Integrating the Arts: Where History/Social Studies Meets Art

"Arts Integration is the connective pathway toward reaching and teaching every student. The arts are not servicing the content. Instead, both the content area and the arts area are interconnected. Do you have to be a master in the arts area to assess it? No, because you’re looking for growth and understanding in that area, not mastery (The Institute for Arts Integration and Steam, 2023)."

Though creating art as though I were a 10-year-old seemed silly, doing it gave me a better understanding on how to connect social studies/history to art. In my arts integration course at York University, we made bi-planes (in my case a commercial 747) and made embellishments to describe a social issue. The issue I addressed was the drinking water advisories often addressed to many Indigenous reserves and communities. On my plane, I drew a human profile with water coming out of their mouths and entering it into the mouths of animals. Inspired by Indigenous art, I wanted to represent water as something sacred that quenches the thirst of every living thing on earth. Without clean water, nothing can survive. Through this exercise I learned the importance of the arts: it helps us to think laterally. In the end, the activity wasn't silly after all.

When the arts are integrated, students have the opportunity to find creative ways to approach the content to better their understanding. Using prior knowledge and experience, they begin to think critically and make personal connections while creatively solving problems when encountering challenging concepts. For visual learners, presenting concepts visually help them make connections with the content. In drama, while also encourages language development, social interaction, and innovation through role-playing and character development, students develop empathy and develop different perspectives through the eyes of their character (Seneca Academy, 2023). Lastly, musical integration further develops fine motor skills, team building and cooperation. In addition, music connects to maths as the beats and time signatures encourages counting (Brain Balance, 2023). Overall, arts integration is beneficial for every learner. It's naturally differentiated so that students can learn in a manner that suits their needs while providing them with a better scope for understanding.

Sources:

Brain Balance. 2023. Correlation Between Math and Music Ability.

https://www.brainbalancecenters.com/blog/correlation-between-math-and-music-ability#:~:text=Learning%20music%20improves%20math%20skills,brain%20used%20when%20doing%20math.

The Institute for Arts Integration and Steam. (2023). What is Arts Integration: And

Educator's Tool. https://artsintegration.com/what-is-arts-integration-in-schools/#definition

Seneca Academy. (2023). Arts Integration in School: 10 Reasons Why It’s

Important. https://www.senecaacademy.org/10-reasons-why-integrating-art-is-important-in-school/#:~:text=Integrating%20art%20with%20other%20disciplines,for%20learners%20at%20all%20levels.