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
Henley, B. 2012. ‘Cultural Education in England’. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/77941/Cultural_Education_report.pdf
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