Chronological Order/
The Humanities:

The order in which the “History of Art” is presented is through the use of our visual and colorful timeline. It instills in the children a natural sense of order that aligns with the history of human development, the “Humanities.” The “Humanities” can be defined as the study of the myriad ways in which people from every period of history and from every corner of the globe, process and document the human experience. Since humans have been able, we have used philosophy, literature, religion, art, music, history and language to understand and record our world. These models of expression have become some of the subjects that traditionally fall under the humanities umbrella. Knowledge of these records of human experience gives us the opportunity to feel a sense of connection to those who have come before us, as well as to our contemporaries. “Stanford Scholar Calls for New Definition of the Humanities, “By Humanities at Stanford, November 1, 2011, Stanfords Humanities Center (Home of the Human Experience). 

Heightened Self Esteem:

Our program is a WIN! WIN! situation for the children, where all their efforts are acknowledged and highly nurtured with enthusiastic guidance, support, and positive reinforcement. The success we have experienced over the past nineteen years attests to the ability of our program as we teach the children what the word “Self-Esteem” actually means, (That special feeling we get about ourselves when we do something good, participate in something meaningful, help our parents, succeed in a sports activity, participate in the art making process, etc.) The children truly learn the meaning of the word by this exercise, which in itself creates “Heightened Self- Esteem.” We encourage the use of a “Certificate of Achievement” for participation in the Art Docent Program presented at the end of a several day or week program, which is personalized for each child. This can be posted in their home, as it is a testament to their participation and a symbol of “Success.”

Therapeutic Effect:

The term “Therapeutic Benefits of Exposure to the Arts” is widely used and associated with art education particularly as it relates to children’s art education. However, it is rarely detailed as to what these therapeutic benefits actually are. We have studied this statement in depth and after much research, emphatically support and confirm the numerous benefits associated with participating in the process of creating “Art.” To state just a few of these many positive benefits:

• It allows children a means of release by externalizing inner emotions, thus relieving stress.
• Increases the brains level of serotonin, the chemical linked to depression. The higher the level of serotonin the less chance of depression.
• Brain scans indicate increased blood flow to the brain during periods of creative thought and any creative activity that is enjoyable which gives rise to “Alpha Wave Patterns” typical of restful alertness, the relaxed but aware state found in meditation. (Cathy Malchiodi, The Art Therapy Handbook)

This focus and research that we have conducted, combined with the experience gained by instructing our classes and interacting with thousands of children over the past nineteen years, has led us at the Art Docent Company to form a hypothesis, supported by questioning posed to eminent experts in the field of cognition and neuroscience.

This hypothesis is: the suggestion that the execution of any type or form of art, be it drawing lines, shapes, simple figures, the use of color, through any medium, activates a primal function, which we relate to a therapeutic benefit. This primal function which we believe is directly related to a sense of self- esteem gained by the effect of such undertakings may be responsible for the development of “Art” as we know it today.

Social and Emotional Development and Learning: (SEDL)

This important quality which integrates the child’s social skills with the standards-based curriculum begins in the home and is further facilitated within or in cooperation with the schools through a number of approaches, which align with many of the “Benefits Purposes and Principles” of our program, particularly, chronological order, heightened self-esteem, multiculturalism, therapeutic effect, and classical enrichment and is further reinforced with the emphasis we place on cooperation in each of our classes. “Today’s educators are charged not only with preparing students to pass tests in school, but also to pass tests in Life.” (Joseph E. Zins, Maurice J. Elias) SEDL is the capacity to recognize and manage emotions, solve problems effectively, and establish positive relationships with others, competencies that clearly are essential for all students to achieve to become successful members of society.

Vocabulary Development/Multi-Modal Learning:

It is proven that vocabulary building raises academic development. The need for a strong vocabulary is currently being reinforced globally in progressive educational organizations. Vocabulary building is integrated into each of our lesson plans, singling out important as well as interesting words. These words are first introduced and explained orally, aurally heard, and visually viewed so the children become primed to them, this process is based on generative practices in learning suggested by the noted author and scholar of many books on multi-media learning. (Richard E. Mayer,  Multi-Media Learning, second edition, 2012) It increases good retention and transfer. Each class’s story is then read aloud after the children have already been familiarized with the words they will encounter. Many of the key words are reviewed for reinforcement over the course of the program.

Storytelling/Multi-Modal Learning:

Storytelling is the language art that predates written history. It entertains while also effectively communicates the information to its listeners; our stories for each lesson plan are orally recited, aurally heard, and visually illustrated. This multi-modal concept supports the development of students reading skills, “Hearing text aloud improves reading ability” states Beers (1998). This dual concept of the story being read aloud as well as being exhibited on screen acts as a support, which allows students to read above their actual grade level. Storytelling enhances and facilitates a better understanding of the subject matter. Our lesson plans incorporate the use of a story containing the key elements of each lesson plan being presented. The use of the story ensures that the children receive the key facts of the lesson plan as well as increases their interest and better prepares them to participate in the ongoing class with greater cognition.

Repetitive Teaching:

The use of a review methodology is integrated into our program by the repetitive review of words and concepts, which are first introduced in the story at the start of each class and further reinforced at the start of each consecutive lesson plan in the program. The teaching through repetition is a proven technique in successful learning, especially in younger children and also develops heightened self-esteem. This is also known as rehearsal.

Self-Realization “Understanding Creativity”:

By explaining the meaning of and giving a description of creative ability and imagination to our students, we believe it fosters an understanding and fulfillment by each child of the possibilities, which each individual person embodies. It empowers them and allows them to recognize the effects of this special ability. We encourage them to track their creative ideas by recording them, savoring them, and by continuing to study and learn about this very complex process called “creativity.”