The Importance of Art Education

Posted on by
Reply

We’ve talked about OMA a lot, considering that’s what we are all about. However, it’s important to talk about art education in general.  When schools have to find money for their budget, then art is normally one of the first things to go. A smart teacher always implements art into his or her lessons and helps her children understand the true value of art. Putting art into education has truly changed the way students think and react.

 Here are a few ways art education can impact a student

  • Imagination
  • Cognitive skills
  • Creative abilities
  • Problem solving
  • Fine motor skills
  • Language
  • Social skills
  • Sense of time and place
  • Focusing
  • Listening

As you can see Art Education benefits a student in so many ways. It’s not enough to just teach students, but you need to make a lasting impression on their lives. You might be surprised to know that art can even impact the social life of a child. The way children express themselves through art allows them to open up and be more receptive to the people around them. We’ve also talked about the many different ways students can open their minds through the arts. Here is a list of actual arts that teachers can use to help students open their minds

  • Painting
  • Design
  • Printing
  • Fabric art
  • Food design
  • Stained glass
  • Architecture
  • Collage
  • Sculpture
  • Mosaics
  • Digital art and much more

In our day and age, we are so lucky because we have so many different tools to use in our classrooms. We have technology to use and that helps our students a lot. We can use technology and art together to create something beautiful. Students will follow your lead and when you are excited about something, then they will be excited about something. It’s all about teaching them what you know and allowing them to follow your lead.  Re-read the list above and take note as to how many options you truly have to open your student’s minds through art.

Private schools, homeschooling families and public schools can all benefit from the arts and it’s important we all remember that. Use your creativity, even if you are not good at art yourself and teach others what it’s like to open your mind to art.

What Kind of Research Backs up OMA?

Posted on by
Reply

Opening Minds through the Arts is a research backed program. That means that people have actually spent time researching and putting together this program for local schools. It’s important that when you are trying to implement something into a classroom that the program is proven to work. No one is going to support a new initiative when they are not sure if it works or not. Getting the support you need is easy when you can prove that the program itself actually works.

Behavior Issues

Since OMA has been implemented in various schools around the United States it has been proven that it helps with behavior. One of the biggest issues in classrooms today is the amount of behavioral issues going on inside the classroom. Teachers need a way to help keep kids focused and OMA really helps with this. The studies shown were in grades 3, 4, 5 and 6 and the results were astounding. Teachers really saw results from using OMA in their current classrooms.

Outperformance

Schools are categorized into titles. It’s no secret that a lot of the schools are suffering and the teacher’s are always catching the flack. That’s why it’s important to find programs that are inexpensive, but that will still work in the classroom and allow the teachers to see results. Those schools that used OMA in their classrooms really saw results and the schools outperformanced the others. The students who were exposed to OMA also scored higher on their tests. The test scores were from a variety of subjects and not just one specific one. That means that the OMA project is helping students develop in a variety of subjects and not just art. Art is transforming the way the students think and feel about school.

OMA in the classrooms is the only way to go. No matter which subject it is, it seems to be impacting students of all ages and walks of life. It’s even better to have the proof to show that OMA really works in the classrooms. However, if you are a teacher interested in using OMA, then you can see for yourself the impact it makes on your student’s lives. It helps keep you accountable as a teacher and surely makes you an even better and more effective teacher.

The Impact OMA Has on Classrooms

Posted on by
Reply

 

Many schools are adapting the idea of OMA. Although the concept of it sounds fairly simple, there is some meat to the project. For example, some people think that there is only one way to open your mind through the arts. This is far from true! There are several ways you can open your mind through the arts.

  • Ballet
  • Music
  • Drawing
  • Panting
  • Dancing
  • Singing

Art is not cut and dry. There are many different avenues one can take whenever they are trying to open their mind through art. What if you are trying to teach this concept to your students? One important thing to realize is that every student learns differently. That is one of the most important concepts that teachers must realize. Across the nation there are several schools who have taken this OMA thing very seriously. The whole school is involved and not just one or two classrooms. A lot of times it’s even a federally funded program.

