Major
Educational Studies
Submission Type
Poster
Area of Study or Work
Educational Studies
Faculty Advisor
Leah Nillas
Expected Graduation Date
2025
Location
CNS Atrium
Start Date
4-12-2025 11:15 AM
End Date
4-12-2025 12:15 PM
Abstract
Conversation about Social Emotional Learning (SEL) competencies has become more emergent in recent years. With the lasting impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, a recent spike in youth suicides, and the impending threat of fascists in Washington, the cause for mental health education has become urgent. In education, professionals are constantly confronted with underfunding and supreme lack of resources. The question emerges; how can teachers address SEL concepts (CASEL 2019) in tandem with existing curricula, and what would be an organic approach? As a preservice Art Educator, inherent parallels between the arts and SEL competencies were emergent- based on personal experience alone. An academic study made apparent patterns of the Arts curriculum addressing SEL concepts, which enriched students' emotional intelligence capacity (Freedman et. al, 2022). Russell (2007) concludes that an arts education may bolster one’s sense of self, community, and perseverance When education is centered around the whole student, there is a noticeable improvement in academic performance. Seeking the pre-existing tandems between SEL and arts education, and developing an intentional integration would be an efficient means of improving practices. This creates a solid foundation in the defense of the arts- as the subject continually faces neglect and underfunding, and the Department of Education continues to prioritize standardized testing outcomes. Additional research was collected in a large urban school; gathering data of middle school student emotional reflections as they were addressed in lessons. These findings point to the capacity of artsy to impact a student's social and emotional well-being when directly addressed in the curriculum. This investigation adds to a much-neglected body of research concerning the necessity of arts education, and how it can be implemented to advance student well-being.
Art Education as it Intersects with SEL Competencies: The Benefits of Structured Cross-Curricular Education
CNS Atrium
Conversation about Social Emotional Learning (SEL) competencies has become more emergent in recent years. With the lasting impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, a recent spike in youth suicides, and the impending threat of fascists in Washington, the cause for mental health education has become urgent. In education, professionals are constantly confronted with underfunding and supreme lack of resources. The question emerges; how can teachers address SEL concepts (CASEL 2019) in tandem with existing curricula, and what would be an organic approach? As a preservice Art Educator, inherent parallels between the arts and SEL competencies were emergent- based on personal experience alone. An academic study made apparent patterns of the Arts curriculum addressing SEL concepts, which enriched students' emotional intelligence capacity (Freedman et. al, 2022). Russell (2007) concludes that an arts education may bolster one’s sense of self, community, and perseverance When education is centered around the whole student, there is a noticeable improvement in academic performance. Seeking the pre-existing tandems between SEL and arts education, and developing an intentional integration would be an efficient means of improving practices. This creates a solid foundation in the defense of the arts- as the subject continually faces neglect and underfunding, and the Department of Education continues to prioritize standardized testing outcomes. Additional research was collected in a large urban school; gathering data of middle school student emotional reflections as they were addressed in lessons. These findings point to the capacity of artsy to impact a student's social and emotional well-being when directly addressed in the curriculum. This investigation adds to a much-neglected body of research concerning the necessity of arts education, and how it can be implemented to advance student well-being.