During this week's L.A. Talk Radio show for Struggling Teens, Diana Kon, Co-Executive Director and Hague Williams, Fine Arts teacher, at Sonia Shankman Orthogeneric School, Chicago, explained to host Lon Woodbury the many benefits of fine arts education for special needs children.
Guest Backgrounds
Diana Kon, C.A.S., M. Ed., Co-Executive Director, holds a post-graduate degree in Educational Leadership, a graduate degree in Curriculum and Instruction, and an undergraduate degree in Psychology from National Louis University. She has been teaching at the Orthogenic school for over thirteen years ago, and prior to joining the school, she started the Therapeutic Day Institution at Children's Memorial, where she taught for four years
Hague Williams earned his MFA in Print Media at the School of Art in Chicago in 2003, and today he teaches courses in illustration, printmaking, photography, and digital imaging at Sonia Shankman Orthogeneric College. He is also the Junior Accomplishment Coordinator in charge of labor force readiness, entrepreneurship and economic education via experiential, hands-on programs. He has actually been with the institution for ten years.
What Are the Benefits of Fine Arts Education for Special Needs Children?
During the course of the interview, the guests described how the Sonia Shankman Orthogeneric University is a unique educational program for youngsters. The institution supplies a solid academic program, a relationally based therapeutic setting, and exceptional fine arts and recreational opportunities for students with mild to severe emotional handicaps. It supplies youths, ages 5 to 20, with a therapeutic and instructional environment that acknowledges their needs, while encouraging them to grow by achieving developmental milestones.
After discussing the origins of the orthogenic milieu treatment initiated by the work of Bruno Bettelheim, describing the types of students who attend, and defining the role of fine arts, the conversation focused on the many benefits of fine arts education for special needs children. In essence, the study of fine arts opens up a whole new world for the students. Learning art helps them to establish trusting relationships with others and develop a love for learning. The confidence students build up through studying art then makes them receptive to learning things related to art, including many of the traditional academic skills like mathematics. In fact, there is even a profitable small printing business called Infectious Tees that helps students learn how to design t-shirts and sell them.
By the end of their time at the school, pupils graduate with an entire new self-image, and go to college or enter the workforce with a brand-new confidence in their capability to learn, think artistically and critically, and assert their own needs.
Conclusion
By integrating the fine arts, the Sonia Shankman Orthogeneric Institution touches the core of the student's humanity by providing a safe place for them to learn the best ways to express themselves, as well as learn scholastics and how to function effectively in their culture. The amazing success of the pupils is a testimonial for the many benefits of fine arts education for special needs children.
Guest Backgrounds
Diana Kon, C.A.S., M. Ed., Co-Executive Director, holds a post-graduate degree in Educational Leadership, a graduate degree in Curriculum and Instruction, and an undergraduate degree in Psychology from National Louis University. She has been teaching at the Orthogenic school for over thirteen years ago, and prior to joining the school, she started the Therapeutic Day Institution at Children's Memorial, where she taught for four years
Hague Williams earned his MFA in Print Media at the School of Art in Chicago in 2003, and today he teaches courses in illustration, printmaking, photography, and digital imaging at Sonia Shankman Orthogeneric College. He is also the Junior Accomplishment Coordinator in charge of labor force readiness, entrepreneurship and economic education via experiential, hands-on programs. He has actually been with the institution for ten years.
What Are the Benefits of Fine Arts Education for Special Needs Children?
During the course of the interview, the guests described how the Sonia Shankman Orthogeneric University is a unique educational program for youngsters. The institution supplies a solid academic program, a relationally based therapeutic setting, and exceptional fine arts and recreational opportunities for students with mild to severe emotional handicaps. It supplies youths, ages 5 to 20, with a therapeutic and instructional environment that acknowledges their needs, while encouraging them to grow by achieving developmental milestones.
After discussing the origins of the orthogenic milieu treatment initiated by the work of Bruno Bettelheim, describing the types of students who attend, and defining the role of fine arts, the conversation focused on the many benefits of fine arts education for special needs children. In essence, the study of fine arts opens up a whole new world for the students. Learning art helps them to establish trusting relationships with others and develop a love for learning. The confidence students build up through studying art then makes them receptive to learning things related to art, including many of the traditional academic skills like mathematics. In fact, there is even a profitable small printing business called Infectious Tees that helps students learn how to design t-shirts and sell them.
By the end of their time at the school, pupils graduate with an entire new self-image, and go to college or enter the workforce with a brand-new confidence in their capability to learn, think artistically and critically, and assert their own needs.
Conclusion
By integrating the fine arts, the Sonia Shankman Orthogeneric Institution touches the core of the student's humanity by providing a safe place for them to learn the best ways to express themselves, as well as learn scholastics and how to function effectively in their culture. The amazing success of the pupils is a testimonial for the many benefits of fine arts education for special needs children.
About the Author:
Lon Woodbury, the founder of Struggling Teens, has recorded the entire interview on his weekly L.A. Talk Radio show for people to listen to at their convenience.
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