1. Describe one of the theories which is connected to the elements of Arts in Education.

One of the theories that is related to the elements of Arts in Education is the theory of
constructivism. In constructivism, learning occurs through experiencing the world. Jean Piagets theory
which is built in the 20th century, believed that children gain knowledge through experiences and activities.
Constructivism also takes cues from psychologist Lev Vygotsky and his understanding that learning is a
social activity.

Arts education, itself is very naturally related to constructivism, and constructivist learning is
described much like arts learning. According to Bruce Marlowe and Marilyn Page, constructivism
emphasizes thinking, analyzing, understanding, and applying (2005). Constructivism theory is not a
memorization and factual kind of learning but constructivism is a theory where the student will involve in
activities and do hands-on activities in class. For example, in school, teacher can teach verbs to the
students by implementing arts and constructivist learning. Teacher can relate visual arts by asking the
students to draw a scenery of the beach and people doing activity by the beach or in the sea. Then, the
theory of constructivism is implement by asking the student to tell the whole class about the his/her
drawing. The teacher only acts as an instructor in class and this is a student-oriented kind of learning that
relates to constructivist learning and arts in education.

Piaget's theory of constructivism addresses how learning actually occurs, not focusing on what
influences learning. The role of teachers is very important. Instead of giving a lecture the teachers in this
theory function as facilitators whose role is to aid the student when it comes to their own understanding.
Teachers can implement arts and this theory in the teaching and learning process in classrooms. Example,
for auditory arts in education, teacher can play songs or sings in class with the student and at the end of
the class, the teacher can ask the students to work in groups and ask the students to find the adjectives
in the songs and then present it to the whole class. Teacher should facilitates the students if they do not
understand the instruction. So by doing auditory arts , constructivism theory has also been implemented
in the class. The students get the ideas and knowledge by discovering it by theirself and with peers.
Constructivism is simply a way for students to learn more effectively (Mesibov, Flynn, Vermette, &
Smith, 2009).

Constructivism also connected to kinesthetic learners. Arts in education can be implement to this
kind of learners and the theory of constructivism can also be present in the activities. Kinesthetic learners
love to move around and cannot seat statically on their chair. Howard Gardner (1983, 1999) would refer
to them as the bodily-kinesthetic intelligences. For this kind of learner, teacher should give the students
some space of their own to explore the knowledge. For example, as English teacher, the teacher can
instruct the students to go outside the class and search for flowers of different type. The teacher should
also participate in the activities with the students and after 5 minutes of searching the flowers , asked
them to come back to the class. Then, what the teacher can do is to ask the students to go and find their
friends with the same flowers and then share among the class the name of the flowers and the
characteristics of the flower. The student will experienced the characteristic of the flowers using touch
and movement, such as the surface of the petals or the surface of the stalk. Constructivist learning and
arts in education has been implemented in the classroom.
 Constructivist classrooms, like arts classrooms, are active meaning the volume gets louder and
kids are up out of their seats working with others. But active also means that students are testing their
questions, discovering their own answers, and developing their own interpretations. Not only does the
teacher need to prepare extensively for this to happen but students do as well. Constructivism helps
students learn how to learn as well as how to manage themselves. Arts teachers may find scaffolding
these skills is necessary for success. In constructivism, students have to learn how to problem-solve,
collaborate, and manage themselves.