1

Running Head: ARTS INTEGRATION IN THE CLASSROOM

Arts Integration in the Classroom

Introduction

The arts provide children with experience, meaning, and development of thought.

(LaJevic, 2013b, p. 42) In order to help students understand at a much deeper level, teachers

need to include the arts in their curriculum. Not only do the arts help students achieve their

learning goals, they also help build a sense of community in schools. Although teaching through

the arts may be difficult for some teachers, the benefits reaped by the students from the

integrated lessons far outweigh the difficulties in preparing the lesson. Integrating the arts can be

challenging for teachers who have never experienced it before. There are many different

strategies that can help a teacher effectively include arts integration in their lesson plans.

Overland shows the importance of assessing the arts and remembering its value:

It is essential that administrators and parents understand the nature of arts integration and

stay mindful of what it is and is not intended to achieve. Success must always be

measured in its own terms and outside observers must be prepared to accept the

possibility that remarkable achievements may not necessarily be measurable by a state

endorsed standardized test (Overland, 2013, p. 36).

Assessment of the effectiveness of arts integration in the classroom is also necessary. The

importance of arts in education is dwindling. It is one of the first subjects to be removed from the

curriculum when budgets are cut.

What is Arts integration and Why is it Important?

Arts integration is a way for students to display their knowledge about a subject through

an art form. These include, but are not limited to, theater, art, music, and dance/movement.

When students are learning through the arts, they are able to comprehend the subject on a much

deeper level, because proper arts integration requires a student to understand the topic in an
 3
ARTS INTEGRATION IN THE CLASSROOM

interdisciplinary manner. Students not only visibly embody their learning but develop deeper

understandings of the material they are studying (Bae, 2013, p. 73). Students spend a majority

of their time reading their textbooks and working out of workbooks to learn new content. The

information they are learning is important, but the lessons often become dull. Teachers should

strive to keep their lesson plans exciting and engaging (Bae, 2013).

Arts integration is meant to help students learn and support the curriculum as a whole.

Neither is it meant for busy work to simply fill empty space in the class schedule. It is also not

meant to divide the curriculum into different groups but should be used to enrich the different

subjects.

When children are first beginning to communicate, they are able to understand more

words than they verbally express. One way they communicate is through gestures (Brouillette,

2012). Nonverbal responses are used to communicate and behaviors and body language also

indicate what they are trying to say. Just because a child enters the school system does not mean

it is done using gestures to communicate. For students who struggle with language development,

like English Language Learners (ELL), using theater lessons is an efficient way to work on

specialized vocabulary (Brouillette, 2012).

Drama lessons provide a means for building oral language skills that are useful for all

students. Drama lessons allow teachers to spend additional time on pivotal vocabulary

and skills, and to provide a forum for ELLs to rehearse them in a memorable way

(Brouilette, 2012, p. 69).

Arts integration contains many tools that can aid students in becoming better writers.

Students writing becames more fluent and cohesive when they use an image creation to help

generate ideas (Poldberg, Trainin, & Andrzejczak, 2013). Integrating arts into the curricula not
 4
ARTS INTEGRATION IN THE CLASSROOM

only increases test scores, helps in long term retention, and improves literacy, but students also

enjoy the lessons more. They invest more of who they are when the arts are involved. Their

attitude towards the subject matter seems to be better as well (Overland, 2013).

A study conducted in 2010 in Maryland, examined the effect of Arts integration in a high

poverty area. Of the six schools included in the study, three schools were a part of the

experimental Arts integration Model Schools (AIMS) and the other three were used as a control

group. The math and reading scores from the schools were compiled and compared over a three

year time period. During this time the lowest schools had an increase of 14% and 26%.

Comparatively, the control schools math and reading scores decreased by 4.5%. In addition, the

schools that participated in the integrated arts curriculum were able to increase their enrollment

as well as student achievement (Overland, 2013).

Despite findings identifying the importance of integrating the arts into education they

very often are overlooked or pushed aside as a subject that is not necessary (LaJevic, 2013a).

