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Arts Statement

The Learning Goal contains an Arts section. The project selected to represent this goal is

a kindergarten art lesson called Ripped Paper Trees. During my student teaching in kindergarten

it was common to incorporate art projects into core sections as a way to enhance lessons.

“Researchers found that engagement with the arts could promote not only aesthetic development,

but also holistic growth and personality balance” (Sotiropoulou-Zormpala, 2012). Incorporating

art increased the time that students were practicing their fine motor skills of cutting, gluing and

proper handgrips.

Creating art bridges connections from reality to the abstract. Many of the kindergarteners

were able to use concrete objects to make understandings, particularly in mathematics, but were

unable to make connections with abstract ideas. Creating artwork for understanding was an

important process that was heavily emphasized. “The idea of using the arts to support learning

across the curriculum is not new” (Buck & Snook, 2016). Establishing connections between

concepts and creativity is extremely important for young minds.

Educators have the responsibility to provide their students with the experiences and

resources that will best enhance their learning. “Teacher self-efficacy beliefs about their capacity

to deliver arts education shapes their perceived competence in teaching the arts, which in turn

impacts on the degree and nature of inclusion of arts in the curriculum” (Garvis & Pendergast,

2011). The host teacher in the kindergarten classroom incorporated artwork into almost all of her

lessons to the benefits of the students. “Aesthetic teaching activities can improve and encourage

more comprehensive implementation of arts education in a school by allowing teachers to adopt

concurrently the virtues of both “teaching arts” and “teaching through the arts” approaches and

can help teachers and students generate new knowledge—in other words, redefine themselves
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and their world” (Sotiropoulou-Zormpala, 2012). Many times during the day, the students were

able to learn through the arts, and in some cases specific art lessons were taught to introduce

artistic mediums and concepts. The Ripped Paper Trees lesson analyzed the art of collage and

texture. The students were also able to follow along and create their own tree, while honing in on

their paper ripping skills.

Kindergarten art varied from painting, cutting, gluing, coloring with different utensils and

using glitter. The art lessons that were provided throughout the year, described the basic art

elements so that the students could use the concepts in writing and drawing. “Several

opportunities thus exist for using various branches of art for the development of the child’s

cognitive, affective, and psychomotor areas. It depends on the teacher whether, in the process of

artistic creative activity, children will develop their potential to the maximum; whether they will

develop new skills through varied methods and forms of learning; and whether they will know

how to observe, interpret, perceive, and thus develop their competences” (Duh, 2016). The

students were always excited for Friday afternoons; we would clear off the desks and create art.

Educators have used artwork to represent information for a long time, and in the

kindergarten classroom where I did my student teaching, it was a prevalent activity. Art lessons

were not only used to cement ideas and concepts for the students, but also to enforce fine and

gross motor skills. The Ripped Paper Trees lesson had the students combining their previous

lessons in science and writing with the art concepts of the lesson. “Visual arts education should

have a characteristic of aiming at developing senses, the power of expression and imagery and

creativity” (Tanir, Ilhan, Ozer & Deniz, 2012). Using artwork as a tool in the classroom can

provide an avenue for students to make connections between old and new concepts. Art has a

way of incorporating students’ and educators’ abilities to create something meaningful.

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References

Buck, R., & Snook, B. (2016). Teaching the Arts across the Curriculum: Meanings, Policy and

Practice. International Journal of Education & the Arts, 17(29). Retrieved from

https://egan.ezproxy.uas.alaska.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1120772&site=eds-live

Duh, M. (2016). Art Appreciation for Developing Communication Skills among Preschool

Children. Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal, 6(1), 71–94. Retrieved from

https://egan.ezproxy.uas.alaska.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1128996&site=eds-live

Garvis, S., & Pendergast, D. (2011). An Investigation of Early Childhood Teacher Self-Efficacy

Beliefs in the Teaching of Arts Education. International Journal of Education & the

Arts, 12(9). Retrieved from https://egan.ezproxy.uas.alaska.edu/login?

url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ937070&site=eds-live

Sotiropoulou-Zormpala, M. (2012). Aesthetic Teaching: Seeking a Balance between Teaching

Arts and Teaching through the Arts. Arts Education Policy Review, 113(4), 123.

https://doi.org/10.1080/10632913.2012.719419

Tanir, A. K., Ilhan, A. C., Ozer, A., & Deniz, Z. (2012). Teaching Visual Arts in Primary School

Teaching Departments with Postmodern Art Education Approach. Procedia - Social and

Behavioral Sciences, 51, 1044–1049. https://doi-

org.ezproxy.uas.alaska.edu/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.08.285