Written by Eileen Digal (103943331)
"85% of Australians think the Arts make for a richer and more meaningful life" - Australia Council for the Arts, 2015
The Arts has always been a prevalent part of Australian culture and continues to develop and grow into other domains of the Australian experience and identity. It is no surprise that, for this reason, there has been a movement towards making the Arts a more prominent part of teaching and learning in Australian Primary Schools. As the world continues to change, so should the Australian Curriculum. Dinham (2016) wrote that "...curriculum evolves to respond to prevailing circumstances, values and emerging needs". Therefore we must continue to advocate for the Arts in teaching and learning, as it continues to permeate into all aspects of global human existence.
The Arts & Creativity
Creativity is what defines the Arts as being a unique and effective way to teach in Primary School. Duffy (2006, p. 19) listed the following as definitions of creativity:
- "The ability to see things in a fresh way;
- Learning from past experiences and relating this to learning new situations;
- Thinking along unorthodox lines and creaking barriers;
- Using non-traditional approaches to solving problems;
- Going further than the information given; and
- Creating something unique or original."
When creativity is broken down into these definitions, we are able to recognise how these skills are transferable into other areas of learning such as Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), as well as Literacy. Therefore, Arts Education should be considered as more important in Primary Schools, with a greater emphasis and focus on The Arts as a learning area, as also creativity as a general capability in the Australian Curriculum.
The VALUE of the ARTS
There has been a lot of research done that tries to understand how and why the Arts is such a valuable part of the teaching and learning. Many researchers and authors have created lists on what they've found, but they can be generally categorised into three areas of benefit the global community, the local community and the individual.
The Global (Extended) Community
The rate of growth in globalisation continues to increase, particularly in the areas of sustainability, technology and knowledge economy (Dinham, 2016, p. 17). Therefore, there is a challenge being put towards educators to prepare young learners in these areas. Dinham continues, writing that the Arts contributes significantly to, not only the child's immediate development, but also the development on their "future role in society" .
Children are introduced exposed to many cultures and backgrounds through the Arts (Main & Pendergast, 2019, p. 246). They are challenged to use creative thinking and problem solving skills when tasked with finding alternative solutions to areas like sustainability. And finally, creative and critical thinking, and problem-solving skills are all very valuable in knowledge economy. Skills that are all transferable into other areas of the children's lives.
The Local (Immediate) Community
The arts is beneficial to the immediate community around the children. This immediate community includes the school or other educational institutions, the families, and any other groups a child will interact with like sporting, academic and creative communities. Children gain social skills through activities like drama and role play, music groups, and group art projects. Dinham (2016) writes that children "develop cultural understanding, community values, personal sense of connection and empathy for others."
It has also been seen in research studies about the arts and its impact in education that Low Socioeconomic (Low SES) students are the ones who gain the most benefits when they are engaged in the arts in their school years (Dinham, 2016; Fiske, 1999). This is encouraging as we continue to look for ways to be more inclusive of the Low SES students in other curriculum learning areas.
The Individual
Dinham (2016) wrote that "one of the benefits of the arts is the special way they enable us to know our world and communicate our sense of ourselves". There are huge benefits for children's personal development in areas such as self-expression, identity and self-esteem. This in turn has a positive effect on their overall willingness and attitude towards learning.
Students who consistently participate in the arts have been found to have higher chances of success in "virtually every measure" compared to students who had engaged minimally (Fiske, 1999). This speak volumes into how skills such as inventiveness, curiosity, tolerance, open-mindedness and critical thinking, effortlessly transfer into other areas of development and learning.
The Australian Curriculum
"...the curriculum can be perceived as a mind-altering device. We design educational programs not merely to improve schools, but also to improve the way in which students think" - Eisner, 2002
The Arts: A Learning Area
The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (2019) write that "[t]he arts have the capacity to engage, inspire, and enrich all students, exciting the imagination and encouraging them to reach their creative and expressive potential." This is a huge step in recognising the importance and effectiveness of Arts Education in Primary Schools. Below is a short video explaining what The Arts looks like in the Australian Curriculum
There have been previous iterations of the Australian Curriculum where the arts has not had as big of a influence on children's development as it does today. And even in recent times there has been debate around the practices of the Arts curriculum in schools. Though there has been advocacy for change in the curriculum, there has been little research into the efficacy of practice in the classroom, particularly on the expectations of the educators and teaching staff (National Advocates for Arts Education, 2016). Though ACARA recognise the importance of the arts, there is still little understanding on what's required to teach such curricula. Advocacy for the arts is really to advocate in a way that is beneficial to the learners and the teachers.
Creativity & Critical Thinking: A General Capability
Creativity and critical thinking are both crucial skills in Arts Education, but they are also understood to be crucial for success across the entire Australian Curriculum. A general capability equips students to "live and work successfully in the twenty-first century" (ACARA, 2019). A student develops in these general capabilities when they can do so confidently, effectively and appropriately in various situations, both in and out of school environments. These capabilities are seen all across the Curriculum.
Critical thinking requires students to recognise or develop an argument. They must be able to find and use evidence to support this argument and then come to reasonable conclusions and solutions based on their findings.
Creative thinking requires students to generate and apply their own ideas to existing problems in a new way. This process is iterative and involves investigation, construction and refinement of new ideas.
When students apply creative and critical thinking they grow in inquisitiveness, intellectual flexibility, open-mindedness, resilience and a willingness to grow and go beyond.
