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Key pieces of the curriculum

Art education is an invaluable part of any schools curriculum, but unfortunately it is still seen as an "extra" program in some schools. When people employ this sort of ranking criteria, the art education portion of the curriculum can sometimes get cut when there are fiscal restraints. It is important for teachers and administrators to recognize the value of art education, not just as a single subject, but also as a key part of the curriculum. Here are a few thoughts on the value of art education in primary and secondary schools.

Perspective

A key part of art education is about teaching students to appreciate different kinds of perspective. It is about looking at a person, object, or landscape, and being able to make judgments about what is being seen. Art is more than just painting a picture. It is also about learning to experience one's ideas and creativity in a variety of mediums. This includes everything from simple pencil drawings to modeling clay to computerized painting. Art is about interpreting one's world and being able to recreate that interpretation on the canvas or other artistic medium.

Emergent talent

Another value to art education is that it can give a student direction in terms of vocational or personal interests. Not all students who draw in school will become professional artists, but some may enter fields where they use their visual creativity. In addition, the experience can give them an appreciation for art, which they may carry for the rest of their lives. This may help them encourage art education for their children, particularly as they get older and remember the positive experience of their own education.

History, politics, and religion

As mentioned, the value of art goes far beyond the actual subject. When one studies art, particularly art history, there are many elements of history, politics, philosophy, society, and religion that emerge. Granted, this does require the art teacher to expand beyond the craft or task and cover the background of art. When this is able to occur, the student starts to understand what the artist was thinking, and it can give students an appreciation as to what the historical artist was dealing with during their particular time in history. It also helps students to understand that art is far more than just a bit of creativity manifested as visual output. Rather, it can be an expression of the historical time period, including all the aspects of a complex society.

Broadened worldview

Art is one of those subjects that can help to expand the world of the student. The philosophy behind teaching students various students is that it has the potential to teach them critical thinking skills through the exposure to different worlds and subjects. If students are left to their own devices, they might not seek out elements of art education. Or, they might get stuck in a particular genre that is popular, but not terribly deep in terms of academic content. Therefore, art education is a crucial part of expanding people's minds so that they can understand the breadth and depth of the world around them.

Life in a visual world

Finally, art education may help prepare the student for the realities of a visual world. Increasingly, technology, media, and societal trends are skewed towards different types of visual learning and stimuli. Art may provide the student with cognitive tools to navigate this fast-paced world, and be ready to learn in a variety of different ways, as they become productive workers and involved citizens. There are a variety of ways that a student can grow and develop from an intellectual standpoint, but art definitively represents one of those components.

Learn more about this author, Todd Pheifer.
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