Teachers have a tendency to be afraid of what they are not accustomed. Teachers with little to no

experience with the arts are less likely to integrate them in their curriculum. Many teachers have

tried to introduce arts into their curriculum and have failed only to fall back on to their

customary teaching style (LaJevic, 2013b). Much of formal schooling teaches that there is a

correct answer and specific strategies for being an effective teacher.(LaJevic, 2013b, p. 50) The

majority of a teachers knowledge of arts integration comes from their schooling. Both formal

and informal experiences help create ones understanding of how the arts should be integrated

(LaJevic, 2013b). Unfortunately, there are many teachers who do not recognize the importance

of having an integrated arts curriculum.

One of the counterintuitive fears associated with arts integration in the classroom, is that
 5
ARTS INTEGRATION IN THE CLASSROOM

it will devalue the importance of the arts by entangling them with academic performance. There

are many individuals and groups who feel this way, including the National Arts Education

Association (NAEA). However, arts have value independent of their ability to increase academic

performance (Overland, 2013).

Teachers and administrators are also hesitant to incorporate the arts because they feel the

incredible pressure to teach to the test. There is limited time to teach all of the information the

students need, and teachers feel if they take time out of their strict schedule to incorporate the

arts, it will be taking away from precious learning time (Overland, 2013). However, learning in

the arts, learning through the arts, and learning integrated with the arts are both time efficient,

motivational, and simply make academic sense. (Brouillette, 2013, p. 4)

Strategies for Integrating the Arts

There are three different types of instructional strategies: learning with the arts, learning

through the arts, and learning about the arts (Bae, 2013). Learning with the arts happens when

the teacher uses different art forms as the main point of study. Learning through the arts involves

a student showing their level of knowledge and understanding through different art forms. For

example, a student would learn about fossils while learning how to create their own fossils. The

last instructional strategy is learning about the arts. This is where art is a subject by itself (Bae,

2013). Although each strategy can be used individually, teaching and learning are optimized if

all three strategies are applied within a single theme or unit. (Bae, 2013, p. 73)

It is a challenge to find the time for arts integrated lessons. The structure of the day does

not allow much wiggle room. Often times, teachers would give art assignments as work to be

done at home because they were not able to fit it in their class schedule (LaJevic, 2013a). By

doing this, they are diminishing the importance of art and are not fully realizing the potential
 6
ARTS INTEGRATION IN THE CLASSROOM

benefits. Teachers in general, still have a difficult time with the idea that art integration is not

craft time. Teachers often will use the craft time as a classroom management tool. They use

the arts to keep the students well-behaved. Arts integration should not replace art classes, it

should be used as a support to them (LaJevic, 2013b).

There are many different ways a teacher can use the arts to develop language. Choral

music can help students with the rhythm and flow of the language. Dance activities allow

students to act out their vocabulary words. Students can also dance to tell a story, while they are

learning about summarizing big ideas and the main idea of the story (Brouillette, 2013).

To help his students understand Napoleon Bonaparte and his life, an Advanced

Placement European History teacher assigned his class to create a care package that would help

Napoleon Bonaparte while he was exiled on the island of Elba. The students were to come up

with a basket full of food, books, art, and an iPod with Napoleons favorite music (Overland,

2013). His goal was to help his students understand a particular historical period by viewing

the complete cultural landscape through the eyes of one of its central figures. (Overland, 2013,

p. 31) This particular example of arts integration allowed the students to be engaged, relate

history to their life, and incorporate the arts by having them research art and music of

Napoleons time. Their understanding of that time period and Napoleons life may be much

deeper than it would have been if they had just received a lecture on his life and

accomplishments (Overland, 2013).

In the article, The Lost and Found Space of the Arts in Education, LaJevic described the

frustration and discomfort that teachers can face when integrating arts for the first time.

The feelings of discomforts, uncertainty, and getting lost that are often perceived to be

negative and weak are not damaging or harmful to the teacher (or students) rather they
 7
ARTS INTEGRATION IN THE CLASSROOM

are complex spaces full of risks, hope and possibilities. Entering into a space of

uncertainty is a risky endeavor. One does not know what dangers or possibilities she/he

will encounter or expose oneself to. (Lajevic, 2013b, p. 51)

When teachers move out of their comfort zones, they will stretch and grow. Arts integration

becomes easier as it is used more often.

How to Assess the Effectiveness of Arts integration in the Classroom

Assessment is one of the most difficult aspects to Arts integration (LaJevic, 2013a).

