It was not long ago that arts education in schools was thought to be a luxury, and arts classes were cut from the curriculum to make room for more time to prepare for standardized tests. Currently, there is more and more information available that shows how crucial the arts are to creating well-rounded, well-prepared learners and leaders. At Collage, the arts (fine arts, drama, music, movement) will always be an integrated prominent feature of our curriculum. We weave the arts into our core classroom curricula as well as teach specific artistic skills and abilities.
From infants touching and manipulating clay for the first time to elementary students performing on stage, Collage students experience art on a daily basis. Artistic encounters are valued as a means of creativity and self-expression, and representation of understanding. They are also valued as a vehicle for deepening and extending learning and thinking. Art, in its various forms, provides opportunities to construct knowledge and to engage students of all ages. Our commitment to the arts is evident in each learning community.
Art is encountered in every area of the Infants and Preschools studios. With materials like clay, paints, and textiles, the communities are alive with creativity. Experiences in the Atelier, or art studio, complement classroom investigations, introduce new materials, create social encounters, and motivate children to represent and communicate their thoughts, feelings, and understandings of the world around them.
The art program in Elementary School balances a study of techniques, styles of artists, and creative representation of ideas and understanding. Each week students attend art classes in the art studio as well as in their respective classrooms. During the art class time some of the materials used are clay, paint, wire, pastels, collage, and mark-making mediums. Students also have daily access to quality artistic materials in their regular classroom encouraging representation and further development of their knowledge in language arts, math, social studies, and science. The observation skills, editing, and creativity encouraged through artistic expression supports our hands on, minds on approach to learning.
The letters stand for science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics, but what does a STEAM education really mean? For example, daily science instruction incorporates hands-on activities and virtual labs. Mathematics is integrated into all science instruction as well as taught as a separate subject. Technology enhances instruction in all curriculum areas. Inquiry and problem-based learning frame instruction and foster environmental responsibility.
Arts integration connects elements of curriculum across content fields and increases student learning, engagement, and motivation. Arts integration at Collage includes using the arts as a resource for other disciplines such as investigating big ideas through the study of the arts; using the arts to interpret ideas or themes in other subjects; and understanding life-centered issues through a combination of the arts and other subjects.
By focusing on local landscape, history, culture and context, learning takes on specificity and moves from the abstract to the concrete, engaging students with their surroundings. The sustainability and conservation principles embraced by Collage provide opportunities for hands-on, project based learning about nature, health, and citizenship.
2022 – 2023 School Year:
Monday – Friday
7:00 am – 6:00 pm