Integrating art and other subjects...

I have noticed that many of my peers have been integrating different subjects into their lesson plans. Many times these lessons have been seamlessly integrated but sometimes it can be a "stick on" assignment where the secondary subject matter becomes secondary and not fully integrated. The benefits of integrating secondary subject matter into art lessons are that it becomes a basis to validate arts education within the curriculum. It pleases administration and allows the secondary subject matter to become more interesting for the students. By pairing art experience with any other learning experience it allows there to be more time for each lesson and therefore can provide room for more positive results. Some issues that may be encountered are seaming together to different subject matter and curriculum objectives, having one subject dominate over the art experience or having the lesson loose meaning. In the classroom these issues will present themselves through the attitude of the students (if they are bored or acting out, it is not going well), if there is confusion from the students or if the end result is vastly different from your predicted outcomes. In the classroom when these issues come up, depending on how serious, they must be taken into consideration and the lesson must be adjusted accordingly. If i is really not going well, the lesson should be reconsidered and continued another day to prevent frustration from the students. If dealt with in an organized manner, integrating other subjects with art can be very rewarding.