how an arts integrated curriculum benefits learners with

Running Head: HOW AN ARTS INTEGRATED CURRICULUM BENEFITS LEARNERS

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How an Arts Integrated Curriculum Benefits Learners with and without Disabilities:

A look at Curriculum from Pre-K to Third Grade

Jasmine D. Shumway

Corcoran College of Art and Design


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Abstract _______________________________________________________________4

Introduction____________________________________________________________5

Chapter 1

Literature Review________________________________________________________8

Overview 1.1 ____________________________________________________________________ 8

Historical Context 1.2 _____________________________________________________________ 8

Review of Research 1.3 ____________________________________________________________ 9

Chapter 2

Methodology_______________________________________________________________24

Overview 2.1 ___________________________________________________________________ 24

Access and Permission 2.2 ________________________________________________________ 24

Research Design 2.3_______________________________________________________________25

Procudure 2.4____________________________________________________________________28

Instructor Participants 2.5_________________________________________________________28

Student Participants 2.6___________________________________________________________30

Chapter 3

Results___________________________________________________________________34

Overview 3.1 _____________________________________________________________________ 34

Commonalities in Interviews 3.2 _____________________________________________________ 34

Support for Commonalities 3.3__________________________________________________34

Chapter 4

Discussion______________________________________________________________41


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Conclusion________________________________________________________________54

Appendix__________________________________________________________________55

Observations 5.1________________________________________________________________________55

Interviews 5.2__________________________________________________________________________62

Unit Plan 5.3___________________________________________________________________________84

References_________________________________________________________________98


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Abstract

This paper researches How an Arts Integrated Curriculum Benefits Learners With and Without

Disabilities: A look at Curriculum from Pre-K to Third grade.

The purpose of this study is to find out how Arts Integration can help students learn more

successfully. It is assumed that going back-to-the-basics of teaching as a preschool instructor,

benefits learners and would even do so into grades beyond preschool. Pre-school teachers often

use an integrated curriculum and the arts to teach all subjects across the curriculum. By looking

at programs that follow an arts integrated curriculum this paper will explore the specific areas in

which learners benefit.

The literature reviewed for this study and answers provided by educators in interviews conducted

for this study suggests that Arts Integration helps students become more involved with the

content being taught, therefore helping them be academically successful. It also suggests that

emphasizing the Arts and utilizing them to teach core subjects such as reading, writing, and

math, is a solution to meeting the academic goals put into place by the No Child Left Behind Act

(NCLB).

This study concludes that Arts Integration across the curriculum positively engages students,

causing them to be more involved with the learning process, creating a desire for knowledge.

Through Arts Integration students are able to “shine” and bring out the best in themselves

socially, emotionally, and academically; it allows for more student choice and leads to more

student independence and a behavior modification system seems to be less necessary when arts

integration is put into place. This study also concludes that instructors see a positive difference

in academic achievement with each student when the arts are being utilized in the classroom.


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Introduction

Observing preschool students explore new mediums in art for the first time and witnessing them

act, sing, dance, draw, and sculpt in order to better understand the world around them, has been a

privilege for me as a preschool teacher. In a preschool setting, the children are able to act out a

story or sing and dance to directions given to them in order to become engaged in what they are

learning. When a three year old is told to “hop like a bunny” or “stomp like an elephant” in

order to better understand the characters in the story that was read to them, they become

engrossed in their role as that character.

How great would it be for this to continue into grade school and to have older children obtain

that same excitement about learning? Why should it stop just because a child gets older? Rather

than reading about King Arthur, why not allow that child to take on the role of King Arthur?

When they walk into History class, they could be walking into their castle, and when they sit

down next to their classmates to socialize, they could be socializing with their Royal court. I

completed my internship at a special needs school located in Washington, DC, that does integrate

the Arts into their curriculum. Working with the students there helped me realize that children

should not be limited in the ways they are allowed to learn just because they are not considered

special needs learners.

Through conducting research for the Literature Review portion of this paper, I came across You

Wish It Could Speak for Itself: Examining the Use of Aesthetic Representation in an Elementary

Teacher Preparation Program, an article written by Kimberley K. Cuero and Courtney L. Crim.

In their article they reference Short, Kauffman, and Kahn’s “I just need to draw”: Responding to

literature across multiple sign systems, which discusses “the importance of having students’


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learning experiences incorporate multiple ways of knowing- the ways in which humans share

and make meaning, specifically through music, art, mathematics, drama, and language.” They

go on to explain, “Just as there are multiple ways of knowing, students best demonstrate the

learning in many different ways.” For example, in my experience as a preschool teacher, I have

had children who are able to verbally count from 1 through 10 and place objects in groups from 1

through 10. However, they had trouble with number recognition and could not identify a number

from 1 through 10 visually. As a teacher I am able to recognize the fact that that particular child

can in fact count, and demonstrated that to me verbally, regardless of the fact that they could not

visually place numbers in chronological order. Another student had trouble verbalizing the

letters of their name when asked to spell them out, however, they were able to write them

perfectly. Although they could not verbalize it, the student clearly understood what they were

learning and was able to visually demonstrate that.

Arts integration helps teachers reach students with various learning styles. Differentiated

teaching and multi- sensory teaching are ways to assist the teacher in implementing an arts

integrated curriculum. The Kennedy Center defines Arts integration as “an approach to teaching

in which students construct and demonstrate understanding through an art form. Students engage

in a creative process which connects an art form and another subject area and meets evolving

objectives in both.” There are visual learners, auditory learners, and kinesthetic learners.

Integrating the arts into the curriculum makes it possible to reach all these types of learners. It

allows for students to become involved in whichever way they feel most comfortable learning. If

an instructor verbalizes directions, then provides an opportunity for the student to draw, act out,

or sing the content, for example, they are giving them multiple avenues to explore the content

that is being taught. Arts Integration (all types, not just visual art) works for a reason, in this


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paper I will explore How an Arts Integrated Curriculum Benefits Learners with and without

Disabilities: A look at Curriculum from Pre-K to Third Grade. This will be accomplished

through answering the following questions: Does utilizing the five senses through multi-sensory

teaching benefit students? How does being involved in the arts benefit students socially and

emotionally? Does physically being involved in the arts help students retain content longer? And

do the arts help minimize behavioral issues within the classroom?


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Literature Review

Overview

This chapter provides an overview of the Literature on Arts Integration. It begins by briefly

stating how the importance of Arts Education originally came to existence and was

emphasized in the field of Education. It states some of the problems Art educators have been

facing since the No Child Left Behind Act has been put into place by the U.S. government. This

review includes examples of how several teachers have managed to implement an Arts integrated

curriculum in their classrooms. It also includes the opinions of scholars in the Arts and

Education fields and their perception of Arts integration and its benefits. I will also state

similarities between scholars’ beliefs and research conducted throughout their writings.

Historical Context

In her research, Jessica Brock, an Education graduate, states "The United States Office of

Education was established in 1867 (Gauthier, 2003)", however, "It was not until 1961, when

John F. Kennedy took office as president of the United States, that the arts in education began to

gain support (Gauthier, 2003)." In her writings, Brock also states, "In 1964, Congress passed

an act called the National Arts and Cultural Development Act, which established a council in the

White House required to advise, support, maintain, promote, and encourage the arts on local,

state, and federal levels. This act eventually became the basis of a Bill, and eventually the Arts

and Humanities Program formed. This Act, Bill, and Program are still in existence (Gauthier,

2003)."


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Review of Research

According to Eric Jensen’s Arts with the Brain In Mind, the Arts should be considered a major

discipline and hold the same relevance as the core subjects, Mathematics, Science, Language

Arts, and Social Studies. Jensen supports a holistic approach to educating. He points out several

benefits to implementing an integrated approach to teaching. In fact, he also states that “art

advocates are constantly being asked to show evidence that, for example, music improves math

scores…” He then suggests turning that around and writes, “Does math improve music?” He

goes on to explain that there are going to be things that technology cannot do and the arts should

be the necessary vehicle in education to help students articulate those things. He states that “the

ability to thoughtfully regulate, express, and channel emotions into arts such as music,

performances, movement, painting, and design,” is necessary. He goes on to explain that the

“arts will increase not decrease in value.”

Deirdre Russell-Bowie similarly expresses interest in the necessity of an Arts Integrated

Curriculum through, Syntegration or Disintegration? Models of Integrating the Arts Across the

Primary Curriculum. In her writings she states that “as the pressure for higher test scores

increases, teachers are encouraged more and more to use teaching approaches that include drill

and repetition, and have no time or autonomy to use creative and student-centered pedagogies or

to include the arts in their curriculum (Oerek, 2006)…This method of teaching often ignores the

individualized learning styles of children and the need to teach and integrate themes across the

eight multiple intelligences in order for all the children in their class to experience deeper

learning by using their preferred intelligences (Gardner, 1993)”. In her writings Russell-Bowie

states that, “authentically integrating subjects across the curriculum can ensure children’s


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learning experiences are meaningful and effective.” She continues, explaining that her paper

“presents a synthesised approach to integration that can assist teachers in achieving outcomes in

each of the art forms as well as achieving and enhancing outcomes in other subjects across the

curriculum.” This goes back to what Jensen states above referring to core subjects like

Mathematics, for example, improving the Arts, rather than the other way around. Instead of

simply advocating an Arts Integrated Curriculum, much like Jensen, Russell-Bowie gives a voice

to the instructor in an Integrated Curriculum setting. She explains the various ways arts

integration could be interpreted by certain educators through stating, “For some teachers,

integration means developing learning experiences based on a theme; for others, it is using the

same song or artwork in two different subjects. One set of teachers may use the word

“integration” when they have children colour in a stencil about a science experiment, and another

set of teachers ask their children to complete an integrated project exploring a theme then having

them present their work using some type of technology (Bresler, 1995; Wiggins, 2001)”.

Barry Oreck also depicts the benefits of Arts Integration through the instructor’s experience. In

Artistic Choices: A Study of Teachers Who Use the Arts in the Classroom, he conducted a study

involving several teachers who have managed to implement an Arts Integrated curriculum in

various New York City public school settings. Through Artistic Choices: A Study of Teachers

Who Use the Arts in the Classroom, Oreck is able to provide real life examples of the impact an

Arts Integrated curriculum has on the students, as well as the instructors. In this study “six New

York City elementary school teachers found ways to use the arts in their classrooms on a regular

basis despite the pressures they faced.” The study also “investigated the personal characteristics

and the factors that supported or constrained arts use in teaching.” Through his study Oreck

discovered that “the results suggest that general creative and artistic attitudes rather than specific


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skills as a maker of art are key to arts use.” However, similarly to what Russell-Bowie states in

her writings about various ways arts integration can be interpreted by teachers, Oreck states,

“one obstacle to studying the use of the arts by teachers in the classroom is the lack of a simple

definition of what constitutes art. The National Standards for Arts Education (Consortium of

National Arts Education Organizations, 1994) differentiates the study of the arts into the

development of skills in creating, performing, and producing works of art on one hand, and the

process of study, analysis, and reflection on the other. In the simplest sense, arts activities are

often separated into two categories -- creating/art making activities (e.g. singing, painting,

dancing, acting) and observation/exposure activities (e.g. listening to music, visiting an art

exhibition, watching a video tape). But involvement in either of these types of activities does not

necessarily constitute an artistic experience.” In his writings, Oreck refers to John Dewey’s

interpretation of what art is, he states “John Dewey placed the arts within the realm in experience

as opposed to product. For Dewey the sources of artistic experience were found in everyday

life.”

Unlike the above readings by Jensen, Russell-Bowie, and Oreck, Bruce Buchanan briefly

touches on the impact the No Child Left Behind Act has had on Arts education in his article,

Beyond the Basics: How is Art Education Faring in Today’s Standards and Test Driven

Curriculum? According to Buchanan, “Federal accountability requirements don’t test students in

the Arts…” However, “NCLB does recognize the Arts as one of the ten “core academic

subjects”. ” Buchanan also states that the Federal role in Arts Education has changed

significantly over the years. He writes, “The U.S. Department of Education funds about $20

million in arts-based grants each year. One program, the so-called “Arts model”, has funded

more than 100 grants in kindergarten through eighth grade since 2001. A second program


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provided professional development grants in the arts for high-poverty schools.” According to

Buchanan, “more than 50 such grants have been awarded in the past six years.” He goes on to

explain that “the National Endowment for the Arts provides grants to school districts and

community groups to promote arts education.” For example, “the Alleghany County Schools, a

small, rural district in the North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains, recently earned a grant to

teach students traditional Appalachian music...” Buchanan also points out that “Alaska’s Juneau

School District received a grant to study Shakespeare under the direction of professional actors.

And the Wellpinit School District No. 49 in Washington state earned a grant to teach students

Native American crafts and music, taught by tribal elders.” Therefore, according to Buchanan,

“such efforts show that the federal government is committed to promoting the arts in schools.”

However, “the evidence-both statistical and anecdotal-suggests that the arts are frequently lost in

the NCLB shuffle.” Buchanan also states that school districts have had to no longer offer the

arts. He writes, “A 2007 study by the Center on Education Policy found that a large number of

districts are cutting back on arts and other non-tested subjects so that they can place more time in

Math and Language Arts.” Buchanan states that according to Herbert from the Department of

Education, “local school districts, not federal officials, ultimately make decisions about what is

taught in the classroom. At the same time he encourages schools to not diminish or abandon the

arts in favor of chasing NCLB goals.” Herbert believes, “one way schools can include the arts

while still emphasizing reading, writing, and math is to integrate arts throughout the curriculum.

This means teaching tested subjects, namely Language Arts and Math, by using arts and music

lessons.”

