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Lesson Plans


I've waited- now-Re: More on elementary generalists and art specialists

[ Thread ][ Subject ][ Author ][ Date ]
Christine Beth Johnson (chrbjohn)
Wed, 22 Jan 1997 06:47:37 -0500 (EST)

When the arts and sciences separated and scientific method was subsequently
adopted as the paradigm of education, the world of learning had made a
crucial mistake. The recent efforts in education and cognitive science
including problem based learning, interdisciplinary approaches and DBAE
(for example) give impetous to a view of the import of aesthetics that
goes beyond the purview of "beauty" . This shift begins to echo the
works of Dewey on Art, experiential aesthetics, etc. Art specialist do
not own the excellent approaches to learning. Yes, they do have the
advanced knowledge of studio skills and greater knowledge in the other
portions of the DBAE matrix. And the generalist and other disciplines are
now realizing that part of the excitement of arts (the engagement, student
problem solving, connections made while exploring self constructs, the
value of cultural symbolization, visualization, as examples of those
things we know to be true) are the "tools of all learning".

I suggest, and continue my efforts, to use our experience to lead our
colleague into the skills. They seems to appreciate our particular
content more when their instructional methodology has shifted.

Christy Johnson

P.S. Thanks for the spelling support and ideas . I'm continuing to learn.

> >
> >Being an art specialist dosn't mean that I don't believe (how's that for
> >sentence construction?) that the strength of elementary education resides in
> >the fact that , historically, elementary education has been the home of the
> >generalist. To the degree that schools have moved away from this strength,
> >towards departmentalization for example, is a measure of how far they have
> >moved away from this strength.
> >
> >This faulty dualism: generalist v specialist or art v science (as was argued
> >a few months ago) treats teaching and learning as something way too easily
> >compartmentalized. Classroom teachers are my allies. If they have
> >difficulties with teaching the arts, I try to help. If I'm looking for a way
> >to bring literature into my artroom, (and I often do) I go to them. If we
> >disagree about approaches, we discuss it. If we can't agree, we go on and
> >come back together another day.
> >
> >To argue that teaching art in the regular classroom is a threat to the
> >employment of art teachers is really bogus. Yeh. Our employment status is
> >always iffy. But that comes from the much bigger issue of the degree to which
> >the culture values culture. But the classroom teacher bringing the arts into
> >their curriculum is not a problem by itself. It provides a potential basis
> >for joint work.
> >
> >Keep it up Elizabeth.
> >
> >-Fred
> >
> >
>
>

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