, and methods that will demonstrate their meaning most effectively to others. This involves critical thinking which is a skill students need to utilize. The artist must always remember the message so that it does not get lost in the constructing of the art. Art is not only about what can be seen but also the acquiring of knowledge, the interaction between students, the creation, and the analysis that guides to knowledge (Kuthy and Broadwater, 2014; Gulla, 2009). According to Duncum (2011), “…[A] playful pedagogy engages students’ own values and beliefs, exposes them to the critique of their peers, and through the process of making art also provides a means for them to further work out their understanding in a way that has the potential to be empowering” (p. 360). It is through the social justice components that are incorporated into the curriculum, the way students are engaged to interact with them, and the assessment of those components, that students will …show more content…
Recognizing students’ cultures and community can help teachers create a curriculum that connects with them. Not only do teachers need to be aware, but they must also have a variety of chances and experiences to explore different aspects of social justice. Social justice “…is to confront discrimination, oppression, and institutional inequities, and to build an ideal condition in which all members of a society have the same basic rights, protection, opportunities, obligations, and social benefits” (Soest, 2007, as cited in Lu, 2010, p. 14). Pinhasi-Vittorio and Vernola (2013) also indicated that, “The awareness of social justice is the ability to see beyond what appears to be. It is a process where we are imagining what others might think and feel; it is looking at people in their uniqueness and individuality” (p.
As Pollock states, “Equity efforts treat all young people as equally and infinitely valuable” (202). This book has made me realize that first and foremost: We must get to know each of our students on a personal level. Every student has been shaped by their own personal life experiences. We must take this into consideration for all situations. In life, I have learned that there is a reason why people act the way that they do. When people seem to have a “chip on their shoulder”, they have usually faced many hardships in life. “The goal of all such questions is deeper learning about real, respected lives: to encourage educators to learn more about (and build on) young people’s experiences in various communities, to consider their own such experiences, to avoid any premature assumptions about a young person’s “cultural practices,” and to consider their own reactions to young people as extremely consequential.” (3995) was also another excerpt from the book that was extremely powerful for me. Everyone wants to be heard and understood. I feel that I owe it to each of my students to know their stories and help them navigate through the hard times. On the other hand, even though a student seems like he/she has it all together, I shouldn’t just assume that they do. I must be sure that these students are receiving the attention and tools needed to succeed,
Murray, O. (2011, January). A Call for K-12 Schools to Invest in Social Justice Education. The Education Digest, 76(5), 60-64.
Rhys Southan’s essay “Is Art a Waste of Time?” is about art and if it can really help people who are suffering or is it just better to hand over your money. In Yo-Yo Ma’s essay “necessary Edges: Arts, Empathy, and Education” he focuses more on art being used as educational purposes to essentially create more innovative/empathetic people. Instead of focusing so much on STEM, the author states that we should incorporate art too. Although some people might say art does not play a role in making the world a better place. I believe it can by bringing awareness to different social issues. Also, if we incorporate art at a young age it can teach kids to be open minded and happier people.
It is art fulfilling its role in society. It is art that brings the moral issues. It is art that makes us human.
Being a teacher for social justice is more than just making sure you include all of your students in your discussions. It is being aware of the injustices that your students may have faced, are already facing, or may face in the future. With this awareness, as teachers, we should be able to reflect on what we know, and respond by using our resources to apply it to the classroom.
In education today, art studies are not often viewed as a priority for students and they very frequently get cut from school’s curriculum due to a lack of proper funding. Howeve...
...'s Children, is an important tool in the education of teachers to help them to see teaching is not a politic-free practice that has little to do with social justice. Through reading multicultural theorists like Delpit, teachers are better prepared to deal with the issues like injustice and "remove the blinders built of stereotypes, mono-cultural instructional methodologies, ignorance, social distance biased research and racism" in the classrooms (Delpit, 1995, pg.69).
...something that is often under appreciated or forgotten. Having art in the public more may be a large step toward teaching the future generations to appreciate creativity and participate in being creative. If something as simple as ground green marbles in a tar road can take my (a seventeen year old girl) breath away then imagine the reaction that could be expected from art being every where. My biggest fear is art being forgotten and with the beauty it has to offer being around more for everyone to see could eliminate that fear. Public art should be appreciated even though it may not be understood by all. It is a way to bring in tourism, excitement, beauty, creativity, and pure enjoyment to communities. I would like to end my paper with a quote from Pablo Picasso that expresses the way I fell about art, “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”
Art is intended for all to enjoy and learn from. Through an art curriculum; phonics, mathematics, and readiness skills to name a few can be learned through an art curriculum. With this curriculum a teacher can adapt that centers to teach those with diverse abilities such as emotional and intellectual challenges, visual impairments, hearing impairments, and orthopedic impairments.
“Social Justice in Education” by R. W. Connell discusses the role of education in society and the implications that social justice issues have on education. Connell begins by establishing that education and social justice can be examined separately yet they are inescapably linked through the social medium of their implementation. “Education concerns schools, colleges and universities, whose business is to pass knowledge on to the next generation. Social justice is about income, employment, pensions or physical assets like housing.”(Connell, 1993) Three points validating the equal importance of social justice and the education system to people of all delineations are: 1.) in Western society public schools are key forums of social interaction and comprise some of the largest social institutions 2.) educational institutions are highly economic bodies and have become “major public assets” (Connell, 1993) 3.) teaching becomes a vehicle by which society is ultimately determined and has a great influence over society’s morality. Connell describes the meaning of justice in education as being “a question of fairness in distribution… equality.”(Connell, 1993) “Justice cannot be achieved by distributing the same… standard good to… all social classes.”(Connell, 1993) By stating this, Connell summarizes that in the attempt to achieve equality, unequal means must be employed.
Pablo Helguera’s book; Education for Socially-Engaged Art; is one that touches on the discussion of what socially engaged art is and how it affects people. There are many different interpretations of what this particular type of art may be. Pablo Helguera’s idea of socially engaged art, along with many others, include the involvement of other people other than the artist themselves. Socially engaged art often incorporates political issues and other movements. Using this type of art creates awareness to the crowd as a
Art can be used to raise scores in every subject, “Students who took four years of art classes scored 91 points higher on their SAT exams than those who took half a year or less. Multiple studies also confirmed that there is a correlation between art engagement and students’ other achievements.” (Valeriya Metla) Even with the research linking art and better grades some educators think that it is more worth while to only focus on the core classes because it is more important to fund what is being tested than to help raise children who are creative.
Witherbee, A. (2013). Counterpoint: Education, the Masses, and Art. Points Of View: Arts Funding, 6. Retrieved April 19,2014 , from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=pwh&AN=12421040&site=pov-live
...em to find other ways of expressing their thoughts. Arts classes are important and should be an essential in our society. Being artistic and creative can help students be who they are and stand out. It can help them use their knowledge and come up with extraordinary ideas to make big changes in the world, and it can also keep students away from bad things and be better human beings by doing what they are interested in.
Throughout time different forms of art had conveyed various meanings to many people. Whereas some people like to feel and create art in all of its forms for just admiration and/or inner enjoyment, some others separate themselves by focusing on finding or constructing a meaning that the own author or creator intended to communicate and disperse to society. Nevertheless, one thing that brings these very different types of people together, making them share one same idea, is that art is a very important aspect of our everyday life and that it should be exercised for the benefit and achievement of the full human potential. Just like arts which can help students improved in different areas of education, this class has helped me improve my understanding of the different types of art forms and how they should be as part