With the greater emphasis on school accountability brought about by the No Child Left Behind Act, schools have been rethinking their priorities and sacrificing electives for the sake of focusing on core subjects like reading and math. Art education has suffered as a result of this trend, leaving fewer students in art classes, or eliminating the art option for lower-performing students. Sadly, students miss out on several benefits of art when this happens.
Sensory Awareness
In the process of making art, a student begins looking at the world around her in a different way---with a real eye for detail. For example, when she is sketching a hand, she looks at that hand probably more closely than ever before. Students must learn to take their sensory input---what they see, hear, taste, touch and smell---and interpret it for others as works of art.
Manual Dexterity
A variety of art class projects give students a chance to develop skills using their hands. As they grasp and manipulate paper, pencils, scissors, paints, modeling clay and other art supplies, they refine their ability to use their hands to create objects or images with precision and fine detail.
Personal Expression
Art is a form of nonverbal communication that can strengthen the presentation of ideas, according to ArtsEdge, the National Arts and Education Network. Students communicate through their artistic creations, expressing their thoughts and feelings. Students can show how they perceive an object, a concept or the world around them in a piece of art. They often thrive in an art class, the University of Michigan explains, because it is a setting where there are no right and wrong answers, where the creative process builds self-esteem and where diverse perspectives enrich the experience for everyone.
Imagination
Art classes encourage students to develop their creativity. This may involve calling upon their imagination, their problem-solving skills, or both. Research summarized in a New York Times article indicates that students learn to envision and to be playful as they are creating pieces of art. Good art teachers plan activities that give students an appropriate balance between freedom and structure, encouraging students to employ their imagination to make a project their own.
Reasoning
A Brigham Young University research brief noted that art education helps students develop deeper and more complex thinking skills, including critical, abstract and symbolic thinking. Art classes also improve students' spatial reasoning.
The Annenberg Foundation cites three specific studies that suggest students who study art do better in academic areas as well, though critics point out that correlation does not imply causation.
Cultural Understanding
Art plays a valuable role in every culture. By learning to understand and appreciate art, students gain insights into a variety of time periods and cultures. Art offers a way of learning about the world that appeals to students on intellectual, sensory and emotional levels. The arts offer a way to know the world, ArtsEdge asserts.
