Welcome Education Bloggers! Hope you are
all keeping well! Unfortunately, this will be our last blog of the year; time
has gone so quick! We have managed to cover and discuss a range of topics that
relate to different factors i.e. technology, cross-curriculum, collaborative
learning, the Welsh language, etc.
As you can see from the title, today’s
discussion will focus on Donaldson’s curriculum, and how expressive arts relate
to his four, key purposes. So, our final discussion…let’s get right to it!
First of all, what do we mean by
‘expressive arts’? Per Donaldson (2015, p.43), it “provides the opportunity to
explore thinking…imagination and senses creativity…explores issues of personal
and cultural identity”. From his statement, it is clear to see that he has
related this back to his four purposes, and is clear from the use of key words
like ‘imagination’ and ‘creativity’, but we will look more into this later.
Expressive arts as one category, stem out into different subjects that
encourage children and young people to “develop skills and techniques that are relevant to specific art forms”
(Gov.scot, no date, p.1); subjects like dance, art, drama, music, etc. allow
them to do so.
This source links in
with Donaldson’s report because he aims to “develop four capacities in young
Scots: to become successful learners, confident individuals, responsible
citizens and effective contributors” (Donaldson, 2015, p.23). The governmental
report from Scotland is relevant throughout the UK, especially Wales because
they are also familiar with the established curriculum. Furthermore, the aims
demonstrate the encouragement Donaldson wants to portray within schools, to
help children and young people become more confident. These skills will also be
built on throughout their education because the different expressive arts
sessions, and activities will encourage them to explore their creativity, and
imagination further.
What sessions or
activities will help children and young people build on this to meet the four
purposes? Heath & Darley (2008, p.55) express that the “activities are
divided into three types: icebreakers, media-based activities and themed
activities”, and so demonstrating a range of visual, communication and active
within the classroom to keep the pupils engaged These are factors that we will
be exploring further, individually to understand how they relate to Donaldson’s
key purposes. Although this statement is partially from an American source, the
activities that have been mentioned could still be used in a classroom in the
UK, and is something that schools could consider using in the future.
If we take the icebreaker
factor, this “can be any activity that gets the students talking and familiar
with each other”. The idea of giving pupils the time to communicate with one
another, builds on their social development and is a way of getting individuals
out of their comfort zone. Which purpose do you think this factor relates to?
Well, it will guide children and young people to become “health, confident
individuals who participate in performance and form positive relationships”
(Donaldson, 2015, p.30). Forming a trust and friendship with new people could
be a way of keeping children engaged with their learning, and not feeling
scared to get involved with group work.
Merrison (1998) shares
a contrasting opinion, as she believes that “some ice-breakers can be
a bit intimidating for shy people”, and this is the case in some instances;
some may find it difficult to go straight into socialisation with new people,
whereas it can come natural to others. However, the idea of using this activity
to build on some fears, could encourage children to build on this if they see
their other peers engaged with the activity. Furthermore, the ice-breaker
activity could be based on something the class have an interest in, that
relates to expressive arts. The source I have provided relates to become a
spiritual teacher, but it highlights an issue that comes with this factor,
relating back to the original point of using an ice-breaker activity in the
classroom.
The confidence aspect
within Donaldson’s report could be shown through this activity, and the
teachers will gradually see the improvements as time goes on. This idea will
set the children up for going into the real-world of working and understanding
our society, so the use of communication, and becoming confident will benefit
the children for the future. This further refers to Donaldson’s (2015, p.30)
other purpose of being “ethical, informed citizens who respect the needs and
rights of others, as a member of a diverse society”. Working with different
people, potentially from different cultural backgrounds could be demonstrated
through this activity if they partake in group work.
Next, we move onto
media-based activities. This is the approach that encourages children to be
liberal “without any guidelines other than how to use materials” Heath &
Darley (2008, p.55). The idea of allowing children to be free and creative with
their work, and not following a set of rules demonstrates their ability to work
for something that they want to make. Donaldson’s point of being an “enterprising,
creative contributor who expresses ideas and emotions through different media”,
is shown through this type of activity. Other than encouraging children to be
free, media-based activities gives them an understanding as to what they enjoy,
and whether they can perform well. This could be shown through the subject of dance;
producing a piece of choreography in a group to also build on communication,
which refers to Donaldson’s (2015, p.30) point of “being ambitious, capable
learners who communicate effectively in different forms and settings”.
Art could be another
factor because children can use a range of materials like the computer, or just
a standard paint brush to create something new, based on what the children want
to produce.
However, Heath &
Darley (2008, p,55) have gone on to say that “media-based activities generally
require more time to complete…30 – 60 minutes, plus set up and clean up time”.
As the focus, has recently been on academic learning, it can be difficult to
find the time to fit activities that involve media in lessons. The new
curriculum from Donaldson may encourage teachers to fit this into lessons, so
the children can be creative with their learning. Also, this activity could
allow children to evaluate and reflect what they have done, again demonstrating
engagement. Rivoltella (2015, p.136) support my ideas by stating that “this
lack of time is used more as an excuse not to take action”, and is a factor
that I agree on. If children are being encouraged by Donaldson to meet the four
purposes, more time should be allocated for this. The focus has been too much
on the children and young people’s academic ability, rather than their creative
skill; I believe that this is the reason for Donaldson publishing this
curriculum, so the government acknowledge that it is not all about assessments
and testing.
We have had a big
discussion today, with Donaldson being the main focal point. To conclude, there
are more ways that expressive arts sessions can be incorporated to link in with
Donaldson’s four purposes. I believe that using the media-based activity
relates well with expressive arts, because it comes under the same category. We
have stemmed out of the question slightly to see what has been said in academic
resources, but the main point is I want you to take away from this is “the inspiration
and power of the arts play a vital role in enabling our children and young
people to enhance their creative talent and develop their artistic skills”
(Gov.scot, 2017).
That is all for this
year guys! Thank you so much for taking the time to get involved and engage
with my blogs. I hope you have all enjoyed the discussions that have taken
place…I sure have! It has been a pleasure and I hope you all have a wonderful
Summer. Goodbye for now!
Anisha Chauhan
Anisha Chauhan
References:
-
Donaldson (2015) ‘Successful Futures’, Wales, p.23-43
- Gov.scot (2018) ‘Expressive Arts’, Available at: https://education.gov.scot/scottish-education-system/policy-for-scottish-education/policy-drivers/cfe-(building-from-the-statement-appendix-incl-btc1-5)/curriculum-areas/Expressive%20arts (Accessed: 29/03/18)
-
Gov.scot (no date) ‘Expressive arts: Experiences and
outcomes’, Available at: https://education.gov.scot/Documents/expressive-arts-eo.pdf (Accessed: 29/03/18), p.2
- Heath. W & Darley. S (2008) ‘The Expressive Arts Activity Book: A Resource for
Professionals’, Philadelphia, p. 55
- Merrison. M (1998) ‘How To Be A Brilliant Spiritual Teacher’, p.31
- Rivoltella (2015) ‘Smart future. Teaching,
Digital Media and Inclusion’,
Italy, p.136
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