Art Integration with Special Education Children Michelle Hernandez Spring 2014

Question Can the integration of art in special education classrooms improve students academic development?

Disciplines Art Special Education

The Problem Schools these days see art as a recreational activity only and do not incorporate it into other academic subjects. Math and English are prioritized.

What is Special Education? The practice of educating students with special needs in a way that addresses their individual differences and needs. Students with physical or learning disabilities such as: Dyslexia ADHD/ADD Autism In 2011, 13 percent of students were in Special Education

Literature Review Wendy Hardy “The arts have not been made a priority in schools because they have not been considered a basic part of the education of young people and given the attention that they merit. However, the arts should be considered basic education because the arts develop unique and important mental thinking skills and represent the highest of human achievement including social and personal competence” (2011).

Literature Review Hardy examines five-5 year olds in pre-kindergarten and how the arts impact their development. This study incorporated the arts into literature. Hardy created a teacher’s manual to help them create lessons that incorporated art into other academic subjects.

Literature Review Patricia Lynch- Making Meaning Many Ways: An Exploratory Look at Integrating the Arts with Classroom Curriculum. No Child Left Behind Law is one of the reasons why art is no longer a priority in schools. Schools have become language driven and text-oriented. Study looked into a magnet school in southeastern United States. The school employed full-time art, music, drama and Physical Education teachers who do not only teach their own discipline, but also design and teach art integration lessons.

Literature Review Jennifer Durham “Only art educates the whole person as an integrated individual; it educates the senses, it educates the mind, and it educates the emotions. It educates the soul.” According to Durham, students with learning disabilities lack confidence and self-esteem, which have both been linked to academic achievement. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the ways in which the arts contribute to the cognitive and personal development of students with learning disabilities.

Research Design I plan to observe two different third grade, special education classrooms with the same demographics. One class will have an arts integrated program while the other will not. Research will take 10 months, or one school year, August-June.

Research Design-What will I need? I will need to know where students stand on their academics before I begin my research to compare their overall improvements and developments at the end of the research. Permission from parents, teachers and school principals will be needed to do my research. I will need to compare test scores to see the progress of the students to determine in which program students are generally doing better. Create a survey for students to take to share their feelings and opinions about the program they are in and their progress an individual in the classroom.

Research Study-Limitations The teacher’s effectiveness as a teacher and their teaching ways can be influential factors in the students progress.

Analysis of Data and Implementation Organize a workshop to inform teachers of the information I have gathered. Teachers will put in their input and opinions about art integration. Then, from the research I gathered and the opinions from the teachers at the workshop, I will create a lesson plan so teachers can incorporate art in the classroom.

Conclusions and Recommendations Art integration in special education classrooms has proven to enhance children’s academic skills and achievements. I recommend that an annual workshop be organized for teachers to share their views about the art integration programs and that the lesson plan be updated and edited when needed to improve the program.

Bibliography Art discipline Derby, J. (2013). Nothing About Us Without Us: Art Education’s Disservice to Disabled People. National Art Education Association Studies in Art Education: A Journal of issues and Research. 54(4), 376-380. Hardy, W. (2011). Arts in Early Childhood Education and the Enhancement of Learning. Dissertation Abstracts International Section A: Humanities and Social Sciences, Vol 73(2-A). Lynch P. (2007). Making Meaning Many Ways: An Exploratory Look at Integrating the Arts with Classroom Curriculum. Art Education, 60(4), 33-38 Moskowitz, E (2003). A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words: Arts Education in New York City Public Schools. Council of the City of New York ,Education Committee, Education Committee, http://www.council.nyc.ny.us/index.cfm. Smith, R. A. (1995). The limits and costs of integration in arts education. Arts Education Policy Review. 96, 21-25. Special Ed. Discipline Durham, J. (2010). The Effects of an Arts-Based and Integrated Curricular Approach on the Cognitive Processes and Personal Learning Characteristics of Students with Learning Disabilities. UMI Dissertation Publishing. LaJevic, L. (2013). The lost and found space of the arts in education. International Journal Of Education Through Art, 9(1), 41-54. Mason, C. Y., Steedly, K. M., & Thormann, M. S. (2008). Impact of Arts Integration on Voice, Choice, and Access. Teacher Education & Special Education, 31(1), 36-46. Rinne, L., Gregory, E., Yarmolinskaya, J., & Hardiman, M. (2011). Why arts integration improves long‐term retention of content. Mind, Brain, And Education, 5(2), 89-96.   Theoharis, G., & Causton, J. (2014). Leading Inclusive Reform for Students With Disabilities: A School- and Systemwide Approach. Theory Into Practice, 53(2), 82-97. Weber, M. (2009) Special Education Law: Challenges Old and New. Phi Delta Kappan, 90(10), p728-732.