Incorporation of Visual and Media Arts in School Curricula

This paper explores the importance of incorporating visual and media arts in school curricula for children's holistic development and artistic abilities. It discusses the role of visual and media arts in the cultural lives of children and how it can enrich their lives. The paper also highlights the importance of children as producers of art and not just consumers of art.

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visual and media arts in School curricula
Author's Name
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Introduction

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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

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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

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use of images in picture books. Creative and expressive arts practices made available to young
children within the class is likely to expand the range of experiences. From the perspective of
social semiotic approach, digital art making within the early years of children’s creative play
seems promising but is still a relatively new approach when compared to the traditional paper art
making (Sakr, Connelly, & Wild, 2016). Creating an inclusive environment for the children
within the classroom means accepting differences and facilitating independence through active
interactive environments and participation. Different art forms like dance, visual art, music, and
drama can be used to create an inclusive environment. Those activities can be made an essential
part of the early childhood curriculum (Henderson & Lasley, 2014).
The digital technologies are not only popular, but effective technologies that are being
used to introduce are to - to 5-year-olds (Sakr, Connelly, & Wild, 2016). The potentials of
children’s digital art making and the integration of digital technologies within the early years of
the classroom are still seen at a nascent stage. A study was done on adults with intellectual
disabilities who were members of the Visual Storytelling Club (VSC). The VSC meets regularly
as an extracurricular art initiative and encourages the memes to express and connect with the
help of art (McEwen, Zbitnew, & Chatsick, 2014). They used technologies to manipulate art and
experiment with images. The study looks at the potential uses for tablets as both educational and
creative tool. The new technologies facilitate both social interaction and increased
communication among the artists. It is because the members can create art quickly and share it
more readily with others on the digital media. The art-making experience is seen as an alternative
way of communication, connectedness and inspired creativity. It fostered critical thinking among
the artists as they experimented with different techniques and designs as asserted by McEwen,
Zbitnew, & Chatsick (2014).

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An analysis of how children negotiate digital art making within the classroom shows how
children can make sense of digital art making without any adult input. The study highlights how
children approach digital resources and what kind of creative ways they use (Sakr, Connelly, &
Wild, 2016). However, careful planning is needed here and the children using digital
technologies should be given the right support. An outstanding method of creating authentic arts
education can be seen in the Botanics series of apps that cover drawing, painting, printmaking,
and sculpture. The students develop their ability to read images effectively prior learning and
expand their visual literacy. The digital content is delivered using attractive contemporary
technology and creates quality art activities and experiences (Williams, 2016). The students add
to their visual literacy through guided questioning by the teachers and through quality art
experiences via innovative apps. That goes on to show that children are not just consumers but
producers of art culture.
Role of visual and media arts in the cultural lives of children
Visual and media arts can enrich the cultural lives of children. According to Soundy
(2015), the younger artists use basic visual artistic elements like line, color, shape, and texture to
create visual texts. Educators now realize that children’s drawings reflect their process for
thinking and communicating. The pictures and drawing can work as an aesthetic and creative
medium that can create new ideas with a touch of imagination. Children’s rich and complex
ability to identify drawings from multi-modal and semiotic perspectives have motivated the
educators to think more about the textbooks (Soundy, 2015). Educators need to be aware of the
various forms of verbal and visual representation. However, communicating with the child about
art through meaningful adult-child interactions can be most productive if the adults are patient
towards the child. However, it requires a long-term commitment to understanding and

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interactions that focus on the child's art experiences (Richards, 2014). Lack of meaningful
interactions at home and school as well as lack of meaningful social interactions an at preschool
can enhance their artistic expressions. The schools and teachers need to develop a stimulating
and supportive environment for the students to explore their art experiences. The complexity of
children’s’ experience of creating art from observation or their imagination relies on their
interactions and experiences in both private and public facets. Visual and Media Arts engage
students in creative thinking and thus enrich their cultural lives.
Mayesky (2015) urges teachers to keep the children at the center of their teaching
practice and rely on their professional judgment. It is essential to implement creative activities to
promote the development of the young child. The teachers can implement fun and creative
activities for young children within the classroom. However, in order to do this, the school and
the educators need to make a careful selection of children's books and activities to work
creatively with children. The educator should develop a nurturing environment for the students to
explore, test themselves and solve problems during a shared experience like painting a collage.
Children learn about the skills of others as well as the pleasure of togetherness. Active learning
through the arts creates excitement. Art is also used to meet the unique needs of students. An
inclusion atmosphere in the classroom can motivate the children to think for themselves
(Henderson & Lasley, 2014). However, the educators need to plan the activities based on
individual needs, abilities, and interests of the students.
It is essential to transform the curriculum to promote the creativity and imagination
within every child, who deserves the opportunity to learn and expand. The arts curriculum can be
reformed to develop a rewarding experience for the students in the arts (Roy, Baker & Hamilton,
2015). The contemporary sociocultural curricula must encourage meaningful social interactions

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to impact children's art experiences positively.
Conclusion
Learning to appreciate visual aesthetics and create art is seen as an essential aspect of
development for the next generation of children. The educational experts cannot ignore the
importance of visual and media arts within the classroom. Children need to be seen as confident
producers, not purely consumers of art culture. They need to represent and express themselves
as involved learners. This is possible only if they get a suitable atmosphere within the classroom
and right mediums of expression. The digital and interactive information technologies are the
new media are being studied as an innovative platform for participation and inclusion.
References

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