How does learning in, through or about art change when we begin to look at moving beyond a standard, Western European based, middle class curriculum? What to these “special” cases reveal to us about the central issues for our practice as art educators?
When we teach we have the fortune to teach children from all walks of life with all sorts of unique skills and abilities. In addressing all of these differences we must recognize accept and accommodate all of these differences. In the past we may have separated our special needs students from those we classified as “normal” because we didn’t ant coping with the special to handicap the majority now however we have grown past this older notion.
Practice now is to integrate our students and all of their abilities and skills into one classroom. This aids special students in avoiding being ostracized by their peers and encourages tolerance and acceptance amongst all of the students. While benefiting the students socially and even in many ways developmentally having integrated classrooms also presents an interesting challenge. Teachers must be versatile and open minded in addressing the needs of all their learners. Whether that means going slower for children with delays or providing special programming for children who are gifted and have passed the knowledge of their peers. Classroom assistants can help monitor the special and gifted children to ensure all needs are met.
In Art we have a special opportunity for this integration. The creative side of art the freedom and ability for self expression and self discovery allows for every child to find their own spaces and own expressions based on skill and developmental levels. Art can cross the bridges between these differences because it can embrace differences and highlights the benefits in diversity.
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