We finished three days of staff training with A+ schools, dedicated to infusing the arts into the school curriculum. That's a thing we've done quite well for over 40 years, but by being a part of the A+ Schools network, it is our hope that we may end up being of service to others.
So an essential question is "how can we demonstrate the value of the arts in teaching and learning in areas outside 'the arts?'" The arts are thought of by educational policy makers as stand alone. But examine history without the arts, and you'll find an empty timeline of facts, nothing more. Examine math without the arts, and you'll find a line of numbers and formulas with nothing to bring them to life. So what do you plan in an ideal school curriculum, that remains untouched by the arts? Not even lunch.
Another essential question is, "how do we transform American education so that the arts lead the way?" Incorporation of the arts in all aspects of a school's curriculum can enliven learning across the board. A+ Schools, in North Carolina, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana offer a path forward toward a dramatic renewal.
I'll add another essential question. I ask you what you can do. Shall I suggest an answer?
Make, fix, and create. Assist all others in learning likewise.
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To promote the arts, there is no need to belittle mathematics.
ReplyDeleteFor real mathematicians, I guess, math is poetry.
For me, in school, it was a game which I enjoyed.
For most of us, it is an indispensable tool.
Sylvain
Yes, math can be like poetry!
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