A curriculum proposes a course of study, with a specific approach to achieve a goal and a way to assemble information to get to an end point. The Every Art, Every Child Curriculum is borne out of a need to put into print and digital media an approach for using the arts in the classroom. Here, we propose a path–not a direct, linear path, but a way of layering elements of artistic thinking and working that supports the kind of behavior students will need for future career
and life endeavors.
In the curriculum before you, we present methods for tapping into the development of this whole, thinking, and creative child. The Every Art, Every Child Curriculum is the missing transitional piece that bridges art and content teaching to allow for the development of parallel process. Parallel process refers to the use of specific mechanisms (visualization, layering, designing, translating, observing, etc.) by teachers, teaching artists and art teachers to connect multiple content areas, for example, science and art. The Every Art, Every Child Curriculum prepares teachers to create moments of transfer within the parallel process, where students can break down individual thinking processes and understand the connections between disciplines. The arts are not simply add-on activities to make the class more interesting but rather rich and complex ways of thinking. The arts provide students with specific tools (drafting, designing, interpreting, composing, etc.) to grasp challenging concepts and then form original responses to these new findings. Bringing the arts into the teaching of challenging concepts provides multiple access points for students to understand new ideas and reinforce concrete skills.
As a teacher, you need a curriculum that offers choices for bringing the arts into your busy teaching schedule. The work in this website resonates with many educators and students because it takes into account the joyfulness of making and appreciating art and the flexibility of constructing your own knowledge through the arts. The art-making process brings complex ideas into physical reality. A model of a future home, a close read of a painting, or a dramatic re-enactment of a book all communicate compound realities. Everyone participates in constructivist learning, acquiring skill, and making meaning. We hope to equip you as a teacher with the concrete skills to execute such plans.
Approach this curriculum as you would a well-loved coffee table book: first admire the design and then delve into the content. Revisit moments that intrigue you and then piece together the elements that make a strong lesson or unit. We show you the beauty of arts-integration, explain the methodology behind our approach, and provide the tools to bring it into your classroom. Now we invite you to playfully explore, challenge yourself, and enjoy the benefits of enriching your students' learning through an arts-integration practice.
