All tagged learning through the arts
What do you think when you hear arts education? Learning a musical instrument? Painting a portrait? Maybe using dance to express a feeling or idea?
Though these are all forms of arts education, what you likely don’t think about is the decades worth of research supporting the benefits that arts education has to our mental health, emotional maturity, and even our employability as adults – not just as artists, but in any type of job. As the largest performing arts centre in western Canada, it’s no surprise that we are very interested in the science of arts education. That’s why in spring of last year, we collaborated with Calgary Arts Development Association to conduct a benchmark survey to discover where teachers, parents, and arts facilitators needed us to step in and support.
Before we can explore this, it seems a good idea to back up and explore first: what exactly is critical thinking? Why is it such a hot topic currently?
Critical thinking is the process of thinking systematically, utilizing cognitive skills to listen, learn, think, understand, question, retain, justify, and evaluate. Critical thinking has less to do with intelligence and more to do with a process of sifting through and evaluating new information.
In just a few days, after weeks of preparation, teachers will return to classrooms all over Alberta to inspire learning in thousands of students. Lesson plans will unfold, and many teachers will work with their students to create something new through brainstorming and collected ideas. It may sound simple but perfecting the process of creating a work with a group of students is no easy task.