Students often feel that if the arts assignment does not receive a grade, then it is less important

than other assignments. They will not put forth the effort the assignment deserves. There is so

much pressure to produce a letter grade for the school records. If teachers do not know how to

assess the assignment, they will often disregard the integrated lesson plan (LaJevic, 2013a).

One way a teacher can assess understanding is through the use of rubrics. Rubrics can a)

facilitate arts integration and b) improve our ability to understand the impact of arts integration

on student social, academic, cognitive and artistic skills. (Mason & Steedly, 2006, p. 1) Rubrics

not only measure learning but they also assist in providing structure to a project. Rubrics also

can assess the effectiveness of art integration on the students learning (Mason & Steedly, 2006).

Mason and Steedly discussed the importance of rubrics.

Rubrics were able to substantiate that arts integration helped to motivate students and arts

integration improved student understanding both of specific academic content and the

bigger picture, including the contextual variables, related to that content. (Mason &

Steedly, 2006, p. 2)

Most importantly, students were able to use the rubrics to assess their own learning and

understanding. Students used the rubrics to evaluate their own product and performance. Thus,
 8
ARTS INTEGRATION IN THE CLASSROOM

teaching students the importance of the integrated art (Mason & Steedly, 2006).

Conclusion

Administrators and teachers cannot afford to lose the arts in their schools (Baker, 2013).

Teachers need to understand the importance of having an arts integrated curriculum because arts

integration opens up new ways to assist in deeper level understanding (Baker, 2013). Teachers

should use art, theater, drama, and music to complete their lesson plans (Bae, 2013). It is

important to not only teach the arts individually but to incorporate them in Science, Math, and

Language Arts. Teaching the arts in isolation is inadequate. (Bae, 2013)

Arts integration aids in the development of language skills (Brouillette, 2012). Students,

who are English Language Learners, are able to express themselves through dance and

movement when words seem to fail them. Movement can aid in learning complex vocabulary

(Brouillette, 2012). Teachers often find it difficult to see the need for arts integration. There are

multiple reasons for this. Either they do not see the purpose and find it frivolous, or they are

uncomfortable with integrating the arts. If a teacher has not had experience integrating the arts in

their training or in their teaching, this process can be a challenge (Bae, 2013).

Assessing the arts is a complicated and intimidating task to accomplish. Assessing a

students personal art can be difficult. Rubrics can be used to assess the students understanding

of the concept being taught. They provide formative assessment for the teacher who is teaching

the concept. Rubrics can also guide the art integrated activity, allowing the teacher an

opportunity to differentiate their lesson plans to accommodate the different learning levels

(Mason & Steedly, 2006). Rubrics can be an excellent summative assessment for administrators,

teachers, and school board members to demonstrate the importance of the arts. Last of all, rubrics
 9
ARTS INTEGRATION IN THE CLASSROOM

are best used for students to evaluate their own work. Students will learn the importance of

evaluating themselves (Mason & Steedly, 2006).

References

Bae, J. (2013). Rethinking an Elementary Art Methods Course: A Model of Three Visual Arts

integration Strategies. Visual Arts Research, 39(77), 70-81.

Baker, D. (2013). Art Integration and Cognitive Development. Journal for Learning through the

Arts, 9(1), 1-15.

Brouillette, L. (2012). Supporting the Language Development of Limited English Proficient

Students through Arts integration in the Primary Grades. Arts Education Policy Review,

68-74.

Lajevic, L. (2013a). Arts integration: What is really happening in the elementary classroom?

Journal for Learning through the Arts, 9(1), 1-28.

Lajevic, L. (2013b). The lost and found space of the arts in education. International Journal of

Education through Art, 41-54.

Mason, C., & Steedly, K. (2006). Lessons and Rubrics for Arts integration. TEACHING

Exceptional Children Plus, 3(1), 8-8.

Overland, C. (2013). Integrated Arts Teaching: What Does it Mean for Music Education? Music

Educators Journal, 31-37.

Poldberg, M., Trainin, G., & Andrzejczak, N. (2013). Rocking your Writing Program:

Integration of Visual Art, Language Arts, & Science. Journal for Learning through the

Arts, 9(1), 1-20.