The Role of Art in Education

The arts are often seen as a non-essential addition to contemporary practical education. Standardized testing and assessments emphasize reading, writing and math while art plays only an adjunct role. But art actually plays an essential role in education, providing an effective way to build skills, develop content comprehension and empower students with the skills that they need to succeed in our visually complex world.

Arts and the Brain

Studies show that children who participate in the arts develop neural links that facilitate connections between information in short term learning and long term memory. Students who practice art develop a more sophisticated understanding of aesthetics which leads to a more open style of dopamine influenced cognition. Practice in music, dance and theater arts activates the development of neural substrates that transfer to other cognitive areas and can lead to more effective learning across the curriculum.

Arts and Learning Styles

Howard Gardner describes a variety of learning styles that are most effective for individual students. One of those styles is the visual/spatial learner, who learns best by using pictures, charts or other visual forms of organizing information. Students who are visual spatial learners thrive when they can use art to access their strengths.

Arts and Standards

As an essential part of the curriculum, the arts are integrated into student achievement and assessment with measurable standards. Each state has specific curriculum standards for the arts.

Arts and Student Outcomes

In addition to helping students achieve the educational competencies that make up the all important standardized tests, art education provides applied skills that students will need in their future lives. Education in the arts allows students to develop creative thinking that is essential in the professional world. Art education also provides the visual literacy skills that students will need to be able to be able to critically engage within this fast paced media saturated world.

Integrating Arts Across the Curriculum

Art can be integrated into all areas of the curriculum to allow all students to gain the skills that a visually competent, creative professional will need in order to succeed. There are a wide variety of resources for planning arts activities in all areas of education.

References

• Dana Consortium: Learning, Arts and the Brain
• Learning Styles: Visual Spatial
• Artsedge: Standards for the Arts
• New Horizons: Arts in Education