Talk:PsycholARTSical: Psyched about the arts/Arts for At-Risk Students

Arts and At Risk Students – Alex, Alison, Liz, Megan and Suzane

ArtsSmarts was created by the J. W. McConnell family foundation in 1998 as an initiative to offer more artistic activity to young people as means to help them better develop their creative thinking skills. In order to achieve their vision, ArtsSmarts began collaborations between artist and educators, and schools and communities across the country to integrate the arts into the daily routine of students studying core subjects such as social studies, math, and language arts. The program’s focus has continuously been to help students unveil who they are and help them find their place in the world as they cover the requirements of the curriculum. The idea of interdisciplinary education was the catalyst in achieving the connection as students began doing history through drama, applying mathematics through dance and comprehending science through music. This program has been working diligently hoping to diminish barriers between school and communities, education and culture, arts and community organizations, artists, teachers, I.Q.’s, disciplines, and all sorts of stereotypes. Since the birth of the program, ArtsSmarts has developed many arts-integrated programs across Canada, creating partnerships locally, regionally, provincially and nationally.

The common thread between all the partnerships is their vigour for collaboration. Any organization that has a charitable status, is financially independent, and functions as an efficient and satisfactory board can be a candidate for a partnership. In addition to the aforementioned criterion, the organization must have a shared vision for arts-integration programs and have strong collaborative skills with the community, schools, and arts organizations. Many schools, arts organizations, ministries and provincial art councils are presently part of the ArtsSmarts team.

To appreciate the partners and their works, ArtsSmarts participates in many events throughout the year. The association grants awards through arts councils and communities in recognition of those working within the arts to promote excellence in art-integrated education. The program host presentations at various conferences and exhibitions. They host an annual exhibition where selections of ArtsSmarts projects from around the world are showcased. Although funding is no longer available to their partners through ArtsSmarts, they offer mentorship and personal development programs for artists and educators as well. ArtsSmarts has experienced a wide array of media coverage across the country since its inception. Multiple press releases and media clippings can be found on their website. Their website functions as a useful resource to anyone interested in arts-integrated education. A substantial list of links to research based on their own work and research to support their initiatives are readily available on the site. Resources such as the 90-page handbook and the ArtsSmarts Story—which outlines and displays what the organization is all about in a storybook format, can also be accessed via their site.

ArtsSmarts model of engagement is based on four factors content, context, process, and product. It is believed the content should be personally and culturally relevant and important work, for which the students should have ownership or at least a significant choice over. The context that the learning occurs in should be collaborative and supportive, where risk-taking is encouraged and challenges can take place. The process is ideally supposed to be hands-on and filled with problem-based activities. As a result, the product is hoped to be original and generate a creation that can be experienced by others as meaningful. This program was chosen based on the vast amount of benefits it contributes to the educational system. In terms of students it has worked to show a significant increase in their marks in particular subjects. Students involved have shown to be less hesitant in there encounters with unfamiliar tasks and have become more concerned with the process rather than their success or failure at the task. They also display a greater readiness and enthusiasm to collaborate with one another, as they develop a better tolerance towards peers of diverse cultural backgrounds through the efforts of breaking barriers. Referring back to the models of engagement, since students are personally invested in their work they are excited and eager to spend their spare time and lunch hours working on their projects.

For teachers the program allows the teacher-relationship to develop a stronger bond as they work closely with the students on a more personal basis. It also helps teachers gain knowledge and develop their individual strengths as they begin to see and educate in a different light. This allows teachers to become more enthusiastic as they can feel renewed by discovering a new meaning to teaching. Having artists involved in the program allows students to observe first-hand what types of careers can be pursued in the arts. The artists’ current information in the field as an active member acts as a valuable source of knowledge/resources for the students. Furthermore, observing someone, in a field that is not always considered stable, assists students and teachers take new risks with their own work.

Initiatives such as ArtsSmarts within schools and communities improve the physical appearance and atmosphere of the school. Having student art displayed and present, helps students gain more comfort in expressing themselves and speaks strongly towards an institutions support of student projects and student based initiatives. As a result of its presence, students gain more comfort in expressing themselves, and the organizations/communities move one step closer to achieving a better learning environment. --Thomas20 (talk) 14:11, 11 April 2008 (UTC)

How to Infuse the Arts into “ART-LESS” Subjects

The following information offers examples of how to infuse each art discipline into specific curriculum subjects.*

SCIENCE:

•	Visual Art o	Photography, painting, murals, models etc., can all be used to document various scientific phenomena •	Ex. A collage of pictures to represent: changing forests, eco-systems, animal anatomy, principles of flight

•	Music'' o	Song writing, existing songs, instrumental music etc., can help expand/solidify knowledge about various topics •	Ex. A song written about biodiversity; or sound properties through the use of drums

•	Dance o	As a way to teach about the composition of the body •	Ex. Students are assigned the role of molecules and are to demonstrate how molecules move through the art of dance •	Ex. Students can learn about the human immune system by being assigned to either a white blood cell or red blood cell. These “cells” then face the invasion from the “virus” classmates

•	Drama o	Tableau may be used to demonstrate the various stages of human development •	Ex. Mitosis ;Trimesters of pregnancy

MATH

•	Visual Art o	Collages may be used to represent key ideas learned within a particular unit •	Ex. Pictures of fractions, numbers, measurements for baking etc. to represent a unit dealing with fractions.

