Arts Integration
St. Catherine Catholic School
2017-2018
Essential Question:
How can an arts integration philosophy allow me to engage every student in my classroom and enhance learning?
Why does your particular topic move student learning forward?
The heart of arts integration is engagement in the creative process. Students who are engaged in their learning build a deeper understanding. Arts integration provides a differentiated instructional approach that allows students to express their learning in a variety of ways. It can concentrate on the product and, more importantly, the process. Arts integration has the power to engage all students as it connections to real life. They learn how to give voice and express their unique selves.
"We want our children to grow into adulthood with arts enhanced lives, engaging fully in the world's activities with their aesthetic, cognitive physical and emotion strengths - entwining these life processes as often as possible...We live holistically, everything matters. Schools need to support this vital way of becoming." The Arts Go To School.
How does your Essential Question align with your Program of Studies?
Arts integrations enhances communication, collaboration, creativity, innovation, critical thinking - just to name a few cross-curricular competences. Grade 1 general outcomes in all subjects can be expressed through the arts. The art lends itself to integration in all curricular areas.
How does your choice align with the particular set of students that you teach?
Arts Integration meets the needs of all students, naturally differentiating for each one. It becomes their unique expression and their builds confidence, as everyone can be successful when the focus is process and not product.
The heart of arts integration is engagement in the creative process. Students who are engaged in their learning build a deeper understanding. Arts integration provides a differentiated instructional approach that allows students to express their learning in a variety of ways. It can concentrate on the product and, more importantly, the process. Arts integration has the power to engage all students as it connections to real life. They learn how to give voice and express their unique selves.
"We want our children to grow into adulthood with arts enhanced lives, engaging fully in the world's activities with their aesthetic, cognitive physical and emotion strengths - entwining these life processes as often as possible...We live holistically, everything matters. Schools need to support this vital way of becoming." The Arts Go To School.
How does your Essential Question align with your Program of Studies?
Arts integrations enhances communication, collaboration, creativity, innovation, critical thinking - just to name a few cross-curricular competences. Grade 1 general outcomes in all subjects can be expressed through the arts. The art lends itself to integration in all curricular areas.
How does your choice align with the particular set of students that you teach?
Arts Integration meets the needs of all students, naturally differentiating for each one. It becomes their unique expression and their builds confidence, as everyone can be successful when the focus is process and not product.
What's the Plan?
Looking at the curriculum through an arts integration lens, I will take advantage of opportunities which lend themselves to arts integration. This will be shown in the "Evidence of Implementation" section of my personal learning plan.
Assessments will include self reflection/assessments, anecdotal notes, observations, and rubrics to gain insights on how students see themselves as artists and how they feel about art.
Assessments will include self reflection/assessments, anecdotal notes, observations, and rubrics to gain insights on how students see themselves as artists and how they feel about art.
What's the Timeline?
Throughout the year, I will be reading chapters from The Arts Go To School. At each PD morning with my group, we will be reflecting on what went well and how we can improve. I find these conversations essential. My colleagues are a wealth of knowledge who challenge (and affirm) my understanding of what arts integration is and can be.
Impact on Student Learning
The students were engaged in my lessons and participated very well. For example, when we made pictures with the Tangram pieces, the students were having rich conversations about the shapes and comparing them to real life objects as they created their art. Arts Integration allows for deeper, hands on learning and every student can be successful. The process is beautiful to see!
Final Thoughts
As I grow and reflect upon the arts integration philosophy this year, there are things I would change for next year. I love the idea of incorporating more arts projects and activities during literacy. This year was more challenging as my classroom was in the hallway. I know that having space will help me continue on with projects and activities. Space aside, I know that it has to be intentional. Arts Integration isn't an AND, it should be an INSTEAD OF. Instead of a more traditional activity, for example, I can incorporate a drama activity. It's easy to fall back into old habits, but with all the learning from PD and colleagues this year, I am excited to continue on my journey.
References
The Arts Go to School: Classroom based activities that focus on music, painting, drama, movement, media and more. Edited by: D. Booth and M. Hachiya. (2004).
Edutopia
https://www.edutopia.org/blogs/tag/arts-integration
Edutopia
https://www.edutopia.org/blogs/tag/arts-integration