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The Importance of Art in Education Systems

Kids Learn Better With Art Education

kids-in-art-classArts and its subcategories such as drawing, painting, music, theatre, and more have been part of the education curriculum for decades, but it seems that the tides are turning for arts in many institutions. Due to restricted budgets, many schools are picking off their art programs one by one, and by the end of this year, an estimated 25% of public schools may do just that completely. Of course, the first thing that may come to our mind upon hearing this report is the impact that it will have on teachers in the line of art, like those who teach dance or photography classes. But it could have an even deeper impression on the students itself, as studies in the past have shown that the art is a very important pillar of education. Studies have shown that those who don’t experience art classes may not only find chances to unleash their creative powers but also have higher chances of experiencing difficulty in mastering the core subjects, disciplinary crisis and are more possible to be dropped out.

Studies conducted by research organizations, professors, and schools demonstrate how vital the arts is to inspire and motivate students. For example, in 2002 the Arts Education Partnership spearheaded a research dealing with the effect of art in academic performance, conducted by nearly 100 researchers on 62 different studies. The result? “Schoolchildren exposed to drama, music and dance may do a better job at mastering reading, writing and math than those who focus solely on academics,” says the Arts Education Partnership. In 2009, the Center for Arts Education reported that schools that are more accessible to art programs also have higher graduation rates as opposed to schools that don’t, who reportedly have higher dropout rates. The Maryland school system says that visual arts skills could actually be used to enhance reading, while the skills developed in playing an instrument could be applicable to math.

Arts Education advocates have long claimed that skills earned through creative training could be used to excel in other academic areas, although not much research is conducted to prove the scientific basis of this claim. A four-year research, however, shows that students who do regular music classes were found to develop changes in brain structure in relation with motor skills, which they could be used to similar areas. Students who practiced specific art forms were found to have improved their attention system and fluid IQ scores. Similar conclusions are reached upon by other studies, proving that a maintained arts education has a large impact on a person’s social and intellectual development.

These studies only show how much schools are missing out in underestimating the power of art for a student’s development.

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Almanac: The World’s Treasures

There may be lost pirate treasure buried in the coves of the Caribbean Islands. There may be golden rocks under the tall buildings. There may be materials left undiscovered during the ancient times. There are certainly lost treasures of gold and jewels aboard early Spanish sailing ships that descended at sea. But not all the precious materials are lost. The earth is full of found treasures.

Bauxite: Guinea in Africa is rich with Bauxite. Bauxite is an aluminum-rich ore that is used for aluminum production and elements, chemicals or cements.

Cashews: These delicious nuts grow on trees in Mozambique, a country in southeast Africa. Cashew nuts are kidney-shaped seeds that adhere to the bottom of the cashew apple, which is inhabitant to the coastal areas of northeastern Brazil. Cashews are always sold shelled because the interior of the shells contains a caustic resin or cashew balm, which must be removed cautiously before the nuts are fit for depletion. Caustic resin is used in industry to make varnishes and insecticides.

Chewing Gum: In Central America, the source of chicle, which is the chew in chewing gum, is the sapodilla tree. Chewing gum is a soft, cohesive substance intended for chewing but not swallowing.

Chocolate: Caribbean islands are rich in seeds of the cacao tree, which is used to make chocolate. Chocolate has become one of the most popular food types and flavors in the world, and a huge number of food consisting of chocolate have been created.

Chromium: This metal is used to make stainless steel. It is found in Zimbabwe, Africa. Chromium is a steely-gray, glossy, firm and fragile metal which takes high polish, resists oxidizing, and has a high melting point.

Copper: One of the richest “copper belts” in the world is in Zambia, Africa. Copper is a chemical element with symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a flexible metal with a very high thermal and electrical conductivity.

Cork: Cork is a great use in making bulletin boards and stoppers in wine bottles. Cork is the bark of the cork oak tree in Spain. Cork is an impermeable, floatable material, a prime-subset of bark tissue that is reaped for commercial use primarily from Quercus suber, which is endemic to southwest Europe and northwest Africa.

Diamonds: Namibia, Africa, supplies the most valuable diamonds of the 18 countries in southern Africa rich with diamonds. The most popular form of jewelry is the Diamond. It is often associated with brilliance.

Emeralds: Colombia produces the most emeralds in any country in South America. Emeralds are fascinating gemstones. These are the most beautiful, most intense and most radiant green material found on Earth.

Gold: The world’s largest gold mine is in Irian Jaya, Indonesia. Gold, in its purest form, is a bright, with a slight reddish yellow, compact, soft, and pliable metal.

Mahogany: The trees that supply this beautiful wood grow in Central America. Mahogany is a kind of wood which has a straight-grained, reddish-brown timber of three humid hardwood species of the genus Swietenia.

Nitrates: This mineral used to preserve foods is found in the desert of Chile. Processed meats like bacon, ham, sausages and hotdogs have nitrates. These are preservatives in averting the growth of dangerous bacteria.

Perfume: The use of flowers in France is for the production of perfume. It is taken out from the flowers’ oil. Perfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oils or scent fusions, fixatives and solvents used to give the human body, animals, food, objects, and living spaces a pleasant scent.

Seaweed: Seaweed is collected to eat or to flavor foods in the coast of Japan. Seaweed is a macroscopic, multi cellular, marine algae that lives close to the seabed. It contains some of the red, brown, and green algae. Phycology is the study of seaweed.

Sugar: Sugarcane is grown in many countries in Central America and the Caribbean Islands. The generalized name for sweet, short-chain, soluble carbohydrates are sugar which is used in food.

Vanilla: There wouldn’t be vanilla ice cream without the vanilla bean. In Madagascar, more than half the world’s vanilla is grown.

Wool: Most of the world’s wool is supplied by the sheep of Australia. Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, comprising of goats’ cashmere, mohair, qiviut from muskoxen, angora from rabbits, and sorts of wool from camelids.