Jessica Brock, an Education Graduate from Dominican University of California, conducted a

study on the use of Theater Arts in the Elementary classroom. Similarly to other Art advocates


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and Art Educators beliefs, Brock believes that, “A common problem that teachers face is not

being able to engage students in the learning process; likewise, the students do not retain much

of what they are taught.” In her research paper, Integrating Theater Arts into the Classroom:

The New Responsibilities of the Elementary School Teacher, she states, "the purpose of this

study is to explore how teachers can incorporate Theater Arts into their lessons and/or teaching

styles, and to find if doing so has a positive effect on students." Much like most of the above

authors, Brock also believes that core subjects such as Language Arts and Math are given more

academic importance in the Elementary classroom. She states, "The instruction of more

traditional subjects such as Language Arts, Math, and History often takes precedence over

Theater Arts in the classroom when teachers feel the time constraints." She also believes that

"budget cuts are frequently cutting funding for Theater Arts programs in schools. If teachers do

not take it upon themselves to seek alternative ways to expose students to Theater Arts, they may

never be exposed to the subject area." In her writings, Brock explains why Theater Arts, or any

other Art activity or influence for that matter, is necessary in the classroom. She states, “Many

traditional teaching methods, such as reading from a textbook and answering questions, partner

reading (when two students take turns reading out loud to each other,) or listening to a recording

of a text while following along, fail to fully engage a student’s attention. When a student’s

attention is not engaged, his or her retention level is minimal. If a teacher is not commanding the

students’ attention with the subject matter, the students will tend to lose focus and be off-task,

resulting in further loss of knowledge and requiring more of the teacher’s time to administer

consequences.” Through her writings and research Brock makes the reader aware that she is

attempting to research the facts on Theater Arts integration in the Elementary classroom, and its

positive effects on student’s learning capabilities. In order to do so she interviews an Elementary


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school teacher. She writes, “To acquire a better understanding of how a seasoned teacher might

integrate theater arts into everyday curriculum and her thoughts on how the students are affected,

I interviewed a veteran teacher at an elementary school in Southern California in an upper-

middle class district.” She also states that the focal point of her interview is centered on

integrating Theater Arts into a kindergarten classroom and questions the interviewee

accordingly. After reading through the interview Brock conducted, I noticed a parallel between

the answers the interviewee gave and the way in which a preschool classroom naturally

integrates theater arts into its curriculum.

William Charland of Western Michigan University writes, “While much has been written about

arts integration theory, and the various benefits of visual art in the curriculum, the literature is

sparse regarding arts integration implementation, and the personal, professional, and school

culture barriers to the persistence and dissemination of such interventions.” In Art Integration as

School Culture Change: A Cultural Ecosystem Approach to Faculty Development, Charland

offers a whole new perspective to readers and Art education advocates. He writes, “Successful

educational interventions are purposefully designed, taking into consideration the culture of the

stakeholders, a school’s or district’s larger contextual factors, and the sequence and timing of

program phases.” He continues to explain in further detail, the theories of cultural ecology

necessary in order to successfully implement an arts integrated program. In his writings

Charland states, “Bonfenbrenner’s theory of cultural ecology is employed as a framework to

examine the steps involved in the introduction, instantiation, and persistence of an art integration

program in an urban school system.” Charland writes, “A schools distinctive culture can be

characterized by the dynamic interplay of students’ and educators’ microsystem understandings

and mesosystem relationships, functioning within the opportunities and constraints of the


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exosystem and macrosystem.” In other words, the values, dispositions, or first-hand experiences

with colleagues, students, and the community have to be understood by and reflective of the

interrelationships among teachers, staff, students, along with, relationships between teachers and

students, teachers and families and teachers and schools. According to Charland, all this has to

go on within the limitations provided by the exosystem (the influence of institutional mission,

curriculum, state/national standards, professional development, funding, mandates,

incentives/disincentives, school/community links, administrators, and policy makers) and

macrosystem (social/cultural ideologies, values, belief systems, concepts of success, concepts of

the function of education, status hierarchies, and capitalism). Through focusing on faculty

development, Charland noticed an emergence of other issues. In his research he found that,

“adapting to differences among teachers in understanding, accepting, and applying the pedagogy,

and adjusting the project annually to account for personal shifts as new teachers joined the

school and others moved on,” were some things he had to become aware of and accommodate to

accordingly.

In The Effects of Visual Arts Integration on Reading at the Elementary Level: A Review of

Literature, Kristine A. McCarty from Azusa Pacific University offers “insight through current

qualitative and quantitative studies on the effectiveness of including visual art into the core

curriculum and its impact on reading at the elementary level.” Through her research she, “ties

together the effects of a core curriculum which includes visual art and its effect on emergent

readers, reading comprehension, and reading test scores.” McCarty writes, “Even though the

fine arts and visual art in particular is a subject that is considered part of the core curriculum,

many schools have put the subject of art to the side in order to focus on the curriculum that is

deemed important for improvement in standardized test scores. While standards exist for visual


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art, "the arts survive at the margins of education as curriculum enrichments, rewards to good

students, or electives for the talented" (Rabkin & Redmond, 2006, p. 60). Many schools cannot

take the time or provide the funds to totally integrate visual art into their curriculum.” She also

mentions that, “Studies using art integration strategies have been consistent in their suggestions

that these strategies help with academic achievement as well as other areas of education.” She

goes on to explain her methodology and states the visual arts effects with emergent readers, the

visual arts effects on reading comprehension, and the visual arts effects on reading test scores. In

her findings she states, “Art can be a universal language for students who cannot yet read or are

emergent readers due to language barriers (Linderman, 2004). Those students who are emergent

readers can include students who are just starting their academic career or ones who are older

and are second language learners. As Linderman stated, both of these types of emergent readers

can begin their journey towards literacy with visual art as a universal way of gaining knowledge

and understanding before the concept of reading is mastered…Along with drawings or

illustrations to help emergent readers, the introduction of visual art pieces have shown to have a

positive effect on literacy. Allan Richards, who is a professor of art education at the University

of Kentucky, was working with a school long term to help them include an art program that

made connections to reading and writing for students in their school. Richards (2003) found that:

kindergartners and first graders learning to read have the tendency to look at the first letter of a

word and call out any word that begins with that letter. But young art students would look at the

entire word the same as they look at art pieces and quickly try to put meaning to it. They do the

same with sentences and soon become fluent readers with sound comprehension skills" (p. 20).”

In reference to reading comprehension, McCarty writes, “After a student is able to master letter

to sound recognition and can decode words and sentences, the area of reading comprehension


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becomes the point at which students gain knowledge through reading…Richards (2003) found

that "comprehension is enhanced when children know their colors. By knowing their colors,

children are able to identify and link objects to words in the text, i.e. the purple cow. This

connection is important because it helps students to better understand what is being said in the

written text". (p.21) A mixed-method study conducted by Free (2004) found that illustrations

done by the researcher or the student helped students with reading comprehension. The study

found that there was a significant increase in reading comprehension with illustrations versus

non-illustrations and more test answers were correct. The study also found that African

American students as well as students with reading disabilities had greater improvement than the

other students in the area of comprehension with illustrations. This supports the case of visual art

integration due to the help that it provides for students in the area of reading comprehension

through illustrations.” Referring to the visual arts effects on reading test scores, McCarty writes,

“Tests that concern reading or language arts in elementary schools usually relate to unit tests,

district tests and standardized testing, These tests give the teachers, districts, and states a sample

of how the student is performing and learning. Research in the areas of testing students and

visual art tends to be small due to the fact that visual art and testing do not usually coincide with

each other.” She continues, referring to a quantitative study conducted by D.L. President (1999).

She states that the researcher “looked at the infusion of visual art and its correlation to

improvement of reading test scores among third graders. This study used a sample of twenty-

five students from an inner city school in Washington D.C. in which students in a control group

were taught with experimental visual art materials infused for seven months. The study found

that there was an increase between pre and post SAT 9 scores among the control group and the

group being given the visual art infused program. Although, the experimental groups growth was


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higher than the control group. This study shows that the growth between the groups may not be

significant enough to attribute it to only the visual art infused program. A quantitative study

conducted by Godin (1999) investigated the correlation between an art integrated program for

second and third graders at low socio-economic schools and its influences on test scores in

reading as well as other subjects. The study found that students in third grade had a higher mean

average on reading tests than third graders taught with traditional curriculum, although the

results were not significant at the .05 level. The results also found that an art integrated program

did not affect the mean of test scores for second graders. This study also showed that there is not

conclusive evidence that an art infused program is superior to the traditional methods of teaching

reading. In a review of one school in Bedford, Texas, that moved art education into the core

curriculum, Chapman (1998) found that students were performing better. Skills were continuing

to improve on the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills in reading as well as in other core

areas.”

Much like McCarty, Michael W. Dunn and Susan Finley believe that the arts can benefit students

with the literary process and help improve their writing skills. Dunn and Finley wrote,

Children’s Struggles with the Writing Process: Exploring Storytelling, Visual Arts, and

Keyboarding to Promote Narrative Story Writing. They believe that “the writing process can

pose real challenges for some children.” According to Dunn, “if students who struggle with

writing could note their initial story ideas in a format other than words, they would have the

metacognitive skills to know how to manage the process of describing story characters, setting,

the main event, and drawing a cohesive conclusion.” Dunn and Finley developed At Home At

School (AHAS), which is an “arts-based/integrated curriculum literacy program.”


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Dunn and Finley believe that, “a variety of strategies and activities exist to address areas of

concern for struggling writers.” One strategy developed by Graham and Harris, authors of

Writing Better, whom Dunn and Finley refer to in their study, is the WWW, W=2, H=2 strategy.

This strategy offers students a series of seven questions to prompt them to think about what they

can include in a story. The questions are as follows: Who is the main character; who else is in

the story? When does the story take place? Where does the story take place? What does the main

character do; what do the other characters want to do? What happens when the main character

tries to do it? How does the story end? How does the main character feel; how do the characters

feel? Through utilizing AHAS, students are able to use the above strategy in conjunction with

(POW) Plan, Organize, and Write, a strategy which allows the students to utilize a step-by-step

format to organize ideas and execute their original thoughts. In the program described above,

Dunn and Finley state that, “art materials such as modeling clay, paints, markers, and crayons are

made available as an option in the pre-writing phase as a mean for students to note their story

ideas visually before facing the possibly laborious task of story writing.” The students in the

study were also given writing assistance software like CoWriter: SOLO, in addition to the Arts-

based curriculum provided to them through AHAS.

Dunn and Finley reference Hobson (2002) who believes that “the use of images could help

promote children’s writing given that pictures are more compact and efficient storage units of

ideas in the pre-writing phase.”

Through their study, Dunn and Finley “incorporated an action research approach that involved

planning a strategy for improving narrative story writing skills, observing and participating in the

process of teaching as well as analyzing the results of the change, reviewing the processes and


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results, and then reinitiating the planning, acting, and reflection cycle (Erickson, 1986; Kemmis

& McTaggart, 2000).

Natalie Selden Barnes, Pamela Ann Brinster, and Patrick Fahey believe that an arts integrated

activity can only be considered truly integrated if students are able to fully participate in and

understand through experiencing both or all subjects being integrated into the activity. In their

paper, Exploring Tableau Vivant: An Integrated Approach to Interpretation, Barnes, Brinster,

and Fahey state, “All too frequently, classroom teachers will use a form of visual art to add

another dimension to a project. A history student might create a military poster designed to

recruit men to fight in the Civil War, or and English class will use an illustration to demonstrate

their understanding of a storyline. By including art in this way, many classroom teachers feel

they have “integrated” art into their curriculum. But, true integration occurs only when equal

attention is given to art objectives. Learning must take place in both arenas before a lesson is

fully integrated.” They go on to explain giving an example of what true integration would be.

They discuss a specific instance of a Junior High Drama teacher who invited the Photography

students into her class one day to photograph her students rehearsing for a play. After reflecting

on how beneficial the experience had been for the Drama students and the Photography students,

they write, “Although the experience was useful, we both recognized that it was not a true

integration. Actors in the reader’s theater never saw how the photography students interpreted

their performance in the finished photographs, and the photography students didn’t watch

enough of the performance to internalize the essence of the characters whose images they

captured.”


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Similarly to the above article, Exploring Tableau Vivant: An Integrated Approach to

Interpretation, You Wish It Could Speak for Itself: Examining the Use of Aesthetic

Representation in an Elementary Teacher Preparation Program written by Kimberley K. Cuero

and Courtney L. Crim, also highlights and examines the necessities in implementing an arts

integrated curriculum. Cuero and Crim write, “Ideally, teachers ask students to respond to

literature in a variety of forms (e.g., drawing or painting favorite parts of stories, creating

shoebox dioramas, responding to literature through poetry, dramatizing literature though Readers

Theater). When reading children’s books such as Green Eggs and Ham (Suess, 1988) or Stone

Soup (Brown, 1997), teachers may engage in the culinary arts with their students by preparing

dishes related to the story. Unfortunately, in today’s educational climate, these opportunities

involving the use of art in the classroom are increasingly seen as immaterial or as a luxury that

schools can no longer afford in an ever-growing push for meeting academic standards.” They

also believe that, “the incorporation of the arts in the classroom not only feeds creative thinking,

but also promotes academic rigor (Eisner, 1997). Artistic endeavors are critical for students to

express learning and understandings of literacy. In that regard, it is essential that pre-service

teachers engage in and comprehend how to incorporate the arts into their educational practices.

