Forum 2 - Garrin Jost

Forum 2:

Exploring the Benefits of Art in Elementary Education:
     My main "take-away" from this article was a general argument against the ever increasing amount of testing of core subject and for a more holistic approach to education as a whole. The author addresses the cycle of increased testing and diminished amounts of time spent developing the skills that truly help students to develop the skills necessary to express themselves and problem solve in authentic situations. This article lines up perfectly with many educational theorists from Dewey's "active learning" to Friere's rally against the "banking model" of learning.

How Integrating Arts Into Other Subjects Making Learning Come Alive:
     I appreciate how this article aims to establish art as a means to improve a school community both
academically and socio-emotionally. However, I am sometimes leery of anything that justifies including art in a curriculum based on its ability to increase test scores. This does seem to align with studies on learning and creativity, specifically in regards to higher level thinking. Again, I think this article addresses art from the perspective of it being another tool in the teacher’s toolbox as opposed to having value in and of itself.


How Arts Integration Supports Learning:Students Shed Light on the Connections:
     I am more comfortable with the rhetoric in this study as opposed to the previous one. I appreciate the acknowledgement that the link between art practice and core-skill improvement is to some extent, mysterious. I loved the example of the class-directed historical play. This integration model supersedes the need motivate students inauthentically and truly makes learning fun. I am also intrigued by the by the apparent increase in student reflection with the arts-engagement. With arts-integration, the article seems to suggest that students can progress to higher level thinking in the hierarchy of learning with less effort than traditional methods. In all, this article expands the thinking about academic outcomes to include the whole child- something I think is extremely important in terms of helping students to become their best selves.