Does Experience in the Arts Boost Academic Achievement?

Does Experience in the Arts Boost Academic Achievement?

Does experience in the arts boost academic achievement? Eisner, Elliot W., Arts Education Policy Review; Sep/Oct 1998; 100, 1; Music Periodicals Database, pg. 32

Q: Who is Elliot W. Eisner?

Elliott W. Eisner was a professor of Art and Education at the Stanford Graduate School of Education. He was involved with subjects such as arts education, curriculum reform, etc. and was also referred to as one of the United States’ leading academic minds.

Q: What is meant by “academic achievement?”

“Academic Achievement” describes the academic outcomes of a student or group of students that indicate how well they achieved their learning goals.

Q: What has been the rationale for suggesting that there is a correlation between arts education and academic achievement?

The rationale for this claim is primarily to help the arts succeed and remain a relevant subject area in schools around the world. There are arguments that test scores are higher for those who practice and/or study the arts, or that those who practice and/or study the arts are more successful in school. What Dr. Eisner was researching, was what kind of research had been done on this topic.

Select two (2) concepts/ideas that Eisner presents and identify why you chose them and what makes them significant, either from the perspective of a student teacher or as an in-service teacher teaching the arts in Ontario.

1. “That questions about the contributions of the arts to academic achievement are raised by those for whom the arts are personally marginal is understandable: When the arts are not a part of your own life it is hard to know what they can contribute to it or to the lives of others. What is troublesome is the image of arts educators who know what the arts have to offer trying to give the customers what they want, whether or not there is evidence to support it. Too often we promise more than we can deliver, a practice that by definition leads to disappointment.”

Eisner, 1998, p. 32

I like this concept presented by Eisner because it brings forward a great point. What Eisner is saying here is that the question of whether or not the arts actually increase academic achievement is typically brought up by those who have not really been impacted by the arts or who do not have the arts in their everyday lives, which he says is perfectly understandable.

As a student teacher, I can already think about how this concept can be relevant to teaching, particularly when it comes to presenting ideas to administration or requesting funding for the arts. If the people who you are presenting it to do not have familiarity with the arts, how are they to understand what kind of benefit they truly offer to students and their education. Trying to convey a message to someone or a group of people on t a foreign subject to them can be like speaking a different language which they don’t understand. As arts teachers we have to be able to convey these benefits effectively in order to help continue to grow the arts subject area in education.

2. “Ancillary Outcomes of Arts Education are those outcomes like the effects of arts education on student performance in reading, math, or other academic subjects. Ancillary Outcomes of Arts Education pertain to outcomes that transfer skills employed in the perception, creation, and comprehension of the arts to non-arts tasks.”

Eisner, 1998, p. 36

I chose this concept since I believe what it discusses. I do believe that arts courses can help students in other subject areas such as reading and creative thinking.

It just makes sense, really. It would take some research to prove this idea, of course, but it would not surprise me if it turned out to be true. For example, I would think that a student who regularly attends music courses and writes their own music would have better creative thinking skills than someone who does not attend music courses at all. Now obviously there could be underlying factors such as one being a naturally stronger creative thinker, but even if it was shown to increase the level of creative thinking would be an obvious enough benefit to say that the arts are beneficial to students and their learning.

Definitions: Define Experimental study, correlational study, refereed journal, histogram, placebo.

Experimental Study: Studies where researchers introduce an intervention and study the effects.

Correlation Study: A correlation study investigates relationships between variables without the researcher controlling or manipulating any of them.

Refereed Journal: A refereed journal contains articles that have been through a peer review process.

Histogram: A histogram is the most commonly used graph to show frequency distributions.

Placebo: A placebo is a sham substance or treatment which is designed to have no known therapeutic value.

Abstract. Draft a one paragraph abstract for this article. Identify key ideas and then elaborate.

