1

GAGUINE MASTER’S PORTFOLIO

Arts Integration

The Candidate demonstrates understanding of the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and
structures of the discipline(s) he or she teaches and creates learning experiences that make
these aspects of the discipline accessible and meaningful for learners to assure mastery of
the content in the areas below. Candidates engage learners in critical thinking, creativity,
collaboration, and communication to address authentic local and global issues using the
arts (music, dance, theater, media arts, and/or visual arts).

Art is fun. Human beings like to create and express themselves with arts. The arts can

include music, dance, theater, media, visual arts and more. But art is not just a fun side project

that can be seen as a carrot to get children to do their real work. Art is an integral part of any

curriculum, and helps with memory retention and problem solving, and fosters a love of learning.

“This highly engaging approach to teaching, in which students learn core subjects through the

arts (theater, music, visual arts, dance, and media arts), is known as arts integration.” (Duma &

Silverstein, 2018, p.55). Arts integration is taking the arts and finding way to enrich the learning

of other subject areas through the arts.

In my light and shadow lesson I designed for student teaching, I use the act of creating

shadow puppets to crystalize the information learned during a science experiment around light as

a wave. In the first part of my science lesson, students are shown the image of a campfire and

people sitting around it. We discuss what we see, with me gently nudging them to notice the

shadows. From here we discuss what causes the shadows, which leads to the ideas and terms of

light source and shadows. Students are then sent off with flashlights and a bag of objects to

experiment with what different objects create different shadows. This hands-on science lesson

lets children utilize most levels of Bloom’s taxonomy (Slavin, 2012). But the highest level,

creation, comes into play when the children are asked to make their own shadow puppets.

Arts integration, when done correctly, can add that last level of Bloom’s taxonomy to

almost any lesson – creation.

2
GAGUINE MASTER’S PORTFOLIO
The basic understanding, obvious yet somewhat elusive, is that arts integration engages
learners in creating something—like a collage, an improvisation, or a song. Students do
not merely memorize, repeat, or copy a teacher’s solution. Rather, they develop their own
solutions to carefully constructed creative challenges. One of the teacher’s roles in arts
integration is to facilitate that creative engagement. (Duma & Silverstein, 2018, p.57)

In my opinion, educating students to be creative problem solvers should be the goal of all

teachers. “Where we educate creative, thinking students who are able to communicate well with

others and problem solve, we prepare the way for adults with those same confident and

communicative abilities.” (Buck & Snook, 2020, p.113). By having students create their own

shadow puppets, I ask them to use their recently acquired knowledge about light as a wave and

apply that knowledge in the creation of images and puppets of their choice. It’s no wonder, with

the act of creation that is central to arts integration, that studies show the positive impact arts

integration can have on retention: “It is through the perception, appreciation and production of

the aesthetic experience in art and interpretation that students gain retention benefits (Rinne et

al., as cited in Rosen-O’Leary & Thompson, 2019, p.33). This study, conducted by Rosen-

O’Leary & Thompson, looked at the impact of arts integration on retention of science content.

“Research suggests that focused training in the arts can improve cognition through its ability to

strengthen the brain's attention system and increase cognitive capacities for attention, memory,

and learning in general (Patterson as cited in Rosen-O’Leary & Thompson, 2019, p.32).” And

that doesn’t just apply to sciences.

I often saw the benefit of drawing in children’s writing. Comic books became a very

popular choice for story writing in my student teaching classroom. And though it sometimes

worried me that it could become a crutch, I also saw children’s story telling ability deepen. “For

primary writers, drawing is – I think – essential. It also happens to be an easy, natural form of

prewriting. It’s much more than this, though. Drawing helps writers recall detail – and think of
3
GAGUINE MASTER’S PORTFOLIO
the words they will need.” (Spandel, 2012, p.22). By allowing children who do not feel confident

in their writing skills to express their stories in pictures, I am allowing them a safe space to

experiment with storytelling in a medium in which they feel comfortable. Visual literacy is also

an incredibly important skill in this day and age, as Moline points out:

Since a significant part of an integrated text lies in its visual elements, [the] ability to
draw is as important as [the] ability to write. Drawing can sometimes be neglected or
treated as an add-on reward or afterthought in the classroom. Even in classrooms where
there are many opportunities to draw there is sometimes the assumption that in the end
drawing is not really as important (as useful, as serious) as writing… but we have just
seen that drawing is integral to the meaning of information texts. (Moline, 2012, p.26)

Building up the skills of reading informational texts, as well as creating a space where

children can feel comfortable to take risks, are just two more advantages that arts integration

brings to the classroom. When I ask the children to make a flow chart, or draw a picture, I model

the activity myself while they watch. I might comment on things I like that I’ve done, or

something I find particularly difficult, but always with the spirit of positivity.

