Incorporation of Visual and Media Arts in School Curricula

Running Head: ART & ARCHITECTURE 1
visual and media arts in School curricula
Author's Name
Institutional Affiliation
Introduction

ART & ARCHITECTURE 2
Early childhood development is an essential phase of learning. What the children
experience in their early years influence the learning outcomes and develop certain behaviors
that will support their learning attitudes in the future. Incorporation of visual and media arts in
school curricula can fosters a child’s holistic development and help cultivate his artistic abilities,
fuel his creativity and knowledge. The paper focuses on how visual arts can prove to be an
important cultural and educational tool.
Importance of visual and media arts for learning and development
Children look first before they do anything or speak. Thus, a useful educational emphasis
on artistic images can add to his visual literacy (Williams, 2016). The use of visual imagery can
be incorporated within schools, classroom, and curriculum. As there are fewer arts specialists in
schools, the educators are often not very sure of how arts learning can be implemented within the
classrooms. However, the use of art and visual literacy is absolutely effective in embracing
effective teaching and learning as asserted by Williams (2016). Children's capacity to create art
is seen as spontaneous art which is based on their thoughtful intentions. Researching with
children offers great insights into their artistic, social practices, their artistic interests, and
growth. Children get the first art experiences at home, and the parents are often the first teachers
for them as asserted by Richards (2014). John Dewey pointed out in Art as Experience that art
should not be seen as an emotional outburst and proper channeling of art could transform the
experience and expression of art (Richards, 2014). One can apply Dewey's concepts to children
within the classrooms and promote certain ideas and activities related to art. The artistic
expressions among children were the cumulative experiences within their public and private
worlds (Richards, 2014). It is their perceptions, emotions, and skills that lay the foundation of
their art skills. As stated by Dewey, any negative emotions like anger or fear repressed artistic

ART & ARCHITECTURE 3
expression while a positive emotional engagement encouraged art and not just the craft. Fully
rewarding artistic experiences were possible with controlled artistic actions and perceptions with
the help of external influences.
Most children experience literature through the picture books that are filled with visual
images that tell a story. Reading those picture books aloud can contribute to the development of
visual literacy among children (Soundy, 2015). Children can use build vocabulary and
relationships between the picture and the text and develop valuable skills for future composition.
The kind and quality of children’s books can assist the teachers in creating meaningful
engagement with the students. Wiesner’s picture book, “The Three Pigs” with colorful
illustrations and descriptive interactions between three pigs and the wolf blend different narrative
structures and techniques (Flores-Koulish & Smith-D’Arezzo, 2016). Children can make strong
connections between the picture books. Postmodern children’s literature must communicate
media in a variety of forms to encourage active engagement among the children. Art activities
within the class like drawing and painting is a child’s personal creation. The process and
experience of art for a child is more about his individuality and originality that needs to be
valued. It is essential to appreciate the differences in the artistic styles of the children and
appreciate the diversity through artwork (Shedd & Coyner, 2015).
Children as producers of art and not just consumers of art
Teaching specific elements of visual art can help develop comprehension and creative
competencies among the students. “Criticality” and “creativity” carry an intimate relationship as
both need the presence of high-quality thoughts (Pantaleo, 2017). Creativity in thinking is
associated with designing thought. Children express their thinking better orally than in writing.
Educators need to expand their own understanding of visual art and design to develop the right