•	Music o	Sing formulas to aid memorization o	Allow students to write jingles to help with memorization

•	Drama o	Chanting may help with memorization •	Ex. Chanting the multiplication table

PHYS. ED.

•	Visual Art o	The use of drawings, murals, collages, paintings etc., can be used to illustrate human anatomy and/or human development

•	Music o	Song writing may be used to demonstrate various themes •	Ex. For a unit on Food and Nutrition, a song written about the food groups

•	Drama o	Role-playing for themes relating to sexuality

•	Dance o	The function of parts of the human anatomy can be learned through the expression of dance •	EX. Interpretative dance to express the function of the spine

ENGLISH

•	Visual Art o	Murals, paintings, drawings etc., can be used to illustrate the elements of a specific story •	Ex. a drawing to represent a story’s plot, rising action, climax, resolution

•	Music o	 Song writing can be useful to teach grammar •	Ex. students write songs about conjunctions o	Existing songs can also be used to represent themes within a text

•	Dance o	To illustrate the theme within novels •	Ex. Lyrical dance to illustrate the tragedy in Shakespeare’s, Romeo and Juliet

•	Drama o	Role-playing, scenes, monologues, tableau, mime etc., can all be used to express ideas from any text used; these methods may also be used for concept attainment •	Ex. students are taught Shakespeare by putting on a skit

HISTORY

•	Visual Art o	Collages, paintings, sketches etc., can be utilized as a form of assessment for students to illustrate their knowledge and understanding with various events in history •	Ex. a collage of pictures from war to represent WORLD WAR 1

•	Music o	Use of existing songs can be used as a way for students to understand the gravity and significance of an event •	Ex. Sarah McLaughlin’s song, In the arms of an angel, can be used in remembrance of the tragic events of 9/11 o	Instruments can also be used to illustrate the significance of events in history •	Ex. students can play the trumpet during Remembrance Day, to remember the soldiers who died in World War II

•	Dance o	Different dance forms can be used to role-play an event in history, or they can be used as a way to illustrate the significance of an event •	Ex. Modern dance to convey, Colonialism

•	Drama o	Various dramatic techniques, such as: role-play, tableau, choral readings etc., may be used to re-play an event in history, illustrate the significance of an event, teach a lesson •	Ex., students may role -play the events that led to World War II

ECONOMICS

•	Visual Art o	Drawings, collages etc., can be used to help students with concept attainment •	Ex. drawing of supply and demand of goods

•	Dance o	Various government systems may be expressed through dance •	Ex. Ballet can represent democracy and Hip-Hop can represent dictatorship

•	Music o	Song writing to demonstrate the various political parties within Canada

•	Drama o	Tableau can be used to represent the state of the economy •	Ex. recession, depression, prosperity

SPECIFIC EXAMPLES FOR AT RISK STUDENTS

•	ESL students

o	The use of dance can help ESL students connect with others as the art of dance does not require the use of verbal language. o	Visual art (ex. murals) can help ESL students to express their understanding of the material as well because no speaking is required. o	Storytelling also enables these students to connect as this artistic strategy is an innate human function which in turn captures the attention of ESL students and engages them with the material.

•	Students with behavior problems

o	Creative writing (e.g. Poetry and journals) can help students to change their behavior as they are able to see their problems and end the downward cycle in their lives; healthy attitudes about the self and others can be created o	Ex. from, “ The Language of Life Project”

Please don’t leave me.

Is that what love looks like?

Running around with knives?

Please don’t love me.

Is it always going to be like this?

Yelling

Screaming

Crying

Please don’t love me

If that’s what it’s all about.

Love me.

Love me.

Please don’t leave me.

o	Video production can also help students at risk to overcome their struggles •	Ex. No Way Out – a short video on bullying produced by students of, Bishop Klein School, Saskatoon.

o	Music can also help to save those students at the brink of dropping out •	Ex. The fictional movie, Sister Act II, and the song number, Joyful Joyful that occurs at the end of the movie •http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=C_c_MHkba5c

* Most of the art infused examples provided for each subject are derived from, ArtsSmarts Story, by, Donald Cameron

Works Cited

Cameron, S.D. (2001) The ArtsSmarts Story. Retrieved February 1, 2008, from http://www.artssmarts.ca/media/en/ArtsSmartsStory.pdf

You tube. (n.d.) Retrieved February 1, 2008, from http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=C_c_MHkba5c