Is Graffiti Art? (TedEd)

Is Graffiti Art?

Creativity and University Entrance Requirements

In another class I am taking we were discussing creativity and specifically it's decline in today's schools and I wanted to share my ideas about it in relation to an article I read. We watched this Ted video and Ken Robinson discussed how schools (K-12) are set up to fulfill university placement requirements. The article I wrote about below discusses how some university requirements are changing to bring in more humanities and arts majors into the medical field. It made me think about what this means for schools and will there, if ever, be a domino effect that will waiver down to the k-12 levels? Since universities are changing their entrance requirements and asking for students to be more creative and personable will these ever become a priority or at least be given higher importance then they currently hold when compared to other subjects like math and science?  Below are both the video and my overview of the article.

Inclusion

Through the Lens of Filmmaking
Edutopia.com
Merle Huerta
February 24, 2015

Through the Lens of Filmmaking (click for link)

Key Points:
Studies show that kids with disabilities do better in academics and life when they are involved in some form of art.  It is will documented that art integration improves comprehension and retention.  Filmmaking is a great way for kids with disabilities to connect with their peers. Collaboration, critical thinking and problem solving are all skills that are used by students to plan and create films which strengthens the skills of kids with disabilities. The inclusion of kids with disabilities in our mainstream classrooms is crucial and so beneficial on many levels. There are many resources available for teachers to use to help initiate these kind of projects in their classrooms.  With the prevalence of IPads for student learning, this is a very doable thing.  Students of all abilities can work together to plan, create, edit and share their movies.

Intended Audience:
Teachers, Administrators, Autism Specialists

Relevance: I think inclusion is a very important issue facing education today.  Up until recently I never gave it much thought or questioned why or how inclusion for SpEd students was planned.  I think we as educators need to make sure our SpEd students are included with their peers appropriately.  This article is a great example of how it can be easily done in a classroom setting.

Here is how they do filmmaking at a summer camp.

Arts and creativity 'squeezed out of schools'

---

Arts and creativity 'squeezed out of schools
18 February 2015 
Source: BBC News: Education & Family
URL: http://www.bbc.com/news/education-31518717 
Intended Audience: Parents, educators
Key Points: This article share highlights from the Warwick Commission on the Future of Cultural Values in the United Kingdom. The study found that "between 2003 and 2013 there was a 50% drop in GCSE [General Certificate of Secondary Education] entries for design and technology, 23% for drama and 25% for other craft-related subjects". Other findings included a decrease in teachers and course offerings in arts, design and drama as well as specials or other related subjects. On the other hand, there was an increase in cost for extra curriculars making them out of reach for students from low SES.  A couple of other interesting quotes from the study:

"It found that youngsters born into poor families with few qualifications were the least likely to work and be successful in cultural and creative industries."

"There are major concerns that the educational system is not focusing on the future needs of the cultural and creative industries and the broader needs for innovation and growth in the UK," the commission said.
 
Relevance:  It is interesting to note that the US is not the only educational system that is cutting back on arts and extra curriculars as part of the regular curriculum offering. The article mentioned that the focus on STEM should move to an emphasis on STEAM to include the Arts - an issue that is also debated here in the States. However, it was not clear whether the decline in arts and extra curriculars is related to the increased focus on standardized testing that we are experiencing here in K-12 education.

---

Need for More Arts Integration

"New Report Cites Need for More Arts Integration"
by Jenna Zwang
eSchool News
Posted Online on May 6, 2011
http://www.eschoolnews.com/2011/05/06/new-report-cites-need-for-more-arts-integration/?


Jenna Zwang's article states something most of us already know: that the arts help students learn AND it assists in students learning in the core achievements that are being tested.  The research she cites to back up her premise is a new federal report by the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities and the article states it is the first federal analysis of arts education data in a decade.  The reports recommendations are:

1. Build robust collaborations among different approaches to arts education.
2. Develop the field of arts integration.
3. Expand in-school opportunities for teaching artists.
4. Use federal and state policies to reinforce the place of arts in K-12 education.
5. Widen the focus of evidence gathering about arts education.

Of course the irony of this report is our testing is doing the exact opposite of what this report states.  To add to the irony is this quote from the person most pushing the testing, Education Secretary Arne Duncan:  "To succeed today and in the future, America’s children will need to be inventive, resourceful, and imaginative.  The best way to foster that creativity is through arts education.”

From what Zwang quotes from this report there are really no negatives to strengthening schools' arts programs.  Unfortunately with all of the budget cuts occurring around the nation the arts are the areas that are seeing the most cuts.  Schools, parents, administrators, politicians, conservatives, liberals and moderates alike need to understand that in cutting the arts program what is actually happening is you are cutting the learning of our children.