Definition+of+Arts+Integration

Definition of Arts Integration for the Perpich Arts Integration Project:
Arts Integration is an instructional approach used by teachers when they work collaboratively to teach the content and processes of two or more subject areas, including one or more arts areas, to increase learning by students to identify, create and apply authentic learning connections.

= Discussion of what our definition means: = //Instructional approach// – a method or set of teaching techniques, or strategies, for organizing how educational experiences are designed and delivered

//Used by teachers// –art integration is intentional teacher activity to highlight and promote opportunities for discovering and applying authentic interrelationships between content areas with the ultimate goal of enabling students to benefit from the connections they construct as they engage in learning,

//Working collaboratively// – arts integration can be done successfully by teachers working alone, however, the Perpich Center is committed to developing the energy, group efficacy and resulting sustainability and expanded teaching capacity that results from working together to increase student learning.

//Content and processes// – though teachers will need to be pragmatic and selective about the content (knowledge and concepts) and processes (skills and authentic behaviors) fundamental to the disciplines involved in their arts integration work, each example of arts integration should show careful weighing of what and how to include them

//Across two or more content areas, including one or more arts areas// – arts integration is an inquiry into authentic connections among the elements, concepts and processes of multiple content areas including the arts

//To increase student learning// – though arts integration may begin with, and is sustained by teacher interests, its purpose is to support, provoke, engage and sustain student learning.

//To identify, create and apply authentic learning connections// – evidence of learning from arts integration needs to reveal how students have made sense of those connections intentionally highlighted by the teachers, have created and developed connections consistent with their interests and needs, and applied these connections in authentic expressions of learning