“When students are engaged in their learning and social environment, they are better able to develop the skills and knowledge and grasp the opportunities that can help them reach their full potential, pursue lifelong learning, and contribute to a prosperous, cohesive society.” Energizing Ontario Education (2008)

One of the four ideas underlying the Revised Arts Curriculum is Communication (the other three are Developing Creativity, Understanding Culture and Making Connections). Knowing how much some of our special education students, our boys, and our ELL students struggle with written and oral communication, it is time to think about the power of enabling students to communicate through the Arts. Communication is the key to learning for many of our students, and is the main vehicle by which many of our work is evaluated in many schools. The arts give many of our students a voice, and an alternative way to communicate. “The arts contribute to student engagement in school by addressing multiple intelligences, which can be used to differentiate instruction.” (P. 37, The Revised Ontario Curriculum 1-8, The Arts). How do we know that one of our struggling learners is not a future rock star that has not had a chance to communicate their learning through the vehicle which they learn best?

If we think of the students that we have in front of us when planning, recognizing that there are students who learn best through the Arts, we should give our students throughout their learning opportunities to engage in their learning and social environment through the Arts. One of the best ways for a student who might struggle with making connections is to give them an opportunity to view a character through role play, or by using dance to use their body to communicate the meaning of the text. Many of our adolescent students may engage with their learning and their school environment more by writing a poem that can become a simple song with verse and chorus that uses visual arts to create an album cover for the character they just wrote a song about, acted in role and communicated through their body. “Participation in the arts contributes in important ways to students’ lives and learning – it involves intense engagement, development of motivation and confidence, and the use of creative and dynamic ways of thinking and knowing.” (P. 3, The Revised Ontario Curriculum 1-8, The Arts). Do we have so little Arts in our school because as teachers, we are the Verbal/Linguistic learners that thrived on a reading/writing mode of learning?

In a workshop at Quest titled, Using Drama to Facilitate Writing, it was noted that the Arts is the key to engage students that are disengaged. I would like to suggest that in the hands of a teacher who is willing to reach every student, that the Arts can be a powerful tool to help your students communicate, express themselves and help develop identity. For the classroom teacher, the Arts gives you an opportunity to Know Your Learners and explore how to give your students context and relevance to their learning.

Sometimes our special educations students find success through the Arts. I know, in my music class, I have see students that have struggled with reading and mathematics , but have experienced success through music. The Arts tend to be an equalizer for many students, giving them the freedom to communicate in “other” ways, not being held back by their learning challenges. Special education students also benefit from the supportive learning and social environment that can be created when students are engaged in meaningful, engaging learning.

The Arts can be a powerful tool to engage students with themselves, and their school environment. In the working definition of student engagement from the Student Engagement Report: Focus Group Data for Increased Student Achievement and Success it is noted that “Student engagement is a process of interaction between the individual and their context, both internal and external.” (P. 6). If students find communication through the Arts helps them know more about themselves, and assists them connect to their learning (as it does for many students), the Arts should be used in special education classrooms to engage and motivate our students.