The Benefits of Integrating the Arts into Your Classroom
Introducing the arts into your classroom does more than just give students the option to have a little fun in school. It teaches students to better express themselves and stay more engaged and attentive during class. The arts are an important part of a curriculum and are starting to become a standard in programs across the country. The arts do more than just give students a fun way to learn, they can increase student achievement by as much as 10%.
Many students find that they are drawn to a more creative field such as Music, Dancing, Painting, Acting or more. By letting your students experience these and other subjects within the arts, students experience and interpret lessons and are able to better understand them. The arts are a great vehicle for communication, and by gaining hands on experience with them, students’ communication skills improve dramatically, along with their ability to express themselves.
By integrating the arts into your classroom, your students may not even realize that you are requiring them to engage in conversation, group activities and public speaking. You’re encouraging students to strengthen their skills in these areas, as well as become more involved in class. By encouraging your students to draw a topographical map, build a costume, create a music video related to lessons and countless other activities – you’re opening up a whole new world of creative thinking and innovative problem solving that help students in ways you may never expect.
In a STEAM classroom (STEM + Arts), students use critical thinking as they follow problems to resolutions and work with others to accomplish goals. STEAM also allows you find the value in artistic expression. Other ways to integrate the arts into your classroom can include:
Writing journal entries as a patient who presents at the doctor’s office
Create a comic strip using chemistry lab equipment as the characters
Develop a dialogue between mathematicians discussing results from data collection
Sketching drawings from the invention process
Preparing visual presentations for audiences
Unfortunately, the arts are often cut from schools. By finding a way to integrate them back into your classrooms, curricula will flourish and your students will have a brand new excitement for learning.
Story via The Edvocate