Music in the Classroom
"...music class as an entity is always changing. It reflects the location and the time where it resides" - Milai, 2017, p.5
Children experience music all around them. Whether it be at home on the television or radio, on streaming platforms on digital devices, or at supermarkets and shopping centres, music can be experienced everywhere (Dinham, 2016, p. 247).
There is a great opportunity for educators to utilise this fact, in that most if not all children will have some knowledge about music. Perhaps it may not be technical knowledge, but music engages with the children's imagination, emotions and creativity, giving them developmental experiences that they may not have in any other setting.
Making Music
- Listening;
- imitating;
- improvising;
- composing;
- conducting;
- singing;
- playing;
- refining;
- notating;
- practising/rehearsing; and
- presenting/performing
Responding to Music
- Being audience members;
- listening to;
- enjoying;
- reflecting on;
- analysing;
- interpreting;
- comparing & contrasting;
- appreciating; and
- evaluating their own and others musical works.
Elements of Music:
Rhythm - The organisation of sound and silence usingg beat and tempo
Pitch - The relative highness or lowness of sound
Dynamics and Expression - The relative loudness and intensity of sound
Form & Structure - The plan or design of a piece of music
Timbre - the particular tone, colour or quality of sound or a combination of sounds
Texture - The layers of sound in a music work and the relationship between them
(Dinham, 2016)
ICT & The Arts
Educators face many obstacles when introducing Information Communication Technology (ICT) into their lessons (Hardman, 2019), but it is has been proven that it is a near-limitless resource that can be used to enhance teaching and learning, especially as it continues to change and advance. When ICT is used correctly it is collaborative (Ralston, 2004) and pupil centred, and allows students to take responsibility for their own learning. Rosen and Salomon (2007) did a study to compare constructive pedagogy, with a focus on ICT in learning, and the tradition transmission-based pedagogy. They found that learners were more engaged, socially interacting and actively learning when educators practiced constructive methods, whereas the more traditional methods required more work from the teacher to give knowledge through conditioned learning. As ICTs require students to be active and engage with the content, their learning becomes more personalised and caters to their needs and contexts.
Hamill (2006) writes that the use of ICT in Arts Education will improve the quality of teaching and learning. It contextualises their learning experiences in Art classes and helps to improve the students overall ICT capabilities. As the digital world becomes a more prevalent part of daily life, it is important that the arts also makes the most of what is given to educators and students in and through ICT.
Play-based Pedagogy & The Arts
Play-based learning is one of the main ways through which teachers in early childhood education are able to help students advance in their development. The Department of Education and Training (2019) in their document 'Belonging, Being & Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework' write that play-based learning is "a context for learning through which children organise and make sense of their social worlds, as they engage active with people, objects, and representations." Play is already an essential part of childhood development and is considered to be "one of the most important ways in which young children gain essential knowledge and skills" (The LEGO Foundation, 2018, p. 7).
Much of a child's understanding of the Arts is already based so much in play, therefore play-based pedagogy is one of the most effective ways in which an educator can introduce The Arts to students. Both The Arts and Play have these qualities which makes for excellent teaching and learning:
- Meaningful;
- Joyful;
- Actively engaging;
- Iterative; and
- Socially Interactive.
(Dinham, 2016; The LEGO Foundation, 2018)
Advocating for The Arts
"The arts have the capacity to engage, inspire and enrich all students, exciting the imagination, and encouraging them to reach their creative and expressive potential." - ACARA, 2019
The Arts provides us with such a rich and diverse array of knowledge and skills necessary for human development. From the research and studies we can conclude that Arts Education has a significant role in teaching and learning, but if often under utilised or misunderstood. But there is headway being made for The Arts, and as the new Australian Curriculum (2022) begins to circulate we will begin to see change and growth that advocates of Arts Education have been hoping for.
Credits:
Created with images by JenkoAtaman - "funny children girl and boy draws laughing shows hands dirty with paint." • Anatoly Tiplyashin - "Items for children's creativity" • Guitafotostudio - "Silhouette of group happy business team making high hands over head in beautiful sunset sky evening time for business success and teamwork concept in company" • denisismagilov - "Cute little boy thinking social media, mock up" • New Africa - "Cute little children playing with cardboard ship and binoculars at home" • Vera Kuttelvaserova - "little girl and colors - portrait" • Gorodenkoff - "Elementary School Science Classroom: Smart Little Schoolchildren Sitting in Row and Work on Personal Computers, Learn Programming Language for Software Coding. Schoolchildren Getting Modern Education" • Photographee.eu - "Happy multicultural group of children dancing together in colorful school" • Konstantin Yuganov - "Cute little actress." • Rawpixel.com - "Nursery children playing with musical instruments in the classroom" • Halfpoint - "Happy little girls painting picture during creative art and craft class at school." • nadezhda1906 - "kids and teacher making complex models from sticks and clay, engineering and STEM" • Halfpoint - "A down-syndrome boy with school kids and teacher sitting in class, playing guitar." • Africa Studio - "Cute girl writing at the blackboard with musical notes, in the classroom" • Marzanna Syncerz - "three children listen to music" • Smole - "music accessories for children on wooden background. top view." • FAMILY STOCK - "Asian little girl using tablet Education technology. EdTech." • M-image - "toddler girl pretend play as a teacher at home"