How does middle school approaches particularly with an visual arts Essay

How does middle school approaches particularly with an visual arts focus help to reengage kids - Essay Example teacher is in a position to help the students’ development, especially children who may be disadvantaged due to any of several causes such as those from poorer socio-economic groups, the disabled, or children from diverse cultures with communication and language difficulties. Learning and working on visual arts help disadvantaged children to overcome psychological limitations or barriers, and grow to their full potential. The middle school child from ten through fourteen years of age, is in transescence, which is a period in human development that begins with late childhood and continues through the early stages of adolescence. During this time of rapid but irregular growth, most children develop to physical maturity. In the middle school years, teachers and students are involved with each other, the curriculum meets the needs of the students’ stage of development, education is exciting and enables the students to prepare for more advanced courses that will need to be tackled in high school (Glenn, 1986: 6, 5). In the case of disadvantaged children, the opportunities for communication and self-expression are crucial in engaging them towards improvement in their self-concept and a better quality of life. The school reform movement termed as multiculturalism requires changes to some extent in the roles of art instructors for middle school children. It is important to understand culture and cultural diversity because â€Å"culture provides beliefs, values, and the patterns that give meaning and structure to life† (Ballengee-Morris & Stuhr, 2001: 6). Such an understanding allows individuals belonging to multiple social groups to function effectively in their constantly changing social and cultural environments. Since education is part of cultural experience, it does not comprise only of the various disciplines, but includes concepts of history and self-identity. For the effective development of a sense of identity, the middle school visual arts education plays