Incorporating Arts and Technology

The Power of Arts in Education

The Arts are powerful forms of expression, created through imagination and skill. These meaningful expressions manifest as drawings, music, videos, visual art, poems, stories, songs, pottery, carvings, weaving, sculptures, and more. Art education explores musical concepts and expressions, drama through actions and language, dance and movement concepts, visual arts, connections with technology, and links with science. Visual arts draw on everyday experiences, utilize an expanding expressive vocabulary, and demonstrate the use of many familiar items.

Incorporating Arts and Technology

Te Whāriki encourages a holistic learning approach for children. The New Zealand school curriculum states: "Through the development of art literacies, students as creators, presenters, viewers, and listeners are able to participate in, interpret, value, and enjoy the arts throughout their lives" (Te Whāriki, 1996). According to Mayesky (2013), fear and anxiety are the enemies of creativity. Art helps children to monitor and accept their own feelings, appreciate their unique characteristics and expressions, and recognize and acknowledge their joy in creative efforts. The Well-being/Mana Atua strand, which includes the outcome, focuses on children's ability to understand their own emotional responses and those of others. This includes the representation and expression of emotions, which is the core of arts. The Belonging/Mana Whenua strand helps children develop an understanding of the links between early childhood education settings and the known and unfamiliar wider world through people, images, objects, languages, and sounds.

The Contribution/Mana Tangata strand enables children to develop abilities and interests in a range of domains: spiritual, visual, linguistic, physical, musical, logical, mathematical, personal, and social. They also develop a wider range of physical skills, such as improved coordination, flexibility, and strength, fine-motor skills through visual art and technology, and movement skills by exploring and participating in te reo kori. Māori culture is alive, rich, and flourishing. Architectural carvings, the interior design of Marae, and ornate whakairo (carving) in wood have strengthened Māori art. "Hard New Zealand pounamu (greenstone) was originally made into weapons. Native woods were carved into spiritual objects. New Zealand has many handmade Māori art and crafts. Tā Moko is traditional Māori tattooing" (Māori Art and Culture, n.d.). The Māori believe that the Gods created and communicated through the master Carvers.

The Role of Communication and Science in Arts Education

The Communication/Mana Reo strand states, "children experience an environment where they experience the stories and symbols of their own and others' cultures" (Te Whāriki, 1996). Science is the study of the nature and behavior of natural things and the knowledge we obtain about them. Science is traditionally divided into categories: living world (biology, e.g., plants and animals), physical world (e.g., forces, light, and sound), material world (chemistry, e.g., melting and dissolving), planet earth (geology, e.g., rocks and soil), and astronomy (e.g., planets and stars). According to the New Zealand curriculum framework, science helps children develop an understanding of the world built on current scientific theories, improves logical skills and understanding of cause and effect, explores the natural world, and develops an understanding of how the living world functions. Children recognize that all living things have certain requirements, and ecology acknowledges that living things are suited to their particular habitats.

According to Māori perspectives, water and planet are living entities. Papatuanuku (Earth Mother) and Ranginui (Sky Father) look after all of us. The sun, wind, rain, and air look after the planets that, in turn, care for us. Their tribes nurture the tamariki (children) to look after their environment. Tamariki develop respectful relationships with nature while nurturing their own health, well-being, and wairua (spirituality/soul). Gardening, recycling, and food preparation are part of the daily and seasonal shared rituals of caring for each other and the planet. "Te Whāriki elaborates on the Exploration/Mana Aotūroa strand as, 'Children experience an environment where they develop working theories for making sense of the natural, social, physical, and material worlds'" (Te Whāriki, 1996, Exploration Goal 4). Children learn through play by exploring, compromising, experimenting, negotiating, and investigating the world and its phenomena. By studying science, children develop an understanding of the world based on current scientific knowledge, using their scientific knowledge and skills for problem-solving (e.g., mixing ingredients in cooking activities to create chemical reactions that transform individual ingredients into a new form).

The Intersection of Social Science and Technology in Education

Social science involves learning about people's participation in society. Through social science, children engage with social issues, developing knowledge, skills, and experiences that enable them to identify their place and that of others concerning their heritage. Technology refers to methods, systems, and devices resulting from scientific knowledge used for particular purposes. Technology is changing rapidly and includes computers, digital cameras, audio and video equipment, electronic activities, music keyboards, projectors, and programmable toys. The Te Whāriki New Zealand early childhood curriculum values children's participation in ICT. "Assessments provide valid information for teachers, families, and children, enabling and informing pedagogy, which will strengthen all dimensions of participation in ICT" (Te Whāriki, 1996). In Te Whāriki, one indicative domain of the outcome of Exploration/Mana Aotūroa describes that children will be confident in using various strategies for exploring and making sense of the world. They will also have the ability to identify and use information from a range of resources, participating as explorers, confident learners, investigators, and discoverers.

The Integration of Arts, Science, and Technology

Children use creative and expressive media and technology for meaningful purposes. ICT provides many opportunities for children's learning, including helping them explore patterns, shapes, and numeracy (mathematical skills) and improving music, language, literacy, and science with various teaching techniques. Children can also watch videos or communicate with distant family members. While there are several benefits to using technology, there are potential risks associated with certain areas of ICT. Some researchers believe that activities on computer screens are developmentally inappropriate for young children, potentially causing vision problems, impeding physical development, limiting interaction with people, and causing overstimulation. Even though the internet is an amazing source of information, it also has a dark side, including inappropriate content, cyberbullying, and scams. Teachers and parents should be aware of what their children see and hear on the internet. Establishing and maintaining cyber safety programs is crucial for children (e.g., creating passwords, being wary of scams, and not posting personal information and photos online). Furthermore, computer skills allow children to develop analytical thinking and enhance creativity. Incorporating science, art, and technology into lesson plans is essential for children's holistic development.

References

• Mayesky, M. (2013). Creative Activities for Young Children. Cengage Learning.
• Te Whāriki. (1996). Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mō ngā mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Ministry of Education.
• Māori Art and Culture. (n.d.). Retrieved from [insert source URL]