Abstract:

Modern life demands not only wide range of technical and professional skills, but also the ability to think creatively. Young professional should be able to solve problems, considering them from different perspectives. To form this type of the mindset, creative activities, represented mostly by art related education, have to be an essential part of the modern education. Current education offers two ways to practice artistic skills. First, the most traditional one, is the way when students take art classes at school or university. However, it cannot be an option for all students because of the lack of art classes, time, or artistic abilities. Another way to solve the problem of developing artistic skills is to include creative content into regular curriculum. This type of educational technologies called "arts integration methods" were created in 70s of XX century and stay popular for decades because of their universal approach to students’ development. Moreover, now they generate a new educational stream that reflects needs and requirements of the modern professional fields.

It is interesting to observe that in two countries, USA and Russia, the arts integration methods in education were developing simultaneously during decades. A research made by two scholars from the USA and Russia demonstrates the process of development and application the educational method of the arts integration when art subjects and topics are included into different subjects of school curriculum. Using different strategies and methods of teaching, American and Russian scholars and educators were led by the same principles when arts included into subjects of curriculum expands the horizon of students’ mind and their understanding of the world of science. The arts integration method amplifies critical thinking and boosts creativity in unexpected ways of solving technical and science problems. The research demonstrates the variety of examples of the arts integration method from modern American and Russian education, analyzing the similarities and differences of the educational strategies in two countries.

Keywords:

Integration method, American education, Russian education, creativity, critical thinking, personal development.