Miss Mutchs Plan for an Artistically Rich Classroom

An artistically rich classroom can increase whole brain learning, including creative right brain functions, fosters critical thinking, cultivates collaboration and social skills, and can build a classroom community. Incorporating the arts into the classroom is incredibly important to me. My ultimate goal is for all students to learn. By allowing students to think creatively and freely, they can utilize their strengths to build bridges to difficult concepts.

There are a myriad of benefits to incorporating arts cross curricular. irstly, the arts are a universal language regardless of social, racial, cultural, economic, and educational barriers. This can teach students that the limits of language do not limit understanding. !econdly, the arts provide an opportunity for self"e#pression, allowing students to bring their inner world into the outer world. Thirdly, incorporating the arts improves academic achievement and social skills. !tudents can demonstrate their learning through mediums of their choice. $hen choices and imagination are encouraged, students% intrinsic motivation improves.

The arts foster autonomy and cooperation in students, which is a main component of my teaching philosophy. In con&unction to Bloom%s Ta#onomy, the arts e#ercise high"order thinking skills, such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. This allows students to work within their zone of pro#imal development and for teachers to scaffold. The arts show students that there are various ways to interpret problems and represent thinking, and students should embrace out"of"the"bo# thinking.

The amount of creativity students can show in their learning will mirror the artistic environment of the classroom environment. If students feel comfortable and supported in their classroom, they will be willing to use the arts as a means of self"e#pression. As a teacher, I want to

encourage students to e#press themselves to their fullest potential. I want to teach with the arts, so students may learn through the arts' creative teaching can produce creative learning.

Incorporating the Arts

The means of incorporating the arts into the classroom are endless. The following are only some of the ways I will promote the arts my classroom.

By having students create movements or a dance to represent concepts commits learning to memory through kinesthetic activities. This can be a great way to have students burn off energy and learn simultaneously.

(reating a piece of artwork can provide students the outlet needed to demonstrate their knowledge through mediums of their choice ) drawing, painting, collage, or sculpting, for e#ample.

$riting a script can have students critically think about the studied topic and applying their own take on the scenario. This could be integrated into all sub&ect areas. !tudents could then act out their scripts, through role"plays, to demonstrate their knowledge to their classmates. To accompany their role"plays, students could also make accurate props and backdrops.

!tudents could illustrate a concept through music, by developing a soundtrack to accompany their learning. or e#ample, students could create a soundtrack for ma&or scenes, as if they were producing a film adaptation of a novel.

This is a photo collage I made using http*++www.photovisi.com, an online collage maker ,because graphic art is still art too-.. The pictures include artifacts of e#amples of ways to incorporate art that I have provided. I do not own any of these pictures' I found them through /oogle and 0interest.