Start by watching this short video:

And if that was at all intriguing, check out this longer video where I go into more detail:

That’s RIGHT. Just as math is useful for science, and science is useful in history, and history is useful in Language Arts, and all of it is useful for Physical Education and Health Class… ART IS USEFUL IN EVERY SUBJECT AREA! Because art is excellent for implementing creativity, and creativity knows no bounds. Creativity is the birthright of every individual, and is accessible to all (provided they are given the opportunities, and stick with the process!). I believe wholeheartedly that arts integration in school is the best way to give students the chance to utilize their existing funds of knowledge (what they bring IN to a classroom) and creatively connect classroom content (what they learn IN a classroom) to their immediate context (every day life).

So, if you’re a teacher, please: give your students every opportunity to utilize artistic expression in their assessment. I know, I know… it’s easier to have students take a test or write an essay… but if they’re writing a paper based on a rubric anyways, just adjust that rubric to allow for creative expression. That video gives some ideas on how you could utilize COMICS in a saskatchewan classroom (thankfully, sask k-8 allows for flexibility in many assessments: as long as you can prove students hit the outcomes, that’s great!).

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this post. It was made as a final project for my EART303 class at uSask’s college of education, taught by Monique Blom!