Envisioning the Future of Arts in Education

Last December, Americans for the Arts collected Green Papers from a variety of national arts service organizations and peer groups as a way to celebrate successes in the field over the past 50 years.  These Green Papers are intended as visions for the future and are meant to inspire a nationwide dialogue on the future of the arts.   They can now be read and commented on at the Americans for the Arts Blog, http://blog.artsusa.org/category/greenpapers/.

Young Audiences Arts for Learning submitted a paper titled Humpty Dumpty Looks to the Future ‘Putting the Arts and Education back Together Again’ with a vision for the future that places arts learning as a “distinct and distinctive means of enhancing young people’s creativity, learning, and quality of life.”  The author proposes a list of ‘To Do’s by 2040 which includes the need for academically conducted research that affirms the effects of arts learning on creativity, learning and life skills and habits of mind.  The paper envisions a future where all young people are allowed the opportunity to experience arts learning instruction delivered by arts specialists, classroom teachers, and by teaching artists as part of a unified and comprehensive curriculum.

While the past 50 years have seen a growing understanding of and appreciation for the intrinsic and fundamental value of arts instruction, the arts are still far more likely to be marginalized or pushed to the periphery than integrated as part of the core curriculum.  The value of the arts as an essential tool for developing creative and cognitive skills in today’s youth is yet to be fully realized and put into practice by many in-school decision makers.  The ambitious and inspiring vision for arts in education that the Young Audiences Green Paper proposes is a glimpse of an attainable reality, but only if discussions and dialogue continue about this topic.  Visit the Arts Learning for Children and Youth Blog on Americans for the Arts at http://blog.artsusa.org/2010/02/16/green-paper-arts-learning-for-childrenyouth/ to read the paper in its entirety, and take part in this important conversation.

Developing 21st Century Skills Through Arts Integration

There is growing concern and discussion about 21st century skills, and how to best prepare today’s students for success in the global economy. Associations and organizations, such as The Partnership for 21st Century skills (http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/), are being founded to take on the task of advocating for this set of learning and life skills and to develop frameworks, standards and other guidelines for teaching critical thinking, problem solving, communication, and collaboration.

One edweek.org blogger (http://www.edweek.org/forums/?plckForumPage=ForumDiscussion&plckDiscussionId=Cat%3a047dba43-3f1d-45c3-831f-9125f292c0a4Forum%3aeb75a863-0040-451e-93bc-fbc5ad8abf24Discussion%3a7c8ddc85-0128-4864-9d9a-c76c9753bb67&plckCategoryCurrentPage=0&intc=mt) recently posted his thoughts on the matter:

The 21st century economy will rely, more than ever, on workers creative capacity –the ability to think unconventionally, question established practices, imagine new scenarios and produce astonishing work.
So how can thinking be taught without impacting on the time given to traditional subjects and affecting the content requirements of our curricula?

The key is integration. By using a framework that teaches students to 1) work together to create an end product, 2) reflect on and revise their work, and 3) think of many ways to arrive at an answer, teachers can improve students’ learning and life skills while also teaching math, science, history and literacy.

Nuturing Confidence Through Arts Integration

Most people would agree that the arts should play a role in children’s development, and that students should have access to an array of arts experiences at school. When asked why this should be, they may site vague references to the importance of creativity or the way the arts can lift people’s spirits. However, some may not realize the extent to which the arts can impact the lives of every student in the classroom and enhance life-long characteristics such as confidence, curiosity and perseverance. Here is one story, told by a teacher, which captures the effect an integrated arts curriculum can carry to the classroom.

“The student I mentioned is a Special Ed student. His grades before the project were mostly F’s. He did not do well in a regular class. He did not complete assignments or turn them in. He spent most of his time drawing pictures. I knew right away this project could change his life.