Art in Education |
| We live in a visual age (think iphone, etc.), which necessitates an education whereby pupils can develop skills such as visual-spatial awareness, reflection, experimentation, analysis and communication – all skills developed through the creative arts. Our world has changed dramatically not only technologically but also on the importance placed on visual language. This is not forgetting that the creative arts are a worthy subject for study in its own right. Teaching the creative arts will give pupils skills in new ‘ways of seeing’ and understanding the world, enabling them to have the confidence to use their abilities to shape and re-envision their own world. |
| The benefits of teaching the creative arts within the National Curriculum is not simply about making stuff and leaving it at that. Rigorous teaching methods need to be used as would be expected within the sciences and maths. Well trained teachers and professional visual artists (often with teaching qualifications themselves) need to break down the complex processes involved in the creative arts so pupils can learn about the variety of concepts being tested and trained within the discipline. |
| The creative arts effectively underpins and integrates all subject areas and helps to provide a broad context for new information in a more interdisciplinary and holistic approach to learning. There is a growing body of research that shows motivation and productivity is increased in those pupils who take part in the creative arts, which in turn is reflected in all subject areas across the National Curriculum. |
| The National Curriculum needs to address not only those left-brain activities that enhance our analytical skills but the creative right-brained skills (observation, envisioning, innovation and reflection) that we need to make the creative connections that are so critical for innovation and careers in general, within the modern world. |
| Now, as the education system is about to receive a rigorous overhaul, would be a good opportunity to introduce the creative arts back into mainstream education. It is being suggested that this overhaul of schools will highlight an increasing number of failing schools. Cutting through the politics of this for the moment; the ability of the creative arts to engage in positive ways with those less academic pupils or those pupils with behavioural issues, must be recognised. This is something the creative arts have been doing very successfully for decades within the context of Youth Arts and Regeneration. |
| We need to work to integrate the creative arts into the education experience so it is more than just another subject that can be either dropped or chosen at GCSE level. Imagine how our society would change if the creative arts underpinned all curriculum areas and all teaching, establishing a general approach to creative activity and thinking that would be embedded in pupils experiences, thereby ensuring they would take this with them throughout their adult life and into the next generation. |
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