Art Education Philosophy
Arts education is vital for young students, as it promotes positive activity in the brain, not only for the development of fine motor skills and language, but also decision-making skills that adults may take for granted. The importance of visual arts is always being discussed, however through personal views (backed up by evidence) it is quite clear that the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. Art educators, such as Cooper-Solomon (1995), defend that the arts promote positive ‘problem solving’ skills, ‘creative judgment and a host of other mental processes’. More than this, visual arts education is able to imbed in young students the ability to understand language, which becomes the building block for not only English and arts, but also math, geography and science. Hence, visual arts education is important in the process of basic child development skills.
Research shows that for young students in early stage 1, visual arts education allows the basic development of language and fine motor skills such as holding a pencil (grip). A report from the National Institutes of Health has concluded that around the age of three, young students should be able to ‘draw a circle and begin to use safety scissors’ (Hwang Lynch, 2013). Hence, visual arts education aims to develop these basic skills, which have been taken for granted. For example, grip is an essential motor skill, vital to everyday life. Whilst it may be overlooked to adults due to its basicity, developing this skill is very important for young children, and arts allows this to be done in a fun and engaging way.
Arts education is not only important in early childhood, but is equally important for young students in primary school. For students from kindergar...
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Through research and personal views, it is clear that visual arts education is not only vital for young children in early childhood but also for students in primary school. Whilst it may not seem as a vital topic at first glance, research shows that it is indeed quite the opposite as it allows the development of basic skills, which make be taken for granted by adults. For instance, arts education helps young students to develop fine motor skills at an early age but doing simple tasks such as holding a pencil for grip. For slightly older students in grades five or six, visual arts education helps to enhance innovative and decision-making skills, which affirmed by research, will be beneficial for their adult lives. Therefore, visual arts education is an important subject that young students should be exposed to, as it provides many positive responses.
Holcomb, Sabrina. "Arts Education." Rss. National Education Association, 17 Jan. 2007. Web. 10 May 2016.
" Creativity and the arts with young children. New York: Thompson Delmar Learning. Landy, S. (2002). The 'Secondary'.
However fine motor control is essential before the child is able to control a pencil to mark make. Avril and Rankin discuss how construction, malleable and drawing activities promote this. Furthermore ‘Write dance’ (Oussoren, 2010) is discussed as an approach which covers all seven areas of learning in the EYFS (EE, 2012) through the promotion of hands on activities to music. These activities allow consolidation of skills by the child in addition to gross and fine motor skills through a variety of mark making tools within an enabling environment; learning songs to promote memory, while also relating to characters within stories.
The Importance of Arts Education Jane Alexander, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), once said, “Many children are missing out on something which gives their education context, gives their lives depth and meaning, and prepares them to be the future workforce.” This “something” that she spoke of is music and art education. Unfortunately, she is entirely correct. We are currently seeing a dramatic cut in arts education curriculum in our public schools due to the limited amount of time and funding. In many cases, budget cutbacks mean arts education cutbacks.
Nunan , S. (2009). Creativity and the arts in the primary school. Irish National Teachers’
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.
Art Education is not always valued in school settings. Although some may see it as an unnecessary use of school funding, there are many who believe it is beneficial to students in more ways than one. There are many different studies that have been conducted to test the effects that art education has on school-aged children. Some studies have proven that art education can help students to improve in other academic areas. In a journal article from Ohio State University’s “Theory in Practice,” Karen A Hamblen states, “There are linkages between art learning and learning in other subjects areas and that art study can promote creative behaviors, critical thinking skills, and academic achievement.” It has also been found that the arts can teach children better self-regulatory strategies, and even foster more confidence and self-efficacy in school which relates to confidence in academics. Overall, art education in schools has been very beneficial and has proven to ignite creativity, confidence, critical thinking skills, and academic achievement in students.
In today’s society anything can be considered “Art”. From the great sounds of a symphony, to the architecture of a modern structure, or even an elephant painting with its trunk, art is what the viewer perceives it to be. Individuals will always agree or disagree with the message behind a certain piece of art, as pieces can be offensive to some, but beautiful to others. Some argue that funding the arts in school is a waste of money, time, or a combination of both, but the benefits outweigh the negatives by far, due to a variety of reasons.
Balanced programs for art education have been constantly changing and adapting over the years. One program that was developed back in the late 1960’s by Elliot Eisner incorporated three areas of art into the curriculum. These included art object, art criticism and the historical context of art. His program developed into a theoretical base for art curriculum in the elementary schools that is very similar to programs used today (Madeja 2001).
