Why is Art Important?
"I found that I could say things with color and shape that I couldn't say any other way....things I had no words for."
Goergia O'Keeffe
Grade One painting inspired by the work of Georgia O'Keeffe
Georgia O'Keeffe eloquently states so much in this one short sentence. Studying art, making art and appreciating art are avenues to learning through which many important skills are acquired and practiced. A quality art program teaches children higher order thinking skills and gives them an arena where there are limitless solutions to every problem. It is a language through which they can express themselves in a uniquely personal way. It is a language that anyone can learn.
The Studio Thinking Framework Eight Habits of Mind
Project Zero, a research project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, has been investigating the development of learning processes in children since 1967. Their goal is to use research to create creative thinkers and promote critical thinking skills. One of the most notable name associated with Project Zero is Howard Gardner, author of "Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences".Through the work completed at Project Zero, researchers have identified the skills that are associated with art education. They are as follows:
Develop Craft
Engage and Persist
Envision
Express
Observe
Reflect
Stretch and Explore
Understand the Art World
For more details about the Eight Habits of Mind, visit here: http://pzweb.harvard.edu/research/StudioThink/StudioThinkEight.htm
President and Fellows of Harvard College, . (2010).Project zero. Retrieved from http://pzweb.harvard.edu/Harvard Graduate School of Education, . (2010).Studio thinking framework eight habits of mind. Retrieved from http://pzweb.harvard.edu/research/StudioThink/StudioThinkEight.htm
Birch Trees,
Mixed Media,
Grade Three
