While studies have shown that integrating the Arts has a positive effect on student learning there can be some conflicts to integration:
Specialized Educators in Secondary Schools
Arts integration may seem daunting or unnecessary to secondary teachers who are specialized
With subject delineations it may be difficult for departments to plan collaboratively
Arts integration can be time consuming in terms of planning collaboratively and gaining a better understanding of the Arts for teachers who aun unfamiliar with the subject.
Minimal Professional Development Offered
Teachers need to feel confident in their integrating abilities or be given the opportunity to learn how to effectively integrate the Arts
There is an additional qualifications course entitled “Integrated Arts” however it focuses on certifying teachers to teach all the Arts strands. There is currently no additional qualifications course with a focus on effectively integrating the Arts with other subjects.
Barriers
To truly integrate the Arts with other subject areas, at the secondary level, take into consideration the following questions as they relate to potential barriers:
Can timetabling or scheduling be adjusted?
Can courses be run with lower enrollment?
Can students' timetables be adjusted to accommodate similar courses be taken by all students during a semester (i.e. all students in a particular program take Mathematics, Visual Arts, and Technology in one semester)?
Are there teachers in your school that are willing to work collaboratively on the programming needed to truly integrate the Arts?
What supports are needed at the school level to support an integrated program?
Who teaches what?
One of the biggest issues at the Secondary School level is scheduling. Most teachers at the high school level are specialists in a certain domain; therefore it would only be logical if they taught within that domain. However, that is not always the case. It is not uncommon to see a Math teacher teach Religion in a Catholic School, or a Social Science teacher teaching languages from time to time. When it comes to the Arts, however, it is usually a “true” specialist in the domain who will teach it. That being said, there are some issues relating to that.
A school may have several specialists in one domain, especially the Arts, however it is not uncommon that the teacher with greater seniority has the monopoly of the more specialized (often deemed “better”) classes, if not all the classes, in the domain. While experience may be seen as extremely valuable, one must look further into their competencies, especially when considering adding new courses to the departmental repertoire. Generally, the Administration and Guidance are open to the idea of new courses, therefore one is encouraged to “propose” a new course, according to his/her speciality. If there is enough interest by the student population, the course will be offered and will normally be taught by the person who proposed it. It is the best way to move around the obstacle of seniority.
Other Implications
How to Integrate the Arts?
Unfortunately, there is currently no AQ in Art Integration, but that should not stop one from integrating the arts in his or her class.
One does not need to be a specialist in the Arts to be able to integrate the arts in his or her classroom. One needs simply a bit of creativity and/or some inspiration.
Some ideas for Art integration in the Social Sciences:
Conflicts
While studies have shown that integrating the Arts has a positive effect on student learning there can be some conflicts to integration:
Specialized Educators in Secondary Schools
Arts integration may seem daunting or unnecessary to secondary teachers who are specialized
With subject delineations it may be difficult for departments to plan collaboratively
Arts integration can be time consuming in terms of planning collaboratively and gaining a better understanding of the Arts for teachers who aun unfamiliar with the subject.
Minimal Professional Development Offered
Teachers need to feel confident in their integrating abilities or be given the opportunity to learn how to effectively integrate the Arts
There is an additional qualifications course entitled “Integrated Arts” however it focuses on certifying teachers to teach all the Arts strands. There is currently no additional qualifications course with a focus on effectively integrating the Arts with other subjects.
Barriers
To truly integrate the Arts with other subject areas, at the secondary level, take into consideration the following questions as they relate to potential barriers:
Can timetabling or scheduling be adjusted?
Can courses be run with lower enrollment?
Can students' timetables be adjusted to accommodate similar courses be taken by all students during a semester (i.e. all students in a particular program take Mathematics, Visual Arts, and Technology in one semester)?
Are there teachers in your school that are willing to work collaboratively on the programming needed to truly integrate the Arts?
What supports are needed at the school level to support an integrated program?
Who teaches what?
One of the biggest issues at the Secondary School level is scheduling. Most teachers at the high school level are specialists in a certain domain; therefore it would only be logical if they taught within that domain. However, that is not always the case. It is not uncommon to see a Math teacher teach Religion in a Catholic School, or a Social Science teacher teaching languages from time to time. When it comes to the Arts, however, it is usually a “true” specialist in the domain who will teach it. That being said, there are some issues relating to that.
A school may have several specialists in one domain, especially the Arts, however it is not uncommon that the teacher with greater seniority has the monopoly of the more specialized (often deemed “better”) classes, if not all the classes, in the domain. While experience may be seen as extremely valuable, one must look further into their competencies, especially when considering adding new courses to the departmental repertoire. Generally, the Administration and Guidance are open to the idea of new courses, therefore one is encouraged to “propose” a new course, according to his/her speciality. If there is enough interest by the student population, the course will be offered and will normally be taught by the person who proposed it. It is the best way to move around the obstacle of seniority.
Other Implications
How to Integrate the Arts?
Unfortunately, there is currently no AQ in Art Integration, but that should not stop one from integrating the arts in his or her class.
One does not need to be a specialist in the Arts to be able to integrate the arts in his or her classroom. One needs simply a bit of creativity and/or some inspiration.
Some ideas for Art integration in the Social Sciences:
For more ideas related to Arts integration, please click on the Integrating Arts Across the Curriculum category on the left side bar.