What is arts integration?

At the start of each workshop on integrating art into the teaching, I ask participants if they feel their classrooms are already arts integrated. Frequently, I hear some of the following responses:

“Yes! I have an easel set up in the corner for free time”

“Yes! We play Mozart in the background during testing”

“Yes! We all copy van Gogh’s “Starry Night” when we are learning about stars.”

These are all really great ways to incorporate the protective factors of the arts into classrooms, but fall a bit short of the full definition of arts integrated education. 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.” (Silverstein & Layne, 2010)

In other words, it isn’t copying “Starry Night” when learning about stars, it is using the shapes and movements in “Starry Night” to inform the movement style as students dance around the classroom before dashing back into formation with friends to create the shape of a constellation. Simultaneously, the students are learning the shapes and patterns of constellations, perhaps even going so far as to name the stars that make up each constellation (academic skill), performing various movement qualities based on visual imagery (artistic skill), and working together to determine who would stand where in the constellation (social skill).

For most teachers, moving towards an arts-integrated teaching approach feels overwhelming. It feels like one more thing to add to the already over-stretched, under-resourced pile of responsibilities. I encourage teachers to view arts-integrated learning as “instead of” rather than “in addition to.”

It is a different teaching method, but I find it to be one that actually requires less energy output on my part. Many teachers who have integrated arts into their teaching feel that they are lecturing less, have developed more collaborative relationships with their students, spend less time on disciplinary issues, and find renewed energy for teaching simply because everyone is having more fun. While it may take time to feel comfortable with a new teaching approach, the longer term benefits are well worth the effort.