As the current educational climate often does not support this integration of arts into the

curriculum, pre-service teachers are often not provided with opportunities in their field work to

experience arts-based means to express academic understandings, such as aesthetic

representations (the focus of this article). The responsibility becomes that of the pre-service

teacher preparation program to expose students to the process, thereby modeling the importance

of fostering creative thinking and allowing students to use a variety of learning styles to express

understanding.” They go on to explain the importance of the arts stating that, “By emphasizing


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the role of the arts in elementary teacher preparation programs, future teachers are introduced to

a critical avenue that allows students to acquire a more in-depth relationship to the academic

content, to strengthen comprehension, and to experience the arts integrated into the curriculum

(Eisner, 1997). Through their article, Kimberley K. Cuero and Courtney L. Crim allow the

reader to explore, “a group of six pre-service teachers’ expressions of literacy through aesthetic

representations.” In the literature review portion of their paper, Cuero and Crim reference

Ostorga’s (2006) study of pre-service teachers who concluded that critical, reflective thinking

“cannot be taught through a few simple techniques but require education that transforms the pre-

service teachers’ ways of knowing.” They go on to explain stating, “…the importance of having

students’ learning experiences incorporate “multiple ways of knowing- the ways in which

humans share and make meaning, specifically through music, art, mathematics, drama, and

language.” Cuero and Crim believe that there are just as many ways for students to demonstrate

their learning as there is ways to teach them, which is precisely why educators should be able to

teach through the arts. They refer to Howard Gardner stating that, “students learn best when a

variety of strategies are used that tap into their Multiple Intelligences.” In their study, as teacher

educators, Cuero and Crim used aesthetic representations in their courses in order to “challenge

pre-service teachers to express their connections to course content using non-traditional means.”

They go on to state, “…In addition to using more traditional types of assessments (e.g., tests,

essay papers, reflective journals), we have observed that the use of aesthetic representations

forces pre-service teachers to think about the content and their connections to it in a new way--a

non-linear way that engages complex thinking and creativity.”

Through reviewing the above literature on Arts Integration I was able to broaden my knowledge

on the benefits presented through an arts integrated curriculum. A common theme I noticed


23

throughout the literature was that instructors utilize the arts to improve core subjects test scores

and/or to meet standards (specifically literary and reading comprehension). I also noticed some

scholars emphasized on the implementation of arts integration and the ways in which an

instructor could utilize the arts in order to help students successfully benefit from it. I found one

particular scholar’s writings on the external influences and theories of cultural ecology, which

heavily influence implementation of an arts integrated curriculum, to be very interesting simply

due to the fact that no other scholar touched on the effects outside influences can have on the role

of students and instructors alike.


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Methodology

Overview

This research was conducted in order to determine how an arts integrated curriculum can benefit

learners with and without learning disabilities in grades Pre-K to Third grade. It was also

conducted in order to better understand the instructors’ perspective and to collect data on the

advantages of an Arts Integrated Curriculum. The research data was derived from interviews

and classroom observations. A total of four instructors from an Arts Integrated Elementary

School and two preschool instructors were interviewed. The teachers who were interviewed

teach students ranging from ages 2 ½ to 10 years of age. Four of the six instructors interviewed

teach at a private elementary school site located in an upper-middle class neighbourhood in

Washington, DC. The school is an Arts integrated school for special needs students with

disabilities ranging from ADHD to Dyslexia. The other two of the six teachers who were

interviewed are Pre-K teachers at a private childcare center in downtown Washington, DC. The

instructors answered a series of questions in five different subject areas: Background, Arts and

Teaching, Arts and Academics, Social/Emotional benefits, and Differentiated Teaching.

Informal observations were made in various Arts Integrated Elementary classes, and in a private

Pre-K classroom.

Access and Permission

I was granted access to these professional experts and school sites because I am employed in the

same school as two of the six instructors who were interviewed. I have also completed my

internship at the other private school with the remaining four of the six interviewees. I chose to

use the resources closest to me due to the fact that I would be granted the most access to data,


25

including students art work, and personal interviews. In addition to these reasons, I felt that

being able to work with the students directly allowed me more insight into the benefits each

student gained whether they were special needs learners or not. In the interviews, a series of

questions were asked in five different subject areas (Background, Arts and Teaching, Arts and

Academics, Social/Emotional benefits, and Differentiated Teaching). The interviews were

transcribed verbatim allowing for the reader to take in the information and reach his or her own

conclusions. The interviewees names and locations were kept confidential in order to protect the

identity of those involved.

Research Design

According to experiment-resources.com, snowball sampling or chain referral sampling is

utilized as a, “sampling method if the sample for the study is very rare or is limited to a very

small subgroup of the population. This type of sampling technique works like chain referral.

After observing the initial subject, the researcher asks for assistance from the subject to help

identify people with a similar trait of interest. The process of snowball sampling is much like

asking your subjects to nominate another person with the same trait as your next subject. The

researcher then observes the nominated subjects and continues in the same way until the

obtaining sufficient number of subjects. For example, if obtaining subjects for a study that wants

to observe a rare disease, the researcher may opt to use snowball sampling since it will be

difficult to obtain subjects. It is also possible that the patients with the same disease have a

support group; being able to observe one of the members as your initial subject will then lead

you to more subjects for the study.” I used this type of sampling by interviewing one educator in

the Art Education field, then taking the information I obtained from that educator to interview

several other interviewees in the same profession.


26

A qualitative Ethnographic method was used in this study. A combination of field notes and

structured interviews were recorded. According to Dr. Michael Genzuk, “Ethnography is a

social science research method. It relies heavily on up-close, personal experience and possible

participation, not just observation, by researchers trained in the art of ethnography. These

ethnographers often work in multidisciplinary teams. The ethnographic focal point may include

intensive language and culture learning, intensive study of a single field or domain, and a blend

of historical, observational, and interview methods. Typical ethnographic research employs three

kinds of data collection: interviews, observation, and documents. This in turn produces three

kinds of data: quotations, descriptions, and excerpts of documents, resulting in one product:

narrative.” I used this kind of research to obtain data from the students in their uninterrupted

classroom environment, so as to formulate conclusions and data for the benefits involved in Arts

integrated Curricula.

In this study, a series of field notes were documented from January 2011 to February 2012,

including six structured personal interviews with instructors, as described below. The

Ethnographic method was employed so as to identify, first hand, the benefits of Arts integration.

The Ethnographic method was used due to the fact that the purpose for this type of research is

meant to be qualitative in nature not quantitative, it also allows for descriptive observation of

students in their uninterrupted classroom environment. The sub-categories and questions which

were asked during each participant’s interview are located in the Appendix section of this paper.

An Emic and Etic approach to research was also taken when collecting data for this paper.

According to T. N. Headland, K.L. Pike, and M. Harris, “The words emic and etic refer to two

different approaches to researching human beings. The terms originated in linguistics and

anthropology in the 1950’s and 1960’s; over the following decades researchers in numerous


27

fields and disciplines, including education, have found the concepts useful (Headland, 1990).

Precise definitions vary drastically across authors, but a basic understanding is as follows: An

emic approach (sometimes referred to as “insider,” “inductive,” or “bottom-up”) takes as its

starting point the perspectives and words of research participants. As Lett (1990) explains, from

an anthropological perspective, “Emic constructs are accounts, descriptions, and analyses

expressed in terms of the conceptual schemes and categories regarded as meaningful and

appropriate by the native members of the culture whose beliefs and behaviors are being studied”

(p. 130). In taking an emic approach, a researcher tries to put aside prior theories and

assumptions in order to let the participants and data “speak” to them and to allow themes,

patterns, and concepts to emerge. This approach is at the core of Grounded Theory, and is often

used when researching topics that have not yet been heavily theorized. Some of its strength lies

in its appreciation of the particularity of the context being studied, in its respect for local

viewpoints, and its potential to uncover unexpected findings. An etic approach (sometimes

referred to as “outsider,” “deductive,” or “top-down”) uses as its starting point theories,

hypothesis, perspectives, and concepts from outside of the setting being studied. As Lett (1990)

describes it, “Etic constructs are accounts, descriptions, and analyses expressed in terms of the

conceptual schemes and categories regarded as meaningful and appropriate by the community of

scientific observers” (p. 130). A researcher who takes an existing theory or conceptual

framework and conducts research to see if it applies to a new setting or population is taking an

etic approach. One of the strengths of the etic approach is that it allows for comparison across

contexts and populations, and the development of more general cross-cultural concepts (Morris,

Leung, Ames, & Lickel, 1999).”


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Procedure

Instructor Participants

I took an emic approach when conducting interviews in order to record the “accounts,

descriptions, and analyses expressed in terms of the conceptual schemes and categories regarded

as meaningful and appropriate by the native members of the culture (in this case the instructor/

interviewee) whose beliefs and behaviors are being studied,” as previously stated above. A total

of six instructors were interviewed who I will be referring to as interviewee 1, interviewee 2,

interviewee 3, interviewee 4, interviewee 5, and interviewee 6, for confidentiality purposes.

Interviewees’ 1, 2, 3, and 4 are teachers at a local private elementary school site located in an

upper-middle class neighbourhood in Washington, DC. The school is an Arts integrated school

for special needs students with disabilities ranging from ADHD to Dyslexia. I will continue to

refer to this school as school A.

Interviewee 1 is a substitute for all classes at school A, but focuses on PE, Science, and the

academic club, God’s Club. She has a BA in Anthropology and a Masters in Special Education

from American University. Her teaching philosophy is based largely upon Howard Gardner’s

theories of Multiple Intelligence.

Interviewee 2 teaches two academic clubs in History, the American Revolution club and the

Knights and Ladies club, at school A. She has a Bachelors degree in Elementary Education from

Catholic University, a Masters degree in Special Education, and an EDS degree in Brain Injuries

and Transitional Education from George Washington University. She takes a multi-sensory

approach to teaching and believes that by doing so she is able to make learning more fun and

expose all of her students’ true talents, which motivates them to want to learn.


29

Interviewee 3 teaches science to children from Kindergarten through fourth grade at school A.

She has a Bachelors degree in Elementary Education and is currently working on finishing up

her Masters degree in Special Education with a focus on Learning Disabilities. Her teaching

philosophy is “centered on the thought that every child will learn.” She believes it is important

for educators to teach to every student level in their class. All students learn differently and

educators should try to teach each student in a way that they can understand.

Interviewee 4 is an Art teacher in school A. She has a BA in Fine Art and a Masters degree in

Special Education with a focus in Emotional Disturbance and Learning Disabilities. She

believes that it is especially important to excite the student about what they are being taught and

to have their interests in mind when teaching a lesson. In her interview she states that it is

important, “to get their interest and for me to find their interest and to try to incorporate that into

what I do, I mean to challenge them, to create problems for them to solve.”

Interviewee 5 is a preschool teacher who teaches students ranging from 2 ½ to 3 ½ years old.

She has a Bachelors of Arts in Child Development. Her teaching philosophy is “to nurture and

educate each individual child as they grow and develop life skills that enhance their social,

emotional, and cognitive skills.”

Interviewee 6 is currently a preschool teacher who teaches students ranging from 3 ½ to 4½

years old. However, she has taught special needs students ranging from 7 to 8 years old in the

past. She has a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Business Management and has had training in

Positive Behaviour Reinforcement, Individualized Education Plans (IEP), and Communicating

with Non-verbal Children. Her teaching philosophy is to “educate children on developmental

appropriate skills and to encourage their independence.”


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Student Participants

I took an etic approach through conducting observations on students ranging from ages 2 ½ to 10

in various art and preschool classroom settings. The observations were conducted in a private

Special Needs Arts Integrated Elementary school located in Washington, DC, which I will refer

to as school A and another private preschool also located in Washington, DC, which I will refer

to as school B.

I conducted observations on the following students, locations, dates, and times: Student 1 from

school A, Age 7, Observed on 1/24/11 for 15 minutes (9:30am-9:45am), Student 2 from school

A, Age 8, Observed on 1/26/11 for 10 minutes (10:00am-10:10am), Student 3 from school A,

Age 6, Observed on 2/2/11 for 10 minutes (9:30am-9:40am), Student 4 from school A, Age 10,

Observed on 3/1/11 for 10 minutes (2:15pm-2:25pm), Student 5 from school A, Age 7, Observed

on 4/4/11 for 15 minutes (10:10am-10:25am), Student 6 from school A, Age 10, Observed on

5/3/11 for 10 minutes (2:00pm-2:10pm), Student 7 from school A, Age 6, Observed on 5/4/11 for

10 minutes (9:20am-9:30am), Student 8 from school A, Age 7, Observed on 5/5/11 for 10

minutes (9:45am- 9:55am), Student 9 from school A, Age 9, Observed on 5/6/11 for 10 minutes

1:20pm-1:30pm), Student 1 from school B, Age 3, Observed on 7/6/11 for 10 minutes (10:10am-

10:20am), Student 2 from school B, Age 3, Observed on 7/8/11 for 10 minutes (10:10am-

10:20am), Student 3 from school B, Age 3, Observed on 8/3/11 for 10 minutes (10:15am-

10:25am), Student 4 from school B, Age 2 ½ , Observed on 9/7/11 for 10 minutes (11:05am-

11:15am)

School A did not have grades as in, A, B, C, D, or F. They also did not have grade levels as in,

1st, 2nd, or 3rd grade, and so on. School A grouped children based on their educational needs and


31

abilities. For instance, the children each had their own personal home room or classroom

teacher, whom they met with at the start of each day and then they went to their club classrooms

throughout the day. At school A they referred to subject area classes as clubs. For example, the

Knights and Ladies club was considered to be a History class where the children were able to

take on a character like King George or Queen Isabella and learned through acting out and

becoming completely consumed by their role as an important historical figure, all school year.

Another example is the Cave club, which is a class where children learn about Human Evolution.

They study the Old Stone Age and the New Stone Age through participating in multi-sensory

activities, which allow them to experience various aspects of the pre historic man.

