| Statement of the problem. The critical thinking and problem solving skills of high school level trainable mentally retarded students can be significantly affected by the use of a broad based approach to art instruction. A successful curriculum for art for special education can therefore be derived from this type of teaching strategy.;The study. The study was initiated to show the effects of a broad based approach to art education for mentally retarded students. The project also measured the development of critical thinking and problem solving skills in the students. The final goal of the study was to develop curriculum guidelines and successful teaching methodologies for art for special education.;The students in a trainable mentally retarded class were exposed to art experiences involving the study of sculpture, portraiture, pop art, and clay. Through the individual units the students had experiences in studio production as well as art criticism, aesthetics, and art history. These experiences were designed to give the students the opportunities to explore these aspects of art as well as presenting opportunities to develop problem solving and critical thinking skills.;Methods and procedures. This study occurred during a period of 15 weeks. The students participated in one 45 minute art class per week. The art classes were conducted in an art room away from the students self-contained classroom.;The units were developed using a standard lesson plan format which included objectives, strategies, materials, and evaluation. All of the objectives were directed to meet the requirements of a balanced discipline based art education. These goals included measurable objectives in art studio, aesthetics, art criticism, and art history.;In most cases the lessons were developed into units of three lessons each. These lessons began very structured and progressed through a less structured format as the unit concludes. In the first lesson, critical thinking and problem solving skills were spelled out for the student. During the second lesson these skills are addressed loosely. During the final lesson of the unit, choices of solving the problem were completely up to the student.;Data for this research was collected by using several formats. Data was collected on audio tapes, slides, and by using three data collection forms created especially for the study. These forms were used by the researcher and by an outside observer.;After the data was collected it was compiled for analysis. The analysis was intended to find similarities, differences, and behavioral changes in the students during the study. The analysis included searching for concrete evidence of the effects of a broad based art education and the Improvement of independent critical thinking and problem solving skills.;Summary of the findings. Conclusions in this study were drawn based on the collected data and the definite pattern of behaviors, modifications of behaviors, and the development of verbal and visual skills, the data shows that these behaviors are not conclusive but strongly suggest definite positive results. In most cases critical thinking and problem solving skills were enhanced. Verbal and visual skills were improved. The students were able to become more expressive and independent in the art classroom.;This study demonstrated that a broad based approach to art education with emphasis on critical thinking and problem solving skills can improve the art experience for mentally retarded individuals. A secondary benefit of the program was an improvement of cognitive skills in areas other than art. This study demonstrates that the mentally retarded can become more careful observers, cleared thinkers, and more visually aware human beings. |
