How do you connect art to other subjects?
Children are naturally drawn to activities such as pantomime and clay sculpting. Arts-based learning capitalizes on their natural tendencies to maximize their creativity. However, when it comes to integrating the arts into other subjects, teachers frequently underestimate the power of such activities.
The reality is that "traditional" subjects such as English, math, history, and sciences are given higher priority by school administration because they are covered in standardized tests and are more directly related to success in a college degree. Art is typically offered as an elective rather than as part of the core curriculum, and it is not always available in college, except at specialized institutions. Using art to connect to other classes and subjects demonstrates that your teaching methods are innovative and support student learning in other areas. It also demonstrates how art can be used to reinforce lessons learned in other subjects.
Answer as an example: I make an effort to collaborate with other teachers to determine some aspects of my coursework. If the English teacher has a book report due, I might assign a painting inspired by the book they are reading. Alternatively, I may work with the history teacher to have my students create a scale diorama of the chapter they are studying that week. I try to make connections to their other studies to reinforce what they are learning, or at the very least to show that art can stand on its own and support other areas of their life.
