The Creative Mind, Integrating the Arts

When we think of the arts, we envision the geniuses like Leonardo da Vinci, Andy Warhol, Raphael, and so forth. But what we don’t see is the big picture here that we can all be ‘artists’ if we just use our creative minds. Art can be anything whether a simply 
line or shape, a banal or found object, abstract expressionism, or photography that can be analyzed through cultural and social understandings. Art is a wide array of interpretations that go through a creative process in the making and developing of one’s insights. I personally believe this is true as I have witnessed various kinds of art that are minimal and others overwhelming.

Yet, we know that passing a test or an exam is so important and quite the norm but students should not only be educated on learning and memorizing facts, numbers, and figures. Within the twenty-first century, creativity is a key skill in which it is interweaved throughout the curriculum, instruction and assessment; teachers use the creative process to plan the curriculum and assess student achievement (Drake, Reid, & Kolohon, 2014).

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As future educators, creativity is important as it strives to help students to discover their ideas in a much broader understanding, while integrating it in the classroom to help build and grow students’ creative abilities. But it is not to suggest that the arts is only made for the art classroom, but it can emerge to other concepts and disciplines, making it more meaningful and innovative, and opening up students to ‘new ways of seeing’. If teachers glance at this new idea, we can build on something more great and enduring. For example, a teacher can look at how the arts can cross paths within the mathematical discipline. Take for instance of a learning experience within the classroom that involves studying the human figure. The math part comes in when it can help to accurately depict the human body and portrait drawing using sight measurements (La Haye & Naested, 2014). In this case, a student can build a concrete and clear understanding of the two subjects, interconnecting them to one another.  In my past experience of taking general art courses, I actually learned how to incorporate math into my artworks. When I wanted to enlarge an image onto my drawing support, I would have difficulty in drawing it so precisely and proportionately. So I did it with some mathematical help, grids. Artists have used this technique to redraw accurate drawings, and to distort and enlarge them (La Haye & Naested, 2014). The grid is an easy method; I can draw the grid over the reference photo, and then draw the exact grid again on the paper. By focusing on one square, and taking the time to accurately draw the lines and contours, the image would be finished in no time!

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Not only do we examine the mathematical approach, but we can also look into the idea of fostering literacy through the use of photography. Photographs are a way in depicting memories and stories to be remembered and told. Students can analyze text by engaging in photographs, provoking and questioning the intent and purpose. The students can voice and describe their observations, ideas, and interpretations, as well as listen to the ideas of their peers, demonstrating the act of cooperative learning and collaboration. For example, an educator can take a photograph which would be unfamiliar to the students and the teacher can ask questions such as: What do you think the intention of the photographer was? What is the power relation of the gaze between the spectators and the subject? How does the photograph relate to you? Are there any stories that can be told just by looking at it? These questions help to probe students’ thinking in a critical manner. 

But, it is also suggested that students not only learn how to “read” literally but they can also build on their writing strategies. We can examine how a teacher can teach composition writing to English-language learner students by utilizing photographs; a photograph is like a story, where the student can write a composition about the piece, and it is the photograph that serves as the subject matter or topic of the writing exercise (Chukueggu, 2011). In this way, the exercise becomes interesting as the students work with an inspiration, a reference at their fingertips, making inferences about the photograph and thinking about what it tells them.

Seven Oaks Elementary School integrates arts into classroom lessons as much as possible to get students educated about its value and importance: 

                                          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzTgW0JhQ74

Check out these different interpretations and analyses of integrating creativity: 

• How Integrating Arts Into Other Subjects Makes Learning Come Alive.
• Use Arts Integration to Enhance Common Core.

In concluding this blog, creativity is important in fostering students' well-beings. Teachers need to see the BIG idea that creativity is not only designated for the art room, but anywhere within the classroom and in the curriculum. They just need to make sure that they remind students of the value of creativity, and to give every possible chance and opportunity to demonstrate it. I believe that this is truthful in its essence because as a pursuing arts teacher, I would want my students to be exposed to this type of learning experience. Igniting the creative mind for the students is essential as we do not want darkness to overtake it. 

Albert Einstein once stated: Creativity is Contagious.Pass it On.

So good luck in discovering your teaching journey…

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References

Chukueggu, C. (2011). An integration of language and visual arts in english language teaching.

Global Education Journal, 3, 129-135.

Drake, S. M., Reid, J. L., & Kolohon, W. (2014). Interweaving curriculum and classroom

assessment: Engaging the 21st-century learner. Canada: Oxford University Press.

La Haye, R. & Naested, I. (2014). Mutual interrogation: A celebration of alternate perspectives

for visual art and math curriculum. Canadian Review of Art Education: Research &

Issues, 41 (2), 185-201. Retrieved from : A celebration of alternate perspectives

for visual art and math curriculum. Canadian Review of Art Education: Research &

Issues, 41 (2), 185-201. Retrieved from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.proxy.library.brocku.

ca/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=2&sid=15ccb127-8c70-4818-a544-4905405c6c20@sess

ionmgr4004&hid=4202.