gail sheffield on wed 27 jan 99
There was a posting within the last few weeks that made the point that =
school
children who get to work with clay and ceramics have a better attitude =
toward
other studies and have fewer behavioral problems. I cannot locate it in the
Clayart archives=3B if someone could either forward it or direct me to the
appropriate archive topic, I would appreciate it. I am helping a local 6th
grade art teacher work on a ceramic tile mural being created by the class. =
To
make a long story short, we are battling a principal who is an ex-coach and
doesn't believe art is important. And this is a school in a low-income area
with a high incidence of students with behavior problems. The posting in
question might help us. Thanks.
Gail Sheffield
Covington, LA
Mike Gordon on thu 28 jan 99
Gail,
The article came from a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer -
Lori Olszewski - Friday, Nov. 13,1998.Titled "STUDY LINKS ARTS CLASSES
TO ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT". The research was done by Stanford professor
Shirley Brice Heath, professor of English and linguistics. She is also a
senior scholar at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of
Teaching.I don't have a scanner (yet) so if you e-mail me your snail
mail address I'll send you a copy of the article, Mike
gburning.mail on fri 29 jan 99
I would love to hear of whatever studies exist showing a correlation between cla
and moderated ehavioral problems. I am an ex-coach (athletics) now full-time
pottery teacher(coach)and would love to share anecdotal evidence with anybody
about the benefits accrued through manipulating this lovely
mess.
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> There was a posting within the last few weeks that made the point that school
> children who get to work with clay and ceramics have a better attitude toward
> other studies and have fewer behavioral problems. I cannot locate it in the
> Clayart archives; if someone could either forward it or direct me to the
> appropriate archive topic, I would appreciate it. I am helping a local 6th
> grade art teacher work on a ceramic tile mural being created by the class. To
> make a long story short, we are battling a principal who is an ex-coach and
> doesn't believe art is important. And this is a school in a low-income area
> with a high incidence of students with behavior problems. The posting in
> question might help us. Thanks.
>
> Gail Sheffield
> Covington, LA
Don & Isao Morrill on fri 29 jan 99
At 13:55 1/27/99 EST, you wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>There was a posting within the last few weeks that made the point that school
>children who get to work with clay and ceramics have a better attitude toward
>other studies and have fewer behavioral problems. I cannot locate it in the
>Clayart archives; if someone could either forward it or direct me to the
>appropriate archive topic, I would appreciate it. I am helping a local 6th
>grade art teacher work on a ceramic tile mural being created by the class.
To
>make a long story short, we are battling a principal who is an ex-coach and
>doesn't believe art is important. And this is a school in a low-income area
>with a high incidence of students with behavior problems. The posting in
>question might help us. Thanks.
>
>Gail Sheffield
>Covington, LA
>
>Dear Gail, Please excuse us for jumping-in here. Art is of no importance
in the situation you describe. Of great importance is the manipulation of
materials leading to an understanding of various techniques,and their
relevance to the future lives and employment of the students. One must
convince authority that these techniques are the very basis of any society.
They encourage quickness of hand as well as mental agility.
The conviction that Art is a useless pursuit,(whatever art may
be) gives the Arts a bad name. Every child ten years younger than their
instructor is,by the very nature of being a student....a "behavior"
problem. The student recognizes 'relevance long before the instructor and
will use this understanding at first opportunity. IMHO.
Isao & Don
Valice Raffi on sat 30 jan 99
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>children who get to work with clay and ceramics have a better attitude
>toward other studies and have fewer behavioral problems.
Gail,
I work a lot with At-Risk kids, both in and out of Institutions. I often
relate the art projects to academic subjects, both to the kids & the
"powers that be". For example, with your tile project, the students are
solving technical problems concerning math & geometry (how many tiles, what
dimension is the space to be filled), science (gravity, chemical bonding
such as the glazes, mortar, grout; alterations from heat), possibly social
studies (depending on the subject matter of the mural), not to mention
building self-discipline and teamwork skills.
I keep articles concerning the "why art" question, and I could make copies
of these & send them along. Otherwise, here's some ammunition for you:
from the Sacramento Bee; 11/20/97
"A 1995 study by the College Board found that students who studied the arts
for more than 4 years scored 59 points higher on the verbal part of the
Scolastic Assessment Test and 44 points higher on the math section than
students with no course work in the arts."
from the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development; Spring '98
"Brain research and multiple intelligences theories are providing evidence
to support including the arts in a balanced curriculum.... [it] indicates
that studying the arts may lay critical neural pathways important for later
development"
from the Sacramento Bee; 10/24/95
"The arts are disciplines rooted in critical thinking and in creative
learning"
"1.3 million people in the United States make their living through the
arts. The arts attract tourists, and those visitors spend money, an
estimated $36.8 million."
both quotes from Jane Alexander- Chairwoman, NEA (at that time)
from the Sacramento Bee; 8/3/97 (reprinted from The Nation)
"Last year Americans spent 50 % more attending arts than sports events."
Studies conducted in institutions (Youth Authority, Prisons) show that
there is a decrease in Disciplinary Actions (from behavior problems) as
well as a decrease in recidivism (parolees returning to prison for new
offences) among wards and inmates who have been programming in the arts.
Hope this is a help,
Valice
in Sacramento
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