Put arts in STEM for all-round education
IN recent years, visual arts education in schools has undergone a lot of political and curriculum stress. Although visual arts is included as a subject in the curriculum, the area of concern in the current education system of many countries is STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Education, which has marginalised the teaching of the former in schools.
Visual arts certainly promotes numerous educational benefits to our children which other subjects cannot. Children can benefit from visual arts through practice and learning about it. If the Government continues to marginalise visual arts in school, it would stop the children from acquiring a broad and well-rounded education.
So what are the benefits of visual arts education for children?
Children can develop their creativity and innovation through their life experiences by converting them through art, and to forge new relationships and associations through their creative minds. Knowledge, memories and fantasies all feed their creativity.
One thing about art is that it allows the children to explore, build on and record their own creativity and imaginative ideas. The process of making images permit them to express their feelings and ideas, both as a means of self-expression and to connect with others.
Visual thinking enables children to study other subjects better. This is because images encourage them to think about and understand the world visually instead of just through words and numbers. Visual thinking skills are widely used in the sciences, arts and languages.
Children learn to make observations of the subject matter they see in the real world through their artwork. This process makes them better observers of the details which they see around them. Acquiring observational skills through picture-making can help children to develop their visual sensitivity to the world.
Learning visual arts in schools would also help children to develop problem-solving and analytical skills. Children learn problem-solving skills when they try to apply three dimensional (3D) scenes from the world onto a two dimensional (2D) page. Through practice, they also learn to concentrate and persistence will allow them to get close to the images they are trying to draw.
Last but not least, the picture drawn by a child is his or her own. The drawn image has value in its own right without being judged by others as right or wrong. The child has authority to narrate what the image is about or what it communicates, which can build his or her confidence and self-esteem.
The visual arts subject not only develops language, mathematics, science and social skills but also strengthens the synapses between brain cells. Children need a broad education, hence the visual arts subject should be included for continuous development and progression of society.
I therefore hope that serious consideration be given to changing the direction of our educational approach towards STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics).