UNITING COMMON CORE WITH THE VISUAL ARTS

Uniting Common Core with the Visual Arts:

Thriving Through Artistic Thinking
Kenzie McKeon
University of Missouri

UNITING COMMON CORE WITH THE VISUAL ARTS

2
Abstract
This paper investigates the Common Core State Standards and how they affect visual arts
curriculum and education. The new standards focus on achievement and understanding in
mathematics and English language arts predominately in an effort to prepare students for
the 21st century world. Through art education, students can foster and enhance
interdisciplinary skills that align with the Common Core. In turn, visual arts teachers
must develop curriculum that promotes critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity.
The multimodality of art allows for meaningful integration with various content areas
while retaining student engagement.

UNITING COMMON CORE WITH THE VISUAL ARTS

3
The adoption of the Common Core State Standards calls for a shift in how
educators view curriculum. These new standards seek to prepare students for college and
careers post graduation. The Common Core provides clear guidelines that illustrate
learning benchmarks for English language arts (ELA) and mathematics specifically. They
aim to promote critical thinking, problem solving, and analytical skills. With these
capacities in mind, the visual arts can assist and elevate other content areas by integrating
rich artistic thinking and making into curriculum. Therefore, the visual arts are not merely
an additional subject that ranks of lesser academic importance. Rather, they can arguably
be seen as the interwoven thread that strengthens and supports all other subjects.

Connecting to CCSS-ELA
A closer look at the standards will provide opportunities to make connections in
their relationship to art. One of the main goals of English language arts is to insure that
all students are literate. In order to be literate, students must be able to read a variety of
texts. It is important to recognize that visual texts fit into this category. Visual texts
include images, illustrations, fine art, symbols, and signsall of which serve to
communicate. In fact, communication is perhaps the largest component that connects art
and language arts. Specifically, the CCSS-ELA standards call for building knowledge
through reading, writing, listening, speaking, with a focus on high-quality source
material; engaging in careful observation in reading; and basing analysis of a text or work
of art on evidence (Robelen, 2012). David Coleman, a lead writer of the CCSS-ELA
standards, points out how the literacy standards describe reading in similar relationship to
studying a work of art. It is defined as the product of sustained observation and attention

UNITING COMMON CORE WITH THE VISUAL ARTS

4
to detail (Coleman, 2012). This means that the development of reading skills can occur
not only in language arts, but in art as well. Exposure to multiple types of texts in
multiple content areas can only enhance student learning. Within various works of art, we
can also categorize images into different levels of complexity. Similar to how students
acquire higher reading levels through progressively reading more difficult novels, art
educators can scaffold the images they introduce to students. Publishers criteria for the
Common Core State Standards in literacy suggest that in order to be college and career
ready, students must grapple with a range of works that span many genres, cultures, and
eras and model the kinds of thinking and writing students should aspire to in their own
work (Coleman, 2012). Even though this criterion is focused toward English language
arts, these range of works can (and should) include artwork. By choosing enticing,
content rich images, we are modeling the type of sophisticated artwork students can
conceptualize and create.

Visual Thinking Strategies

Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) is a powerful and successful tool that educators
can use to engage students in careful observation and discussion by viewing a work of
art. Developed by psychologist Abgail Housen and museum educator Philip Yenawine,
VTS asks students to notice deeply, thinking critically, and reason with evidence
(Franco, 2014). The educator merely serves as the facilitator as he or she asks three
carefully calibrated yet simple questions: What is going on in this picture? What do you
see that makes you say that? What more can we find? (Yenawine, 2013). The first
questionWhats going on in this picture?gives students the permission to wonder as

