Conclusion about art education
Answers
Answer:
and Conclusions
The surveys of arts education in public elementary and) secondary schools provided important information on the status of arts education in the United States and the extent to which public schools are including the arts as core subjects in their curricula
When respondents were asked their views on the importance of education in the arts relative to other academic subjects, most indicated that arts education was essential or very important. However, other data obtained from the surveys suggest that arts education may not be receiving the kind of emphasis that would reflect such views.
The basic findings on arts education in public elementary schools support the conclusion that, in general, the primary focus of arts education is music and visual arts. Creative writing typically is incorporated into the language arts curriculum, rather than taught separately by a creative writing specialist. Dance instruction by a dance specialist is rare, and dramatic and theatre activities are most often used by classroom teachers to reinforce instruction in other subjects. A comparison of the data for music and visual arts instruction in elementary schools indicates that music instruction is receiving more commitment than visual arts in several respects. More schools reported that music is included in their instructional program, and music is more often taught by instructors certified to teach music, rather than by classroom teacher. Furthermore, a higher percentage of elementary schools employ specialists on a full-time basis to teach music than they do for visual arts. Schools also are more likely to provide specially equipped spaces for instruction in music.
In spite of these differences, however, elementary students seem to be receiving about the same amount of instruction time in the two arts subjects. The difference appear to be that classroom teachers are more likely to teach visual arts than to teach music. This does not necessarily mean that the instruction is inferior, however. According to the National Endowment for the Arts (1988), there has been disagreement about who should teach the arts in elementary school-specialists or classroom teachers. Those who argue for arts specialists contend that "a teacher who does not know how to play a musical instrument, read music, write a poem, draw the human figure in action, dance, or act cannot possibly teach children anything substantive about these arts" (p. 110). Those who favor classroom teacher providing instruction in the arts argue that these teachers are no less prepared to teach the arts than they are to teach other academic subjects, such as science or history. The findings from this survey suggest that school administrators may be more inclined to take the view that classroom teachers are prepared to teach visual arts, but teachers must be able to play a musical instrument or read music before they can adequately teach music. Nevertheless, even though classroom teachers may not be teaching music during separate class time, the majority of schools reported that music specialists am consulting with regular classroom teachers on incorporating music into academic instruction, as are the specialists in visual arts.
Arts education in public secondary schools mirrors that of elementary schools in many respects. Music and visual arts education are offered in nearly all of the Nation's secondary schools, with music receiving slightly more attention in terms of number of teacher and amount of space allocated for instruction. The status of education in creative writing and drama/theatre appears less encouraging. Although approximately half of all schools include separate instruction in these subjects, schools generally offer an average of about two courses in each of them. Separate dance instruction is offered in less than one-fifth of the Nation's public secondary schools.
Elementary and secondary schools are doing very little to promote arts education through the use of external resources, such as artist-in-residence programs or teacher enhancement opportunities. Only about one-third of schools indicated that they had hosted any artists-in-residence in the past 5 years. Half or fewer schools reported that inservice training or other professional development activities in the arts had been offered to teachers.
School districts' commitment to keeping arts education in the mainstream of basic education is shown in several ways. Aside from the allocation of funds to arts education, districts also support the arts by developing and providing curriculum guidelines in different arts subjects and by employing arts curriculum coordinators. In general, the majority of schools that offer instruction in the five arts subjects addressed in this survey indicated that curriculum guidelines were provided.
Answer:
Teaching through the arts can present difficult concepts visually, making them more easy to understand. Art instruction helps children with the development of motor skills, language skills, social skills, decision-making, risk-taking, and inventiveness. ... The arts provide challenges for learners at all levels.
In this context, the arts can include Performing arts education (dance, drama, music), literature and poetry, storytelling, Visual arts education in film, craft, design, digital arts, media and photography.