Every Class can be an Art Class:

Integrating Art into Core Subjects

by Amanda Henson

It’s no secret that Art has been disappearing in the classroom at a rapid pace; with some students only getting one 30-minute art class every other week. Art is a school subject that is seen as superfluous to the curriculum and is quickly cut from school budgets. According to the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics, 34% of all eighth graders in public schools were offered no visual arts education (National Assessment of Educational Progress, 2016). By the time students get to high school, most do not participate in any type of art class at all. Art, however, is more necessary than many think; letting students participate actively in a lesson and use different methods of learning to absorb the material.

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

1. Define the concept of applying art into core subject classes.

2. Describe how art affects student comprehension in the classroom.

3. Give an example of a strategy to use to incorporate art into the classroom.

What is the concept of applying art into core subject classes?

Applying art into core subjects (i.e., history, math, science) is to use art as a method of research (Marshal & D'Adamo, 2011). For a classic example, when learning about the solar system a student might make a 3-D model of one of the planets. While building this model the student will learn about the materials that make up the planet and its environment, where it is in our solar system, when it was discovered, and how it got its name. This concept moves art from being seen as ‘frivolous’ and stand-alone, to a place where it is an integral part of how a student learns a concept. It engages the student to use those concepts and methods taught in the classroom to the world around them in a more real way (Gustlin, 2012).

How does using art in the classroom affect student comprehension of a core subject?

Art affects student comprehension of a core subject by actively engaging them in the learning process. By having children do some of their own research, they can use deductive reasoning skills to decide what is important within a concept and portray it in a meaningful way. By doing art projects like 3-D modeling, students would have a better concept of scientific models, which can be “difficult to grasp if you have not spent quality time in art classes, drawing, sculpting or painting” (Gustlin, 2012). Being able to intertwine subjects and show students how they are connected is an important tool to having the student understand the real-world applicability of what they are learning. It also allows for some individualization in the lessons, where instead of every student filling out the same fill-in-the blank, they can cut and measure or measure pre-cut shapes, use math to add up each side, either following an outline or using a blank piece of paper, and make up their own rhythm from the art (Koonlaba, 2015). They could then use that rhythm to write a poem or a song about a historical figure from social studies or a scientist from their science curriculum.

What are some examples of strategies to incorporate more art into the classroom?

Koonlaba writes an example by using art from Piet Mondrian to teach math and language arts concepts (2015). Students can measure out quadrilaterals from different colored paper by having the teacher give them specific measurements and “glue the shapes to white paper in an arrangement that shows rhythm” (Koonlaba, 2015). The teacher could then apply this concept of rhythm to a language arts lesson in which students are learning poetry. Using art to make 3-D models, you give students the tools necessary to solve scientific queries or architectural problems in the future. Solely “knowledge-based learning” is “inadequate to shape student competency” by moving away from repetitiveness and allowing students to see how applying what they are learning affects their lives (Ahmet, 2016; Gustlin, 2012).

Now Bring It All Together:

Integrating art into the classroom is crucial to students being able to apply concepts to their lives in a real and meaningful way.There is much front-end research and time that would need to be put into the lesson plans in order to facilitate this type of learning, but the outcome would be worth it. Gustlin used a flow chart as part of her thesis showing the steps to integrate art into lesson plans and how to present it in an academically meaningful way to other teachers in order for them to apply it as well (2012). By being able to apply concepts, it will, over time, sharpen students’ learning skills by letting them apply an alien subject to something they are familiar with and see that different areas of their lives are intertwined and not just solidly one thing or another, that there is a fluidity between the subjects.

But what did YOU learn?

Which Is not a core subject that was listed as an example to Integrate art Into?

A. English

B. History

C. Math

D. Science

I want to use art when teaching my class about fractions and percentages. What would be a strategy that would allow me to do this?

A. Give them a pop quiz to see what the students already know.

B. Having students use calculators to convert percentages to fractions.

C. Having students work in groups do a fill-in-the-blank worksheet, converting fractions to percentages.

D. Using paint mixing concentrations to show fractions and percentages.

References

Ahmet, A. (2016, September 15). How to Infuse the Arts into the Core Curriculum (and Why It Matters).Retrieved from Edutopia: https://www.edutopia.org/blog/infuse-arts-into-core-curriculum-ahmet-ahmet

Gustlin, D. (2012, May). Why Can't We Paint in Math Class? Integrating Art into the Core Curriculum.Retrieved from ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/291695096_Why_can't_we_paint_in_math_class_Integrating_art_into_the_core_curriculum

Koonlaba, A. E. (2015, February 24). 3 Visual Artists-And Tricks-for Integrating the Arts Into Core Subjects.Retrieved from Education Week: https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/opinion-3-visual-artists-and-tricks-for-integrating-the-arts-into-core-subjects/2015/02

Marshal, J., & D'Adamo, K. (2015, November 17). Art Practice as Research in the Classroom: A New Paradigm in Art Education. Retrieved from Taylor & Francis Online: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00043125.2011.11519139?casa_token=iZilTYSId_sAAAAA:hrrOvZQXiHuWUEvx1yY1u03hI0d6w3sP0Uh3QSDXufpMFLn8qc3W8BRCy_vcFfQpj7ybVf-CBdEmmQ

National Assessment of Educational Progress. (2016). NAEP Data Explorer. Retrieved from The Nation's Report Card: https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/ndecore/xplore/NDE

TEDx Talks. (2016). Teaching Art or Teaching How to Think Like an Artist? TEDxColumbus. Retrieved March 14, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcFRfJb2ONk

Answer Key: 1. A, 2. D

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