A place for information on techniques, approaches, activities, resources, and inspiration to make ART and TECHNOLOGY MAGIC Happen in Classrooms EVERYWHERE!
This site is intended as a companion to my book "Visual Arts Units for All Levels" (ISTE 2008)
Good piece from Education Dive... Read the full piece at its source:http://www.educationdive.com/news/soft-skills-benefit-from-arts-education/443923/
Soft skills benefit from arts education
A recent webinar
saw Crayola Education Director Cheri Sterman, Arts Academy (PA)
Multi-Tier Support Systems Specialist Nancy Horvat, and Bullis Charter
School (CA) Director of Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships Jessica
Lura address the benefits of art in helping students build leadership
skills and confidence.
According to eSchool News, the trio discussed a SEEK model that
encourages students to think critically in terms of what they see and
their ability to provide evidence, explain decisions made by the artist,
and discuss what they know and want to know about a piece — all
inquiry-based life skills that can be used in other subjects or beyond
the classroom.
Another exercise suggested is using a viewfinder to examine everyday
objects and point out their "extraordinary" qualities, exemplifying a
leader's need to see things from a different point of view, as well as
an exercise in which a student describes a portrait to a second student,
who must then attempt to recreate it.
Dive Insight:
With the increase in focus on science, technology, engineering and
mathematics (STEM) subjects in recent years, arts education advocates
have lamented ongoing declines in funding and argued for the importance
of these subjects in a well-rounded education. Some have argued that
the computational thinking valued in STEM can be applied in a number of
other areas like music, where algorithms and pattern recognition can be
used in the examination of art. Conversely, music education has been argued to boost students' math skills.
The rise in focus on STEM skills has also seen many employers argue for equal
— and perhaps even more — focus on "soft skills"
around critical and creative thinking, teamwork, flexibility and
empathy. These are all skills that contribute to stronger leadership
ability over time and are frequently at the center of arts ed, further
driving home the value for a well-rounded education over one that
focuses too stringently on a set of fast-changing hard skills that are
in demand today but could shift with economic needs in the future.
eSchool News How art can build student leadership skills
