In progress

There are several things I have been working on around curriculum. Some of the things I have been looking at include scope and sequence, material being covered, and approach. These are all things I am trying to address in my inquiry project as well. I have been put in the position to determine what the curriculum or content should be for art at the elementary level. This is nice because I get to decide what I am going to teach. It is also overwhelming because I have the responsibility to prepare the students for future education and need to make sure I am including the right content at the right time the right way. I have been able to create many interesting lessons, which engage the students and teach them different aspects of art. I am now in the process of organizing the lessons to be sequential and build upon each other without being too repetitive. This is where the scope and sequence come into play. I am reading an interesting book for my inquiry project called “Art and Cognition” by Arthur D. Efland which talks a little bit about the developmental stages. I am hoping this, along with the PEI’s and other sequential material will help me in this process. Where I work at an elementary level the material being covered touches on much of the basics. Taking those basic art concepts and presenting them in a sequential, engaging way is something I am constantly trying to improve. Throughout this course we have been learning the importance of technology to our 21st century learners. I think really reinforces the necessity for a strong art program to help students interpret, understand, and express through visual imagery, which bombards their everyday life.
Unfortunately, not everyone sees it this way. One of the things I would like to change which is not in my power is scheduling. While this may not seem like part of the curriculum I think it affects it greatly. Without the right setting of adequate space and time we are extremely limited to what type of learning environment we can create. This learning environment is something that needs to be adapted to our 21st century learners. I believe I have the right content here but without adequate time and space we are limited in the process application, which we need to focus on. Giving students a chance to problem solve and think critically is such an important part of this subject that we need to give it the appropriate time and focus it needs. Something I find fascinating is that even though art is acknowledged as a core subject by the NCLB Act along with the many studies about the importance of the arts, they are still usually only taught once a week compared to the other “core” subjects which are taught everyday. Although art for art’s sake may not be taught everyday, it would be nice to have more collaboration between subjects to incorporate art into them and vise versa. It is such a big part of how students perceive the world today attention should be given to it’s aspects as it’s involved with any of the other subjects. Until art is on the standardized test though it will constantly be trying to advocate for its place in schools.