Critical Discussion
The assignment is tackled so that there is a reliance on learning theories, literature, and examples of curriculum design in practice to discuss the importance of the primary art curriculum critically. In the analysis of Ofsted (2018), curriculum design has to be regarded as being important when its intent, implementation, and impact are used as the framework necessary for the assessment of the quality of education. Art education has become increasingly important in primary school, where teachers and other stakeholders have become accustomed to working on the creative and innovative skills of learners at any given moment. I will focus on the use of examples derived from a school's website for the sake of examining the importance of art at a time when science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) has been the central theme in modern education. The key questions that I am determined to address include; Is art education important in the primary school curriculum? How can art education be promoted within primary school settings?
It has to be noted that the curriculum design in practice that is referred to in this context are ones that are contained within the evidence portfolio where they have been taken from the website of one of the primary schools. The inclusion of the statement contains the curriculum values related to art education, the policies that are pursued, the guidelines, and other related aspects.
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Analysis of the term 'curriculum' has always been associated with many debatable ideas that make it quite complex. In the analysis of Barlett and Burton (2012), 'curriculum' is portrayed as the syllabus of activities while other scholars and researchers that include Wiles and Bondi (2006) perceive it as the systematic sequence that is associated with the planned learning goals. In my considered view, I regard 'curriculum' as the comprehensive framework that is characterized by the overall content, purpose, and organization of any given educational program. Such a perception is in line with Kelly's (2004) stipulations that focus on the totality that comes about when pupils are exposed to a certain set of learning materials.
Modern-day learning environments have continued being organized and structured in such ways that have been giving science and mathematics the top priority where the emphasis is laid on ensuring that pupils develop the necessary skills, competencies, and understanding that prepare them for future courses and careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). According to Herne, Cox & Watts (2009), such a framework has always disregarded the role of art education in pupils' lives. Art has been greatly sacrificed to accommodate science and mathematics in a greatly changing world.
Despite the situation observed concerning the changing trends against art education, research has continued showing that there is a need for arts integration in schools. Atkinson & Dash (2005) observe that it was not long ago that arts education in schools was regarded as a luxury where the art classes had to be cut from the curriculum to accommodate other subjects. Currently, Hill & Robertson (2011) opine that there is lots of information that makes it logical that arts integration is crucial for creating well-rounded and well-prepared learners and leaders.
The school website whose ideas and concepts have been utilized as an art education that deals with drama, fine arts, music, and movement. Arts have since been regarded as an integral part of the curriculum, where they are part of the core classroom curricula and the teaching of specific artistic abilities and skills. The operational framework of this school has led to the understanding that working in the arts has a role in helping learners in the development of problem-solving skills.
In the analysis of Hickman (2010), art education has to be lauded based on the fact that teaching via the arts can ensure the presentation of difficult concepts visually in such a move that makes them easy to comprehend. Moreover, art instruction in primary school has become instrumental when it comes to the aspect of helping children in the development of language skills, motor skills, decision-making, social skills, risk-taking, and inventiveness.
The transformation in the curriculum that has been undertaken in recent years regarding art education can be interpreted as the emphasis on the role that is being played by the arts in shaping the understandings of the pupils regarding the beauty of the world around them. Wilson (2015) observes that visual arts can teach learners about layout balance, color, and perspective. These are the techniques that are necessary when it comes to the enhancement of the presentations that are necessary for other areas of academic work.
The curriculum's essence is to ensure that learners get the best out of their learning environment by comprehending the best ideas and concepts that are available to them by their teachers. It is the same approach that has been used by Rayment (2007), who has the conviction that the prospect of integrating art with other disciplines can reach out to the pupils who otherwise might not have been able to be engaged in classwork. It is a situation that has been justified by what is happening at the school whose information is covered in this context where art education is at the fulcrum of all the teaching programs.
The school is looking at how learning that is being administered by the teachers can have wholesome impacts on the learners at any given moment. It is based on this understanding that there are numerous aspects of art education that are being offered to learners to enhance their art experiences in a move that will boost their critical thinking. Pupils are being taught to ensure that at any given moment, they have to ensure that they take time to become careful and thorough in their perceptions of the world.
The art curriculum is playing an instrumental role in nurturing, encouraging, and building on creativity to ensure that pupils get the opportunities to be taught creative subjects skills. The rationale of the curriculum in this context is to ensure that creative subjects that have been disregarded in the modern day in the primary curriculum are given a chance. Subjects like art, dance, drama, and music are taught in this school in the specific subjects where there are qualified specialists called upon to engage in the teaching obligations in the afternoons.
The implication from the information on the school's website is that arts are being taught to the learners to provide challenges for them at all levels. It is a situation that resonates with the observations of Kenyon (2019) that art education has the potential of connecting students with their culture and that associated with the wider world. In the research report captured by Hickman (2010), young people who take part in arts regularly starting from three hours a day on three days each week for a year are regarded as being four times more likely to perform well in academics.
The same students are expected to participate in the math and science fair and stand a chance of winning awards in writing essays compared to those who do not participate. In the analysis of Kenyon (2019), greater arts education is associated with reduced disciplinary infractions and increased school attendance and graduation rates. Families, communities, and the larger society will be determined to have a situation where the importance of art education in primary schools is recognized and appreciated by the teachers and learners at any given moment.
In this assignment, I have managed to discuss the importance of art education in primary school critically. It has demonstrated that the school allocates more time to art education than undertaken elsewhere across the UK. The fact that art is taught for at least three hours three days a week implies a high level of seriousness by the teaching staff and the management of the school. Literature has led to the understanding that art education is quite important not only to the learners but also to society at large since the skills, knowledge, and competencies that are imparted to learners can be of greater use in the future for the benefit of individuals, communities and the larger society.
As an educator, I will be at the forefront of promoting the art curriculum in primary school environments since I now have a comprehensive understanding of its effectiveness. My strategic and operational framework will be built around trying to bring various key stakeholders like the school management team, teachers, parents, and pupils on board to convince them of the need to focus on the arts curriculum that has otherwise been disregarded to a large extent in recent years. My line of thinking will be based on the ideas that have been derived from literature, theories, and the website of the school that leads to the understanding that art education is mandatory in a changing world since it initiates and nurtures various values in the learners that are going to be instrumental in their future personal and professional lives to their benefits and their communities at large moving forward.
References
- Atkinson, D., & Dash, P. (2005). Social and critical practice in art education. Trentham Books Ltd.
- Bartlett, S. and Burton, D. (2012). Introduction to education studies (3rd ed.). Sage Publications Ltd.
- Herne, S., Cox, S., & Watts, R. (2009). Readings in primary art education. Intellect Books.
- Hickman, R. D. (2010). Critical studies in art & design education. Intellect Books.
- Hill, D., & Robertson, L. H. (2011). Equality in the primary school: Promoting good practice across the curriculum. Continuum International Publications.
- Kelly, A. V. (2004). The curriculum: theory and practice (5th ed.). Sage Publications Ltd.
- Kenyon, G. (2019). The arts in primary education: Breathing life, color, and culture into the curriculum. Bloomsbury Education.
- Ofsted. (2018). An investigation into how to assess the quality of education through curriculum intent, implementation, and impact. Retrieved from https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/766252/How_to_assess_intent_and_implementation_of_curriculum_191218.pdf
- Rayment, T. (2007). The problem of assessment in art and design. Intellect Books.
- Wiles, J. and Bondi, J. (2006). Curriculum development: A guide to practice (7th ed.). Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall.
- Wilson, A. (2015). Creativity in primary education. Learning Matters Ltd.
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