Before you read this, it might be worth mentioning that Artis
(the company I worked with) give their specialists onomatopoeic names -
hence why each specialist's name is followed with a 'code name' in brackets!
Mine was 'Bounce'.
As
a Secondary History trainee teacher about to qualify, I was given the
opportunity to complete two weeks of ‘Professional Enrichment’ in a
school-based context of my choosing. As a former actress, this choice, for me,
was simple: it had to be an organisation that synthesised creative arts with
teaching, learning and professional development. Artis (www.artiseducation.com) immediately
ticked all these boxes: through both its holistic approach (fusing drama, music
and dance with school curricula, by sending specialists into schools and making
excellent use of primary schools’ PPA time) and its Impact programme (focusing
on providing training for teachers in how to unlock the potential of the arts
in their classroom).
The
power of the arts in education has been a subject of much debate, with the
recent government-commissioned review, ‘Cultural
Education in England’, finding it significantly enhanced teaching and
learning (Henley, 2012). No surprises there – I’ve always embraced the arts in
my practice and seen first-hand the benefits it has for pupils’ engagement and
confidence (look here and here!). However,
the review goes further - “The best performing schools bring Cultural Education
practitioners into schools, alongside classroom teachers, to share their
knowledge with pupils” (Henley, 2012, p. 8). I can think of no better
description for Artis Specialists - both skilled practitioners in a range of
creative arts, and trained by Artis in behaviour management, lesson planning
and other aspects of pedagogy - than ‘cultural educators’.
However,
secondary schools are hampered by the fact that they do not have PPA time to
spare to facilitate regular programmes run by specialists. I wanted to use my
Artis experience to observe and adapt their techniques, so I could use them in
my practice as a secondary school history teacher – and share them with my
colleagues. What I have learned can be used in the teaching of history, in
pastoral care and across the school as a whole – in true Artis style, a
completely holistic approach.
In
history, the arts can be used to develop complex, concept –based thought. Alex
Kaye (Bash) got pupils at Beecholme Primary School using movement to explain
how gravity changes between the Earth and space. Stuart Barter (Chime) used
dramatic tableaus at St Paul with St Luke’s to demonstrate changing habitats
through time. Inspired by these excellent sessions, I thought about how I could
use this in history lessons - how about getting pupils to use facial
expressions to create a living graph of reactions to a key event, to illustrate
the concept of diversity?
The
arts also promote engagement with literacy. Iryna Pizniuk (Snap) used ‘Romeo
and Juliet’ as a stimulus for a market-based drama scene and a dance to
Prokofiev’s ‘Montagues and Capulets’ with a Year 6 class at St Anne’s Primary
School. ‘Disguising’ learning in this kinaesthetic way effectively engages
pupils who find it a struggle.
More
widely, the benefits the arts have on personal development can be used
effectively as a pastoral tool to ease the transition from primary to secondary
school. Compiling the proposals for Artis’ summer programmes was inspiring –
they use the arts and group work together to ‘break the ice’ between pupils in
new Year 7 cohorts, as well as developing the foundations of key PLTS skills
that they will need throughout their secondary school education. As a Year 7
form tutor next year, with my own Year 7 Induction Day coming up, this insight
was invaluable and I will incorporate it into my pastoral planning in the new
academic year.
Although
some may fear that the freedom that creativity brings and excellent pupil
behaviour are mutually exclusive, my experiences with Artis have shown this is
not the case. Through integrating classroom routines, such as ‘silent signals’,
Tarika Hidayatullah (Wiggle) at St Bernadette’s RC Primary had the whole
(rather challenging) class under her spell! This links to another whole-school issue
surrounding the use of the arts – co-operation between staff is crucial in
linking creativity to the curriculum to really enhance teaching and learning.
Charlotte Farmar (Chortle) at Singlegate Primary had incredibly detailed lesson
plans, which had come about as a result of her relationships with the school’s
teachers (and her own hard work and research!). She also demonstrated one of
the most impressive qualities of Artis Specialists – their constant desire to
reflect and improve – by asking me for feedback and taking some of my
suggestions on board.
My
two weeks with Artis have been invaluable for my development as a creative
teacher of history, and I would like to say a huge thank you to the Artis team
and all the specialists who have made these two weeks so useful and memorable.
I’ll really miss being ‘Bounce’!
References
Laura Horton, York PGCE History trainee 2012-13. You can read Laura's own blog at: www.educatingwolsey.blogspot.co.uk
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