The current philosophy applied in teaching science subjects is significantly different from the doctrine behind dispensing art knowledge. To many, art is simple to comprehend due to its free flow of ideas. Science for students, on the other hand, is a complicated subject, according to many, that demands students to understand complex raw data presented in dull tables and charts. Therefore, the level of understanding and retention is very low among science students.
However, in recent research, art integration, which involves the incorporation of art in teaching other subjects, has been found to improve the level of information retention in other disciplines, especially science. If you need paper writing help in understanding this relationship, you can check the internet for custom research paper writing service to access high quality papers. You can also hire professional paper writers who provide such writing services. Therefore, the integration of art and science can assist underperforming students in remembering more of what they are being taught for more extended periods as well as improve their ability to analyze contents creatively.
Improving Student’s Performance by Incorporating Arts in Science Classes
Some of the ways that the incorporation of art in science classes can improve students’ performance are discussed below:
1. Art Integration Makes Science More Interesting
The incorporation of arts in science classes, especially during the early stages, would help improve the level of understanding and remembrance of the study content. Although learners are only taught basic scientific concepts during these early stages, a young person’s mind will find it difficult to focus and retain rather dull knowledge. However, when art is included, for example, singing the Periodic table or the presentation of the human body parts by drawing, the fascination never goes away. The benefits of art education include making science more fun and exciting. As a result, it helps improve learners’ interest in the knowledge as well as their retention level.
2. Visual Demonstration of Science Concepts
Studies show that visualization is key to ensuring longer memories. The incorporation of technical lessons and services offers students with a platform of how to study art and use them to visually demonstrate science concepts. Once the teachers have taught the theoretical part of the subject, art will help bring the theoretical idea to life. The visual cortex of the brain is known to be strong in memory retention. Therefore, the visualization of the theoretical concept will ensure that the low performing students increase their grasp of the knowledge. Furthermore, the application of art project to visually present these concepts will ensure that students are actively involved in the learning process and hence increasing their chances of retention.
3. Improving Students’ Critical and Decision-Making Skills
Art improves students’ critical thinking, decision-making, and concentration skills. Exposure to it teaches students to be more observant to their surroundings. The application of art in science classes instills some element of observation and analytical skills, which are essential in the subsequent science classes. In one previous study, it was observed that students who were involved in art-integrated science classes remembered more information in the following sessions irrespective of whether these classes were art-integrated or conventional. Therefore, there is an argument that there is a possibility of transfer effects. In other words, once students are exposed to art during science lessons, they develop critical thinking and creativity in problem-solving, which makes it easier for them to conceptualize and remember the central ideas.
4. Improving Students’ Confidence and Development of Positive Attitude
The project-based method of studying, which can be placed at the boundary between science and art, helps in improving students’ confidence in their work through the development of a “no wrong answer” attitude. By treating science as an art, learners readily take part in scientific activities without fear of getting things wrong. Besides, these projects allow kids to learn from their mistakes. For example, unlike when writing it down, students tend to understand more about chemical bonds when they use manipulatable bond models. Moreover, these activities make the learners develop more interest and love for the subject, a factor that plays a significant role in understanding and retention levels. The raw excitement of developing and experimenting theoretical concepts gives the underperforming students a new positive perspective about science.
5. Offering New Dimensions of Assessment
The presentation of science concepts using art and media provides the teacher with additional options from which he or she can examine the students. The project completed by the students can be assessed in stages with the instructor giving constructive opinions in each step. The interaction between the learner and the teacher will be more intensified and constructive compared to when science classes rely on the conventional method of teaching.
Although science and art might seem opposite, the integration of the two can help improve the performance of low-performing students. Studies had shown that while the art-integration method does not improve the score of the best performing learners, low-performing students scored better when the new method of teaching replaced the standard method of teaching. The incorporation of art in teaching science helps improve the score of low performing students by visualizing the science theory and making it easy to understand and remember. Also, critical thinking and decision-making skills developed can help students understand the subsequent lessons bettor. The integration of art in science helps to create a positive attitude among students and provide an additional platform that teachers can use to assess their students. Based on previous studies, the new approach to teaching science should be adopted.