An art classroom was observed at school A, which I will refer to as classroom 1. Classroom 1

had a total of 10 students with brain-based disabilities such as auditory discrimination, auditory

processing, visual discrimination, visual processing, fine motor, gross motor skills, and visual

motor coordination disabilities. According to education.com auditory discrimination is defined

as the “Ability to distinguish sounds of varying frequencies, intensities, and pattern.” And visual

discrimination is defined as the “Ability to recognize and identify visual shapes, forms, and

patterns.” Acenta.com states, “Auditory Processing Disorder (formerly called Central Auditory

Processing Disorder or CAPD) is really an umbrella term that describes various sub-types of

disordered auditory processing in a child or an adult. A person with disordered processing has

normal (or near-normal) hearing, as measured on a hearing test, but does not seem to "hear well"

or understand what is heard. Hearing and understanding may be inconsistent. Processing of

sound is disordered in the pathways from the auditory (hearing) nerve through the brainstem and

higher auditory pathways in the brain. Auditory processing skills include listening to the

information (auditory attention), analyzing the sound or word (auditory decoding or


32

discrimination), attaching meaning according to the rules of language (auditory association),

pulling everything into a whole that can be used (integration), and organizing and producing a

response (auditory output-organization).” Understanding-learning-disabilities.com defines visual

processing disorder as “a child’s limited ability to make sense of information taken in through

the eyes.” For example, a child from school A in classroom 1 expressed a huge amount of

frustration when asked to define the shapes she saw in an object being used for a still life

activity. She was told to visually break down the object into basic geometric shapes rather than

taking in the object as a whole and looking at it for what it was, a large dog. She could not seem

to understand that the dog’s ears could be perceived as triangles and the dog’s body could be

perceived as a large oval, and so on. This child may have been experiencing a visual processing

or rigidity of thinking disorder. There were also some mild social/ emotional disabilities made

apparent in a few children. For example, during my internship at school A I observed the art

teacher bring in her dog for the children to draw in a still life activity and one child was terrified

to be near the dog, regardless of the fact that she (the dog) was very friendly and worked well

with the rest of the children. In order to alleviate his fear, the art teacher and I had him sit as far

away as possible without losing view of the still life in order to be able to complete the activity.

The other school where observations were conducted is a private preschool located in

Washington, DC, school B. There were a total of 16 students in the classroom being observed in

school B. The students ranged from ages 2 ½ to 3 ½. School B followed a “links to learning

curriculum”, which is defined on nobellearning.com as “an integrated series of programs for

children ages 6 weeks to 5 years that engages the young learner's senses, mind and body. The

components of each program build upon each other, ensuring excellent preparation for

elementary school. Our curriculum encourages each child's interest in discovery and hands-on


33

learning, and takes advantage of a child's readiness to learn with activities that are fun,

challenging and easily understood. Links to Learning is organized according to a child's age and

stage of development, and incorporates the appropriate new skills and concepts for each stage of

the preschool journey.”

An intermediates preschool classroom was observed in school B which I will refer to as

classroom 2. Classroom 2 had a total of 16 students ranging from age 2 ½ to 3 ½. Several

students had apparent behavioural disorders, however, were too young to be diagnosed. For

example, a few children displayed behaviours found in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

(ADHD). According to Dr. Amal Chakraburtty, “Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

(ADHD) is a behavioural disorder of childhood characterized by short attention span, excessive

impulsiveness, and inappropriate hyperactivity. Symptoms of hyperactivity, impulsivity, and

inattentive behaviour must have been present before the age of seven years and caused

impairment in two or more social, academic, or occupational settings. The exact cause of ADHD

is not known.” For example, during table toys and structured center time, a few children had

trouble staying in one center or at one table for the required 10 minutes before switching to

another center or table. They would usually be able to stay for no longer than 5 minutes at a

time, if even.


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Results

Overview

As noted earlier in the Methodology section of this paper, a series of six structured interviews

were conducted by the researcher. Commonalities were then drawn from each interview. This

section simply states those commonalities along with other findings derived from non-formal

observations of students from school A and school B.

Commonalities in Interviews

The commonalities from interviews one through six are as follows: All six interviewees utilize a

multi-sensory approach in their classrooms, all six interviewees work for an administration that

supports the arts, all six interviewees firmly believe that the arts helps students “shine” and

brings out the best in each child socially, emotionally, and academically; all six interviewees

claim to see a positive difference in academic achievement with each student when the arts are

being utilized in the classroom, all six interviewees believe that arts integration leads to more

student independence, All six interviewees use the arts to minimize behavioral issues within the

classroom and feel that a behavioral modification plan is less necessary when the arts are being

utilized in their curriculum.

Support for Commonalities

The support and examples of what I witnessed in each classroom for the above commonalities in

each interview are found below:

- All six interviewees utilize a multi-sensory approach in their classrooms


35

During my observational research at school A I witnessed interviewees 1, 2, 3, and 4 utilize the

following multi-sensory techniques and mediums in their classrooms. Interviewee 1 had apparel

and props for the students to wear and use as they learned about Ancient Mythological figures

and acted out historical scenes form stories they read in the academic club, God’s Club.

Interviewee 2 had props in her Knight’s and Ladies Club classroom such as, handmade swords,

coins, jewels, and costumes that the children could use and dress up in in order to learn about

Europe during the Middle Ages. Interviewee 3 had live plants and animals in her classroom in

order for the children to learn about photosynthesis and to view reptiles in their own habitat. She

even dressed up as Ms. Frizzle, the character from The Magic School Bus, and taught the

children about pertinent topics in the world of Science like the Solar System or the Human Body.

Interviewee 4 had live chicks in her classroom which started out as eggs in an incubator. She

gave the children an opportunity to see the various stages of a chicken’s life cycle from pre-birth

to adulthood. She also brought in her dog for the students to draw in still lives she assigned

them.

Interviewees 5 and 6 from school B both have a sensory area in their classroom, as well as,

various other centers available for the children to explore in such as: Dramatic Play, where the

children are able to act out scenes from everyday life while dressing up in costume;

Construction, where the children are able to use wooden blocks, Legos, cars, various connectors,

and gears to challenge themselves and strengthen their fine and gross motor skills; Science,

where they can explore with magnets and magnifiers, or use a stethoscope and be a doctor;

Writing, where they can learn to write their names or trace magnetic letters to enhance their fine

motor mobility, and Music, where they can sing, dance, and create their own rhythm using a

drum set and maracas.


36

-All six interviewees work for an administration that supports the arts

During my internship at school A and at my current place of employment, school B; I have

witnessed various visual and performance art materials in each classroom. In school A if a

teacher needed something for an activity they were able to come to the Art classroom

(Classroom 1), and borrow or use whatever they needed. In school B the teachers have access to

a Resource Room which parents and other members of the community may donate to. The

Resource Room provides the instructors with any materials they may need for projects such as

paint, glitter, tissue paper, clay, boxes, water bottles, etc.

During my time spent at school A and at school B, I observed teachers assisting one another

when preparing for activities. If the science teacher in school A needed paint for a solar system

activity she had planned the art teacher was more than willing to give it to her. Instructors in

school B ask one another to borrow paint, glue sticks, or any other materials they may need for

an activity, on a regular basis. School B also has access to a Resource room which contains

recyclable materials like empty water bottles, and art materials like glitter, paint, crayons,

pastels, pencils, construction paper, and play dough. In addition, school B has an opportunity

every month to order materials they need in their classroom.

-All six interviewees firmly believe that the arts helps students “shine” and brings out the

best in each child socially, emotionally, and academically

In her interview, Interviewee 1 states, “Um, I think it (Arts Integration) gives kids an outlet for

expression, otherwise, especially in a community like school A where so many students have

language based Learning Disabilities that limit their self-expression and communication. By

giving them mediums, whether it’s painting or drawing, or clay, or music, um, it releases that


37

tension that is building and gives them a voice to kind of express how they are feeling and better

communicate with their peers.”

Interviewee 2 states, “I think a lot of times the arts aren’t used and a child could be a really good

artist...but by being given the opportunity to do different things, and it’s not just drawing art, it’s

all sorts of different things, I may be good at drawing but you may be good at mosaics, and so I

think it’s good for their social/emotional because they are looking and seeing each other’s

strengths and appreciating them and not focusing on their disabilities or negative things.”

Interviewee 3 states, “I see a side of confidence in them. They enjoy the arts and it’s a great way

to make learning fun and different.”

Interviewee 4 states, “Well, I think that you know, these kids need to learn to work together and

they need to learn to take risks and art is such a safe place to do that, that’s why I set up

projects...you know projects I did with my 3rd graders I did with High School I mean I may have

changed them a little, but that way kids can find success and it makes a better class.”

Interviewee 5 states, “The children are more involved with one another and discuss what they

and their peers are making. They are also able to interact more with their peers and become

more aware of their environment.”

Interviewee 6 states, “The children would work together and interact with each other when doing

art activities.”

- All six interviewees claim to see a positive difference in academic achievement with each

student when the arts are being utilized in the classroom.


38

In her interview, when asked Do you see a difference in Academic achievement when you use the

Arts? Interviewee 1 states, “Absolutely. Through skill acquisition development, which was a

part of my undergrad research that I did …the idea that like, through teaching a child a basic art

skill that is multi-stepped and complex…and that at the end they can see a tangible result of

something that they are proud of, they can carry on those same principles to their academic

learning like how to write a five paragraph paper.”

Interviewee 2 states that the Woodcock Johnson scores have been improving over time due to

Arts Education. According to riverpub.com the Woodcock Johnson scores are a series of

cognitive ability tests which measure general intellectual abilities and specific cognitive abilities.

Interviewee 3 states, “When I am informally testing my students over what they have been

learning they are more engaged when it is an art activity. I will have them draw an amphibian in

its habitat, and the students do not even know that I am assessing their knowledge on the subject.

They think they are just drawing.”

Interviewee 4 simply states, “yes” when asked the above question pertaining to Academic

achievement when the arts are being used.

Interviewee 5 states, “Yes, it helps broadens children’s exploration and learning. They tend to

retain information longer.”

Interviewee 6 states, “Yes, I see a difference in achievement because children are visual and they

can explain their own thoughts and create a detailed picture.

-All six interviewees believe that arts integration leads to more student independence


39

Interviewee 1 states, “more”, when asked Does it (arts integration) lead to more or less student

independence?

Interviewee 2 states, “Definitely more, the students are more independent.”

Interviewee 3 states, “It leads to more student independence. They have more choices for

options!”

Interviewee 4 states, “I tend to believe that it makes the kids more independent, except for the

kids with memory problems and you know this is gonna be the style of their lives and this is

something they are learning about themselves.”

Interviewee 5 states, “It leads to more student independence because they are given the

opportunity to create their own work with no restrictions on what the outcome of their artwork

will be.”

Interviewee 6 states, “It can be both. More independence for a child who is developmentally

ready, but less independence for the child who is having difficulty catching on.”

-All six interviewees use the arts to minimize behavioral issues within the classroom and

feel that a behavioral modification plan is less necessary when the arts are being utilized in

their curriculum

When asked, Do you use the arts to minimize behavioral issues within the classroom? If so,

how? Interviewee 1 states, “Absolutely, I think that often misbehavior results from poor

planning, lack of organization, and students feeling bored, so if you have an engaging, structured


40

lesson and a good flow of transitions from activity to activity students are more likely to stay on

task.”

Interviewee 2 states, “Yes, I feel that the children like to do the art work and if they’re happy, I

don’t have behavior problems, however, within each activity if it’s something like an art activity

that includes fine motor skills, for example, and the child has a very difficult time I try to give

them an art project that won’t frustrate them, because when they get frustrated that’s when you

get bad behavior.”

Interviewee 3 states, “Yes, when a child is having a hard time controlling their behavior I let

them take a quiet moment at their seat to draw. I also let them do this when we are reading or

doing other activities. It keeps their hands busy so that they can listen.”

Interviewee 4 states, “Actually I use the art, because they are usually motivated to do the art the

behavior management would be to not do the art and also you know having them…saying they

don’t want to do things…it’s not their choice you know it’s an assignment and I bring in the fact

that this is school and learning new things and so to keep their motivation up is tough because a

lot of these kids are not risk takers and when we try to do something new they are ready to think

they can’t do it already...but this is the place, if any place is the art room is the place that kids can

succeed, so that’s what I work for.”

Interviewee 5 states, “I allow children to create art for people they miss when they are upset, or

to redirect them during aggressive behavior.”

Interviewee 6 states, “My personal opinion is, yes. Art is an expression. So, it’s a way to express

how you are feeling, so I have the children draw pictures about how they are feeling.”


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Discussion

“Tell me and I'll forget. Show me, and I may not remember. Involve me, and I'll understand.”

- Native American Saying

The above quote describes precisely why the Arts are a necessary component in the field of

Education. One teaches in order for another to comprehend, the Arts do just that, help one fully

understand through doing.

How does an Arts Integrated curriculum benefit learners with and without disabilities? Based on

the responses in the six structured interviews and the informal classroom observations conducted

for this study located in the Appendix section of this paper; Arts Integration helps expose

students to multi-sensory activities engaging most if not all of the five senses while learning, it

helps students “shine” and brings out the best in each of them socially, emotionally, and

academically, it helps student retain information for longer periods of time, it leads to more

student independence, it helps to minimize behavioral issues within the classroom and makes a

behavior modification plan less necessary for most instructors. Below I will give examples of

these benefits I observed in school A and school B, as well as, direct quotes and opinions of

interviewees one through six, pertaining to the above benefits.

