Arts Intigration (the Finale)

What?

I feel as if I am getting a very good idea of how I’d like to integrate the arts into my future curriculum. As I’ve said before, I feel that the Arts are important for any classroom, and for a child’s growth in all subjects.

So What?

While I was able to integrate the arts minimally throughout my Field Experience, I feel that I was constricted to what the teacher felt was “appropriate” in her classroom. When I have my own classroom, I know that those restrictions won’t be there and I will feel a lot freer to integrate things like process drama and choral reading.

Now What?

I have already started thinking about how I could integrate the arts into the curriculum I am familiar with. I have several lesson plans in mind and have even rough-drafted a few ideas. Even though I am planning on moving out of state to teach, I do not feel as if that will affect my desire or drive to integrate art into my classroom.  

Arts Integration in Teaching

What?

This week we talked about our Field experiences. I wasn’t surprised that each and every student had a different experience…even the ones that were in the same partnerships. Some had teachers that integrated the arts extensively, others had ones that didn’t at all, and most had teachers that did, but only when they had a little free time.

So What?

I honestly feel that arts integration is important for students…especially in the Elementary levels of Education. I don’t feel it should be a time-filler or an afterthought—it should be integrated into every subject. How else are we supposed to keep our students’ attention?!

In my Field classroom, the students went into a separate classroom to sing, dance, etc. Our teacher didn’t allow us to go with them, wanting us to stay in the classroom with her. This disappointed me quite a bit, especially when she failed to ask the students what they had learned when they returned to her classroom. And even when they did do artwork, it was normally just as a time-filler. For example, the students drew and painted turkeys to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday. It didn’t really have anything to do with the curriculum or any lesson  she was teaching.

Now What?

I have said it before and I will say it again. In my future classroom(s), I fully intend to integrate art in every aspect of my students’ learning. Even if the school doesn’t support the arts, I intend to fight it and slip arts in wherever I can. Singing a section of required reading, dancing a scene from their History books, creating a collage to depict math ideas—arts can go anywhere. The teacher just has to be willing to integrate it.