Critical Reflection: How the Arts Benefit Student
Achievement
Written by Sandra S. Ruppert
As a nation, we are close to reaching a collective
understanding that all students benefit from the opportunity to learn about and
experience the arts. Study of the arts in its many forms—whether as a
stand-alone subject or integrated into the school curriculum— is increasingly
accepted as an essential part of achieving success in school, work and life.
Yet, at the same time we celebrate the arts for the value
they add to learning and to life, study of the arts is quietly disappearing from
our schools. In schools across the country, opportunities for students to
participate in high-quality arts instruction and activities are diminishing,
the result of shifting priorities and budget cuts. Poor, inner-city and rural
schools bear a disproportionate share of the losses. Studies show children from
low-income families are less likely to be consistently involved in arts
activities or instruction than children from high-income families.5
Put simply, our rhetoric is out of sync with the reality.
Why is it so important to keep the arts strong in our schools? How does study of
the arts contribute to student achievement and success?
(Page1)
MOTIVATION TO LEARN
The arts nurture a motivation to learn by emphasizing active
engagement, disciplined and sustained attention, persistence and risk taking,
among other competencies. Participation in the arts also is an important strategy
for engaging and motivating students at risk of dropping out of high school and
for those with special needs, as these studies show:
• Students at risk of not successfully completing their high
school educations cite their participation in the arts as reasons for staying
in school. Factors related to the arts that positively affected the motivation
of these students included a supportive environment that promotes constructive
acceptance of criticism and one where it
is safe to take risks.
• An ethnographic study of seventh grade boys in special
education revealed use of the visual arts helped them become more
sophisticated, less reluctant readers. Described as learning disabled, the boys
were encouraged to use visual forms of expression to convey their understanding
of reading assignments. After a nine-week course of “visualization training,”
they also took a more active role in reading and began to interpret text rather
than passively reading it.
(Page14)
I found these 2 extracts from Sandra S. Ruppert very interesting, as was the rest of the read. It pin points the importance of the arts and the value it adds to learning, which is a vital part of my inquiry and something I would like to research in more detail. Ruppert also highlights the sad fact that participation is diminishing due to school funds which is something that is very current in schools at this time. I agree very much so about how the arts increased motivation to learn and this is also something that I realised when analysing the answers to my inquiry questions.Take Time for Art's Sake!
Children are born artists, dancers and storytellers! They are naturally creative and enjoy all kinds of artistic expression: story-telling, music, dramatic play, dance and visual arts. Even babies and toddlers are capable of appreciating aesthetic experiences at a very young age; many babies demonstrate a preference for certain music, textures, colors and shapes over others. They are absorbed by images in books and express delight over music - even the most informal contact with creative media generates a positive response in children. It is our joyful responsibility to add meaning to these experiences and expand these artistic opportunities so that a child’s understanding of and love for the visual and performing arts is nurtured. As their knowledge and experience grows, research has show that so will their self-confidence, literacy skills, social skills and problem solving ability. Through the arts, a lifetime appreciation of creative expression will begin to develop.
A Harris Poll taken in 2005 measured American’s attitudes
toward arts education and found that an astounding 93% agreed that the arts are
a vital part of a well-rounded education, while 86% believed that children’s
attitudes toward school are improved by a good arts education. More than half -
54% - rated the importance of arts education a “10” on a one-to-ten scale. Head
Start, state school boards, No Child Left Behind requirements, teachers, and
researchers all recommend quality arts education. Arts education funding is
oftentimes tight, with programming sacrificed for those subjects considered
more "academic." Student populations of economically disadvantaged
areas are especially at risk, generally leaving them with the fewest
opportunities to benefit from the arts.
The arts should not be perceived as a flimsy elective, nor
should it be reduced to coloring books and paint by numbers for the youngest
children. By almost every measure, children who have the opportunity to study
the arts are happier, more self-confident and more likely to academically outperform
those who don’t. Research has demonstrated repeatedly that the arts can enhance
children’s experiences in almost every social and academic standard of
achievement. The College Board Profile of SAT and Achievement Test Takers
demonstrated that students with four or more years of arts study outperformed
their peers by an average of 59 points on the verbal portion and 44 points on
the math portion on the SAT. Employers appreciate workers who have excellent
communication skills, can think creatively and can proficiently engage in
problem solving. All of these skills can be fully developed and finely tuned
with the study of the arts.
So what does this mean for the caregivers and teachers of
the youngest children? It suggests that the child’s exposure to arts will
affect his creative and academic growth as the child matures. It is up to all
of us who spend time with babies, toddlers and preschoolers to create an
environment that supports the love of and appreciation for all artistic
endeavors, both as observers and creators.
Our efforts will become an immense source of aesthetic pleasure and
bring with them quantifiable improvements in both academics and social
relationships.
I love this article by Kathreen Francis! It is so helpful to me as she writes about arts from a very young age which is what I am focusing on, and how to bring out of them the capabilities they have from toddler age. The statistics Francis mentions shows just how much the arts brings out of a child such as happiness, confidence and improved academic performance.The Arts Education Partnership
Making a Case for the Arts
Learning in the Arts is Academic .
Learning experiences in the arts contribute to the
development of academic skills, including the areas of reading and language
development and mathematics.
Learning in the Arts is Basic
Arts learning experiences contribute to the development of certain thinking, social and motivational skills that are considered basic for success in school, life and work. These fundamental skills encompass a wide range of more subtle ,general capacities of the mind, self-perceptions and social relationships.
Learning in the Arts is Comprehensive.
The arts help create the kind of learning environment
conducive to teacher and student success by fostering teacher innovation, a
positive professional culture, community engagement, increased student
attendance, effective instructional practice and school identity.
Although this is just a small extract I found it was informative and straight to the point, not only does the arts improve students academically but also in social skills and a positive attitude and environment, this is something I will be doing further research on along side my main focus of academic improvement.
