STA.

TERESA COLLEGE
BAUAN BATANGAS
COLLEGE DEPARTMENT

Lesson 1 Introduction to Arts and Art Education

In this module you will learn the meaning of arts, the guiding philosophy in art
education and its objectives, the competencies of an art teacher and the
values of art education. It also includes the theories of Art.

Student Learning Objectives (SLO)

 Gain knowledge in arts, its meaning and connection to life
 Explain the guiding philosophy in art education
 Explain the objective of art education
 Cite some competencies of an art teacher
 Explain each value of art education
 Contrast the views of different theorists on art

Content

What is Art?
Art comes from the Aryan root word ar, meaning to join or to put
together. The Greek verb artizen, means to prepare, while the Latin term
ars/artis means everything that is made or assembled by man.
From the above meanings of art, we arrive at the idea that art is anything
prepared and assembled by man. Preparation may mean the gathering of
materials. Jar-making involves the grounding and mixing of the right
composition of clay with water. Cave paintings and pictographs entail the
preparation of the cave walls, pigments, and tablets before these are painted
and inscribed. It may also mean preparing the right materials needed in
assembling a basket, a headdress, a spear, a boat or a house. The difference
between yesterday’s and today’s technology is that there is a wider range of
art materials now available in the market, which are prepared and
manufactured for our immediate use.

Art has varied meanings, depending on how we connect it to life. In visual

art, it may mean:
• a spontaneous visual representation of anyone’s imaginations, feelings and
experiences
• a medium of expression or communication that is founded on the elements
and principles of art.
• high-quality creative works done by recognized visual artists.

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To abstract painter Paul Klee, art is not an imitation of things but an attempt to
make these things visible.

Art has two major classifications:

Fine Arts Practical Arts

Architecture (overall design, interior Civic Art (design and construction of
and garden layouts of buildings, bridges, expressways, airports,
houses, churches/templates, etc. seaports, parks, resorts)
Painting (drawing, cartooning, Commercial Art ( Advertisements,
printmaking, photography) commercial ads, billboards, labels,
computer graphics, etc.)
Sculpture (carving, molding, Industrial Art (mechanical designs,
assembling, installation art, reliefs, reliefs of factories, vehicles,
ceramics, etc.) appliances, toys, spare parts,
accessories, garments, bags, sport
equipment, etc.)
Literature (novel, short story, poetry, Handicrafts (designs/assembling
essay, journalism, etc.) furniture, decorative crafts, weaving
of native costumes, mats, baskets
and folk arts of ethnolinguistic group,
etc.)
Dance(ballet, folk/tribal/dances,
folk/ballroom/modern)
Music (opera, folk/contemporary
songs, musical ensembles,
broadway musicals)

A Guiding Philosophy in Art Education

As a form of self-expression, art education emphasizes the human

dimension in education. For this reason, art education is very relevant to the
present day needs of our society: with the tensions and strains inherent in our
seemingly mechanized existence, there is a felt need for activities or
experiences which will enhance our appreciation for the significance of life. Art
activities enhance love for our surroundings and human relationships amidst
our environs. Art education, therefore, should develop in every child the ability
to express himself freely in relation to himself, to others, and to his
environment.

Art education should be taught not just for the sake of the end products.
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The importance of the art produced lies chiefly in the satisfaction, experienced
by the child and his self-identification with his product. A child’s art is good
when it is uninhibited, expressive, and meaningful in his own level.

Art education should find its climax in the mature individual, who because of
his experiences, has developed greater awareness of the self and others, who
is critical but can appreciate and can be an asset rather than a liability to the
community to which he belongs.

Objectives of Art Education

The main objective of art education today is to assist in the intellectual,

emotional, and social growth of the learners according to their needs and
capacities. In addition to this general objective, art education today has certain
specific objectives. Art is included in the school program so that children may:

A. Gain insight into and identify with the nature of creative, artistic acts
B. Acquire artistic skills in relation to activities involving the emotions and
intellect
C. Learn some of the possibilities that accompany freedom of thought and
action in relation to artistic pursuits
D. Explain what the word “environment” means so that as adults, they can
assume responsibility for the improvement of the environment
E. Acquire knowledge and insight into art as cultural history
F. Acquire the ability to note and describe formal relationships among the
elements of a piece of work and consequently, to sense how such
relationships relate to the meaning or content of the work

Competencies of an Art Teacher

1. Should have a clear understanding of the current concepts, philosophy,

and practices in art education in the elementary school
2. Should be aware of the indispensable role of art in the general
education program
3. Should be primarily interested in children. She/he gives them love, joy,
and hope. She/he is sympathetic to them.
4. Should not impose his/her ideas upon children.
5. Should create a classroom environment that is conducive to art learning
6. Should not impose adult standards on the work of children. She/he
should not expect too much and should be patient enough to wait for
their gradual maturation
7. Should accept, respect, and recognize symbols, forms, and ideas
common among children
8. Should be alert and resourceful
9. Should be enthusiastic about experimenting with materials. She/he
should try to learn the limitations and possibilities of materials and tools
10. Should possess the fundamental knowledge and skills needed in art
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education
11. Should be imaginative in correlating art with other subject areas
12. Should take stock of the community resources so that the problems of
securing materials can be minimized
13. Should evaluate children’s art work honestly, sincerely, and intelligently
14. Should have a knowledge of the elements of art and the principles of
design
15. Should structure bulletin board displays creatively
16. Should have a knowledge about stage decoration both indoor and
outdoor
17. Should know how to do letter cutouts and print different kinds of
lettering
18. Should challenge and encourage children who are gifted and interested
to participate in art contest – local, national, and international
19. Should be an art moderator who can train pupils to develop more their
creative talents in aesthetic education
20. Should always be ready to share new ideas, techniques, media, and
styles in painting with her/his pupils and fellow art teachers

Values of Art Education

Art has a universal appeal for children. They feel attracted to it, take
pleasure in doing it, enter it eagerly, and derive satisfactions and benefits from
it.

