Why Arts Integration?

Arts Integration increases student engagement, creates a dynamic classroom environment, and levels the playing field for student academic success. Studies have shown that activities grounded in the performing arts help students develop critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, and collaboration skills. Teachers of the arts know that observing, analyzing, and understanding art and its production and context builds many Social Emotional Learning competencies. Bringing the arts into core curricula raises student achievement and improves student engagement. Collaboration, communication, and social skills are ways to interact effectively with others.

Arts Integration sessions focus on the CASEL competencies of Social Emotional Learning. Classrooms are learner-centered with multiple opportunities for discourse and decision-making. Students are engaged in kinesthetic learning to strengthen their ability to self-regulate and manage their behaviors.

How You Can Get Involved

An “approach to teaching” refers to how something is taught rather than what is taught. Every teacher has an approach to teaching, whether or not they are aware of it. Approaches fall along a continuum from traditional, teacher-centered instruction to more progressive, student-centered instruction. Ultimately, our approach is based on our beliefs about how students learn. As an approach to teaching the arts, integration relies heavily on the progressive, student-centered end of the continuum.

Our goals are to:

• Provide professional learning opportunities for all grade level teachers (K-12) to bring awareness of the impact of Arts Integration in the classrooms.
• Deepen the cohort’s knowledge to implement Arts Integration practices within the curriculum.
• Offering support for dedicated campuses needs to increase student achievement and ensure student-centered instruction.