Readings

Article 1 - Flory
To be honest, this article did not particularly resonate with me.  The article appears to be more of a personal manifesto or declaration of lived experience rather than appearing to have solid research behind it.  It is difficult as an educator to embrace such a document as it is akin to a declaration that outdoor learning or learning through technology are necessary to a modern education.  Each may have its merits, but before jumping in and spending time and resources in the endeavor, it is useful to know what methodologies are most useful and what the effect sizes are on student learning.  The article argues repeatedly that artistic knowledge and exposure helps to build the whole child, but again there appears to be no research linked to social / emotional gains or better outcomes.  This is not to say that I disagree with the importance of the arts in building a whole child, only that this article is neither persuasive nor authoritative on its own.  Because of this I would not likely recommend this article to my staff as I endeavor to encourage my teachers to pursue the integration of the arts into their teaching.


Article 2 - Schwartz
This article was much more persuasive than the first, even though it did not necessarily have effect sizes or control groups.  There was a significant gain in proficiency in mathematics scores in the school over time, though it is difficult to say if it was because of the integration of the arts, thematic / unit teaching and cross-curricular integration, or merely demographic change due to the nature of the school becoming a magnet school.  There is a great deal of research behind thematic teaching and cross-curricular integration and I do not doubt that this would have had a significant impact on student growth.  Additionally, the ability to integrate artistic expression and skills into the other content areas removes the traditional barrier of the need to focus on "academics" as well as helps to motivate children as most projects involve a significant amount of choice.


Article 3 - DeMoss and Morris
Though the sample size on this article was rather small (30 students), the research question behind it is compelling and it definitely gives positive signals to the "how" behind the increased academic achievement associated with the integration of the arts into daily teaching.  If we do indeed know the "how" then we can begin to harness this direct impact, augment it, and tailor the rest of our methods to dovetail with these outcomes.  I would definitely recommend this to my staff.

Paul, I am glad that you mentioned cross-curricular integration in regards to article #2.  It is something that we as teachers are seeing more and more of today.  It benefits us in the classroom and helps to fill a void where a subject might otherwise take a backseat.  In my previous district our social studies curriculum was integrated into our reading units.  There were obvious connections and benefits, but this also raised the question of the primary learning objectives being first reading and then second social studies.  Needless to say, cross-curricular creation of lessons builds a more robust lesson, but we need to be careful to not dilute the objective.