Education Law

Artfully thinking

Looking for a new way to teach students to think outside the box? Or maybe to strengthen critical thinking or observational skills? The Washington Post reported here on the value that art is adding to many different areas of school curriculum.

Art integration is being used in science, math, and many other all-purpose classrooms as teachers find that visuals arts are finding new ways to engage students. Abstract paintings can be used to teach lessons in force, motion, and energy for physics classes, and math teachers are finding that analyizng pieces of art is helping students to become more disciplined thinkers when working on difficult math concepts.

Measuring art's impact on academic achievement is difficult, but one Maryland school has seen many benefits. According to the article,

"If you know your kids struggled last year with a concept, it might be a perfect place for arts integration," she said.

Johnson said that using artwork provides a nonjudgmental way to teach students about critical thinking. "You always start with art as a kind of neutral territory for kids," she said.

Students don't worry about making mistakes because there are no incorrect answers, Johnson said. Then they apply the same thinking and analyzing skills to academic subjects.

BoardBuzz was impressed with the school's goal of aiming to use art integration in 100 percent of its classrooms and with art's ability to strengthen creative and critical thinking skills. Has your school seen art's impact on student achievement? Let us know by leaving a comment.

Full post as published by BoardBuzz: NSBA's Daily Weblog on November 13, 2008 (boomark / email).