Chapter two primarily focuses on three core aspects of arts integration, which are reasons, rationale, and research on the given subject, and these three Rs are accompanied by two main reasons why teachers might have an interest in arts integrations. The first reason revolves around the fact that arts integration practices are in alignment with the way students are eager to learn the topic since the emphasis is put on the most insightful and critical aspects of arts in general (Zhou & Brown, 2018). The second reason is centered around the notion that arts integration is highly useful and necessary for educators because they are more inclined to receive a greater level of satisfaction in their professional lives and endeavors (Zhou & Brown, 2018). The rationale for arts integration needs to be able to answer two major questions of what and why, and the key justification is the fact that there will be a common understanding of expectations in regards to outcomes. In addition, such an approach is highly useful to promote an improved level of communication within the professional field, where support from families, administrators, and colleagues is vital (Zhou & Brown, 2018). The last key aspect of the three Rs is manifested in research, where the arts integration is conducted by adhering to both arts and non-arts curriculum since they enable students to have a more in-depth understanding of arts.
In order to provide an in-depth comprehension of the key reasons behind the arts integration processes, it is critical to expanding on these aspects of the subject since they can be considered as pillars of arts integration. The first reason for arts integration is rooted in the alignment process, where students are engaged in activities, which promote the overall development of both arts and other curriculum understandings on the basis of mutual interpretation. It is important to point out that the second reason for arts integration carries a significant benefit in the form of the cultural transformation of a classroom, where purposeful interactions need to be emphasized. In regards to these elements of the subject at hand, one should not confuse a mission statement with rationale because the former focuses on values and vision, whereas the latter primarily addresses the motivation behind these actions. Professional satisfaction lies at the core of the second reason because an educator’s attitude and approach towards his or her own work need to be valued and adjusted according to the needs in order to provide a proper arts integration process. Therefore, one can easily see that the describe reasons are mutually compatible but focus on different target groups, where the first reason addresses students or learners, and the second reason mainly accentuates teachers or educators.
The major point of potential disagreement might lie in the overall benefit of arts integration for teachers and schools, where it is implied that arts specialists need to collaborate with the latter in order to deliver greater educator satisfaction. One might argue that there is also a possible risk of undermining the authority of a teacher since an arts specialist can take over the arts integration process, which might result in inherent inefficiency of the teaching process. In addition, educators might not experience greater educator satisfaction because their undermined professional competence might result in severe dissatisfaction, which will inevitably hurt students as well. Some educators might also argue that arts specialists can use teaching measures that are not particularly suitable for a selected group of students since they have knowledge of arts but are not aware of the preparedness-related nuances of teaching. In other words, one should be able to understand that focusing on both teachers and arts specialists created inevitable power dynamics between these two authority figures, which can be eliminated through proper management practices, but the lack of the latter will result in poor teaching and loss of professional satisfaction. Therefore, it is critical to ensure that arts specialists are not put as authority figures, and leadership remains in the hand of educators themselves.
In conclusion, it is important to note that arts integration requires proper research, rationale, and reasons, which comprise the three Rs. The first reason for arts integration is the notion of alignment, where students’ learning process is in accordance with arts, and the second reason is rooted in the fact that arts integration is interested in increasing and improving teachers’ professional satisfaction. In addition, the rationale for arts integration should answer two key questions of what and why, and it should not be confused with a mission statement because one focuses on motivation and the other focuses on values and vision. The reasons are mutually compatible because they address both target groups, which are educators and students. Students need to able to learn arts integration in a way that is aligned with their learning capabilities and approaches, whereas the teachers need to be satisfied in a professional manner in order to ensure that the teaching process is purposeful. However, a collaboration between arts specialists and educators might not always be productive because one might interfere with another.
Reference
Zhou, M., & Brown, D. (2018). Arts integration in elementary curriculum. GALLILEO.
