obama ’ s 2008 platform on the arts
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Obama’s 2008 platform on the arts
•To remain competitive in the global economy, America needs to reinvigorate the kind of creativity and innovation that has made this country great. To do so, we must nourish our children’s creative skills. In addition to giving our children the science and math skills they need to compete in the new global context, we should also encourage the ability to think creatively that comes from a meaningful arts education. Unfortunately, many school districts are cutting instructional time for art and music education.
“Due to budget constraints and emphasis on the subjects of
high stakes testing, arts instruction in schools is on a downward trend.”
President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, 2011
May 2011
Minor role, strong TRANSFER claims...
Studies have shown that involvement in the arts helps kids increase test scores and promotes academic achievement. Kids who are involved in the arts are--4 times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement 3 times more likely to be elected to class office within their schools 4 times more likely to participate in a math and science fair 3 times more likely to win an award for school attendance
“Saving” kids through the arts“We’re going to try to move forward all the kids who were left behind by ‘No Child Left Behind’ – the kids who have talent or a passion or an idiosyncratic perspective. Those kids are important too and they should have a place in society. It’s very often the arts that catches them.” Rocco Landesman Chairman of NEH 2009“Landesman doesn’t defend arts
education as a rigorous discipline…Instead, the purpose is salvation. Some students don’t fit the NCLB [No Child Left Behind] regime and other subjects don’t inspire them. Talented but offbeat, they sulk through algebra, act up in the cafeteria, and drop out of school. The arts “catch” them and pull them back, turning a sinking ego on the margins into a creative citizen with a “place in society.” Bauerlein 2010 Education Next
Why expect transfer?
Difficulty of demonstrating
transfer...even with plausible
hypothesisDesign of study
Quality of arts instruction
Our forthcoming OECD book reports
on:•Creativity Outcomes •Cognitive Outcomes •Motivational Outcomes •Social Skills Outcomes •Brain Outcomes
Multi-ArtsMusicVisual ArtsTheatre (Drama)Dance
{
Multi-Arts and Cognitive Outcomes: What We Know Thus Far
Multi-Arts Significant Null/Inconsistent
REAP Correlational (10) Significant ES
REAP Experimental (6) Non-significant ES
Music (0)
Visual Arts (0)
Correlational (2) Significant, but 1 study self-reported originality
Quasi-experimental (1) Non-significant
Theatre (0)Correlational (1) Significant
Experimental (2) Significant
Dance (0)
Correlational (1) 0 Non-significantQuasi-experimental (2) Significant
Experimental (2) Significant
Multi-Arts and Cognitive Outcomes: What We Know Thus Far
Motivational Outcomes: Multi-Arts
All correlationalReap and post-REAP
Students taking arts score higher No difference
Academic self-concept 2 0Attendance 6 1Aspirations 3 0Attitude 1 3Drop out 1 1Engagement 13 2Persistence 1 0
Multi-Arts and Cognitive Outcomes: What We Know Thus Far
A claim that does not hold up
Example of Correlational Finding: SAT Data from College Board
Verbal SAT Score as a Function of High School Arts Courses
455 452
413422
427432
390
400
410
420
430
440
450
460
None 1 yr. 2 yrs. 3 yrs. 4 yrs. Over 4yrs.
413
422
427432
455 452
Example #2 of Correlational Data: James Catterall
Arts and math/verbal/composite achievement (REAP)
International Studies Fail to
Replicate•UK: Arts track: lower performance GCSE
•Netherlands: no difference
Non-Causal Explanations
FamiliesSchoolsDriveStrategy
Hypothesis: arts improve academic learning via the indirect route of changing school culture
--more constructivist, inquiry based, project based learning?
• •
Multi-Arts and Cognitive Outcomes: What We Know Thus Far
2009
Multi-Arts and Cognitive Outcomes: What We Know Thus Far
•4-6 yr olds randomly assigned to music listening/painting group computerized lessons led by teacher 2 hr/wk, 5 days/wk, 4 wks.• •
•
• musically trained children do well in school above and beyond what would be predicted by their IQ (Schellenberg, 2006).
• Higher IQ children study instruments (Schellenberg)
• Personality trait of conscientiousness, which is known to be related to academic performance, predicts persistence with an instrument. (Schellenberg)
• If lessons in other art forms involved the same combination of school-like activities...
Multi-Arts and Cognitive Outcomes: What We Know Thus Far
•Training in looking closely at paintings and describe them in detail improves doctors’ ability to diagnose disorders from photos of people (but this need not involve art)--Dolev et al. 2001
•Training in looking at and describing works of art improves 9-10 year olds ability to interpret a scientific image (a fossil record of two intersecting footprints)--Tishman et al 1999
BRAIN OUTCOMES
Our Approach
3 stepsStep 1: Analyze learning in parent domainStep 2: Assess learning in parent domainStep 3: Test plausible hypotheses about learning
transfer
Potentially Transferable Cognitive Habits of Mind
Stretch and Explore
Just play around and maybe you’ll learn a new technique
ObservationLearning to See
potential transfer domains? biology...writing...
Envisioning What You Can’t
SeeGenerating and
Manipulating Mental Images
potential transfer domains? geometry...geography
Explaining
Evaluating
Reflection Meta-cognition
potential transfer domains? everywhere!
Expression“Art is beyond technique”
potential transfer domains? writing with a personal voice...
Don’t look for transfer unless you could explain it if you found
it....unless you believe in magic
ConclusionsMore experimental (not correlational) studies
Studies should be based on hypotheses related to learning in the relevant art form
Greater transfer should be predicted by greater learning in the art form
Examine effects of teaching a non-arts domain by integrating the arts; compare to traditional method of teaching same domain
Consider the hypothesis of arts as entry points but only for certain kinds of students
No transfer = lack of justification•Intrinsic merits
•Double edged sword: direct always better
/