As quoted by the College Board of 2005, “Students who took four years of arts coursework outperformed their peers who had one half-year or less of arts coursework by fifty-eight points on the verbal portion and thirty-eight points on the math portion of the SAT.” Many articles on the internet claim that education of the arts is important, not paramount, but statistics are showing otherwise. The creativity students are gaining by participating in the arts does not go unnoticed, but unfortunately not all can open their minds to these striking facts. Need Ghomeshi, editor of Florida International University’s student media site (fiusm.com) believes that “more time needs to be allocated to textbook education. Unfortuantely, the continuously disappointing public education system in the United States promotes the arts while losing focus on textbook education” (Ghomeshi 2). It is in times like these that the arts need attention that they sadly, are not getting. These studies are of the utmost importance in education curriculums, and statistics are showing that participation in theatre, dance, visual arts and music are extremely beneficial for students getting ready to begin standardized testing. An arts education assists children and teens of all ages with a stronger focus and mindset in and out of the school setting. The significance
When I was in high school, I was very involved in the arts. I took a band, choir and two years of visual art. During the years of high school, I knew that the fees for the art courses cost much more than other electives at my school. I also observed that the school focused more on their athletic and academics programs, than on their art programs. We had many fundraisers to raise more money for the art programs even after paying an already expensive fee to takes these electives. Schools are neglecting the visual arts programs and placing all of their money and focus on academics and athletics programs. I propose a balance between the arts, academics, and the athletics.
Art and its education are crucial in the development of young children. Therefore, it is of the upmost importance to ensure that our young children are being taught about art and its education in order for them to be successful contributing members of society. June Vail, a professor of dance at Bowdoin College explains, “The arts bring energy and creativity, a kind of learning that can only enhance every other kind of learning. (Vail).” She continues by saying that, “The enterprise of a liberal arts education is integrative, to educate students to be creative and flexible, to harness their energy in a different way (Vail).” Art begins to lay the foundation of success early for young children by developing their motor skills through paining with a paintbrush and drawing with crayons. Furthermore, it also helps promote language development by learning new shapes, colors, and allows them to describe their artistic creation. Lastly, it also helps children improve academically. A report that was done by the Americans for the Arts demonstrates that young people who participated regularly in the arts are four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement, participate in a math or science fair, or win an award for writing an essay as opposed to students who do not participate in the arts (PBS). As a result of this, it is imperative to ensure that adolescent children of today begin
Throughout the ages art has played a crucial role in life. Art is universal and because art is everywhere, we experience it on a daily basis. From the houses we live in (architecture) to the movies we see (theatre) to the books that we read (literature). Even in ancient culture art has played a crucial role. In prehistoric times cave dwellers drew on the wall of caves to record history. In biblical times paintings recorded the life and death of Christ. Throughout time art has recorded history. Most art is created for a specific reason or purpose, it has a way of expressing ideas and beliefs, and it can record the experiences of all people.
The Creative Arts play a significant role in early childhood education as it provides children with a diverse range of skills to enhance their learning and development to meet the needs of succeeding in the 21st century. Educators can promote The Arts by adopting the Reggio Emilia approach to education, encouraging children to co-construct the curriculum to develop their skills in partnership with teachers, families and their cohorts. The focus of this essay is to emphasise the value of Creative Arts in early childhood education by providing a summary of the concepts and skills of the Creative Arts and the four strands; Dance, Drama, Music and Visual Arts. Then, ascertain how Creative Arts benefit children’s social development, language and
In schools, art educators need to instill the desire to pursue the arts (visual arts and performing arts) through a continued inspiration and encouragement where each student needs to be assessed individually. It is essential to instill passion and love for artistic activities among the students so that we can generate more creative adults in this country. The arst certainly helps students to have develop various creative ideas. The arts education in this country has undergone an immense transformation in the school system, be it elementary, secondary or tertiary level, it has become less popular these days, unlike the sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM EDUCATION). Over the past several years, I have seen the trend of schools not giving importance to the arts—visual arts and performing arts, gone for so many. Hence, The Ministry of Education need to create a scope to make the arts education more important, diverse and dynamic, provided it is implemented with a true spirit within the school curriculum. Schools should have aesthetically pleasing art and music studios for the students to have access to art materials or music instruments for them to experiment and explore. The stress, on the other hand, must be on nurturing creativity and innovation (thinking skills or cognition), and not