Because the arts are so often seen as a fun extra activity without the gravitas that some

academic subjects can carry, doing art doesn’t have as much judgment attached to it. Especially

at young ages, children love to express themselves through art. To quote Pablo Picasso, “Every

child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” (Picasso, as cited in

Riegera, Chernomasa, McMillana, & Morinca, 2020, p.8). By making art an activity that is free

from judgment, we allow children to be artists. This, just like so much else in the classroom, has

to be done by modeling from the teacher. “Imagination does not become great until human

beings, given the courage and the strength, use it to create.” (Montessori, 1996, p.21). We, as

educators, cannot let insecurities about our own artistic talents get in the way. Create with the

children. Draw with them, play act with them, do the projects right alongside them. When we
4
GAGUINE MASTER’S PORTFOLIO
made shadow puppets, I made a puppet of my own and showed the children how to play with it

behind the curtain. By all means, bring in experts from the community, but don’t rely on experts

all the time.

Schools often employ arts experts or artists to teach what the teachers believe they do not
have the skills to teach. This has meant that the arts have been relegated as an optional
extra, something outside of regular classroom teaching. An accepted belief has also
developed that some people are good at the arts and some are not. (Buck & Snook, 2020,
p.99).

We pass on our confidence with children when we are willing to take risks and create for the

sake of creating. Asking students to take risks means that we have to be willing to take risks

ourselves.

Beyond engagement and retention, adults and students at Bates cite numerous other
benefits of arts integration: It encourages healthy risk taking, helps kids recognize
new skills in themselves and others, provides a way to differentiate instruction, builds
collaboration among both students and teachers, bridges differences, and draws in parents
and the community. Plus it's just plain fun.” (Marangell, 2020, p.1)

Once the classroom is set up to be a safe and creative environment for students and educators

alike, art can become transformative, and fun! Art can be used in all aspects of the classroom. I

use debate and role playing skills in an historical inquiry lesson around multiple perspectives.

Art, in this case the theatre arts, can be used as an entry point to compassion and understanding

with the past.

“The artist Frida Kahlo once said, “I paint flowers so they will not die.” Building on that
idea, art allows students to visually access historical content that might otherwise seem
foreign or irrelevant. Think about one of your upcoming lessons and how a work of art
might serve as an entry point. You will be amazed by the questions your students develop
and the deep learning that happens as a result.” (Marangall, 2020, p.1)

In conclusion, arts integration can help breathe new life in the classroom. By helping

children with retention of information in a low risk and enjoyable way, teachers and children

alike can start to unlock their creative problem-solving ability.

5
GAGUINE MASTER’S PORTFOLIO
References:

Buck, R. & Snook, B. (2020) Reality bites: Implementing arts integration. Research in Dance
Education, 21:1, 98-115, Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1080/14647893.20
20.1727873

Duma, A. & Silverstein, L. (2018, December) Arts integration: A creative pathway for teaching:
Schoolwide arts integration programs can reenergize teachers' practice and boost student
achievement. Educational leadership, Vol 76(4), p.55-59. Retrieved from
https://egan.ezproxy.uas.alaska.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=f6h&AN=133489098&site=eds-live&scope=site

Marangell, J. (2020) Framing social studies lessons around works of art. [blog post]. Edutopia.
Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/article/framing-social-studies-lessons-around-
works-art

Moline, S. (2012) I see what you mean. Stenhouse Publications.

Montessori, M. (1996) From childhood to adolescence. Amsterdam: Montessori-Pierson

Publishing Company.

Rosen-O’Leary, R. & Thompson, E. (2019). STEM to STEAM: Effect of visual art integration
on long-term retention of science content. Journal for leadership and instruction Vol 18
(1), pp. 32-35. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1222159.pdf

Riegera, K., Chernomasa, W., McMillana, D., & Morinca, F. (2020) Navigating creativity within
arts-based pedagogy: Implications of a constructivist grounded theory study. Nurse
education today Vol 91, pp. 1-9. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/scien
ce/article/pii/S026069171931250X?via%3Dihub

Slavin, R. (2018) Educational psychology: Theory and practice. New York, NY: Pearson.

Spandel, V. (2012) Creating young writers: Using the six traits to enrich writing process in
primary classrooms. Boston, MA: Pearson.