The article Does experience in the arts boost academic achievement? by Dr. Elliott W. Eisner is an article that highlights various studies that are researched by Dr. Eisner related to whether or not art education can affect academic achievement. The article goes over various studies that were conducted on the subject and looks at what was discovered during each. Some discussed include those that did find a relation, as well as those that did not find a correlation. At the end of the article, Dr. Eisner concludes by stating that although there are some correlations that were found, they are limited. He also discusses how we as teachers should not force the arts upon anyone, but rather let students and their parents/guardians discover it for themselves to realize its potential in their educational lives.

Q: Why are referee journals the preferred type of journal when finding articles relating to the arts?

Because refereed journals go through a proper peer-review process, they are deemed to be more factually accurate and can be used as trusted sources.

Q: How might a correlation between the arts and academic achievement be different depending on the art form (music, dramatic arts, dance, media arts, or visual art)?

The correlation may be different because certain arts subjects, such as music, may require more skills that are used in other, non-arts subject areas, such as reading and writing, therefore there may be a more positive correlation between the arts and academic achievement in that subject area of the arts, as opposed to dance, for example.

Q: Is the term ‘arts’ too broad a variable to be paired with academic achievement?

I think that it definitely is a little bit too broad of a variable because the term “arts” can also include subjects such as poetry and writing, which are already required courses in high school (English). I think that specific arts subjects should be used when drawing this comparison, such as musical arts or visual arts.

Q: Might the danger here be of comparing the arts, which are very complex ways of thinking and knowing, to so-called ‘academic’ outcome success in math or success in literacy?

I think that this danger may be that with subjects such as math and literacy, there is a right and wrong (ex. 2 + 2 = 4), whereas with a subject such as music, for example, there is no right or wrong, as it is creative expression.

Q: When we speak of, or read “arts courses,” can we assume that all “arts courses” are the same in terms of learning outcomes, content, time on task, and funding?

No, because each arts subject will have and does have different learning outcomes. For example, the learning outcomes for dance and music courses will be different, as they are not the same type of art.

Q: Where is there an example of American spelling rather than Canadian spelling?

“Let’s define the arts as courses in the visual arts, music, theater, and dance”

Eisner, p. 32

In this quote, Eisner used the word “theater,” whereas in Canadian/British English we would spell it as “theatre” with an “re” at the end rather than an “er.”

Q: Who is the artist Duchamp? How would you describe his art?

Henri-Robert-Marcel Duchamp was a French-American artist who was famous for creating very thought-provoking art and challenged art norms. He is also known as one of the key artists who helped to revolutionize the plastic arts. His art, from looking at it, is definitely not commonly seen, and is very creative. His use of shapes and physical materials, such as porcelain and plastic, allowed him to create some very fascinating pieces.

Read the following quote:

“…arts education and the several art fields that constitute it ought to give pride of place to those unique contributions that only the arts make possible, that when justifications for arts education that are not distinctive become primary, the place of arts education in our schools and their potential contribution to the student’s education is compromised.”

Eisner, p. 36

Q: What are the “unique contributions that only the arts make possible?”

The unique contributions are:

1. They give students the willingness to imagine possibilities that are not now, but which might become.
2. They give students a desire to explore ambiguity, to be willing to forestall premature closure in pursuing resolutions.
3. They give students the ability to recognize and accept the multiple perspectives and resolutions that work in the arts celebrate.

Q: What does this mean for you when designing your philosophy of arts education?

This means that I should take these unique contributions into account when creating my philosophy of arts education and describe how I plan to allow students to discover the opportunities that the arts give them in their educational journeys.

Read the following quote:

“Sometimes it is better to not give customers what they want but, rather, to help them understand what they ought to want.”

Eisner, p. 38

Q: How might this apply to teaching and the curriculum?

This can apply to teaching and the curriculum because it is saying that sometimes it is better to no teach the students what they want to learn, but rather help them understand what they should be wanting to learn, which is what is outlined in the curriculum.

Q: Should in-service arts teachers be arts advocates? If so, how might they be?

In-service arts teachers should certainly be arts advocates because it is what they love to teach. Education can kind of run like a business, where teachers need to promote their courses and subject areas to help students realize what they have to offer and what they can learn from it. This can be done at school fairs, during open houses, and more.