Art Makes Students Smart 187
Hugh Pickens DOT Com writes "For many education advocates, the arts supposedly increase test scores, generate social responsibility and turn around failing schools but research that demonstrates a causal relationship has been virtually nonexistent. Now the NY Times reports that with the opening of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, a large-scale, random-assignment study (abstract) of school tours to the museum has determined that a strong causal relationship does in fact exist between arts education and a range of desirable outcomes. Students who, by lottery, were selected to visit the museum on a field trip demonstrated stronger critical thinking skills, displayed higher levels of social tolerance, exhibited greater historical empathy and developed a taste for art museums and cultural institutions. Moreover, most of the benefits are significantly larger for minority students, low-income students and students from rural schools — typically two to three times larger than for white, middle-class, suburban students — owing perhaps to the fact that the tour was the first time they had visited an art museum. Further research is needed to determine what exactly about the museum-going experience determines the strength of the outcomes. How important is the structure of the tour? The size of the group? The type of art presented? 'Clearly, however, we can conclude that visiting an art museum exposes students to a diversity of ideas that challenge them with different perspectives on the human condition,' write the authors. 'Expanding access to art, whether through programs in schools or through visits to area museums and galleries, should be a central part of any school's curriculum.'"
This "study" has no scientific basis behind it (Score:1, Interesting)
I'm confused to why this is even considered news since this doesn't have much science behind the data. There were no extensive studies, just random data that isn't verifiable. This is also a story from NYT so it's less reliable than a PC review from soulskill xD Anyhow, I didn't know many students when I was a kid that took going out to a museum seriously. We all treated it as a day off and just ignored education for the day. Perhaps if museums for kids were better tailored for interactive education instead of going through and being told to read each sign and label students would care. Maybe times have changed and that's how it generally is today, I hope that's true.
Confirmation bias???, nah... (Score:5, Interesting)
Solid!. No way this is just another case of confirmation bias.
Re:Holy Crap!!! (Score:4, Interesting)
THIS much difference from ONE field trip to a museum? Why, by all that is correlated, we MUST start opening up museums like 7-11s! There should be one on every streetcorner!
If you take a kid from the hood who's only ever seen turf wars, people fighting and other gang 'bidness' and show him something past the end of his street then it probably has an effect, yes.
Re:Holy Crap!!! (Score:5, Interesting)
> Several weeks after the students in the treatment group visited the museum, we administered surveys to all of the students. The surveys included multiple items that assessed knowledge about art, as well as measures of tolerance, historical empathy and sustained interest in visiting art museums and other cultural institutions. We also asked them to write an essay in response to a work of art that was unfamiliar to them.
> These essays were then coded using a critical-thinking-skills assessment program developed by researchers working with the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston.
Then from the actual article (well ... the abstract):
> Students who participated in the School Visit Program demonstrated significantly stronger critical thinking skills when analyzing a new painting.
So basically, visiting a museum makes students a little more interested and knowable about art. I'm not sure that actually makes them better thinkers (unless they want to be art critics).
The tolerance thing is the only really interesting thing. I guess learning about history (especially in an engaging way, even if it's a little shallow) can put things in perspective. You would equally say that watching Carl Sagan's Cosmos could help students see the big picture.
Re:Smart and Unemployed (Score:5, Interesting)
People who aren't sociopaths, that's who!
I recommend that everyone read How To Be Rich [barnesandnoble.com] by J. Paul Getty. He was the richest person in the world in his day, and yet he had some enlightened things to say. For instance, he advocated cooperating with labor unions (when have you ever heard a billionaire do that?). From this book, I received the best management advice ever - praise in public, punish in private. He also thought that spectator sports were a waste of time. But what Getty was most passionate about was art. He amassed an amazing collection, and then made it available to the public for free. If you're ever in Los Angeles, if at all possible, set aside a day or two to visit The Getty [getty.edu] - it will make you smarter. And I encourage you to visit museums whenever and wherever you travel - you'll see some amazing things.
Re:Confirmation bias???, nah... (Score:3, Interesting)
Oh... http://www.uaedreform.org/jay-p-greene/
I'd also like to know where the 10 million of "private" funding come for that deparment came from, in case it provides even more nails...