"All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up."

Pablo Picasso

Children and the Arts in Society

A Perspective on Learning Description

The area of study that I have chosen for my major is founded on my two strongest interests: children and fine arts. The integrative topic that supports these two areas is based on society, integrating structures of family, community, culture, and educational values and methods. I wish to explore the connections between children and the arts by studying different educational methods in respect to the fine arts. I also find myself wondering how specific cultures influence their children in different ways, especially through the arts in education systems.

Studying the educational values and practices of different cultures, particularly those in Spain and the United States, would help deepen my understanding of how children can be influenced by the arts in their lives, especially through physically expressive art forms such as dance, music and theater. I believe that educational systems and programs that have a strong emphasis in the arts are more successful at providing children of various backgrounds with useful skills. Many art forms help children with social skills such as good communication, and building strong relationships. Art can also be an effective method for improving and fostering the emotional skills and confidence of young children and adolescents.

Along with the specific art, education, psychology and sociology courses that I will integrate into my major, I think that internships and field studies will be very useful for me to understand and explore the relationships that I have proposed and propose theories of methodology that may be helpful in the field of education.

Rationale

This major is an important subject because it links a topic that everyone knows, children, to an area of study that I feel is imperative to our world of education and cultural understanding. The fine arts offer an integrative teaching tool for young children and learning activities in the arts help them reach a fuller potential by adhering to different forms of intelligence. This major is unique because it links all areas of the fine arts to a specific population, children, and relates to them within their unique family and societal structures. I plan on studying the specific structures of the United States and Spanish educational systems in order to compare and contrast the different opportunities that they provide their students and how it affects their learning acquisition. The range of study that this allows me is very broad, but delves deep into several topics as well. I feel that I could integrate upper-level psychology courses as well as sociology and education courses in order to get a broad understanding of developmental aspects of children, families and societies. Upper level arts courses such as photography, musical theater, and body expression courses will also help me to make those physical and mental connections which are imperative to understanding the relationships that I plan to study.

I believe that the study of children and the arts in society makes a lot of sense at St Olaf, not only because of the wide variety of courses available within my areas of interest, but also because of the excellent study abroad programs. St Olaf, as a liberal arts college, provides excellent ways to study a variety of cultures and values within every classroom. There are many opportunities to study children and the arts from different perspectives and within differing contexts.

The study abroad opportunities are a wonderful resource of study as well. By choosing to study in a different culture (Spain, spring 2008), I will be able to experience first-hand the certain aspects of the fine arts in a different society. I will also be able to come face to face with a new culture through my experiences living with a Spanish family; this will deepen my understanding of the continually changing effects of arts on children and families. I plan on finding an internship or volunteer opportunity with children in school as well, so that I can make comparisons about the educational differences between the US and Spain. I would love to be able to find a connection between child learning acquisition and a strong emphasis in arts programs during or after school. Spain will be a fantastic opportunity to obtain a “Global Perspective” of my area of study, which I find imperative to any area of study.

Learning and Life Experiences

I can safely say that two of my most memorable and meaningful life experiences have been dealing with children in different societies. I traveled to Thailand on a mission trip in 10th grade and worked with orphans and young students, teaching them English. I also traveled on a mission trip to Mexico City in 12th grade and again worked with orphans, teaching them about Christianity and the value of religion. On both trips, it was apparent that the children were most responsive to our teaching methods when they included music, dance, drawing or some other artistic method. I do not speak Thai well at all, and in high school I was still developing my Spanish language skills, but in both situations I felt very connected with the children. I realized that I was able to communicate well with the children when our activity included something artistic or physical, and provided an emotional connection with the children.

I believe that children are so sensitive to the world around them, and so receptive to new ideas and opinions that it is imperative to allow them to try a variety of learning methods. We need to provide them with “personalized intelligence tools” so they are sufficiently prepared to face the problems of the real world. These personalized intelligence tools are various learning methods that help specific types of learners. Every child learns differently, and many children don’t get exposure to a sufficient variety of these methods, such as observational techniques, hands-on construction and creative skills, and verbal analytical skills. Once children have developed their abilities to learn in a variety of ways and know how to apply their knowledge to different situations, they will be better prepared to solve everyday problems, and not just pen-and-paper problems.

I feel that these two topics, children and the arts, have been a constant source of interest for me. I strongly believe in the importance of a liberal arts education, and I want to be able to back up my beliefs with concrete evidence and experience. I love working with children, and I love connecting with them and understanding their character. I also enjoy being creative and experimenting with new ideas, so I get along well with children. As far as being able to carry through with this major and the projects that I am proposing, I know that with the intense interest I have in this area of study, I will have no trouble continuing research and studies. I have a variety of different ideas of how I could branch out my studies into society through volunteer and internship opportunities that would keep me on track in my research and experience.

Senior Integrative Project

One possible senior integrative project would be to create some sort of after-school or summer program for elementary and middle school students that focuses on the fine arts. I am interested in how children learn through the arts, so I want to work with the children, get to know them, and understand how they feel about the arts that they are involved in. How have their lives been influenced by the arts? What is the most effective way of learning for them, involving the arts? How are they able to deepen their understanding of themselves as individuals and also as part of a larger community? Do the arts present more integral learning opportunities when it comes to teaching about and within diverse ethnic and cultural groups? What are the ways we can present the arts in a way that helps children reach out to others and feel connected to their community?

All of these questions are important to me, and I hope that I will be able to answer some of them throughout the rest of my studies in this major. I think it will be very beneficial for me to get out into the community and work with children. I plan on basing my senior project on some sort of outreach program that helps the children and the community at the same time. It is my belief that if we link all of these aspects together and help our world’s children develop their learning abilities using the fine arts they will be better educated and more likely to promote a cultural acceptance that we should all find. By doing this, we could all learn a little more, and the world would be a better place.