Harding Fine Arts Academy boast an innovative art-integrated educational model. But what does that mean exactly? What does an arts-integrated education look like?
Arts Integration is an approach to teaching in which students construct and demonstrate understanding through an art form. Students engage in a creative process which connects an art form and another subject area and meets evolving objectives in both. For example, in science class students may be asked to write a song about cell division, or in geometry analyze Picassoās works in his famous cubism style to identify different shapes, lines and angles.
Unfortunately, in recent years funding for arts-based programs have been on the decline. Instead, many leaders and policymakers emphasize the importance of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). Sometimes at the expense of humanities, arts and sociology.
While it is true that there is an increasing demand of highly-trained scientists, managers and technicians especially in computer science and energy, it should not be forgotten that critical thinking and creative problem solving are key skills in any field.
This is because as artists, our students will have to face and overcome obstacles, think of innovative solutions, collaborate effectively with a team and communicate their visions succinctly and clearly. In a recent Forbes article, Adam Enbar, CEO and Co-Founder of Flatiron, a computer programming bootcamp, explained that students who come to computer programming from the world of the arts often fear that they will be at a disadvantage. But a rigorous creative discipline teaches patience in the face of obstacles, which turns out to be a critically important mindset for coding.
āArtists know what itās like to be bad at something,ā said Enbar. āIf you ever learned to play an instrument, you can feel like a beginner for a long time. But you just push through it and youāre forgiving of yourself. You learn to say, āItās all right that Iām bad, but Iām practicing and I see myself getting better.āā
Arts-integrated education is more than just arts & crafts in the classroom.
By weaving arts and humanities into everything we do, we are not only preparing students for college, but we are instilling skills, behaviors and temperaments necessary to be successful in life and in their careers.
Regards,
Barry Schmelzenbach, Superintendent
Continue Reading:
The Arts And Humanities Deliver Untapped Value For The Future Of Work (Forbes)
Students in Tech Say Soft Skills and the Arts Set Them Up for Success (EdSurge)
Finding the Art Within (Americans for the Arts)
https://blog.americansforthearts.org/2019/05/15/finding-the-art-within
