McKay School of Education > News > Wasatch District Teacher Takes Art Conference Lessons to the Classroom, the Staffroom, and Beyond
Wasatch District Teacher Takes Art Conference Lessons to the Classroom, the Staffroom, and Beyond
Doug Hardy and Monique Fausett admiring artwork in the BYU Museum of Art
"Everyone can do art," said Fausett in a telephone interview, explaining the philosophy she had learned at the art conferences. The conferences focused on different areas of art--drama, music, visual arts, dance, and media arts--and attendees had the opportunity to participate in arts activity models they could implement in their own classrooms. Fausett was particularly excited about the drama activities, explaining, "I didn't know how easy it is to incorporate drama into the classroom." She now plans impromptu skits and mini plays to help teach a variety of principles in her classroom.
Fausett presented what she had learned at BYU Arts Academy to her fellow teachers at Old Mill Elementary during a staff meeting, and based on her positive report the principal sent six more teachers to the next USOE Arts Networking Conference. Now the influence of arts education is spreading around her school, and it is opening up a variety of opportunities for some students who don't learn well under the traditional classroom models. Fausett explained that sometimes students open up to a subject taught through the arts when they otherwise might not. "Because of the No Child Left Behind [legislation], we get stuck on this track of pushing the basics of mathematics and science," said Fausett. "But not everyone does math and science well. If we don't incorporate the arts into classrooms, we're going to lose many students," Fausett suggested.
Fausett knows that incorporating arts is not easy, and she is experiencing first hand the challenges of changing her teaching habits. "Kids want to explore and be interactive," Fausett remarked. "We have to step out of our comfort zone and, instead of that same old lesson, take the time to rethink, re-plan and try something new."
Cally Flox, arts director for BYU's Center for the Improvement of Teacher Education and Schooling, is enthusiastic about what Old Mill Elementary is doing for arts in classrooms. "When an administration values teachers who use the arts, as is the case at Old Mill Elementary, the teachers can be more effective at meeting diverse student needs through their own creativity, which improves education for everyone." Research supports Flox's affirmation. A study published through Miami University, Ohio, in 1996 found that students who received arts infused curriculum at the elementary level had fewer disciplinary problems, better attendance, and higher math and reading test scores than equivalent schools without the arts component. And a 2006 UCLA study of 25,000 middle and high school students found students with high arts involvement performed better on standardized achievement tests than students with low arts involvement. These students also watched less TV, were more involved in community activities, and reported less boredom at school.
In Fausett's class, her new emphasis on arts means that during painting time the students do more than just doodle, they learn how to paint, and when they sing they talk about beats and rhythm. It also means that Fausett uses dance to teach geography, and drama to teach literature. "Before [attending the conferences] I just let the arts slide," Fausett said. "But after going to the Arts Academy, I really want to do more with arts in the classroom because I think it is good for society. I know if we don't use the arts to teach our students, we're going to lose some of them."