Curriculum Integration Positions and Practices in Art Education

Issues of school reform regarding teaching for understanding and knowledge fragmentation have influenced teachers, including art teachers, to work across curriculum divisions. This paper examines art education practices using interpretations of curriculum integration positions from the field of education. Discourse analysis1 was used as the research method to contextually situate and analyze four art curricular paradigms: using the arts as resources for other disciplines; enlarging organizing centers through the arts; interpreting subjects, ideas, or themes through the arts; and understanding life-centered issues through meaningful educational experiences.