RESEARCH - Arts Council Study into Artists Partnering with Schools to Deliver Education
Arts Council England’s study into artists partnering with schools to deliver a higher standard of arts education highlights a range of different elements required for artists to be more involved in the education system. It provides advice in improving arts education for their students through having an artist present in the curriculum, as well as the general importance of having someone in the education system from the non-teacher perspective. But, the presence of artists in education is severely under used, under funded and, in some areas of the country, completely disregarded. Arts Council have decided to put a document together highlighting the benefits for all parties, artist, student and teachers, in having a working artist or creative professional present to assist with delivering skills based education as well as residencies, and other forms of teaching. It also covers how the artist can meet the needs of the school and visa versa. I believe this will benefit my project because it highlights that there is a clear need for artist to expand and enrich the education system, but it’s how they do it that is the crucial aspect.
As this study is focused around artists and their presence in learning, I believe it solidifies a number of issues surrounding arts education in the United Kingdom; one of the key factors being that the current state of the curriculum does not work for the majority, nor does it inspire or encourage people enough in the arts. Instead it benefits those that are naturally capable or have a prior interest in the field. The assistance artists could provide in education would give students an example of a professional in the field to work from, as well as new ideas and engaging workshops that they may conduct. While engaging the students is an important factor, the valuable assistance that an artist can offer to a teacher would only improve the teacher’s ability to deliver the curriculum. This is highlighted by research undertaken by David J Hargreaves, noting “effective extended arts experiences depend on good links outside the school” (Orfali, 2004). This shows that the links schools have with industry, such as the arts can be effective in the delivery of education, and specifically extended learning, if the relationship between artist and school is solid. It is justified further stating “schools who benefit from contact with the professional worlds of the arts find this extremely beneficial in supporting their in-school arts teaching and activities” (Orfali, 2004). It therefore justifies the necessity for artists to be involved with aspects of education.
Moreover, it is clear that the Art’s council see great benefit with partnering artists with schools. It is a brilliant method of skill sharing which in turn helps teachers with the delivery of art based subjects. Ultimately, it improves the quality of the education delivered and keeps a wider scope of abilities engaged with arts subjects. It also helps students who may not be high achieving in an academic school environment potentially find an interest or their ‘thing’, which will ultimately help them engage with school again. There is also a clear distinction made between the artist and the teacher. Many students find the classroom a challenging and unapproachable environment to work in for a number of reasons; having a more informal or laid back approach with the emphasis on hands on learning which is focused around skills and learning by doing which is instructed by someone who is not a teacher can really benefit some students, and be the best way for them to learn. Although it is important to note that this approach would not work for everyone, but having this approach to enrich and expand the curriculum would still be a beneficial addition. One child featured within the study said “if you’re not keen on school and not very happy, sometimes working with someone like a friend can encourage you to come to school” (Orfali, 2004). This kind of comment shows the importance for artists in schools and how vital their skills can be to students who feel school is a difficult, uninviting and unpleasant place to attend. Having something that sparks every child’s interest regardless of ability is vital to the overall development of a child.
However, there are aspects of the study that are not considered. As education, now more than ever, can be delivered in a range of forms. Some schools prioritise academia, therefore the arts are not high on their priorities, special schools, home education or behavioural schools are not considered in the study. Although this study was focused around artists in partnership with schools across the north-east England, I do feel that it would be important to acknowledge other forms of learning within their findings as they are just as valid an aspect of the education system in the United Kingdom as conventional schooling. I believe this to be the case because other forms of education in disadvantaged areas, like North-East England have ever growing populous of children receiving education in different ways. Artists involvement in providing skills based education through workshops, online lessons, resources and gallery sessions would both enrich and expand the curriculum for those students. Although it is important to acknowledge that the study details how artists can partner with schools, I feel it should widen the discussion to how can artists partner with local and regional councils to deliver education to a wider spectrum of learners.
After looking at this study and considering some of the aspects that link to my current interest on how artists can expand and enrich the curriculum, I have found that there is a need for art professionals in schools alongside teachers. Their purpose would be to assist the teacher in encouraging students to develop skills, giving them more hands on or ‘learning by doing’ tasks that aid the understanding required to follow the curriculum. This would in turn help them develop their interest, their skillset in visual art and develop skills that transfer into other subjects. Although it is important to note that many other educational aspects are not considered in this study, the wider convocation of how artists can build wider partnerships with local and regional councils to aid learning across other areas of education is an important one. By giving students proper, meaningful skills you are giving them the confidence to expand their studies further.
Bibliography:
Orfali, A., 2020. Artists Working In Partnership With Schools. 1st ed. [ebook] Arts Council England - North East, pp.4-18. Available at: <https://static.a-n.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Artists-working-in-partnership-with-schools1.pdf> [Accessed 10 November 2020].
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