The advantages of using art to teach writing in the classroom

Have you ever heard of a teacher using art to teach writing? It sounds a bit weird right? The first thing that comes to your mind is how? How is it possible to merge writing and art? But what most people fail to realize is that the art of teaching writing can be greatly influenced by art.

Not only does art teach students to interpret diagrams and pictures in their own words, but it also helps open their third eye, broaden their sense of imagination and boost their power of imagination. Writing and art go hand in hand and having knowledge about one is pretty necessary if you want to bloom in the other.

Are there truly benefits of using art to teach writing in educational institutions? Read more to find out.

The importance of writing skills in the learning process

The whole process of education is to obtain a high level of knowledge, skills, and values that will serve you well for the rest of your days. Though there are many components in the educational process, the importance of writing skills cannot be overstated and it is a skill that every student must try to perfect. Sure, as a student you can pay professionals to write your project or essay and consult a brilliant essay writing service to do the work for you. But you still need to know the basics if you truly want to excel in your academic life. Besides academic life, writing can also help you improve your word choice and improve your ability to express your feelings.

You should know now that writing is a life skill and is not limited to just the four walls of a classroom and even when you text with your friends on social media, you are writing!

Focusing on the learning process alone, here are some importance of harnessing the art of writing:

It heightens creativity. What many people don’t know is that when you write, your frontal cortex is activated. This is the part of the human brain where creativity lies. Writing regularly helps to activate and keep this area of your brain function which in turn helps you think deeper, process thoughts faster, and generate deep problem-solving skills over time.

It sharpens your communication skills. When you write different content, you become a master of words and you find it easier to communicate and exchange thoughts with virtually anybody. Writing helps you master the rules of language and teaches you how to fashion words in such a way that expressing your ideas becomes a breeze.

It helps you connect with yourself. You are the most valuable thing to yourself and you should be able to comment with yourself. When you write, you engage your brain and heart which helps you focus more on your thoughts. This way, you can learn more about yourself and reflect deeply on your personality.

How to use art for creative writing for students?

Creative writing art is one that schools should inculcate in the life of every student. Writing on its own can be seen as boring, but when infused with art, it comes alive.

The three major ways to use arts for creative writing are by observing, interpreting, and creating.

Observing

Observing is not just looking at an image, it’s about looking introspectively at an image and studying every aspect of it. The lines, the colors, the words, the frames, and everything about that image must be carefully scrutinized. Doing this helps students think deeper and pay more attention to details which in turn helps them better express what they have seen.

There is no right or wrong answer at this stage. Instead, students lacking in observation skills should be gently prodded to tap into their creativity, they should be made to explain what they feel is going on in the image.

Interpreting

This stage deals with students analyzing what they have seen and experienced. Here, students make inferences, providing rational thoughts to what they have observed. No two students can have the exact same response; instead, each will talk about his/her opinion about the image that was observed and defend that opinion.

The interesting stage enhances critical thinking and analytical skills.

Creating

After observing and making inferences, students will then have to put their thoughts and observations in words. At this stage, students make use of the information they have gotten from the art to form words that can be related to that art. Here, they are expressing the points of view in writing and it should tally with their inferencing meaning that no two students should have the exact same words.

Conclusion

It doesn’t matter where the educational facility is located, whether, in the UK, the US, China, etc., the principles of using art to aid in creative writing are the same. Teachers are advised to pay close attention to each student because everyone’s write success rate cannot be the same. But with hard work and perseverance, even the stiffest of students can tap into his/her creative genius and make writing a custom.