Philosophy of Teaching
Alexander James Guckenberger
There are multiple reasons why teaching art is important. First, the sciences become stagnant without creativity. One may consider the reality that new scientific inventions would likely not occur without the brilliance of a creative mind. Second, the fine arts are part of our daily lives. We all experience art, and learning how to evaluate it may prove vital for beneficial interactions with it. Many people watch animated shows, go to museums, read illustrated books, look in awe at architectural designs. In order to keep a high standard in the arts, we may need to have more than a fundamental understanding of them. Third, the fine arts can be therapeutic. I have loved ones with mental and physical challenges. Art education can teach students ideas like mindfulness, patience, joy in the simplest of activities, etc.
An art education program should include art integration. Art educators include facts and realities relating to history, but the sciences, mathematics, and other subjects can be incorporated as well. This needs to happen, since art does not form in a vacuum. Moreover, art can help students learn more than art alone. From my experience, such integration can aid student learning in both art and a second subject.
An art program may be placed with the age of the students in mind. Their abilities can be considered, and students ought to be encouraged to go above and beyond what is expected of them. An art program can also be implemented in stages. Students need to learn new things, and this can be done at a slow pace, allowing students to absorb new information. Further, one way I have learned so many words, from a variety of different languages, is through cognates. I have been able to connect a word to another word, in order to learn both. Likewise, students can learn art concepts by connecting those concepts to other ideas. A student will be more likely to retain art information, if it is related to another topic.
Art is essential for many reasons. Science does not progress without it. This is why art integration is so very important for young people. We all are familiar with the arts, in one way or another. Learning the arts, based on our age and abilities can prepare us for the world, at large. And, art is therapeutic. In a time period where one cannot go two steps without hearing about one mental concern or another, it is important that members of such a society combat these concerns in realistic ways. Art has been how I have explored science, enjoyed the world with which I live, and has served as an ongoing form of therapy for me. Everyone deserves and needs to participate in art, if we want our communities to truly thrive and improve.
