“What’s so important about art education for elementary students?”
Importance of Art Education
- The Basics – Art education teaches students how to interpret, critique and use visual information.
- Motor Skills– Stroking with a paintbrush and scribbling with a crayon are two examples of motor motions used in art, providing practice that is essential to the growth of fine motor skills in young children.
- Language Development – Provides opportunities to learn words for colors, shapes, actions and emotions. Students can use descriptive words to discuss their own creations or to talk about what feelings are elicited when they see different styles of artwork.
- Improved Academic Performance– Numerous studies show the correlation between art education and academic achievement across disciplines. Involvement in the arts is associated with gains in math, reading, cognitive ability, critical thinking and verbal skills. Arts learning can also improve motivation, concentration, confidence and teamwork.
- Decision Making– According to a report by Americans for the Arts, art education strengthens critical-thinking and problem-solving skills that carry over over into other parts of life.
- Visual Learning– Drawing, painting and sculpting develop visual-spatial skills.
- Inventiveness– Children are encouraged to express themselves, be original and take risks in creating art, and there are no right or wrong answers. This helps develop an attitude of innovation that contributes to success in adults.
- Cultural Awareness– Art encourages multiple perspectives and teaches that there is more than one way to see the world.
- Academic Participation – A report by Americans for the Arts states that art students are more likely to participate in math and science fairs, and write essays or poems. More importantly, they are four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement than children who are not given the opportunity to participate in art.
Source: PBS
Meet the Masters Provides the Best Art Education
- MTM has 35 master artists selected because of their significance in history, their representation of major periods in art and their various art elements to be explored
- Standards based curriculum
- 3-step lesson plan is based upon proven teaching techniques
- Provides an avenue to make cross connections with other elementary-level subjects
- Introduces and illustrates new vocabulary in a meaningful way
- Art History + Art Techniques + Art Activities
- Age appropriate – 3-4 levels of instruction K-8
- All students have an opportunity to express their creative inner artist
A Few Other Things That Make MTM Great
- MTM’s Implementation Guide provides all the tools for a successful program
- Volunteers find scripted, easy-to-use lessons that are FUN to teach
- No teaching or art background necessary
- MTM is flexible to fit any school’s schedule
- Schools can tailor the program to meet their needs and budget
- MTM has no annual license fee – the program can be reused for many years
- More than 3 million students successfully taught since 1985
Ready to learn more about adding art to your school? Contact us today for a quote or to get more information.