MD5 Dis 1
Assignment Task Part 2
Read a selection of your colleagues’ postings.
Respond to two of your colleagues’ postings in 150 word response each as a member of the school board.
· Based on your colleagues’ arguments, would you vote for more funding for integrating the arts in early childhood programs? Why or why not?
Colleague Responses
Colleague #1- Lua Shanks
Top of Form
Art
The use of arts has also enhanced standardized learning which has helped to improve the level of performance of the students. As Yige (2019) states, the use of various tools of arts such as charts and graphs enables the children to be taught the same concepts. Additionally, children are usually classified into the same groups when undertaking various field activities such as hop step jumping, running, or crawling. In the US the use of arts has enabled schools to have common methods/concepts where children can learn together. Therefore, such concepts are shaping the curriculum of the learners and making them have common techniques of learning.
There are various ways in which arts can be incorporated into schools. First, the use of visual arts can be a very effective method of introducing the arts. Davis-Cotton (2020) states that schools should have visual art tools such as posters, graphs, video presentations, and charts where children can learn from. Furthermore, the teachers also need to clarify the thoughts and ideas through visual presentations. All the learning concepts must be drawn to increase the level of understanding among the children. Furthermore, schools can also introduce drama, songs, and dance as part of their curriculum. This would help to improve the knowledge and skills of children.
References
Davis-Cotton, D. (2020). Arts integration: a survey of attendance at school and
community arts events in Florida. Arts Education Policy Review, 1-13.
Yige, M. M. (2019). Visual arts education provisions for primary schools in Turkey. Arts Education Policy Review, 120(1), 11-18.
Colleague #2- Michelle Hampton
Bottom of Form
Art and creativity play a crucial role in enhancing development and learning. According to School Specialty (2019), integrating art into the curriculum for subjects like math and science has been shown to increase understanding and retention, and aids in the development of creative problem-solving skills. The art integration concept introduces tactics that teachers have known for a long time, namely, that bringing creativity into the classroom keeps students engaged.
Art-related activities are fun for young children and are a good way to encourage creativity and assist with the development of fine motor skills and spatial awareness. However, new research has shown that being involved in the arts is also beneficial for social and emotional development (Virginia Network, n.d). Experiences that involve cooperating, collaborating, following directions, demonstrating self-control, and paying attention all help encourage the growth of these skills, and art activities often incorporate many of those aspects. Also, research shows that art activities develop brain capacity in early childhood (PennState Extension, 2016). This means that art engages children's senses in open-ended play and supports the development of cognitive, social-emotional and multisensory skills.
“Work without play makes jack a dull boy.” This saying goes well with the need to integrate arts into the curriculum to make it standardized. Students who acquire reading comprehension using arts integration, as Bernard (2017) explains, have the opportunity to improve their ability to learn through various subjects such as writing, science, language arts, social studies, and mathematics. Examples of how the arts can be incorporated into children’s daily learning experiences include adding music to enrich read aloud books, fiction or non-fiction literature, poetry and teach literary devices. Another example is interpretive dance. Here, students use movement to teach letters, language or math concepts. Students form letters or actions with their bodies and display knowledge of math concepts like symmetry.
References
Bernard, M. J. (2017). Integration of Arts Education into the Core Reading Curriculum: A Quasi-Experimental Study (Doctoral dissertation, University of Phoenix).
PennState Extension (2016). Art–an opportunity to develop children’s skills. http://bkc-od-media.vmhost.psu.edu/documents/HO_Art_AnOpportunity.pdf
School Specialty. (2019, Oct. 29). The importance of art integration in the elementary classroom. Schoolyard. https://blog.schoolspecialty.com/the-importance-of-art-integration-in-the-elementary-classroom/
Virginia Network (n.d). Art Activities Encourage Social and Emotional Development. https://va.gapitc.org/art-activities-encourage-social-and-emotional-development/