SmArts

What is SmArts?

SmArts is about Arts Integration.

 The SmArts Grants Program encourages K-12 classroom teachers in all disciplines to integrate the tools and processes of the Arts into daily learning. SmArts encourages educators to reach out to the Arts community as a resource for all students to learn and grow. The focus of SmArts is to engage students and allow them to find meaning and make linkages across content areas. SmArts is about using the arts in unison with traditional education.

SmArts is about facilitating artists and arts organization community partnerships

SmArts Long-Term Grants provide classroom teachers with access and exposure to non-traditional ways of learning and improving teaching practices.

SmArts schools first identify curriculum areas where their students are struggling and then select an arts partner to work with. Teachers and arts partners collaborate to design units and lesson plans to meet Ohio’s curricular standards, while developing a mutually beneficial relationship with their arts partner. Teaching artists and arts organization partnerships (music, art, dance, drama) can energize teachers and students, connect learning to the wider community, and demonstrate quality work in the Arts; all as they collaborate to develop learning activities, provide instruction, and assess the impact of their work through action research.

The ideal SmArts grant integrates the Arts (music, visual art, dance, and/or drama) into classroom curriculum and addresses Ohio’s content learning standards both in the core-curriculum and the arts area involved. School teams determine the assets and needs of their students, the resources and challenges of the school, and how and where the Arts will make the largest impact in the curriculum.

One or two teaching artists from the Arts organization work with school staff and teachers to map curriculum to identify common content, concepts, understanding goals and inquiry questions across disciplines. This partnership enables teachers to use the hands-on, participatory processes of the Arts to engage students with learning, both individually and in classroom collaborations. Participating students gain deep understanding of essential concepts and knowledge in both Arts and non-Arts disciplines. SmArts serves as the support system to facilitate in-depth projects tailored to the circumstances of the schools.

To help assure quality and consistently evolving programs, SmArts grants require both summative and formative assessments – ideally both of a qualitative and quantitative nature.

In other words, SmArts grant programs look for measurable successes and feedback that will lead to future improvements.