AR​T 3rd-8th Grade

Teaching Philosohy- a.k.a. Why the study of art is so important!

 

Brigham Young said, “Education is the ability to think clearly, act well in the world of work, and to appreciate life.”  Art teaches a student to appreciate life and question it; giving the student a wider view of the world around them.  Art is therefore, a pertinent part in the well-rounded education of a child.  Sally Hagaman (1988) addressed that art, like all philosophy, is based on wonder. 

Children do the same until their sense of wonder is deadened by socialization, education, or some combination of the two.  They reach a plateau in their sense of wonder and their willingness to express wonder as they reach a plateau in drawing development, usually around fifth or sixth grade. (Putting Aesthetics into the Art Curriculum section, para. 3)

 

An art teacher needs to push students past that point, to continue developing their artistic skills and sense of wonder through motivation.  According to Feldman (1996), “motivation is the keystone of any art teaching strategy” (p.76). “Inspired qualities of motivation are the necessary complement to agentic qualities and invites consideration of how learners can be moved by things beyond their own intentions and goals” (Wong, 2007, p.6).  Continued motivation will continue students’ wonder of the world; thus, creating life long learners.

 

Children are often encouraged to pursue a career that will yield a stable income.  Scientists, mathematicians, lawyers, and doctors are considered stable careers by American cultural standards. Yet, few give little thought about creative components behind those successful in the aforementioned careers.  "The greatest scientists are artists as well," said Albert Einstein (Calaprice, 2000, p. 245).  Doctor’s and Scientists are critical thinkers but creative thinkers develop stronger metacognitive skills. Stein (2009) asserts the following:

 

Creative thinking, critical thinking, and metacognitive thinking are three processes that interact in a dynamic way to advance students' comprehension, performance, and achievement. The interaction is dynamic because creative thinking allows thinkers to generate ideas. Critical thinking allows thinkers to evaluate the value of the ideas, and metacognitive thinking allows thinkers to reflect on their thoughts about those ideas. Through metacognition, thinkers begin to take control of their learning. (para. 2)

 

By having control of metacognitive thinking, a young artist can control their learning; personal creativity can enable professional innovation. According to Einstein:

 

If what is seen and experienced is portrayed in the language of logic, then it is science. If it is communicated through forms whose constructions are not accessible to the conscious mind but are recognized intuitively, then it is art. (Calaprice, 2000, p. 271)

 

Therefore, those children gifted with creative talent need to know that they can succeed in life and hold stable jobs that make use of their creative inspiration.“Our romantic, anti-industrial conception of art has roots in the outdated art histories we have to study in college” (Feldman, 1996, p. 34).  In actuality, art education has “economic significance because of its deep involvement of the teaching of skills” (Feldman, 1996, p.25).  Art also belongs to a process of communication.  “The social character of art instruction teaches children that art is a type of making for, showing to, and communicating with, someone else (Feldman, 1996, p. 20).  Great communicators are needed in the business and economic fields.  After all, the present day American family has become an art-consuming institution.  Those who study the arts and develop their creative thinking skills are responsible for the creation of television programs, commercials, movies, magazine advertisements, and direct mail advertisements (Feldman, 1996, p. 6) they are also our innovative engineers and scientists.

 

Therefore, there are many career options available for creative minds.  My goal as an art teacher is to provide opportunities for the student to explore not only art but also give examples of careers in the art field.  I hope to hone the students’ creative skills while strengthening and supporting core knowledge.