Development of Learners: Age, stage, ability, perspective, and orientation of learners are taken into account for design of activities and sequences of creative engagement. “Why and How” is at the center of planning and instruction.
Knowing and practicing the arts disciplines are fundamental to the healthy development of children's minds and spirits. That is why, in any civilization -- ours included -- the arts are inseparable from the very meaning of the term "education." We know from long experience that no one can claim to be truly educated who lacks basic knowledge and skills in the arts.
1. The arts are used to achieve a multitude of human purposes: to present issues and ideas, to teach or persuade, to entertain, to decorate or please. Becoming literate in the arts helps students understand and do these things better.
2. The arts are integral to every person's daily life. Our personal, social, economic, and cultural environments are shaped by the arts at every turn -- from the design of the child's breakfast placemat, to the songs on the commuter's car radio, to the family's night-time TV drama, to the teenager's Saturday dance, to the enduring influences of the classics.
3. The arts offer unique sources of enjoyment and refreshment for the imagination. They explore relationships between ideas and objects and serve as links between thought and action. Their continuing gift is to help us see and grasp life in new ways.
4. There is ample evidence that the arts help students develop the attitudes, characteristics, and intellectual skills required to participate effectively in today's society and economy. The arts teach self-discipline, reinforce self-esteem, and foster the thinking skills and creativity so valued in the workplace. They teach the importance of teamwork and cooperation. They demonstrate the direct connection between study, hard work, and high levels of achievement.
*National Arts Standards Introduction at Kennedy Center ArtsEdge
http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/teach/standards/summary.cfm
Creating, Performing and Participating
Actively engage in the processes that constitute creation and performance in the arts (dance, music, theatre, and visual arts) and participate in various roles in the arts.
Knowing and Using Arts Materials and Resources
Develop knowledge about and make use of the materials and resources available for participation in the arts in various roles.
Responding to and Analyzing Works of Art
Respond critically to a variety of works in the arts, connecting the individual work to other works and to other aspects of human endeavor and thought.
Understanding Cultural Dimensions and Contributions of the Arts
Develop an understanding of the personal and cultural forces that shape artistic communication and how the arts in turn shape the diverse cultures of past and present society.
**NYS Education Department Curriculum, Instruction, and Instructional Technology http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/arts/
Recommended Reading:
Eisner, Elliot. The Arts and the Creation of Mind. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2002.
Gardner, Howard. The Arts and Human Development. Boston: Harvard School of Education Press, 1994.
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