Implementing it Into Other Subjects

One very neat thing about the Opening Minds through Art program is that it’s implemented into a variety of subjects. For example, it might be implemented into reading, math or even social studies. It’s very enticing to students for them to be able to use art to learn another subject. In fact, this is how a lot of teachers are teaching now. They are using several different subjects together. Math and Social Studies might go together to get a point across or to teach a concept

All Students are Impacted

It’s all about teaching the student and helping them to learn at any cost. There is a lot of research that shows this program helping students across the board. What’s so wonderful about it is that it has no favorites. It works well on those who are poor and those who are rich. All students are impacted by this very simple program. A teacher can even be impacted because she is able to look deeper into the minds of her students and see what is really in there.

Teaching should not know color or richness and all students should be taught equally. This is what art does to students. It has no favorites and anyone can learn from it. Even those students who have no art talent at all can still benefit from this program. Education is being transformed one student at a time through this wonderful program.

Benefits of Art

Posted on by
Reply

 

There is no limit on who can use the Opening Minds through Art technique. There have been several different studies that have used it on younger children and older people. There are even classes you can take on the side to help open your mind through art. Whether you live in a nursing home or are in Kindergarten, you can truly benefit from a program like this. This program has also been used on special needs students who need a learning intervention. Because they cannot learn in a traditional lecture style, it’s important for the student to learn through a different technique.

Why Art?

Why would art help a person open their mind? Opening one’s mind is more than just allowing a new perspective. Opening your mind means that you can allow new ideas and try new things. It’s a great way to learn because it allows new ideas into your head. Your whole life you are taught one way, but in reality there is more than one way to learn something. If you are a hands-on-person, then you might appreciate learning through a tap dancing class or even a pottery class. The options are endless when you are opening your mind through the arts. Art is not just a thing you do it’s a way of life.

Impact

The impact that art can have on your life is amazing. Art can transform the way you think and the way you learn. Art has been around for thousands of years and has continues to impact people in the same way. It’s a way to tell a story and a way to express yourself. By teaching others about art, you can teach them to tell a story or express how they feel inside. For example, a person is really struggling after a death in the family. Your mind can be refreshed and opened through the technique of art.

Opening Minds through Art is not for everyone, but it is a positive way for most people. You can learn valuable techniques to help you teach others about this way of learning. Take a workshop to help you understand art a little better. There is always something you can learn to help you apply this area of learning to your life. Never be afraid to branch out and learn something new. Opening Minds through the Art can help change the lives of your children, if you are only willing to give it a try.

What is Opening Minds through the Arts?

Posted on by
Reply

Did you know that there is actually a correlation between brain development and art? There are many organizations around the world that teach people how to use art to open their minds. Many people react to the arts in a different way. Some people are motivated by art and others are relaxed by art. It doesn’t matter how it impacts you as it will always impact you in some way. Art is always interesting because it impacts people in such different ways. Instead of making the same impact on people it can transform their minds in different ways.

Teachers use art to open the minds of students for several reasons. Art is a unique tool because it can meet the learning needs of several students. For example, some students need a hands-on-learning experience and other students need a visual learning experience. Art helps teachers meet those needs in a variety of ways. A teacher can guide her students, but the student is also able to use creativity to pull together something remarkable. A teacher can assign the same guidelines to a group of students, but each student comes out differently. Art has a way of reaching into the mind of a student and pulling out the uniqueness of each one.

Schools across the United States are using the Opening Minds Through Art technique. This technique is not something entirely new because many teachers have used it in the past. However, new teachers are learning about this concept and more children can benefit from it. The great thing about OMTA is that it’s not just one form of art. One thing about art is that it comes in many different shapes and forms. Opera, dance, painting and theater are just a few ways that art is displayed. Not all children are good at painting or drawing, so these other forms of art really allow a child to feel exceptionally creative and understood.

When a child feels as though he is good at something, then it’s easy for him or her to succeed in other things. The student thinks “wow, I just accomplished this…what else can I accomplish?” That is an amazing mindset and that’s what educators want to implement in classrooms. Mainstream classrooms, special education classrooms and even adults can use this technique to teach and to learn. It’s about creativity and opening your minds to things you have never experienced.