# data[].attributes.headline
The Role of Art and Creativity in a Well-Rounded Education

# data[].attributes.subject
The Role of Art and Creativity in a Well-Rounded Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Art and creativity are integral components of a well-rounded education, offering a diverse range of benefits to students. From promoting critical thinking to enhancing emotional intelligence, these elements play a multifaceted role in shaping the minds of young people.

The development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills is a hallmark of art education. By deeply analyzing and interpreting sensory experiences and creatively responding to them, individuals acquire the ability to devise innovative solutions when confronted with artistic challenges.

However, the significance of art in education extends beyond cognitive growth. It also addresses emotional and social aspects. Artistic activities, such as drawing and painting, provide a cathartic outlet where individuals can process their emotions and convey their messages in a creative manner. This process leads to a better comprehension of their thoughts and feelings, ultimately elevating emotional intelligence and self-awareness.

However, the significance of art in education extends beyond cognitive growth. It also addresses emotional and social aspects. Artistic activities, such as drawing and painting, provide a cathartic outlet where individuals can process their emotions and convey their messages in a creative manner. This process leads to a better comprehension of their thoughts and feelings, ultimately elevating emotional intelligence and self-awareness.

The creativity intertwined with art serves as a catalyst for nurturing the imagination. It encourages students to explore beyond the confines of traditional textbooks, enabling them to visualize and create realms unbounded by the constraints of reality. This, in turn, sparks innovation and fosters new ways of thinking.

Furthermore, engaging in artistic and creative pursuits contributes to building students' self-confidence, as they witness their ideas taking shape and receive recognition for their creative endeavors. It also cultivates problem-solving skills, as students encounter challenges and experiment with various techniques to realize their artistic visions.

In all its forms, art and creativity demand careful observation and attention to detail, honing critical observation skills that are indispensable for academic and professional success.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Role of Art and Creativity in a Well-Rounded Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Art and creativity are integral components of a well-rounded education, offering a diverse range of benefits to students. From promoting critical thinking to enhancing emotional intelligence, these...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Progressive education is a student-centered learning philosophy that produces active learners who can positively influence society. This approach addresses traditional education's criticism, specifically its formalism and inability to promote critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

The progressive education curricula became popular in the 19th century thanks to the works of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and John Locke. These educators believed that observation and experience are crucial to successful learning and that memorizing facts does not satisfy learners' physical, emotional, social, and academic needs.

In progressive schools, teachers encourage collaboration and discussion rather than teaching facts and reciting notes. These educators encourage their students to be inquisitive and free thinkers. They are also experts in engaging with the students on specific topics.

Progressive teachers must fully understand students' cultures, families, interests, strengths, and weaknesses. This helps educators match students with the appropriate projects to encourage them to pursue their passion and develop learning material that improves the learning process.

Progressive and traditional education differ in terms of incentivization and assessments. Learners who excel in the traditional curricula receive extrinsic rewards, such as gifts and recognition. In contrast, those who do well in progressive education are intrinsically motivated to pursue their curiosity for acquiring knowledge. The traditional approach also utilizes tests and grades to assess learners' progress, while progressive education introduces projects that interest students and utilizes standards-based assessments to gauge performance.

Experiential learning, discussions, interactive learning, and interdisciplinary education are the primary principles of the progressive curriculum. Experiential learning, or learning by doing, encourages educators to actively engage students in the learning process. Learners observe phenomena and take notes of the experiences, boosting their understanding of a topic. For instance, biology students can grow plants and harvest them to better understand the concept of plant growth and maturity instead of accessing this information from books.

Discussions are important in progressive learning since they encourage problem-solving and idea generation and widen a learner's perspective. Students in progressive schools are taught how to convince others, deal with other people's points of view, and identify viable solutions to problems.

The principle of interactive learning encourages progressive schools to create interactive learning environments to improve outcomes. Learners interact with the learning material, including pictures and flow charts, to understand concepts and enhance their memory.

Lastly, the interdisciplinary education principle highlights the need to borrow ideas from various disciplines to improve students' understanding. For instance, students can observe a biological phenomenon, use mathematics to create summaries, record observations in English, and create flow charts using designs learned in art classes. The interdisciplinary approach helps learners build on their knowledge and understand how things are interconnected in the real world.

Progressive education learners understand their roles in the societal context and become significant change agents. Progressive education exposes students to various ways of thinking and how to identify and solve problems through critical thinking. With this exposure, learners develop a sense of agency to change society and improve the well-being of other people.

Lastly, progressive education gives learners confidence in their abilities and a strong sense of belonging. This learning approach addresses the student's physical, social, emotional, and intellectual needs. With this empowerment, learners believe in themselves and understand their importance to society.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Progressive education is a student-centered learning philosophy that produces active learners who can positively influence society. This approach addresses traditional education's criticism...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Softball is a baseball variation most popular in North America. However, professional leagues exist in Europe, Asia, and South America. Softball aims to hit the ball before an opposing player runs…

# data[].attributes.headline
New York Administrator and Educator Jennifer Ciavirella Schmidberger

# data[].attributes.subject
New York Administrator and Educator Jennifer Ciavirella Schmidberger

# data[].attributes.body
An experienced administrator and school leader based in Yorktown Heights, New York, Jennifer Ciavirella Schmidberger has been the founding principal of three start up charter schools that remain successful today. She is also the lead author of the charter application for Bronx Charter School for Health and Wellness and co-author of The Guardian Academy. She currently serves as the Director of Student Support Services and Curriculum and Instruction at the Bronx Charter School for Arts. She is a key member of the school’s instructional leadership team and is responsible for all short- and long-term services for students living with various special needs (ranging from learning disabilities to non-English proficiency), as well as at risk students. Jennifer Ciavirella Schmidberger has led numerous parent workshops and countless amounts of professional development for educators of charter schools

Ms. Schmidberger holds a Master of Science in Education Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University at Albany. In her 26 years, she has taught, opened and led charter schools, served as principal at private schools and served as a director. She also has 6 years of experience as a Zumba instructor and enjoys coaching her daughter’s AAU basketball team.