Context+for+Arts+Integration

Context for Arts Integration //"...In this time, we need to be educated in who we are, and with the arts, education extends far outside the classroom.”//   media type="youtube" key="8d9r7duU_Cc" height="360" width="640" **Historical Context**  Like many movements in the field of public education, the idea of arts integration was born from philosophical and conceptual notions. The Cardinal Principles (1918) proposed that curriculum could benefit from a framework designed around broad ideas. Thus, //integrated curriculum// was encouraged as an improved means to promote academic achievement in the young people of America. Shortly thereafter, William Heard Kilpatrick presented the “project method,” recommending that units or themes of study be child-centered, making learning more meaningful and relevant. In response, John Dewey suggested that units be organized so that “the interdependence of knowledge and the relationship between knowledge and human purpose would be clear” (Kliebard, 2004, p. 149). This notion led to the study of “the interrelation of subjects with one another” (p. 150). media type="youtube" key="ISTUqQeXPcM" height="360" width="480" align="center"

**Learning “Through” the Arts** Although there is some debate upon the logistics of transfer in learning, arts skills and concepts should be considered when examining transfer to and from other content skills and concepts. Art can be defined as an enhanced expression of the human condition. Consequently, art undoubtedly creates an interactive environment of intellectual, social, and emotional development while fostering reflective thinking. Catterall (2005) identifies this as //conversation// and //silence//. Conversation refers to the external conversation between a student and his teacher as they discuss art during instruction. Silence refers to the internal conversation that occurs as a student reflects upon ideas and how to act upon these meanings that are forming in her mind. Catterall also suggests a “central theory” in respect to arts and transfer in learning: //(1) Arts learning and experiences, to varying degrees, reorganize neural pathways, or the way the brain functions. Extended and or deep learning in the arts reinforces these developments. // //(2) The development and re-organization of brain function due to learning in the arts **may** impact how and how well the brain processes other tasks. //

**Making Connections** A curricular focus on a “big idea” or “shared concept” that spans multiple domains serves as a more seamless approach to designing curriculum and instruction. Beginning with such a concept or broad idea can address curricular connections. The use of inquiry by students, teaching artists, and teachers expands the framework for integration. Real-world content and application then guide both the design and the implementation. Teachers can use the artistic processes as tools for learning. One might compare the concepts of literacy as they might be applied to visual, auditory, or kinesthetic literacy in the world of the arts.  Engaging in Collaboration  Arts integration sets forth a process of collaboration. Booth (2003) recommends placing community-based teaching artists in the center of the curriculum integration. Community becomes crucial when building arts partnerships. Collaboration and trust is cultivated within the school when involving arts teachers and classroom teachers. Ultimately, the fusion of collaborative planning, community, and parents are a must when engaging, encouraging, and challenging students in the arts integration process. media type="youtube" key="4GmRCQzBLf0" height="360" width="480" align="center"

Although this video explores the Waldorf method, it also presents meaningful evidence of arts integration.

References Booth, E. (2003). What is a teaching artist? //Teaching Artist Journal, 1//(1), 5-12.

Catterall, J. S. (2005). Conversation and silence: Transfer of learning through the arts. //Journal for Learning through the Arts: A Research Journal on Arts Integration in Schools and Communities, 1//(1), 1-12.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Kliebard, H. M. (2004). //The struggle for the American curriculum, 1893-1958// (3rd ed.). New York: RoutledgeFalmer.