UNITING COMMON CORE WITH THE VISUAL ARTS

5
they inquire about meaning imbedded in the image. The second questionWhat do you
see that makes you say that?allows students to practice backing up their statements
with evidentiary support. This directly connects to the Common Core Standards
requirement of students to become more adept at drawing evidence from a text and
explaining that evidence orally and in writing (Coleman, 2012). The third question
What more can we find?encourages the students to dive deeper into the picture and
supports the notion that there is always more to find. The type of image selection that
VTS calls for aligns seamlessly with the Common Cores recommendations for text
selection. An image suited for a VTS discussion should have several entry points and
must be complex enough to retain a thought provoking discussion. As students offer
contributions, the teacher links students comments, making their interactions obvious
and showing how listening and responding to others enriches the conversation and thus
the examination of the work. (Yenawine, 2013). Through VTS, students are able to
provide their own thoughts as well as collaborate with their classmates during a single
discussion. Collaborating with others and verbalizing ideas are 21st century skills that
students absolutely need to develop in order to be successful in the future. By integrating
VTS into curriculum, we can assure that we are actively making leaps towards the goals
of the Common Core Standards.

National Coalition of Core Arts Standards

To support the changes resulting from the Common Core State Standards, a team
of national arts and education organizations developed a new set of standards intended
to affirm the place of arts education in a balanced core curriculum (Sweeny, 2014).

UNITING COMMON CORE WITH THE VISUAL ARTS

6
These standards, entitled the Next Generation Visual Arts Standards are constructed of
four anchor standards: Creating, Presenting, Responding, and Connecting. Under each of
these categories, there are specific Enduring Understandings (EU), and Essential
Questions (EQ) that will allow teachers to determine what students are learning as well as
their ability to explain the significance of doing so (Sweeny, 2014). Olivia Gude, a
member of the NCCAS Visual Arts Writing Team, seeks to connect the visual arts and
Common Core by explaining that rather than assessing student artwork, it is our job as
art teachers to assess student learning (Sweeny, 2014). The Next Generation anchor
standards of creating, presenting, responding, and connecting can serve as the backbone
for standards in other subjects including English language arts and mathematics. NCCAS
leadership also addresses the importance of the four creative practices of imagination,
investigation, construction, and reflection. They assert that these meta-cognitive
activities nurture the effective work habits of curiosity, creativity and innovation, critical
thinking and problem solving, communication, and collaboration, each of which transfer
to all aspects of learning and life in the 21st Century (The College Board, 2012).

Connecting to CCSS-Mathematics
While art to language arts might be an easier relationship to recognize at first glance,
College Board researchers found a strong connection between the Common Core
Standards for Mathematical Practice and art-based learning. When looking again at the
four creative practices (imagine, investigate, construct, reflect), they address particular
ways of processing ideas and demonstrating knowledge that overlap with the Common
Cores mathematical approach (The College Board, 2012). Additionally, art as

UNITING COMMON CORE WITH THE VISUAL ARTS

7
communication, one of the Core Art Standards philosophical foundation and lifelong
goals, intersects with select math standards. These standards include: 1) make sense of
problems and persevere in solving them; 3) construct viable arguments and critique the
reasoning of others; 6) attention to precision (The College Board, 2012). Skills that
involve problem solving, reverse process, measuring, patterns, and perspective (to name a
few) are all accessible through art making. In fact, art allows students to apply math skills
to something that is tangible.

Source: The College Board

21st Century Art Education

Now that we recognize the linkage between CCSS and the arts, art educators must
reflect on their own classroom practices and curriculum. The type of high level thinking
and cross-curricular integration can only be achieved through an art curriculum that
reflects the 21st century. Currently, we are in a conceptual age where the way we learn is
constantly changing, and where play, questioning, and imagination are key (Thomas,

UNITING COMMON CORE WITH THE VISUAL ARTS

8
2011). To support this new age and the expectations of the Common Core, art education
should promote inquiry-based learning. This can be achieved through content-rich lessons
that allow students to find their own meaning within an assignment. The new culture of
learning is about the kind of tension that develops when students with an interest or
passion that they want to explore are faced with a set of constraints that allow them to act
only within a given boundary (Thomas, 2011). It is up to art educators to provide
students with the tools for success by exposing them to postmodern artists, engaging
them in thoughtful discussions, and modeling various techniques. Given the tools, it is up
to the students to innovate and create in a way that is personal to them. Postmodern art
making goes past the traditional use of media, and calls for thoughtful consideration of
materials, context, and how they relate to artists idea. With this in mind, play becomes an
important part of the artistic process. By participating in the making of meaning, we also
learn how to judge and evaluate it, giving special sensitivity to the ways information can
be shaped, positively as well as negatively (Thomas, 2011). This artistic outlook can be
applied to information across curriculums.

