The Benefits of Fine Art Integration into Mathematics in Primary School
Abstract
The main purpose of the article is to research the effects of the integration of fine art content into mathematics on students at the primary school level. The theoretical part consists of the definition of arts integration into education, a discussion of the developmental process of creative mathematical thinking, an explanation of the position of art and mathematics in education today, and a summary of the benefits of arts integration and its positive effects on students. The empirical part reports on the findings of a pedagogical experiment involving two different ways of teaching fifth-grade students: the control group was taught mathematics in a traditional way, while the experimental group was taught with the integration of fine art content into the mathematics lessons. At the end of the teaching periods, four mathematics tests were administered in order to determine the difference in knowledge between the control group and the experimental group. The results of our study confirmed the hypotheses, as we found positive effects of fine art integration into mathematics, with the experimental group achieving higher marks in the mathematics tests than the control group. Our results are consistent with the findings of previous research and studies, which have demonstrated and confirmed that long-term participation in fine art activities offers advantages related to mathematical reasoning, such as intrinsic motivation, visual imagination and reflection on how
to generate creative ideas.
Downloads
References
Bahn, P. G. (1998). The Cambridge Illustrated History of Prehistoric Art. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Barnes - Svarney, P. (2006). The Handy Math Answer Book. Detroit: Visible Ink Press.
Barone, T. (2001). Touching Eternity: The Enduring Outcomes of Teaching. New York: Teachers College Press.
Berlinghoff, W. P., & Gouvea, F. Q. (2008). Matematika skozi stoletja. Ljubljana: Modrijan.
Bristow, J., Cowley, P., & Daines, B. (2001). Spomin in uÄenje. Ljubljana: Educy.
Burnaford, G. E. (2013). Renaissance in the classroom: Arts integration and meaningful learning. Mahwah, N.J: L. Erlbaum.
Burton, J., Horowitz, R., & Abeles, H. (1999). Learning in and through the arts: Curriculum implications. In Champions of change: The impact of the arts on learning (pp. 35–46). Columbia:
Columbia University.
Catterall, J. S. (2002). The arts and the transfer of learning. In R. J. Deasy (Ed.), Critical links: Learning in the arts and student academic and social development (pp. 151–157). Washington: Arts Education Partnership.
Chapman, R. (1998). The Arts Improve Student Performance. Education Digest, 63(8), 58–60.
DaSilva, K. E. (2000). Art in Your Curriculum “From Words to Imagesâ€. Teaching Pre K 8, 31, 40–43.
Davis, J. H. (2008). Why our schools need the arts. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Dewey, J. (1934). Art as experience. New York: Putnam.
Dissanayake, E. (1995). Homo aestheticus. Seattle: University of Washington Press.
Efland, A. (1990). A history of art education: Intellectual and social currents in teaching the visual arts. New York: Teachers College Press.
Eisner, E. (2001). Should we create new aims for art education? Art Education, 54(5), 6–10.
Elster, A. (2001). Learning Through the ArtsTM: Program Goals, Features and Pilot Results. International Journal of Education and the Arts, 2(7).
Fiske. E. B. (1999). Champions of Change: The Impact of the Arts on Learning. Retrieved 11.05.2014 from http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED435581
Friedman, T. (2010). Newspaper interview, Tucker Marc. New York Times (OpEd), 4 August 2010.
Gardner, H. (1973). The arts and human development: A psychological study of the artistic process. New York: Wiley & Sons.
Gardner, H., & Kleiner, F. S. (2014). Gardner’s art through the ages: The Western perspective. Boston, MA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.
Gelineau, R. P. (2012). Integrating the arts across the elementary school curriculum. Belmont CA: Wadsworth.
Giaquinto, M. (2007). Visual Thinking in Mathematics; An Epistemological Study. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Greene, M. (1995). Releasing the Imagination: Essays on Education, the Arts, and Social Change. New York: Teachers College Press.
Guerrero, J. S. (2004). Learning Math through Visual Art and Hands on Projects. Spring Valley: Xlibris Corporation.
Gustlin, D. Z. (2012). Why Can’t We Paint in Math Class? Integrating Art into the Core Curriculum: masterclass work. Gainesville: [Gustlin, D. Z.].
Hetland, L., Winner, E., Veenema, S., & Sheridan, K. (2007). Studio thinking: The real benefits of visual arts education. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Learning Through the Arts, Royal Conservatory of Music - Learning (n.d.). Retrieved 30.04.2015 from http://learning.rcmusic.ca/ltta
Peterson, I. (23 December 2000). Visions of Infinity Tiling a hyperbolic floor inspires both mathematics and art. Science News Washington, 158, 408–410.
Pitman, W. (1998). Learning the arts in an age of uncertainty. Toronto: Arts Education Council of Ontario.
Posner, M., Rothbart, M. K., Sheese B. E., & Kieras, J. (2008). How Arts Training Influences Cognition. Learning, Arts and the Brain. The Dana Consortium Report on Arts and Cognition. New York: Dana Press.
Root - Bernstein, M. M., & Root - Bernstein, R. S. (2013). Sparks of genius: The thirteen thinking tools of the world’s most creative people. Boston, Mass: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
SIGGRAPH. (1989). Computer art in context: SIGGRAPH’89 art show catalog. Oxford: Pergamon Press.
Silverstein L. B., & Layne S. (2010). Defining Arts Integration. Retrieved 15.09.2014 from http://www.kenndy-center.org/education/partners/defimimg_arts_integration.pdf
Sternberg, R. J. (1985). Beyond IQ: A triarchic theory of human intelligence. Cambridge [Cambridgeshire]: Cambridge University Press.
Sylvester, R. (1998). Art for the brain’s sake. Educational Leadership, 56(3), 31–35.
Vagianos, A. (1999). Professional development and training for teachers and artists. A preliminary proposal for a Laidlaw Foundation arts education program. Unpublished manuscript. Laidlaw Foundation, 365 Bloor Street East, Suite 2000, Toronto, ON M4W 3L4.
Ward, R. A. (2012). Math Art Fun: Activities for Discovering Mathematical Magic in Modern Art. Houston: Bright Sky Press.
In order to ensure both the widest dissemination and protection of material published in CEPS Journal, we ask Authors to transfer to the Publisher (Faculty of Education, University of Ljubljana) the rights of copyright in the Articles they contribute. This enables the Publisher to ensure protection against infringement.
