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THE ARTS

Every time I walk into a school building, I find myself looking to the walls, as this

is often where one can find a feeling of the building. The walls, whether they house

displays of pictures, sculptures, or digital media, give a glimpse into the culture of the

school. Hallways can be turned into mini-museums, and the effort invested to make the

space come to life influences my feelings about a place. It gives a glimpse into how

students experience their learning, and how they demonstrate what their knowledge

means to them. Emotions, engagement, and energy are on display through art.

While most schools in my district teach the same curriculum and have the same

student allotment of music, PE, art, health, and library hours, it is always exciting to see

how different teachers carve out time for students to express their learning through art,

music, drama, or dance. This impact has influenced my teaching, in that it has solidified

my commitment to provide meaningful experiences with the arts in my classroom.

My project Raven Art is an example of how I integrate the arts in my classroom.

In this lesson, students create a piece of art in a collaborative manner, using materials that

were made by the students. This project touches not only on artistic concepts such as

shading, texture, varying materials, and collage, but also works on fine motor skills

(tearing), collaboration, and cooperation.

A major focus of this work was for students to practice collaboration and

cooperation through art. Cooperative learning experiences have shown to be positively

correlated with intrinsic motivation, student enjoyment, and positive feelings of

community (acceptance and support of peers and teachers) (Johnson, Johnson, Johnson,

& Anderson, 1976). In addition, collaboration is a life skill that our students will use
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throughout their education and out in the “real world”. This art project provides them a

visible, tangible outlet to practice skills such as taking turns, paying attention to others’

opinions, allowing others to speak, and considering others’ opinions – characteristics that

can be a barrier to effective collaborations (Barron, 2003).

Art projects in the classroom are integral in promoting student engagement. When

students walk into the classroom and the art supplies are out, there is an immediate

excitement in the air. This curiosity brings their attention into the classroom, and can

inspire creative connections when artistic experiences are linked to academic objectives.

In this space, students also get the chance to experience their freedom of expression, and

integrates Universal Design for Learning strategies through multiple means of

representation, expression, engagement, and assessment (Brand & Dalton, 2012).

Classroom art experiences can support opportunities for higher-order thinking and

problem solving as students closely observe, analyze and reflect upon their subject of

study (Cunnington et al., 2014).

In my classroom, we frequently take time to explore language arts content

through art. This integration of art into common curricular content offers a deeper and

richer learning experience for students, and can support students’ access to broader

subject knowledge (Garrett, Dawson, and Meiners 2018). Through art, students can

appreciate the value of an adjective with vibrant colors or paints as they create characters

with bright red hair, long arms, or joyful smiles. They can construct a setting 3-

dimensional, multi-textured settings with sunsets made of felt and trees fashioned from

pipe cleaners. Each of these opportunities builds an element of enjoyment and relevance

to the concepts that we study.

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Student art, when displayed throughout the classroom and the school, helps to tell

the story of a school. These displays can help build connections for students, as they

have a part in creating a vibrant learning environment. Students take pride in their work,

and enjoy seeing their hard work appreciated by parents, school staff, and peers. This

pride, and the learning that inspired their work, is an important part of the classroom

experience.
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REFERENCES

Barron, B. (2003). When smart groups fail. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 12, 307–

359.

Brand, Susan M., Dalton, Elizabeth M., (2012). Universal Design for Learning: Cognitive

Theory into Practice for Facilitating Comprehension in Early Literacy. Forum on

Public Policy Online, v2012 n1. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ979433

on November 21, 2014.

Cunnington, M., Kantrowitz, A., Harnett, S., & Hill-Ries, A. (2014). Cultivating common

ground: Integrating standards-based visual arts, math and literacy in high-poverty

urban classrooms. Journal for Learning through the Arts, 10(1), 1–24.

Garrett, R., Dawson, K., Meiners, J. (2018). Creative and Body-based Learning:

Redesigning Pedagogies in Mathematics. Journal for Learning through the Arts.

14(1) Retrieved from https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5396b47c April 6, 2019.

Johnson, DW., Johnson, RT., Johnson, J., Anderson, D. (1976) Effects of cooperative

versus individualized instruction on student prosocial behavior, attitudes toward

learning, and achievement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 68(4), 446-452.