Arts Education in a Teacher Education Curriculum: A Model Based on Comparative Analysis of Arts Education Theories

In this study the historical role of the arts in America was briefly traced as well as the history of federal interest in the arts and arts education. The importance of arts education for the individual, the school, and society was stated. Four basic tenets of arts education were derived from research and literature which provided criteria for effective arts activities and strategies. These tenets suggest that arts education (1) should be based on experiential, discovery-based, process-oriented approaches; (2) should be viewed as a developmental activity; (3) should focus on the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains of learning; and (4) should provide a perspective of the world. Pedagogical structures such as the single-art approach, the interdisciplinary approach, the integrative approach, and the magnet school approach were identified as well as the potential and value of community resources which are suggested as vital supplements to in-school instruction. There is a relative lack of arts experiences in teacher preparation situations and, even when present, such experiences often focus on the single-subject approach--not integration. The need for an arts education course for future teachers has been recognized and chapter four of the study contains strategies in creative movement, writing, art awareness activities, creative dramatics, and music which may be used for instruction of teacher preparation students in an arts education course which would focus upon the various theories, tenets, and research findings of the author. Arts education should be an integral component of any elementary curriculum and future teachers must have the opportunity to take a course in arts education in their teacher preparation studies. This course would be experiential, discovery-based, process-oriented, would enhance and enrich their educational opportunities, and would assist the students in an awareness of the three domains of learning. Finally, it would enrich the students\u27 perspectives regarding the value and worth of the arts education experience