-Arts Integration helps expose students to multi-sensory activities engaging most if not all

of the five senses while learning

During my time spent observing students in school A I saw them work on projects using various

materials like clay, yarn, paint, and cans. I also observed them working on still life projects

containing live dogs and chickens. As they worked on each project they were able to engage at


42

least three to four of their five senses. Often times after the students were done drawing their

still lives of the instructors dog or chickens, they were able to pet them or hold them if they

chose to. I also observed students from the academic club, the Knights and Ladies club dress up

in costume as they learned about a particular battle. They were also able to go outside of the

school onto a specified region nearby to act out the battle in their costumes using props they had

made.

During my time spent observing students in school B I was and am currently still able to see that

each preschool classroom is set up in order to accommodate a multi-sensory curriculum. Each

classroom is equipped with a Science center, Manipulative center, Writing center, Art center,

Dramatic play center, Construction center, Music center, and a sensory table which is filled on a

weekly basis with water, sand, flour, marshmallows, dirt, or oatmeal.

In addition to observing the above, interviewees one through six were asked, Do you use multi-

sensory learning/teaching in your classroom? The following are some of their responses:

Interviewee 3 states, “I do use multi-sensory learning/teaching in my classroom. It is a great way

to teach students with learning disabilities. The more ways to expose the students to information

the better.”

Interviewee 4 states, “Yeah, I think with the help of the OT’s (occupational therapists) here at

school A, it’s a good combination of things with having kids experience all sorts of stuff like

paper mache and clay. I prefer sculptural materials, I’m not much of a 2D teacher, but you know

mixing paint and doing things kinesthetically is great for these kids.”


43

Interviewee 6 states, “When I write my monthly lesson plans I incorporate Art activities with

different materials and we make instruments out of household products.”

-Arts Integration helps students “shine” and brings out the best in each of them socially,

emotionally, and academically

When I was observing students in school A I saw a few students get frustrated with the activity

they were doing, but they would almost always be able to complete it in the end and express

excitement and pride in themselves, once they did. For example, the children were making Can

People or Can Animals. One particular child wanted to get right to constructing before

thoroughly sketching out his ideas. He retrieved several cans from the bins after coloring his

sketch and adding a few more details. He became frustrated after one or two tries of

unsuccessfully attempting to connect one can to another. The instructor came over and showed

him how to use the beads as connectors to do so. He attempted and once again failed. The

instructor saw that he was lacking in fine motor mobility so she helped him hold the first bead in

place as he pulled through the pipe cleaner to act as an attachment piece. Afterwards,

unprompted by the instructor, he practiced first on his own using only the pipe cleaners and

beads, no cans. After doing so for a few tries he seemed ready to try on his own and successfully

attached his first two cans with no help from the instructor. He was thrilled!

In school B the children are constantly acting out what they are feeling, seeing, or even thinking.

For example, the children were learning about community helpers and various careers a few

weeks prior to this observation day, and this child was in the Science center during free play.

She got the stethoscope and went over to her peer and said, “I’m your doctor, I will make you

feel better…you need medicine, I will tell your mommy.” She continued to “check” her peer


44

using the stethoscope, then she went over to the science area and got a piece of gauze and a

band-aid to place on his knee. She took the stethoscope off and told her peer to check her. She

laid flat on the carpet as her peer placed the instrument on her forehead, knees, and elbows.

Interviewees one through six were asked the following questions: What social or emotional

benefits/changes do you see in students when implementing an Arts integrated curriculum? Do

you use the Arts to facilitate group work? What conversations do you hear from the students

when they are doing an Arts integrated activity? What is the mood in the classroom when you

use an Arts integrated activity? And, how do the Arts benefit students who are differentiated

learners in your classroom? These were some of their responses:

Interviewee 1

When asked what social or emotional benefits/changes do you see in students when

implementing an Arts integrated curriculum? Interviewee 1 states, “Um, I think it gives kids an

outlet for expression, otherwise, especially in a community like school A where so many students

have language based Learning Disabilities that limit their self-expression and communication.

By giving them mediums, whether it’s painting or drawing, or clay, or music, um, it releases that

tension that is building and gives them a voice to kind of express how they are feeling and better

communicate with their peers.”

When asked do you use the Arts to facilitate group work? Interviewee 1 states, “Yes, absolutely.

I think that’s a great way to introduce an art project, to give a framework for creativity. I think a

lot of the time people assume that the arts are all just free flow, creative, all over the place, when

in fact it’s all about structure and having that sense of boundaries to then create within, um,

which is something that is very needed for kids with dyslexia.”


45

When asked what conversations do you hear from the students when they are doing an Arts

integrated activity? Interviewee 1 states, “Um, just that they really like…they like it, they like

getting to make things with their hands to show what they are doing…they’re getting to illustrate

a storyline. Even if they had trouble remembering the name or the word of the character, they

are able to say “oh, yeah that witch who turned people into pigs I drew a picture of the pigs so I

remember. So they are definitely proud of the skills they have.”

When asked what is the mood in the classroom when you use an Arts integrated activity?

Interviewee 1 states, “Um, when doing arts integrated work, you know, as a teacher in some

ways you are relinquishing some of that power that you have in a typical classroom where you

have you know the teacher in front and kids in desks, listen and learn, do what I say. It’s

definitely noisier, usually, if you’re allowing that flow of creativity, but it should be

energized…kids should be engaged, excited, exploring, which is going back to my teaching

philosophy, all teacher are students and all students are teachers. It’s a mutual exchange.”

When asked how do the Arts benefit students who are differentiated learners in your classroom?

Interviewee 1 states, “Without having an outlet to express themselves creatively, it would be as if

they were in typical classroom settings which were based solely on a linear language base

approach which would be like a square peg being shoved in a round hole. Through an arts based

education, it allows them to explore not only ways to overcome their difficulties, but excel

through and shine with their talents that they have.”

Interviewee 2


implementing an Arts integrated curriculum? Interviewee 2 states,” I think a lot of times the arts


46

aren’t used and a child could be a really good artist...but by being given the opportunity to do

different things, and it’s not just drawing art, it’s all sorts of different things, I may be good at

drawing but you may be good at mosaics, and so I think it’s good for their social/emotional

because they are looking and seeing each other’s strengths and appreciating them and not

focusing on their disabilities or negative things.”


integrated activity? Interviewee 2 states, “Um, I see their enthusiasm their comments that make

them happy, they love it.”


Interviewee 2 states, “The mood is positive they like to get up move around, take what they

need, a lot is going on but it’s organized…organized chaos.”


Interviewee 2 states, “It just pulls out peoples strengths.”

Interviewee 3


implementing an Arts integrated curriculum? Interviewee 3 states, “I see a side of confidence in

them. They enjoy the arts and it’s a great way to make learning fun and different.”

When asked do you use the Arts to facilitate group work? Interviewee 3 states, “We have such

small groups that group work is done more in the classrooms with all twelve students. They do

work on whole group art projects in their homeroom in the afternoons.”


47


integrated activity? Interviewee 3 states, “The students help each other and it’s more of a sense

of community when we are doing art in the Science room. People have to share their tools and

supplies.”


Interviewee 3 states, “Good attitudes! The arts give them a chance to really shine at school.

Some of them struggle in reading or math, but in art they feel like the rock star they are!”

Interviewee 4


implementing an Arts integrated curriculum? Interviewee 4 states, “Well, I think that you know,

these kids need to learn to work together and they need to learn to take risks and art is such a safe

place to do that, that’s why I set up projects...you know projects I did with my 3rd graders I did

with High School I mean I may have changed them a little, but that way kids can find success

and it makes a better class.”

When asked do you use the Arts to facilitate group work? Interviewee 4 states, “Oh yeah,

absolutely. I love to watch the kids, somebody takes the lead or they have to work together and

yeah, sometimes it ends up you know that they are not getting along, but that’s okay because it

gives you an opportunity to work on what comes up so a little group therapy usually here and

there comes around.”


integrated activity? Interviewee 4 states, “Oh gosh! Everything from um, do you believe in


48

Santa Clause, or the latest news on earthquakes, or you know, some pretty…it’s interesting a lot

of projects and a lot of conversations can be diagnostic…it’s a little bit of everything, I like being

a fly on the wall, sometimes they don’t remember I’m here.”


Interviewee 4 states, “It’s usually, you know, pretty cheery.”


Interviewee 4 states, “Oh, when they’re feeling bad about reading and they come to the Art room

and they can succeed in something they can take a deep breath and take that positivness about

themselves away and approach other tasks with a positive attitude.”

Interviewee 5


implementing an Arts integrated curriculum? Interviewee 5 states, “Social- The children are

more involved with one another and discuss what they and their peers are making. They are also

able to interact more with their peers and become more aware of their environment. Emotional-

A picture says a thousand words. Through looking at a child’s piece of artwork, you can render

their feelings by observing what colors they chose to use and what images they chose to draw.”


integrated activity? Interviewee 5 states, “The children discuss items they are using, what they

are making, they describe what each object is to each other.”


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Interviewee 5 states, “Every child is determined, more focused, calm, and very excited because

of what they are making and the outcome of their artwork.”


Interviewee 5 states, “It helps them gain more interest in learning. The children also show more

expression/feelings due to how they create their artwork.”

Interviewee 6


implementing an Arts integrated curriculum? Interviewee 6 states, “The children would work

together and interact with each other when doing art activities.”

When asked do you use the Arts to facilitate group work? Interviewee 6 states, “Yes, I

incorporate group art activities three times a week.”


integrated activity? Interviewee 6 states, “The children talk about their feelings when drawing a

picture or mixing finger paints to make new colors.”


Interviewee 6 states, “The mood in the classroom is happy, calm, and bright.”


Interviewee 6 states, “The Arts encourage students to try harder and allows for more patience

when learning new things.”


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-Arts Integration helps student retain information for longer periods of time

I observed children in school A recall information they were taught weeks prior to when they

were asked to remember it. For example, when the children were completing a painting activity

one particular child needed help remembering how to mix a certain color using only primary

color paint and another child went over and helped them without referencing the color wheel. I

also observed the older children at school A help the younger children with activities they were

required to do at one point. A high school student Teacher Assistant (TA) who attended school

A as an elementary student was able to recall the specifics of a weaving activity she had once

completed herself. When a child was having trouble remembering the sequencing order of the

activity she was able to help them.

When asked have you noticed that students retain information for longer or shorter periods of

time when the lesson is arts integrated? Interviewee 3 states, “I feel that they retain it for longer

for sure. I think that pencil and paper tests are useless to them especially in the younger grades.”

Interviewee 4 states, “I think that we’ve all noticed that they retain it for longer periods,

especially those kids that learn that way, you know for some kids it still won’t make any

difference.” And Interviewee 5 states, “Longer, because it gains more of their interest when they

are doing something rather than listening to the instructor talk. Children who are young get

restless after a while, but incorporating some form of art keeps them engaged in what they are

learning.”

-Arts Integration leads to more student independence

As I observed students from school A I noticed most students become very self-sufficient. As

long as they knew what particular project they were working on that day, they were able to go


51

get the materials they needed with very little or no assistance. I also noticed a few students

helping one another when necessary. For example, when the children from school A were

working on their weaving project they had to take the yarn and go “under and over” through the

string that was connected to their piece of cardboard. Some children would forget if they went

under or over last so they would ask their peers for assistance and they would willingly help one

another. In school B I noticed a few children become very independent when completing table

activities and using glue sticks or cutting paper when the instructor walks away from the table.

However, almost all of the children are independent when they are in centers like Construction or

Dramatic play.

-Arts Integration helps to minimize behavioral issues within the classroom and makes a

behavior modification plan less necessary for most instructors

I found that the students in school A were motivated and interested in doing their assignments.

They always seemed to be engaged in what they were working on and I did not observe any

behavioral issues within the classroom. In school B, however, I observed several behavioral

issues, mainly due to the fact that they were a younger age group. For example, I saw a student

hit another student with a wooden block in the Construction center. After speaking to the child

about his actions, the teacher sent him to the Art center to create a piece of artwork about how he

was feeling. At first the child was reluctant and still very angry that he could not play in the

block area at the time, but after seeing all the materials he was able to use in his artwork he

quickly became engaged in drawing, gluing, and even cutting, to produce his piece of artwork.

Another behavioral issue I observed in school B was a child running in circles around the room

when he was supposed to be playing at a center. The children had been working on an activity at


52

the table and were told to go to a center when they were finished with their activity. The

instructor observed this child’s behavior and explained to him that he should be playing in a

center and not running around the classroom. After she explained what was expected of him, he

chose to listen and went to a center, however, she observed that after just a few minutes of his

compliant behavior, he was getting antsy and was making his way out of the center, attempting

to make the choice to not listen, once again. Therefore, she called him over to help her clean up

and be her teacher assistant, after the rest of the children finished their table activities. He wiped

the paint off the tables and helped her clean the brushes, which kept him occupied and helped

him make the right choices, rather than getting into unacceptable behavior which could put him

in harm’s way, like running in circles around the classroom

Interviewees one through six were asked do you use the Arts to minimize behavioral issues

within the classroom? If so, how? The following are some of their responses:

Interviewee 1 states, “Absolutely, I think that often misbehavior results from poor planning, lack

of organization, and students feeling bored, so if you have an engaging, structured lesson and a

good flow of transitions from activity to activity students are more likely to stay on task.”

Interviewee 2 states, “Yes, I feel that the children like to do the art work and if they’re happy, I

don’t have behavior problems, however, within each activity if it’s something like an art activity

that includes fine motor skills, for example, and the child has a very difficult time I try to give

them an art project that won’t frustrate them, because when they get frustrated that’s when you

get bad behavior.”


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Interviewee 3 states, “Yes, when a child is having a hard time controlling their behavior I let

them take a quiet moment at their seat to draw. I also let them do this when we are reading or

doing other activities. It keeps their hands busy so that they can listen.”