Anyone teaching art or studying child art should be convinced of its

values and be able to convince the less familiar with modern art education of
its worth. To do this, the teacher needs to be familiar with the open positive
processes of creativity as a way of originating art forms; as a way of
expressing ideas; as a way of solving problems; as a way of dealing with
others; and, in fact, as a way of life.

When the values of creative art education ae clearly understood, the

place of art in the curriculum is strengthened; the quality of the art experiences
of the children is improved, and the general public attitude toward art is
upgraded.

The following are the values of art education:

A. Aesthetic Awareness

Awareness of the qualities of art can be developed through art

education, provided that art education is based upon creative expression.
Through the constant exposure of pupils to modern-day media and culture,
children easily become sensitized to the different art forms of their day.
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Through the study of various types of art resulting from the imaginative,
original processes of creative expression, and from the emphasis given t the
qualitative parts of each, children learn to like and to expect many different
kinds of art.

B. The Totality of the Experience

The totality of the experience in art is one of the reasons for art’s
appeal to children and is also one of its unique and important values. It implies
a complete enterprise each time an art project is undertaken. It also involves
the child’s need to conceive of an original ideal; to shape each form to suit his
mental image and feeling dominant at that moment; and to put the parts
together into a whole, unified structure.

C. Individuality

Individual difference among children have long been recognized and

teachers of every subject have been urged to provide for them. Art is based
upon the individuality of the person doing the art. In fact, every child is required
and expected to work differently from another. Individual expression and
development through art are accomplished within the context of group
teaching as each child is encouraged to rely upon, to use, and to extend his
powers, skills, interest, knowledge, and background. This demand upon the
individual makes him search for and build his own unique resources instead of
being led along by the group or doing something because everyone else is
doing it. There are several ways through which individuality is strengthened by
art:

1. Personally Meaningful Opportunities

Creative expressions gives every child the opportunity to choose the

ideas, or subject matter for his art work that is most meaningful to him.

2. Individual Challenge

Art education gives each child the maximum opportunity to develop

his own ideas to the best of his ability.

3. Recognition of Each Child

Teachers use creative art work with children because they have
confidence in each student as an individual who wants to create.

4. Individuality of Working Speeds

Art gives every child the opportunity to work at his own speed.

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5. Child Determined Task

The child enjoys the privilege and responsibility of setting the

task for himself, individualizing education for him in a very important
way.

6. Emotionally Personal Expression

Creative expression helps each student to face his own thoughts

and feelings.

7. Development of Self- Evaluation

The child learns how to evaluate his work as it progresses as well

as to evaluate the finished product in art.

8. Satisfying the Need for Power

The pupil is given the authority to make decisions, to create or

destroy, to include or delete, actually controlling and determining a
whole undertaking.

D. Expressiveness

It is the ability to depict thoughts, feelings, and moods through the

language of art; the freedom to express, create or make the shape of the forms
and determine the colors; the power to state clearly and with feeling exactly
what is in the mind.

E. Inventiveness and Resourcefulness

Education that leads to creativity, resourcefulness, originality, and

inventiveness must be provided for each child daily if we are to maintain the
adaptive qualities needed by each person who must meet the demands of a
fast-changing world of art. Learning how to be inventive and resourceful brings
with it acceptance of responsibility for the choices children must make in
creative art expression.

F. Freedom

Each person’s freedom to make his own decisions and to enjoy a

classroom atmosphere conducive to learning must be preserved. Self-
discipline is essential to a productive person. The teacher helps children
toward this responsibility by maintaining teaching-learning conditions in which
each child feels confident of his right to intellectual freedom. His art work is a
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good record of his ideas and feelings as well as tangible proof of educational
progress. Again he needs the freedom of determination to keep his own work.
Art experiences support and strengthen intellectual freedom and are in turn
dependent upon it.

Theories of Art

A. Cognitive Theories

Cognitive theorists believe that children draw what they know.

“The child draws what he knows, not what he sees."

B. Psychoanalytic Theories

The psychoanalytic view of art believes that children draw what

they feel, not what they know. Art is conceived as a mirror of children’s
emotions, subconscious thoughts, and feelings.

C. Perceptual Theories

Perceptual theorists believe that children do not draw what they

know or feel, but what they see. They believe that children see
perceptual wholes; that is, they do not just see the sum of the parts,
but a total image structured by an active brain.

D. Perceptual Delineation Theories

In perception delineation theories, children draw as they do, not

because of any one factor but because of several factors. One factor is
the child’s readiness, including physical development, intelligence,
perceptual development, response set, and cultural dispositions.

A second factor is the psychological environment in which the

child works, including the degree of threat or support, as well as the
number and intensity of rewards and punishments.

A final factor is how children’s drawings are influenced by their

ability to manipulate the media, as well as their creative and inventive
ability.

Checked: Approved:
Prepared:
Mrs. Joy N. Reyes
______________________ ____________________
Instructor
Department Head Dean
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