What Is Arts Integration? Shawna longo Hopatcong Middle School shawnalongo@gmail.com
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rts Integration is not a new initiative, but it has grown in practice throughout New Jersey over the past 4 years. The definition of arts integration has varied over the years, but fortunately a codified definition has developed into commonplace within our state. Arts integration is “a teaching strategy in which the arts are integrated with the non-arts curriculum to deepen students’ understanding of both.” Arts integration is different from another term used in education: arts enhancement. Arts enhancement is commonly defined as the arts being used to increase student engagement and make learning “stick” within another content area. By definition, these two terms are quite different. This graphic from Prince George’s County Public Schools in Maryland gives a succinct explanation. With authentic, natural arts integration, if you take the arts component or content out, the non-arts component/ content will not “look” the same. It will be affected and change. With arts enhancement, students might listen to a song or draw a picture, but no true connection is made between the contents. The learning in the non-arts content can occur if you take out the arts component.
The foundation for arts integration is in the intention. Educators: • Intentionally select standards from both content areas. • Purposefully teach both of these standards throughout the lesson. • Deliberately assess both content areas. In order for arts integration to occur naturally and authentically there are a few key components. • Students must be taught the specific content in both subject areas separately BEFORE you integrate! When integrating the music concept of pitch with the science concept of sound waves, students need to be taught, or at least introduced to pitch - higher and lower, consonant and dissonant, and any other pitch-related content to the lesson – by a music teacher. A science teacher lays the foundation for sound waves – frequency, amplitude, waveform, etc. The foundation of knowledge in both content areas needs to occur before you integrate them and deepen the students’ learning. • Both content areas (arts and non-arts) must be taught equitably! When choosing the standards to align, make sure that the arts and non-arts standards occur throughout the lesson. I suggest using the National Core Arts Standards for arts integration lessons. The verbs included in the anchor standards align naturally with other content standards (NGSS, Common Core E/LA & Math, Social Studies, ISTE, and the New Jersey Student Learning Standards). Adding an arts-related introductory activity (or strategy), such as, listening to a song or drawing a picture, does not equate to an arts integration lesson. • Both content areas (arts and non-arts) must be assessed equitably! I suggest listing the arts and non-arts
TEMPO 52
OCTOBER 2018