Interviewee 4 states, “Actually I use the art, because they are usually motivated to do the art the

behavior management would be to not do the art and also you know having them…saying they

don’t want to do things…it’s not their choice you know it’s an assignment and I bring in the fact

that this is school and learning new things and so to keep their motivation up is tough because a

lot of these kids are not risk takers and when we try to do something new they are ready to think

they can’t do it already...but this is the place, if any place is, the art room is the place that kids

can succeed, so that’s what I work for.”

Interviewee 5 states, “I allow children to create art for people they miss when they are upset, or

to redirect them during aggressive behavior.”

Interviewee 6 states, “My personal opinion is, yes. Art is an expression. So, it’s a way to express

how you are feeling, so I have the children draw pictures about how they are feeling.”


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Conclusion

According to Robin McDaniel, “Children learn by absorbing the information and processing it

through physiological and psychological action. They learn by smelling, sensing, hearing and

doing. Because the brain absorbs and processes information so efficiently, it is important to

provide children with as many experiences as possible to help them learn. They often enter the

classroom with prior knowledge that both they and the teacher can use to their benefit.”

This study is important because it has brought the above fact to surface. Arts Integration does

“provide children with as many experiences as possible to help them learn.” Through utilizing

an Arts integrated curriculum, the instructor is able to help students engage their five senses and

create pertinent, enjoyable learning experiences. They are also able to help the child bring out

the best in themselves through providing them with multiple ways of doing.

Although this was an informative experience, I do believe that follow up questions are in fact

necessary. Now that we can see how arts integration benefits learners with and without

disabilities, I would like to continue to research this topic in the future through answering, Why

Arts Integration is Beneficial to Learners with and without Disabilities? What are the ways to

make Arts Integration Simpler to be implemented within the Classroom? Does Arts Integration

Benefit students into Adulthood? How Does Art Integration Benefit the Larger Community as A

Whole?, and How does Arts Integration Benefit Learners Beyond Third Grade?


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Appendix

Observations were conducted at two schools which I will continually refer to as School A and

School B. A total of nine students were observed in School A and a total of four students were

observed in school B. I will refer to and number each student chronologically along with the

corresponding School (A or B).

Observations

Student 1 from school A

Age 7

Observed on 1/24/11 for 15 minutes (9:30am-9:45am)

The children were making Can People or Can Animals this particular child wanted to get right to

constructing before thoroughly sketching out his ideas. He retrieved several cans from the bins

after coloring his sketch and adding a few more details. He became frustrated after one or two

tries of unsuccessfully attempting to connect one can to another. The instructor came over and

showed him how to use the beads as connectors to do so. He attempted and once again failed.

The instructor saw that he was lacking in fine motor mobility so she helped him hold the first

bead in place as he pulled through the pipe cleaner to act as an attachment piece. Afterwards,

unprompted by the instructor, he practiced first on his own using only the pipe cleaners and

beads, no cans. After doing so for a few tries he seemed ready to try on his own and successfully

attached his first two cans with no help from the instructor. He was thrilled!


Age 8


This child was drawing a still life and decided to sit up on the table Indian style to draw what she

was seeing. She drew very intensely and was concentrating on one particular part of the still life

at a time, rather than sketching everything at once to get the bare-bones down. She focused so


56

long on one section. She erased her drawing a lot and started over again several times. She

asked that the music playing on the computer in the classroom be changed to the Beatles because

she didn’t like the song that as on. When it was time to go she became very upset that she

couldn’t finish in time. The instructor explained that she didn’t need to finish it today, however,

she expressed that she really wanted to, so the instructor invited her to come by during lunch and

that seemed to put her at ease.


Age 6


The children were painting using primary colors, they were given directions beforehand on how

to mix secondary colors and were told to just paint something, no restrictions involved as long as

they used colors they mixed on their own. This particular child became very angry when his

paint would accidently touch on his palette without him doing it. He would want to use another

brush and palette each time it happened. After seeing this was frustrating him the instructor told

him he could use his own palette rather than share with another student, this seemed to relax him

a little. He was very meticulous about how much paint he would use to mix and when.

However, when his brush hit the paper he became very animated with his brush strokes, all over

the place but within the confines of his paper. He experimented with his brush creating various

marks and dabs. He used straight and organic lines, but still managed to keep his colors confined

to one part of the paper, carful that they would not mix on the paper. When it was time to clean

up he cleaned up with no problems and asked the instructor if they could do it again tomorrow.


57


Age 10

Observed on 3/1/11 for 10 minutes (2:15pm-2:25pm)

This child was sculpting a house out of clay. He decided to create a house using images of his

favorite bird, an owl, and a tree trunk design. He worked very intently and seemed to really

enjoy sculpting. He used the tools like an expert and would periodically refer to his sketch. He

didn’t seem satisfied with the detailing he created on the trunk and asked the instructor if he

could go online to view other pictures to print out. He found another picture and printed it out,

he came back to the sculpting table and attempted to finish the details to his satisfaction. Then it

was time to go.


Age 7


This child was completing a weaving project. She worked quietly and to herself in the corner of

the classroom. When the instructor went to check on her and see how she was doing she

discovered that the child was having trouble going “under and over” with her yarn. She undid

her whole piece, in order to show her how to correct it, and she became upset that all her work

was undone. The instructor showed her the correct way to do it and she attempted to do it herself

without any assistance. She used one color of yarn the whole time I was observing her. Once

she seemed to get the hang of it she pulled her stool in closer to the table with the rest of the

students, although she still did not socialize unless another student asked her to pass yarn or a

popsicle stick to them. She continued to diligently work until it was time to go.


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Age 10

Observed on 5/3/11 for 10 minutes (2:00pm-2:10pm)

This student was working on the beginning stages of a collective mosaic piece. On this day the

children were breaking the titles to use in their mosaic. This child listened, or seemed as though

they were listening to the directions before attempting to break the tile with a hammer. It was

her turn to do so and she held the hammer incorrectly causing her be unsuccessful in breaking it.

However, after being shown the correct way to hold the hammer by the instructor, she tried again

and was successful. She wanted to try to break another one on her own. She did. After breaking

about five or six tiles, she took her goggles off and walked over to the sorting bins with tiles that

had already been broken. She began to take a few out of each bin and create a design using one

specific color as an outline to an abstract image she created on the floor. She continued to do this

until it was time to go and then she picked them up and placed them back in their bins.


Age 6


This child was also working on the beginning stages of a mosaic. The children were told to place

the broken tile on the two boards provided to them which had the mosaic design on it. This child

seemed to be very excited about the project and he seemed to be very hyper active. He would

work on one section for a few minutes and then quickly move to another section. The children

were provided two 8 foot boards, this child worked at one board for no longer then 3-4 minutes

at a time, and then he would move to the next board. He placed broken tile pieces down on the

design very quickly and efficiently. As he worked he talked about his dog. He also reciprocated


59

conversation with his peers also working on the project. He continued to do this until it was time

to go.


Age 7

Observed on 5/5/11 for 10 minutes (9:45am- 9:55am)

The children were working on a still life involving the instructor’s dog, a black Labrador

retriever. They were told to try to break down the image of the dog into pieces and shapes. This

child seemed to be very frustrated that she was being asked to do this. She said she couldn’t do

that and the dog was not shapes, shapes are shapes. After the instructor came over to her and

showed her that the dog’s head could be a triangle and the eyes circles. She attempted to do it

herself and draw very carefully, without directly looking at the dog. She practiced drawing

shapes until it was time to go.


Age 9

Observed on 5/6/11 for 10 minutes 1:20pm-1:30pm)

The students were continuing to draw a still life of the instructor’s dog this day. This child had

been absent on the first day of this assignment. He was terrified of the dog and stayed atleast 5

feet away from it. He placed himself comfortably behind the dog and closest to the doorway.

After fidgeting with his pencil for a few minutes, he finally started to attempt to draw the figure

in front of him. He drew the image of the dog very precisely and realistically. He continued to

draw for a few more minutes and wrapped up his drawing before all of his peers. He told the

instructor that he wanted to go sit next door in the music classroom until the dog left the room

and he could go to his next class, the instructor said it was okay to do so.


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Student 1 from school B

Age 3


The children were in centers during free play. This particular child was in the music center. He

played with the drums and sang to himself, then he moved on to use the maracas for a few

minutes. He then asked the instructor if she could put Michael Jackson’s CD on. After she did

so, he danced to “Thriller” like a choreographed back up dancer. He danced so precisely and

seemed to want to perfect each and every move. When another child wanted to dance with him

he became upset and would waive them away or try to give them an instrument to play with

instead. The instructor came over to him and explained that he had to share the dance floor with

his friends, rather than doing so he moved to another center.


Age 3


On this school day the student’s parents were invited to work with them in an art workshop in the

classroom. In the previous weeks the children were learning about primary and secondary

colors. This child was painting a picture with his father. He was sitting at the table with other

children and their parents as well. He said, “look daddy I’m painting a rainbow for you.” The

father looked at the painting as he worked and asked him to recite each color to him as he was

painting. After reciting a few colors, he then told his father that he needed green paint, when his

father said there isn’t any more green paint he said, “that’s okay daddy we can mix yellow and

blue.” He continued to paint until it was time to go a few minutes later.


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Age 3


This student was exploring the dramatic play area of the classroom. She worked intensely to

untie multiple knots on a bag handle she wanted to carry around. She finally did untie them and

walked around the housekeeping area with it on her shoulder; she then started to sing Jingle bells

and knocked two dishes together to create a rhythm. She then picked up an apron off the floor

and asks a friend to help her put it on. She then opens her bag that was on her shoulder and

begins to fill it with items. She gets a lunch bag from the dramatic play area and takes the food

items out of the bag on her shoulder to put in the lunch bag. She takes off the apron she was

wearing, drops her large bag that was on her shoulder, picks up her lunch bag and says “let’s

go.” She tells her peers, “we’re going to a party,” then she pours the juice bottles in the sink.


Age 2 ½


The children were learning about community helpers and various careers a few weeks prior to

this observation day. This particular child was in the science center during free play. She got the

stethoscope and went over to her peer and said, “I’m your doctor, I will make you feel

better…you need medicine, I will tell your mommy.” She continued to “check” her peer using

the stethoscope, then she went over to the science area and got a piece of gauze and a band-aid to

place on his knee. She took the stethoscope off and told her peer to check her. She laid flat on

the carpet as her peer placed the instrument on her forehead, knees, and elbows.


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Interviews

Interviewee 1 is a substitute for all classes at school A, but focuses on PE, Science, and the

academic club, God’s Club. She has a BA in Anthropology and a Masters in Special Education

from American University. Her teaching philosophy is based largely upon Howard Gardner’s

theories of Multiple Intelligence.

Interviewee 2 teaches two academic clubs in History, the American Revolution club and the

Knights and Ladies club, at school A. She has a Bachelors degree in Elementary Education from

Catholic University, a Masters degree in Special Education, and an EDS degree in Brain

Injuries and Transitional Education from George Washington University. She takes a multi-

sensory approach to teaching and believes that by doing so she is able to make learning more

fun and expose all of her students’ true talents, which motivates them to want to learn.

Interviewee 3 teaches science to children from Kindergarten through fourth grade at school A.

She has a Bachelors degree in Elementary Education and is currently working on finishing up

her Masters degree in Special Education with a focus on Learning Disabilities. Her teaching

philosophy is “centered on the thought that every child will learn.” She believes it is important

for educators to teach to every student level in their class. All students learn differently and

educators should try to teach each student in a way that they can understand.

Interviewee 4 is an Art teacher in school A. She has a BA in Fine Art and a Masters degree in

Special Education with a focus in Emotional Disturbance and Learning Disabilities. She

believes that it is especially important to excite the student about what they are being taught and

to have their interests in mind when teaching a lesson. In her interview she states that it is

important, “to get their interest and for me to find their interest and to try to incorporate that

into what I do, I mean to challenge them, to create problems for them to solve.”

Interviewee 5 is a preschool teacher who teaches students ranging from 2 ½ to 3 ½ years old.

She has a Bachelors of Arts in Child Development. Her teaching philosophy is “to nurture and

educate each individual child as they grow and develop life skills that enhance their social,

emotional, and cognitive skills.”

Interviewee 6 is currently a preschool teacher who teaches students ranging from 3 ½ to 4½

years old. However, she has taught special needs students ranging from 7 to 8 years old in the

past. She has a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Business Management and has had training in

Positive Behavior Reinforcement, Individualized Education Plans (IEP), and Communicating

with Non-verbal Children. Her teaching philosophy is to “educate children on developmental

appropriate skills and to encourage their independence.”


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Interviewee- 1

Interviewer- Jasmine D. Shumway

Background

Q- What is your teaching philosophy?

A- I root my philosophies largely in Howard Gardner’s theories of multiple intelligence in the

different ways that kids not only take in information, but output information as well. I think it’s

important to show what they’ve known, I think it’s important for children to show what they’ve

learned through concept mastery and a lot of different mediums. Whether it be projects or

papers or oral presentations.

Q- What age group do you teach?

A- I am currently working with elementary age kids, probably 5 through 11.

Q- What is your job description (what are you paid to teach)?

A- I am the substitute for all classes in general, but focus in PE, Science, and the academic club,

God’s Club.

Q- What is your training/education in?

A- My BA is in Anthropology and my masters is in Special Ed Learning Disabilities, which I did

at American University.

Q-Does your current administration support the Arts? If so, do they provide funds for materials,

do they encourage it, etc.?

A- Absolutely. That’s one of the main reasons I work at Lab is because they use Arts as a

modality to teach.

Q- What is your typical class size?

