* The arts engage all students in education, from those who are already
considered successful and are in need of greater challenges, to those
who
would otherwise remain disconnected and be at risk of not being able to
realize their own potential for success.
* Through exercising their imaginations, the arts help students to make
new
connections, transcend previous limitations and think ‘outside of the
box’.
* Expression in the arts helps students to develop cognitive and physical
skills.
* The arts provide an avenue for students to be able to express
themselves
and connect with their peers through personal growth and cooperative
learning experiences.
* The arts are a strong motivator for students to develop self discipline
and social skills.
* The arts encourage self directed learning, helping to develop the
capacity
of students to strive for greater success.
* Each art form brings special ways of perceiving the world and mentally
organizing and retrieving information, utilizing critical thinking and
problem solving skills.
* The arts help to transform the school environment to one of discovery
and
learning, breaking down barriers between disciplines and improving the
conditions of learning.
* The arts gives students the opportunity to represent what they have
learned, thus achieving greater comprehension and retention of the
material being covered.
* Art criticism helps students develop observation, analysis,
interpretation
and evaluation skills that can be transferred to other areas of study.
* The arts are essential to an understanding of personal, local, national
and global cultures, past and present.
* A strong, sequential arts education program in schools promotes
cultural
literacy in our society.
* The arts help to provide experiences for students to continue to become
lifelong learners after they reach adulthood, creating an awareness
that
learning is a never-ending process.
* Education in the arts helps students to acquire those skills that will
be
essential to their being successful in the new millennium.
Information compiled by Kevan Nitzberg,
Fine Arts Facilitator
Anoka-Hennepin School District #11
