Memorandum submitted by Performing Arts Labs (PAL)

1. PAL was registered as a charity in July 1990. Its objects are to encourage, through its experimental laboratories, the cross-disciplinary development of talent and ideas between professional artists, scientists and other creative practitioners. PAL works across a wide range of disciplines and sectors; including the arts and creative industries, in science and new technologies and in education.

Each PAL Lab is an intensive, collaborative process designed to liberate, challenge and invigorate participants, encouraging them to apply their creativity and imagination to transform their professional practice and to do better what they are passionate about. PAL's Lab programmes develop radical thinking, new work and new ways of working.

This takes place in residential and non-residential Labs. During its first decade PAL focused on the performing arts, on feature film, on experimenting with new technologies with computer scientists and artists to explore interactive media in entertainment and in learning.

2. In 2000, with support from the National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts, PAL originated a new programme of Labs of Learning for teachers and artists working together to explore imaginative ways of managing and teaching the curriculum. PAL's focus is on unleashing the teachers' creativity in the belief that this will have an impact in the classroom and on pupils' experience of learning.

3. PAL's Creative Science Teaching Lab programme (2002-2005), involving teachers, artists and scientists, has been much acclaimed, even though it was relatively small-scale and the methodology has not been disseminated. In the context of the Select Committee inquiry, it is noteworthy that Creative Partnerships was a significant supporter and investor in this programme. The evaluation, carried out by the Open University, is available to the Committee if required.

4. It might be said that the association between creativity and science is still perplexing to some. The Select Committee Inquiry specification notes that young people may have developed creative skills but that these are not applied to subjects beyond the creative arts. In any future Inquiry the opportunity to explore creativity in science, technology and maths should be seized. It is timely to consider the place of creativity across all learning, especially given the publication of the revised secondary curriculum (July 2007); encouragingly, the programme of study for maths at key stages 3 and 4 asserts that 'Mathematics is a creative discipline'.

5. The proposed revised programmes of study do reflect a coherent narrative across all subjects and the focus on curriculum dimensions begins to illustrate how concepts and processes between subjects might be linked. The illustration of creativity across subjects begins to signpost ways in which the whole curriculum can be taught more effectively and convincingly from the perspective of the learner, for whom learning is joined up - or we hope so. PAL believes that more can be done to ensure that the creativity dimension does not exist only on paper and that it becomes a reality for teachers and pupils.

6. It is essential that creativity as a curriculum dimension is no longer confined to the arts but impacts on science, design & technology etc. What needs to be acknowledged is the multifaceted nature of creativity, its power - maybe alarming for some - and effectiveness in combining ideas and 'ticking many boxes at once'. The Inquiry asks for a definition of creativity and will no doubt receive many observations on models and terms. For PAL, it is more to do with the creative behaviour, creative thinking and creative approaches which are practised. Artists and scientists do not define themselves as creative but creativity is evident in their work.

There is a need for real learning from people outside school, beyond the entitlements which exist for pupils. Teachers have learned more about their own practice through co-learning with artists, scientists, technologists and many others.

7. Teachers' continuous professional development (CPD) currently focuses largely on classroom management and tools for teaching rather than teachers rediscovering themselves as learners. Teachers in PAL's Labs have found their development to be deep and meaningful and it remains with them for many years - the first Creative Science Teachers from 2002 are still communicating with each other with ideas and encouragement. Their renewed understanding of themselves as learners continues to sustain them.

8. Many have argued that what is needed is a model of teacher development which starts in initial teacher training and goes through to CPD in a seamless way. Our conversations would suggest that there is an opportunity and much to be gained from developing and testing new forms of teacher education, bringing together qualified teachers and those in teacher training, students, cross curriculum and cross phase learning, all co-constructed with external practitioners.

9. Some months ago the Nuffield Curriculum Centre hosted an evening event for PAL. Admittedly the selected audience comprised those who are already converted to new ways of thinking. They were passionate about teacher development and they proposed these core features of future practice.

Teacher control and autonomy: Creativity and trust in teacher education allows the individual to be more in control. Creativity and trust in classroom practice allows pupils to be more in control.

Authenticity: All learning must have currency in today's and tomorrow's world. Pupils and teachers must have opportunities for genuine investigation and open inquiry, closely related to real and everyday situations.

Collaboration: Cross curricular activities should be standard in schools and between teachers (and teams of teachers), with learning tasks that are authentic, using different ways to get messages across and building narrative journeys through curriculum subjects.

PAL and Creative Partnerships have shown the benefits of bringing into teacher development and classroom practice, working scientists and artists who bring challenge, reality, generosity, collaboration and imagination to the subject.

Learning with young people: PAL's Labs are founded on co-constructed learning in which all participants, and the facilitators themselves, are afforded the same status and opportunities. Extending the Lab experience to include pupils as partners in learning would be unpredictable, challenging and potentially powerful. Teachers, pupils, artists, scientists and others can be inspired and challenged together. The words we used about this included regeneration, curiosity and wonder, enjoyment and enthusiasm.

Risk: Risk is not taken lightly in education; the argument is that we cannot take risks with young people's education. On the other hand, they face a risky future and have to learn to be resilient and tenacious. Working artists and scientists live every day with multiple drafts, refinement and repeated experiments. Risk taking, not always having the right answer, entering the unknown, tolerating confusion and ambiguity, stretching rules, feeling empowered, having opportunities to experiment and to make mistakes are fundamental elements in breaking new ground and making discoveries.

The creative learning journey: As suggested above, a lifelong learning model of teacher education, laying the foundations in initial teacher training and continuing to underpin continuous professional development through a teacher's career, would build individual and school capacity to innovate and learn.

 

July 2007