Teaching beyond the Elements and Principles

A major curriculum goal of 20th century art educators was teaching understanding
of the elements (line, color, shape, form, value, space, texture) and principles (pattern,
emphasis, variety, unity, rhythm, proportion) of design. Now, in the 21st century, there is
still a large emphasis on the elements and principles in many art classrooms. Because
there is [a lack of] meaningful connections being made between these formal descriptors
and understanding works of art or analyzing the quality of everyday design, this old-

UNITING COMMON CORE WITH THE VISUAL ARTS

9
school approach can no longer be the center of attention (Gude, 2004). While it is okay
for this list of seven (elements) + seven (principles) to exist as a part of the artistic
vocabulary we teach, students must learn that there are deeper contextual meanings that
exist within a work of art. By studying the elements and principles exclusively, students
are missing cultural, political, and connections. Practicing skills and doing exercises like
line drawings and value scales are fine for small studies and warm-ups only. However,
when students are asked to create an entire project based off a single skill, they are
missing the opportunity to flex their creative muscle. Recreating famous works of art for
accuracy is another common occurrence, which leads to no original thought or decision
making. Instead, art units in a 21st century curriculum should revolve around big ideas
and themes that students can interpret and expand upon. Olivia Gude offers a new set of
postmodern principles that serve to replace the elements and principles in a way that is
conceptual and current. The new list of practices includes: appropriation, juxtaposition,
recontextualization, layering, interaction of text and image, hybridity, gazing, and
representin (Gude, 2004). Immediately, these principles elicit deeper thinking and
contemporary consideration. It is also important to remember that, although Gudes new
list does promote postmodern art making practices, 21st century art education should not
function strictly upon any set of rules. [Postmodern thought] affirms the choice-making
capacity of individuals who select from the past those things that will best serve them as
starting points for today (Gude, 2004). Students artwork should aim to create
conversations based on personal, social, or cultural issues; thus, providing evidence of
learning and conscious decision making.

UNITING COMMON CORE WITH THE VISUAL ARTS

10
Conclusion
Art educators should The Common Core State Standards as a platform in order to
further advocate the visual arts worth in todays education system. With clear, natural
connections to new CCSS learning standards, general education courses including
English language arts and mathematics can use art integration to their advantage. In
return, a 21st century art curriculum can elevate student thinking to support the demands
of todays rapidly evolving society. Art can serve as the catalyst to further interest and
understanding across disciplines, while allowing students to innovate and create. As a
result, art may be the answer to unlocking the potential of Common Core.

References

UNITING COMMON CORE WITH THE VISUAL ARTS

11
Coleman, D. (2012). Guiding Principles for the Arts: Grades K-12. Retrieved from
http://greatminds.net/maps/documents/coleman-guidingprinciples-arts.pdf
Franco, M., & Unrath, K. (2014). Carpe Diem: Seizing the Common Core. Art
Education, 67(1), 28-32. Retrieved from Art Full Text (H.W. Wilson).
Gude, O. (2004). Postmodern Principles: In Search of a 21st Century Art Education. Art
Education, 57.
Robelen, E. (2012). Common Core Taught Through the Arts. Education Week, 32(14),
119. Retrieved from Academic Search Elite.
Sweeny, R. (2014). Assessment and Next Generation Standards: An Interview with
Olivia Gude. Art Education, 67.
The College Board. (2012). The Arts and the Common Core: A Review of Connections
Between the Common Core State Standards and the National Core Arts Standards
Conceptual Framework. New York, N.Y.
Thomas, D., & Brown, J. (2011). A New Culture of Learning: Cultivating the
Imagination for a World of Constant Change.
Yenawine, P. (2013). Visual thinking strategies: Using art to deepen learning across
School disciplines. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard Education Press.