Improving the teaching of art.

Several art educators and advocates of art education across the United States welcomed the recent federal government's declaration of art as a core curriculum subject with a feeling of vindication; that is, vindication from past criticism of art as a less essential subject in the curriculum. Along with the elevated status of art in the school curriculum comes certain expectations in the domain, such as increased funding for supplies and equipment, more professional development opportunities for art teachers, and availability of art classes in every American school. As a result of the federal government's pronouncement, advocates of school art could further support their position that all American children should be able to receive education in art, regardless of the advantages or disadvantages of the location of a child's school.

These expectations seem realistic in view of the federal government's "No Child Left Behind" initiative and the improved status of art in the curriculum. However, the enactment of this new law may not result in the reversal of widespread perception of art as a less beneficial subject in the schools. In short, the federal government's pronouncement of art as a subject of equal importance to reading, writing, and mathematics in the curriculum may not resonate with some students, school administrators, and curriculum observers within society. I propose that a more effective way to establish the import of art in the curriculum is by facilitating experience-based accounts of its contributions to students' educational development in the schools.

Facilitating Understanding of Art

For students, administrators, and observers of school art to fully appreciate the significance of art in the curriculum, art teachers must find ways to define the unique contributions of art to the school experience, and to make the subject more relevant to the educational needs and aspirations of each student. But how can art teachers achieve these goals?

A good place to start is to facilitate students' understanding of the nature of the discipline, and its contributions to the development of society. Such knowledge would predispose them to meaningful engagement in learning about art. In this article, I will discuss various ways in which teachers can enhance students' understanding of art in the schools and beyond.

For decades, art educators have suggested various ways to improve teaching and learning about art. In the past, some have suggested a child-centered art curriculum with focus on the creative and mental health of students (Lowenfeld, 1957), and Discipline Based Art Education (DBAE) (Eisner, 1990). More recently, others have advocated socially responsive approaches, such as community-based art education (Adejumo, 2000), multicultural art education (Stuhr, Petrovich-Mwaniki, & Wasson, 1992), visual culture art education (Duncum, 2001), and environmentally conscious art education (Ulbricht, 1998). In spite of their diverse opinions about which curriculum approach would benefit students the most, art educators agree that school art should orientate students on how art functions in society and prepare them for patronage of art in the community. Art educators are at a consensus on the need for school art to provide students with the opportunity to develop their artistic skills for vocational or avocational purposes.

Despite all that has been said about the benefits of art in children's educational, social, and cultural development, some school administrators and students continue to perceive art as a dispensable subject in the curriculum, especially when confronted with budget cuts or choosing between art and other subjects in the school curriculum. Art teachers can reverse this widespread ambivalence towards art by: (1) talking to students about the nature and benefits of art; (2) encouraging student participation in art through decentralized instruction; and (3) familiarizing students with the applications of art in society.

Talking to Students About Art

Talking to students about art requires about ten minutes of class time. This approach to improving students' understanding of the subject involves engaging them in dialog on the art disciplines of aesthetics, criticism, art history, and studio. Discussions may also focus on issues in art, such as funding, patronage, or censorship.

The difference between engaging students in art dialog and traditional models of art criticism as advocated by Feldman (1987) and Mittler (1973) is that dialogical exchanges between students and teachers are less formal. Open and informal discussions about art encourage students to access their knowledge base and share personal experiences about the subject. Such class involvement predisposes students to listen to others and to appreciate broader conceptions of art.

Other benefits of talking about art for students are that they acquire oral presentation and listening skills, expand their knowledge and use of art vocabulary, and develop logical thinking skills through critical dialog.

Promoting Transfer Through Decentralized Instruction

Students' interest in art and their participation in art classes could be improved through the decentralization of art instruction. Conventional teaching approaches that limit students' involvement in decision-making processes tend to marginalize learning in art. Decentralized instruction enables students to engage their intuition and channel original thoughts and experiences in learning about art. In addition, decentralized art classes encourage students to experiment with materials and equipment, and to explore new ideas. Students develop the confidence to question existing assumptions about art while seeking new ways of experiencing the subject. In short, art teachers in decentralized classrooms collaborate with their students as partners in acquiring knowledge and skills in art.

Decentralized art instruction enables students to close the gap between learning about art in school and their experiences of art within the community. Teachers may facilitate such holistic learning by encouraging students to access their tacit knowledge and to use community resources as they complete various tasks in school art. The dynamic environment of a decentralized art class would make it possible for teachers to assist students in meeting their diverse needs and interests.

Using Experts as Role Models

Art teachers may invite professionals in the visual arts to their classrooms to demonstrate how they practice art in real life. Such experience enables students to relate their classroom activities in art to those of professionals in the field. Such interaction enhances students' understanding of art in the schools and beyond. Teachers interested in inviting art professionals to their classrooms may find it convenient to do so through the United States Department of Education's Artists-in-Schools program. Teachers may seek information about the Artists-in-Schools program from their colleagues in other schools or through their local Arts Council. Through the observation of art experts in the schools, students may learn nonfamiliar art terminology and advanced technical skills. Direct experiences with art experts may be easier for students to understand and recollect, as opposed to learning about them in less direct ways, such as the use of literature.

Direct Observation of Artists and Their Works

Another effective way to improve students' understanding of art in the schools is to organize field trips to visual art organizations in the community. Such activities must go beyond the conventional visit to art museums and galleries to include direct experiences of the actual work environments of experts in the visual arts. Through such interaction, students develop better understanding of art and appreciation for how art contributes to social, cultural, and economic activities in society. To actualize the observation of visual arts experts as described here, teachers and school administrators may need to establish partnerships with visual art organizations through programs like Adopt-a-School. Such partnerships provide students with access to the work environments of the art organizations.

Conclusion

The pronouncement of art as a core subject in the curriculum represents a major progress in the advancement of school art. However, art teachers must recognize that this declaration of equality between art and other core curriculum subjects may not change the image of art as a less essential subject. Such change likely occur as a result of students' positive experiences in art.

References

Adejumo, O. C. "Community Based Art, SchoolArts," Vol. 99 (6), pp. 12-13, 2000.

Duncum, P. "Visual Culture: Developments, Definitions, and Directions for Art Education. Studies in Art Education," 42 (2), 101-112, 2002.

Eisner, E. "Discipline-based Art Education: Conceptions and Misconceptions", 1990.

Educational Theory, 40 (4), 423-430.

Feldman, E.B. "Varieties of Visual Experience" (3rd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1987.

Lowenfeld, V. "Creative and Mental Growth". New York: Macmillan Co., Inc, 1957.

Mitler, G. "Experiences in Critical Inquiry: Approaches for Use in the Art Methods Class. Art Education," 26 (2), 16-21, 1973.

Stuhr, P., Petrovich-Mwaniki, L., & Wasson, R. "Curriculum Guidelines for the Multicultural Classroom. Art Education," 45 (1), 16-24, 1992.

Ulbricht, J. "Changing Concepts of Environmental Art Education: Toward a Broader Definition. Art Education," 51 (6), 22-34, 1998.

Christopher O. Adejumo is an assistant professor of visual art studies and art education at The University of Texas at Austin, Texas. [e-mail].