Research Project #1: The Arts & Entertainment in K-12 Education

The question is, “Does the arts and entertainment belong in K-12 Curriculum?”  i.pel is developing a definitive study on the use of the arts &entertainment as a compliment and alternative to conventional K-12 instruction. This research project will catalogs information from which compelling contemporary curriculum can be developed using original and existing research, such as that done by the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Education Research Association (AERA). The history of educational entertainment such as video games, episodic elements, dramatic enactments, music, lyrics, poetry, dance and graphic literature will be researched to identify what has worked from preschool to grade twelve and how the discipline should evolve. For example existing educational computer games will be studied, as stated by Simon Egenfeldt-Nielsen (PhD, Psychologist), for “their biases and weaknesses in method (which) cause them to lack scientific validity.” The ultimate purpose of this research project is to educate the underachieving and disenfranchised student who has developed a bias to conventional curriculum to promote improved testing and assessment.

This research project will look at how entertainment curriculum can conform to contemporary and progressive teaching techniques such as the “Flipping the Classroom” program and the North Carolina State University College of Education “FIZZ” project (see Personalized/Blended-based eLearning). These innovative techniques have shown positive signs of making K-12 education more relevant to the modern student through progressive common core “Based” Learning (see Learning & Teaching Platforms). The end product of this project will be a published document which can be used as a development plan for the arts & entertainment-based (see Motivation & Engagement-based eLearning) curriculum creation. 

STATUS: Grant proposal in development