More Than Just Arts & Crafts

MORE THAN JUST ARTS & CRAFTS

Harding Fine Arts Academy boasts an innovative art-integrated educational model.But what does that mean exactly? What does an arts-integrated education look like?

Arts-integration is an approach to teaching in which students use art as a vehicle for learning. Students engage in a creative process which connects art to common core subjects such as math, science, literature, and social studies. For example, in science class students may be asked to write a song about cell division, or in geometry they may study Picasso’s works to identify different shapes, lines, angles, and their relationship to one another.

While it is true that there is an increasing demand for highly trained scientists, managers, and technicians, especially in computer science and energy, it should not be forgotten that critical thinking and creative problem solving are key skills needed for the future in any field.

Unfortunately, in recent years funding for artsbased programs have been on the decline. Instead, many leaders and policymakers emphasize the importance of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Sadly, this has sometimes occurred at the expense of humanities, arts, and sociology.

As artists, our students will face and overcome obstacles, think of innovative solutions, collaborate effectively with a team, and communicate their visions succinctly and clearly. In a recent Forbes article, Adam Enbar, CEO and Co-Founder of Flatiron, a computer programming bootcamp, explained that students who come to computer programming from the world of the arts often fear that they will be at a disadvantage.

Artwork by Milo Singleton, 12th grade

On the contrary, a rigorous creative discipline teaches patience in the face of obstacles, which turns out to be a critically important mindset for coding.

“Artists know what it’s like to be bad at something,” said Enbar. “If you ever learned to play an instrument, you can feel like a beginner for a long time. But you just push through it and you’re forgiving of yourself. You learn to say, ‘It’s all right that I’m bad, but I’m practicing, and I see myself getting better.’”

Arts-integrated education is more than just arts & crafts in the classroom. By weaving arts and humanities into everything we do, we are not only preparing students for college, but we are also instilling skills, behaviors, and temperaments necessary to be successful in life and in their careers.