A- Probably about …I teach bigger classes at Lab so I’d say about 8 to 12.

Q- How many special needs/learning difficulty students do you have in your class?

A- 8 to 12.

Arts and Teaching

Q- How long have you been teaching?

A- Um...this is my sixth year,


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Q- How do you use the Arts in your classroom?

A- Yes.

Q- Do you use multi-sensory learning/teaching in your classroom?

A- Yes.

Q- Do you use the Arts to minimize behavioral issues within the classroom? If so, how?

A- Absolutely, I think that often misbehavior results from poor planning, lack of organization,

and students feeling bored, so if you have an engaging, structured lesson and a good flow of

transitions from activity to activity students are more likely to stay on task.

Q- Is it part of your incentive program?

A- Yes, it is.

Q- Is it part of your behavior modification plan?

A- Um, I use arts…prior to working at Lab I was working at The School of Arts Integration as

coordinator and so that was all about taking the arts and infusing it into every aspect of learning

…you know everywhere from using spacing art to making skits and posters and dances about

positive role models…using visual amplifying arts as a way to celebrate positive behaviors.

Q- If you have worked in a classroom that did not utilize the Arts, and you do now, what

differences do you see in the students (behavior, learning, etc.)?

A- All the classes I’ve worked in have utilized the Arts.

Arts and Academics

Q- Do you see a difference in Academic achievement when you use the Arts?

A- Absolutely. Through skill acquisition development, which was a part of my undergrad

research that I did …the idea that like, through teaching a child a basic art skill that is multi-

stepped and complex…and that at the end they can see a tangible result of something that they

are proud of, they can carry on those same principles to their academic learning like how to right

a five paragraph paper.

Q-Can you provide an example of differences in test results?

A- Um, Lab School isn’t as test based, but the school that I previously worked at was. We made

AYP…Annual Yearly Progress, and we were one of the only schools on Capital Hill to achieve

that. I think it was largely because student used the arts to help focus more on testing…we made

posters and they kinda used positive incentives to get them focused.


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Q- How many of your students have been coming to The Lab School since the beginning of

school age?

A- I don’t know.

Q- Have you noticed that students retain information for longer or shorter periods of time when

the lesson is arts integrated?

A- Much longer.

Social/Emotional benefits

Q- What social or emotional benefits/changes do you see in students when implementing an Arts

integrated curriculum?

A-Um, I think it gives kids an outlet for expression, otherwise, especially in a community like

Lab where so many students have language based Learning Disabilities that limit their self

expression and communication. By giving them mediums, whether it’s painting or drawing, or

clay, or music, um, it releases that tension that is building and gives them a voice to kind of

express how they are feeling and better communicate with their peers.

Q- Do you use the Arts to facilitate group work?

A- Yes, absolutely. I think that’s a great work to introduce an art project, to give a framework

for creativity. I think a lot of the time people assume that the arts are all just free flow, creative,

all over the place, when in fact it’s all about structure and having that sense of boundaries to then

create within, um, which is something that is very needed for kids with dyslexia.

Q- What conversations do you hear from the students when they are doing an Arts integrated

activity?

A- Um, just that they really like…they like it, they like getting to make things with their hands to

show what they are doing…they getting to illustrate a storyline. Even if they had trouble

remembering the name or the word of the character, they are able to say “oh, yeah that which

who turned people into pigs I drew a picture of the pigs so I remember. So they are definitely

proud of the skills they have.

Q- What is the mood in the classroom when you use an Arts integrated activity?

A- Um, when doing arts integrated work, you know, as a teacher in some ways you are

relinquishing some of that power that you have in a typical classroom where you have you know

the teacher in front and kids in desks, listen and learn, do what I say. It’s definitely noisier,

usually, if you’re allowing that flow of creativity, but it should be energized…kids should be


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engaged, excited, exploring, which is going back to my teaching philosophy, all teacher are

students and all students are teachers. It’s a mutual exchange.

Differentiated Teaching

Q- How do the Arts benefit students who are differentiated learners in your classroom?

A- Without having an outlet to express themselves creatively, it would be as if they were in

typical classroom settings which were based solely on a linear language base approach which

would be like a square peg being shoved in a round hole. Through an art based education, it

allows them to explore not only ways to overcome their difficulties, but excel through and shine

with their talents that they have.

Q- As you know schools are encouraging inclusion of learner with different styles, backgrounds,

and ability. Do you find that an arts-integrated lesson helps you to differentiate the lesson to be

taught to all levels?

A- Um, you know…it’s complicated I think that when you’re talking about inclusion in the

classroom we’re talking about public school, so we are talking about an average class size you

know low 20’s to 30’s and I think it becomes definitely harder, but then again, going back to the

idea of multiple learning styles and breaking people down by sector learning were people can

access the same information but through an art based lesson, everyone isn’t going to learn

through drawing so by breaking it out you kind of divide and conquer

Q- Does it make it more difficult?

A- Not difficult.

Q- Does it allow for more or less student choice?

A- More.

Q- Does it lead to more or less student independence?

A- More.

Interviewee- 2


Background


A-My philosophy is a multi sensory approach to reach everybody’s talents and gifts and to make

it fun and motivating.


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A- Currently I teach 9, 10, and 11 year olds, mostly 4th graders, some 3rd graders.


A- Right now I’m teaching two academic clubs, the American Revolution club, and the Knights

and Ladies club…the academic clubs are History.


A- I have a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Catholic University, a Masters

degree in Special Education, and an EDS degree from George Washington and that is in Brain

Injuries and Transitional education.



A- Yes, every club has a budget in order to buy their supplies.


A- Average 8 students.


A- All of them are.

Arts and Teaching


A-12 years


A- Everything…with all the content information, I usually include an art project with it for them

to remember it more.


A- Yes, all the time.


A- Yes, I feel that the children like to do the art work and if they’re happy, I don’t have behavior

problems, however, within each activity if it’s something like an art activity that includes fine


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motor skills, for example, and the child has a very difficult time I try to give them an art project

that won’t frustrate them, because when they get frustrated that’s when you get bad behavior.


A- No not necessarily.


A- No.



A- I feel through using art, the children are able to retain things longer and over time, and there

is not as much behavior problems.

Arts and Academics


A- Yes.


A- I can’t provide…actually, I guess looking at the Woodcock Johnson scores

they show that they are improving over a year’s time. I mean it’s different for everybody but.


school age?

A- Um, I’d probably say about fifty percent.



A- Definitely longer over time.




A- I think a lot of times the arts aren’t used and a child could be a really good artist...but by

being given the opportunity to do different things, and it’s not just drawing art, it’s all sorts of

different things, I may be good at drawing but you may be good at mosaics, and so I think it’s


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good for their social/emotional because they are looking and seeing each other’s strengths and

appreciating them and not focusing on their disabilities or negative things.


A- Yes.


activity?

A- Um, I see their enthusiasm their comments that make them happy, they love it.


A- The mood is positive they like to get up move around, take what they need, a lot is going on

but it’s organized…organized chaos.



A- It just pulls out peoples strengths.




A- Yes.


A- I don’t think so, I guess some difficulties would just be the time, but I’ve never had a problem

with that


A- More.


A- Definitely more, the students are more independent.


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Interviewee- 3


Background


A- My teaching philosophy is centered the thought that every child will learn. I think it is

important as a teacher to teach to every student level in your class. All students learn different

ways as a teacher I try to teach each student in a way that they understand the information.


A-I teach students from ages 6 to 11 years old.


A- I teach kindergarten through fourth grade science.


A-I have my bachelors in Elementary Education and I am working on finishing my masters in

Special Education with a specialization in learning disabilities in May.



A- Yes, my administration is in full support of the arts. Our students have art and music/dance

class every single day. We think it is important for students to be involved in the arts. They

provide funds for all the arts. We have paper, paint, and other supplies available to all students

and teachers everyday.


A- My typical class size is 7 students.


A- Every one of my students has a learning disability or ADD/ADHD.

Arts and Teaching


A- This is my first year of full time teaching. In my undergraduate program I taught as an intern

in 4 other schools.


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A- I use the arts to teach information in my science classes. For example, I had each student

paper mache a balloon to make a model of the earth. Then we opened it up and painted the inside

according to the layers. This was great way to get the students involved in their learning through

the arts.


A- I do use multi sensory learning/teaching in my classroom. It is a great way to teach students

with learning disabilities. The more ways to expose the students to information the better.


A- Yes, when a child is having a hard time controlling their behavior I let them take a quiet

moment at their seat to draw. I also let them do this when we are reading or doing other

activities. It keeps their hands busy so that they can listen.


A- Yes, it is! I let them have free time to draw at the end of class. They are allowed to draw

things in relation to what we have been studying. The drawing that they put a lot of creativity

into I put on the board.


A- No it is not part of the plan. We have a school wide behavior modification plan.



A- I have been a classroom that does not utilize the arts. It was different they did not seem as

enthusiastic about the arts. They were never given time to draw or paint. The students all had low

self-esteem as a class.

Arts and Academics


A-Yes, I do.


A-When I am informally testing my students over what they have been learning they are more

engaged when it is an art activity. I will have the draw an amphibian in its habitat, and the


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students do not even know that I am assessing their knowledge on the subject. They think they

are just drawing.


school age?

A-Around 1/3 of them have been here since primary (kindergarten).



A-I feel that they retain it for longer for sure. I think that pencil and paper tests are useless to

them especially in the younger grades.




A-I see a side of confidence in them. They enjoy the arts and it’s a great way to make learning

fun and different.


A-We have such small groups that group work is done more in the classrooms with all 12

students. They do work on whole group art projects in their homeroom in the afternoons.


activity?

A-The students help each other and its more of a sense of community when we are doing art in

the science room. People have to share their tools and supplies.


A-They seem to enjoy it I like to let them talk to each other because they have fun. They always

compliment each other’s work.



A-Good attitudes! The arts give them a chance to really shine at school. Some of them struggle

in reading or math, but in art they feel like the rock star they are!


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A-I think they change the lesson entirely. I think it helps get the students more involved and they

are able to express themselves.


A-No it makes it easier (for the students).


A- More student choice. They have the option to be creative.


A-It leads to more student independence. They have more choices for options!

Interviewee- 4


Background


A- For teaching, especially for teaching Art, it’s to excite the child or the student...whether it be

high school or elementary, um to get their interest and for me to find their interest and to try to

incorporate that into what to do, I mean to challenge them, to create problems for them to solve.


A- I teach a junior high class and I teach elementary art.


A- I am paid to teach learning disabled children art, and to use you know, as many kind of media

as possible to expose them to lots of different ways of doing things and somewhere in their

you’re gonna find something that they like, it might not be everything, but they usually take

away something that makes them feel better about themselves


A- I have a BA in Fine Arts and after I got my degree I taught for a while and I worked at um,

the Smithsonian as an exhibit specialist, silk screening, a lot of printmaking and stuff, and then I


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came to…I got a Masters degree in Special Ed, Emotional Disturbance and Learning Disabilities

and so um, that’s my education.



A- Yes, it’s always been pretty encouraged here at the Lab School, I think things have changed a

little bit…they don’t have the vision as Sally Smith had, but I think it’s hard to do that, she was

an unusual lady and for people to accommodate what the parents think the children should be

learning this is a more parent driven school, but it is pretty supportive.


A- Average class size is about 9 to 10.


A- They usually all have some learning disability, that’s why they’re here.

Arts and Teaching


A- About 30 years.


A- Well being an Art teacher definitely using them a lot…I encourage teachers in other subjects

and I like to work with other teachers and come up with projects the students can do

themselves…maybe not as a group, sometimes individually. Especially Jr. High, they can do a

book report and make a visual instead of writing, it’s nice to work with the other teachers, but I

definitely try to cover a lot of different art media in here.


A- Yeah, I think with the help of the OT’s here at the Lab school, it’s a good combination of

things with having kids experience all sorts of stuff like paper mache and clay. I prefer

sculptural materials, I’m not much of a 2d teacher, but you know mixing paint and doing things

kinesthetically is great for these kids


A- Actually I use the art, because they are usually motivated to do the art the behavior

management would be to not do the art and also you know having them…saying they don’t want

to do things…it’s not their choice you know it’s an assignment and I bring in the fact that this is


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school and learning new things and so to keep their motivation up is tough cuz a lot of these kids

are not risk takers and when we try to do something new they are ready to think they can’t do it

already...but this is the place, if any place is the art room is the place that kids can succeed, so

that’s what I work for.


A- I don’t really use an incentive program.


A- Um, well...no I don’t have one.



A- Um, I guess that most of the schools I’ve worked at, Georgetown Day, and obviously this

school I was an art teacher in all three situations…all of those schools utilized a lot of art, not

just in the art room, but in conjunction with the classroom…so, um, I think it is a big motivator,

kids love to create things.

Arts and Academics


A-Yes.


A-They can, I think in the High school, I’m not sure because we don’t really test kids that much

here.


school age?

A- Well, I have kids who are up in the High school, they were with me when you know either

from primary or from like 4th grade and I still see them.



A- I think that we’ve all noticed that they retain it for longer periods, especially those kids that

learn that way, you know for some kids it still won’t make any difference.



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A- Well, I think that you know, these kids need to learn to work together and they need to learn

to take risks and art is such a safe place to do that, that’s why I set up projects...you know

projects I did with my 3rd graders I did with High School I mean I may have changed them a

little, but that way kids can find success and it makes a better class.


A- Oh yeah, absolutely. I love to watch the kids, somebody takes the lead or they have to work

together and yeah sometimes it ends up you know that they are not getting along, but that’s okay

because it gives you an opportunity to work on what comes up so a little group therapy usually

here and there comes around


activity?

