The Arts as the Central Learning Methodology

Using the arts as the primary source of teaching modality can provide your students with an array of learning opportunities in which they can exhibit their own unique creative expression. In Karen Gallas' Arts as Epistemology: Enabling Children to Know What They Know (1991) she states that " the arts offer opportunities for reflection upon the content and the process of learning, and they foster a deeper level of communication about what knowledge is and who is truly in control in the learning process." The arts encompasses a wide spectrum of mediums including drama, movement, poetry, music, and visual arts. The arts can positively impact a wide range of students spanning wide ability levels as well as interests. For students who might not excel in the area of reading and language is affording them the opportunity to express their abilities using another learning medium. The goal of the educational process is to enable our students to be successful learners. As educators we need to find the creative ways to enable our students to be those successes.
The arts can be a successful piece of the learning process because it has been a fundamental part of the development of the child throughout their formative years. As a toddler and into preschool they explored music, artistic expression through a variety of ways, dance, and dramatic play. The tasks within the concept can be varied as well as the level of difficulty. You can tailor the activity to meet the learning style or intelligence preference of your students. By providing your students with the opportunities to work cooperatively on some of the activities, they may engage in activities that might take them out of their comfort zone and and give them the confidence to try something new.
I am very excited about the tabletop exhibit that Susan and I are planning on creating. We are using art as one of our central themes in creating this exhibit. From our exhibit the students will be engaged in writing, creating works of art, and interpreting art. I can't wait to use this unit with my students this fall. I already spoke to my good friend and colleague and told her about my tabletop exhibit theme. I would love to share this with my first grade colleagues as well. This year my first grade colleagues and I are going to be doing an in-depth unit on land habitats. Each class will study one habitat and will transform their room into that habitat. We will study the animals within that habitat, the plants, climate, etc. I would love to incorporate the concept of art methodology in that unit of study. There would be so many wonderful things that I could incorporate in the unit to enable my students' creative voices to be heard and seen. All children can benefit from the educational process through the arts. It provides opportunity for all students, regardless of ability, to participate and be successful in the learning and expression of knowledge.