Art influences children in and outside of the classroom constantly. People of all ages are being emerged in their surroundings which pulsate with art and they process how to respond to it.
Art in the classroom is especially helpful to children because it reaches more learning styles more frequently compared to other topics in school and it addresses all six developmental needs of children in the Comer Process: physical, ethical, social, cognitive, psychological, and language.
I recall using all seven learning styles in my art classrooms growing up. I used visual learning the most to process paintings I learned about - Aural learning, which is audio learning, when working on pieces to create connections with mood and sound to my paper - Verbal and social when discussing ideas about my next masterpiece - Physical when I got to run my hands in the sloppy paper mache materials - Logic for optical illusion drawings and finally, solitary from when I initially sat down to figure out how to translate my ideas to images.
Children need exposure to different learning styles because they need to figure out what helps them learn best as individuals. They need to learn many different ways to learn so that they can translate that information on their own to make choices for themselves. Making choices like this is a task that prepares them to function productively in society. Children need to learn to advocate for themselves and problem solve.
Additionally, the Comer Process, which addresses all six developmental needs, is met in the art classroom alone. Children receive physical needs by working sculptural - Ethical, language, and social during critiques whether formal or informal - Psychological needs when addressing their identity by evaluating and interpreting the clothes they wear everyday and lastly, cognitive when students analyze and connect these concepts from the classroom about art to the environment around them.
The different learning styles and Comer Process emphasize the importance of making choices when there is lots of variety and utilize methods to problem solve, as well as how children can satisfy all of their developmental needs to grow into adults that can continue to make proper choices, problem solve, and advocate for themselves when they need to in different types of environments. Art helps children respond to their lively art-filled environments now, and when practiced, in the future.
Comments