A- Oh gosh! Everything from um, do you believe in Santa Cause, or the latest news on

earthquakes, or you know, some pretty…it’s interesting a lot of projects and a lot of

conversations can be diagnostic…it’s a little bit of everything, I like being a fly on the wall,

sometimes they don’t remember I’m here.


A- It’s usually, you know, pretty cheery.



A- Oh, when they’re feeling bad about reading and they come to the art room and they can

succeed in something they can take a deep breath and take that positivness about themselves

away and approach other tasks with a positive attitude.




A- Yes, and I would think that…it’s just difficult, if you have 25 kids in a class and you are

trying to do an art activity and they all learn differently and you don’t have any help it’s not fun.

I mean it’s great if you could pair kids up…I don’t know about this inclusion with very

disruptive students I mean, it’s very hard because even we have spent all of our time with the

most disruptive kid in the class.


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A- Yes.


A- Well, it depends on the teacher.


A- I tend to believe that it makes the kids more independent, except for the kids with memory

problems and you know this is gonna be the style of their lives and this is something they are

learning about themselves.

Interviewee- 5


Background


A- My philosophy is to nurture and educate each individual child as they grow and develop life

skills that enhance their social, emotional, and cognitive skills.


A- I currently teach 2 ½ to 3 ½ year olds.


A- My job description is to teach young children various life skills while incorporating ways to

enhance their social, emotional, and cognitive skills, so they grow and develop.


A- I have a Bachelors of Art in Child Development.



A- Yes. Yes, they do.


A- I currently have a class of 16 children.


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A- I have no children, presently, in my class with special needs.

Arts and Teaching


A- I have been teaching for 6+ years.


A- I use arts in my classroom through music, free art, as well as, implementing family projects

that enhances arts integration at home as well as at school.


A- Yes, I do.


A- I allow children to create art for people they miss when they are upset, or to redirect them

during aggressive behavior.


A- No.


A- No.



A- I have always worked in a classroom that utilizes the arts.

Arts and Academics


A-Yes, it helps broadens children’s exploration and learning. They tend to retain information

longer.



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A- We don’t necessarily test in pre-k, however we do have progress reports and we assess the

children on counting, matching, pattern-making, etc. in the classroom on a daily basis. We have

children who verbally express themselves and others who express themselves more through art.

For example, we may have a child who is able to draw three circles, however, won’t count out

three circles.



A-Longer, because it gains more of their interest when they are doing something rather than

listening to the instructor talk. Children who are young get restless after a while, but

incorporating some form of art keeps them engaged in what they are learning.




A- Social- The children are more involved with one another and discuss what they and their

peers are making. They are also able to interact more with their peers and become more aware

of their environment. Emotional- A picture says a thousand words. Through looking at a child’s

piece of artwork, you can render their feelings by observing what colors they chose to use and

what images they chose to draw.


A- Yes.


activity?

A- The children discuss items they are using, what they are making, they describe what each

object is to each other.


A- Every child is determined, more focused, calm, and very excited because of what they are

making and the outcome of their artwork.



A- It helps them gain more interest in learning. The children also show more expression/feelings

due to how they create their artwork.


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Q- As you know schools are encouraging inclusion of learners with different styles,

backgrounds, and ability. Do you find that an arts-integrated lesson helps you to differentiate the

lesson to be taught to all levels?

A- Yes.


A- No.


A- I think it allows more student choices, which creates more student involvement.


A- It leads to more student independence because they are given the opportunity to create their

own work with no restrictions on what the outcome of their artwork will be.

Interviewee- 6


Background


A-My teaching philosophy is to educate children on developmental appropriate skills and to

encourage children’s independence.


A- When I worked with special needs, I taught 7 to 8 year olds, I currently teach preschoolers 3

to 4 year olds.


A- I am currently a preschool teacher at school B.


A-I was trained on Positive Behavior Reinforcement, Individualized Education Plans (IEP), and

communicating with non-verbal children. I also have a Bachelors of Science Degree in Business

Management.




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A- Yes at both schools they encourage children to be creative and express themselves through

paintings and other crafts provided by the school.


A- Special needs school 10 children, School B 16 children.


A- Special needs school 10 children with multiple disabilities, school B none of our children

have documented disabilities.

Arts and Teaching


A-3 ½ years, 2 ½ of those years were with special needs children.


A- We have an art center available for children to use along with musical instruments and sing-

a-longs.


A- When I write my monthly lesson plans I incorporate Art activities with different materials and

we make instruments out of household products


A- My personal opinion is, yes. Art is an expression. So, it’s a way to tell how you are feeling,

so I have the children draw pictures about how they are feeling


A- No.


A- We do not have a behavior modification plan. But at the special needs school I worked at we

used pictures and voice output devices to understand the needs and wants of a child.



A-I believe there would be a negative impact since the children would not be able to positively

express themselves.


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Arts and Academics


A-Yes, I see a difference in achievement because children are visual and they can explain their

own thoughts and create a detailed picture.


A-We do not test our children, recommendations are given to the center director upon parent’s

request.



A- The children retain the information longer, if explained well, with simple directions




A- The children would work together and interact with each other when doing art activities.


A- Yes, I incorporate group art activities 3 times a week.


activity?

A- The children talk about their feelings when drawing a picture or mixing finger paints to make

new colors.


A- The mood in the classroom is happy, calm, and bright.



A-The Arts encourage students to try harder and allows for more patience when learning new

things.


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Q- As you know schools are encouraging inclusion of learners with different styles,

backgrounds, and ability. Do you find that an arts-integrated lesson helps you to differentiate the

lesson to be taught to all levels?

A- Yes, because every child is on a different developmental level.


A- No, as a teacher you have to work one on one with a child.


A- I believe it will give more choices to express themselves on different levels.


A- It can be both. Less independence for a child who is developmentally ready, but more

dependence on the teacher for the child who is having difficulty catching on.


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Unit Plan for School A

Introduction

This Unit is designed for special needs Elementary age students ranging from ages 6-10 with

varying learning disabilities. It is meant to introduce students to the seven elements of design

and color comprehension through completing the necessary steps to create and design a large

scale mosaic. It is a seven week long unit which is broken down into various steps and specific

lessons in order to accommodate Gardner’s seven types of Multiple Intelligence learners, which

are: the visual-spatial learner, bodily kinesthetic learner, musical learner, interpersonal learner,

intrapersonal learner, linguistic learner, and the logical-mathematical learner.

Students

This is a class of fifteen students with disabilities ranging from Autism to ADHD. The group of

students who are to complete this Unit vary from visual learners to logical mathematical learners,

which is why I chose to have them work towards a common goal to complete a large scale

mosaic. Allowing them to complete the necessary steps from creating the actual tiles, which will

be used in the mosaic, to constructing and planning it out on the 8x2ft piece of plywood, helps

students understand the process from beginning to end, strengthening their sequencing skills.

They are also able to understand each concept or idea presented to them through multiple ways

of completion, which allows them to absorb the necessary learning objectives at their own pace.

For example, the visual spatial learner will most likely benefit from one of the very first

assignments, “Expanded Rectangle”, which will help them understand the process of breaking

down an object and placing it back together while utilizing positive and negative space equally.


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Although this unit is designed for fifteen students I will talk more in depth about three specific

students with three different learning differences.

Student A has ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder). Normally he is very active and

jumpy, however, on days that he is medicated he tends to focus more efficiently on the task at

hand and work on what is being asked of him. When he gets “stuck” or confused about what he

is doing, rather than asking the instructor for help, he zones out and sits quietly. Therefore, the

instructor needs to constantly check in on him.

Student B is Autistic. She has trouble focusing and tends to get easily overwhelmed by her

environment. She also struggles with verbal communication skills. When the noise level in the

classroom gets louder than normal, or she begins to feel overwhelmed by her surroundings, she

is able to go under the table in the classroom, which helps her “contain” herself. When she feels

ready she comes back up from under the table and asks for help if necessary, otherwise she

works well alone and prefers it that way.

Student C has an emotional disorder. He easily gets angry and frustrated when being corrected

or told what to do. He seems to think everyone is mean to him and begins to shut down if

criticized at all, even if it is meant to be constructive.

Classroom Environment

As I mentioned earlier, this is a special needs school. The teaching style is similar to Montessori

style in that it encourages the child to explore various ways to complete each objective. There is

an equal balance of teacher input and student self-sufficiency being executed in the classroom.

The teacher is more of a facilitator within the classroom, available for guidance however, he/she


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still allows the child to stimulate their innate enthusiasm and desire to teach themselves and

problem solve to the best of their ability.

The classroom is set up in a way for the students to be able to maneuver themselves around both

murals and work on them together. The bins of broken tile are color coded and set up on two

tables in front of the classroom, making them easily accessible for students to reach. See image

below.

Unit Objective: To explore the seven elements of design which are, line, texture, space, value,

shape, color, and form; and to fully comprehend color theory, i.e. complimentary/secondary

colors, color mixing.


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Lesson 1

“Mixing Colors”

Materials:

-Acrylic paint only three primary colors (yellow, red, blue) and black and white paint

-1 sheet of shaped drawing paper

-paint brush

Activity Description:

Each student will be given a pre-cut shaped piece of white drawing paper, along with the rest of

the materials mentioned above. They will then be instructed to create the three secondary colors

using only the three primary colors given to them. They will also be instructed to then create at

least one tint and one shade by using a secondary color they mixed, using white and/or black

paint, which would have also been given to them. The student is simply limited by the shape of

their paper, however, they may create whatever design they wish, whether it be linear or circular,

mimicking an actual color wheel. It will be solely their choice, as long as they are able to

incorporate the three primary colors, the three secondary colors, along with one tint and one

shade into their design.


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Examples of Lesson 1

Lesson 2

“Extended Rectangle”

Materials:

-2x15 inch long rectangular strips of various colored construction paper

-1 sheet of 18x24 inch black construction paper

-Glue

-Scissors


Each student will be given the above materials and will be told to cut up their rectangles, and

then reconstruct them, gluing them onto the black piece of construction paper, creating a design

which utilizes the positive and negative spaces surrounding their unique shapes.


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Lesson 3

“Ripping Paper”

Materials:

-2x15 inch long rectangular strips of various colored construction paper

-Plastic container bins


Each student will be able to choose one color from the bins of construction paper strips, and rip

each piece into manageable sizes of paper suitable for a paper mosaic activity. This activity is

meant to strengthen the students’ fine motor skills as well as help them understand categorizing

and sequencing, since this first step is just one part of a multi step mosaic activity.


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Lesson 4

“Create a Large-scale Paper Mosaic”

Materials:

-Ripped pieces of construction paper, various colors separated into bins.

-Glue

-8x2 sheet of bulletin board paper

-Various color markers


Students will be given a specific color marker which corresponds with a bin of ripped

construction paper (mosaic pieces), and they will be asked to create a line (organic or straight)

from one end of the 8x2 sheet of paper to the other. After every child has had an opportunity to

do this, they will then be able to glue down the corresponding colors of ripped construction paper

pieces onto the 8x2 sheet of paper, creating an abstract design paper mosaic.


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Example of Lesson 4

Lesson 5

“Texture and Glaze Tiles”

Materials:

-5x7 rectangular shaped clay slabs

-Found objects (scissors, beads, etc. anything to create texture)

-Ceramic glazes


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Each student will be given at least two clay slabs and objects such as scissors, beads, pipe

cleaners, etc. to create texture onto their tile surface. After it has been put into the kiln, the

students will then be able to glaze each tile using a minimum of two colors and three layers.


Lesson 6

“Breaking Tiles”

Materials:

-Glazed/Fired tiles

-Pillow case

-Styrofoam tray

-Hammer

-Protective eyewear (goggles)


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After being given specific safety instructions, each child will be able to smash a minimum of two

tiles in preparation for the mosaic construction which will start the following class period, and

place them in the appropriate colors bin.

Example of Lesson 6

Lesson 7

“Make a Mosaic”

Materials:

-2 8x2 boards of plywood

-color coded bins of broken tiles

-Ceramic glue

-Ceramic grout


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After a brief review of the elements of design (color, space, line, texture, etc.) and reviewing the

previous 6 lessons, with the necessary guidance the students are able to create a mosaic using

line and color as movement.

Example of Lesson 7


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Installation area for mosaic.

Why I chose to design this Unit?

I chose to design this unit for these particular students because it allows them to learn the same

basic content in various ways. As I mentioned earlier Lesson 2 might benefit a visual spatial

learner most, however, an ADHD student can benefit from it as well. This particular lesson does

not require the student to sit down, which is usually a challenge for them (student A). They are

able to explore with various colors and are only limited by the space on the piece of construction

paper, however, by limiting them to an 18x24 sheet of paper they are given the necessary

constraints that they need in order to focus on the task, which is to cut rectangular strips of paper

and place them on the sheet of paper given to them while utilizing positive and negative space,


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while also creating movement with the use of line and shape. Requiring these guidelines in this

assignment helps them stay engaged and work more efficiently. Allowing the students to see

how they can take apart something as simple as a rectangular piece of construction paper and

essentially create their own unique puzzle pieces by putting it back together, helps them to better

understand how to utilize positive and negative space on something much more complex like a

ceramic tile mosaic. For an Autistic student like student B, she is able to work at her own pace

for every lesson in this unit. She is also able to explore with various textures and colors in lesson

5. Each lesson can easily become a group project if desired; however, a child like student B can

also work alone just as efficiently. A student with an emotional disorder like student C who is

easily effected by criticism is able to complete this unit with very little roadblocks. They have

more free choice to design what they want in lessons 1 and 5, for example, as long as it is within

the dimensions provided for them with the 18x24 construction paper and 5x7 clay slab.


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how an arts integrated curriculum benefits learners with

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