4 Benefits of Bringing a Teaching Artist Into a School

If you’ve been teaching for any amount of time, you may have heard the terminology artist in residence more than teaching artists. However, for this post and the others in my teaching artist series, you need to know that teaching artists and artist in residence can be used interchangeably. Whether you’ve worked with one personally, or not, there are many benefits of bringing a teaching artist into your school.

What is a teaching artist?

Without needing to start a completely new blog, I’ll keep the definition of what a teaching artist is to a minimum. In a nutshell, teaching artists residencies and teaching artists are certified individuals who come into schools to teach a specified subject. In my case, I teach art. In another artist’s case, he or she could teach music, dance, science, or something else.

Our visits can take on many different forms. From a half-day workshop with a couple of classrooms to a two or three-week-long, school-wide learning experience. The possibilities are almost endless.

4 Benefits of Bringing a Teacher Artist Into a School

Teaching artists provide practical knowledge.

There is no doubt that teachers have a lot on their plates as it is. So when bringing in a teaching artist, you can expect to have some of the weight lifted off your shoulders. The knowledge they bring to the table is catered and geared specifically for the subject and age group of children they will be engaging with. We also have a unique way of presenting this knowledge in ways that children enjoy while learning at the same time.

Teaching artists provide experience and an opportunity for collaboration.

I truly believe teaching looked much like this back in the day. There was more collaboration and working together to teach a body of students collectively. This also opens the door for demonstrating teamwork by working on a project together. The teacher can actually come alongside his/her students and learn with them since they won’t have to worry about leading the actual lesson.

Teaching artists provide real-world applicability.

This is where true connections between the lesson and children understanding it comes to life. Teaching artists can take concepts and make them real life for kids. They also are able to connect concepts across the curriculum in a real-world setting. This bridge is often what’s missing when it comes to students being able to comprehend what they are learning. When this connection isn’t made, it’s often a concept lost.

Teaching artists bring expertise.

Teaching artists have a depth of knowledge about the art form that teachers aren't always able to have. This is mainly because teachers are busy with their own specific content. Let’s take a science teacher for example. He or she doesn't have the depth of knowledge that, say, a musician who's also a teaching artist could have. So, you inevitably get that extra deep layer from the teacher's incredible knowledge about the subject matter and the artist's incredible knowledge about the subject matter.

Final Thoughts

And there you have it! These four benefits are just the tip of the iceberg but certainly enough inspiration to consider bringing a teaching artist into your school. In my next post about this subject, we’re going to talk about how to bring one into your school so you can be prepared!

In the meantime, I’d like to hear from you. Have you ever worked with a teaching artist? If so, what kind? Let me know in the comments below!