10 Lessons the Arts Teach
These lessons are just as relevant in the 21st century as when first written, nearly 40 years ago. They apply to all ages and grade levels.
The arts help children express what is difficult to say. When children are invited to talk about their art, it gives them permission to describe what is on their minds.
The arts teach children that problems can have more than one solution and that questions can have more than one answer.
The arts celebrate multiple perspectives. One of their large lessons is that there are many ways to see and interpret the world.
The arts teach children that problem-solving sometimes leads to changing their minds. Learning in the arts requires the ability and willingness to change gears when our work takes a different turn from what we expected.
The arts allow us to express what words cannot, and to understand that words are not the only way to communicate.
The arts nurture and celebrate the power of the imagination, a critical cognitive skill which is the root of visualization, empathy, and problem-solving.
The arts teach students that small differences can have large effects. The arts emphasize the impact of subtleties.
The arts enable children to discover the range and variety of what they are capable of creating.
The arts teach the importance of reflection and revision. Children learn to step back and evaluate their own work. They learn how to work through mistakes rather than giving up.
The arts can give students a mental health break, where time slips away while they are absorbed in the act of creating.
Adapted from Elliott Eisner, Beyond Creating: The Place for Art in America's Schools. Getty Center for Education in the Arts, 1985, p. 69.