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Memorandum submitted by The Engine Room, Wimbledon College of Art, University of the Arts London Executive Summary
1. Creativity in education can't start too early and has been proven to be important for children under the age of 5
2. The development of creative thinking and skills is particularly effective when education practitioners work collaboratively with creative practitioners (artists)
3. The development of creative thinking and skills impacts educational achievement, engagement with the community and home life
4. Creative projects work best when artists engage and collaborate with the full education team and their input is integrated into the full programme of an educational centre
5. Creative development is not dependent on resources, time, space or staff ratios; rather creativity is a way of thinking, seeing and doing.
Brief Introduction:
1. The Engine Room is a centre for the development and promotion of projects to bring Enterprise, Research and Community together around arts-based activities to build sustainable systems of knowledge transfer about the impact of the arts within society. The Engine Room undertakes research, impact measurement, evaluation, community projects, consultancies, education services, professional development, events, performances and exhibitions. The Engine Room projects involve partnerships, research, knowledge transfer, community, enterprise, businesses, capacity building, professional development, dissemination, outreach and advocacy.
2. In 2005 The Engine Room worked in partnership with the London Borough of Ealing to manage deliver and research a creative project Creativity Matters set in four early years centres in Ealing. The London Borough of Ealing Early Years Childcare and Play department has initiated and funded the project in an effort to explore a more creative approach to the curriculum.
3. The first year of Creativity Matters (2005-2006) was based in four children's centres, and now in its second year the project is based in nine settings i.e. three children's centres, four primary schools, one private day-care and one voluntary community organisation all of which work with children under the age of 5. The following points summarise some of the findings from an evaluation of the first year of Creativity Matters.
Recommendations for Action:
1. How should we define creativity in the context of education and child care?
Ø Creativity can be characterised by inventiveness, risk taking, imagination, problem solving, play, original and expressive forms of communication and synthesis, a sense of wonder and curiosity, the ability to let distinctions between play and work blur, tolerance of ambiguity, flexible and original responses, insightful and visionary interpretations, fluency and sensitivity, resilience and intuition and the ability to be self-critical. Ø Creativity is not restricted to the arts, however the arts are a powerful vehicle for developing children's creative thinking and skills. The involvement of artists in this process is critical Ø Education practitioners need a shared understanding and experience of creativity in order to value and provide for children's creative development. Within the curriculum, provision for creativity needs to be planned, deliberate and its evidence presence recognized.
2. What effect have existing creative initiatives had on teachers' skills and ability to work with creative professional in the classroom?
Creativity Matters was a pilot test within four Children's Centres to determine the impact of embedding creative professionals in early years education. Each centre received professional development into issues surrounding children's creativity and the multiple languages of children. An artist (or team of artists) was placed in each setting for approximately two days per week to work with teachers, children's centre professionals, the children and their families and communities. The preliminary findings indicate that substantial benefits were received by the children, young people, practitioners and artists with some impact on family and community. There is evidence to conclude that the impact on practitioners includes:
Ø There has been a re-igniting of self-interest in the arts and practitioners own approach to creativity within and across the curriculum Ø Staff demonstrated increased enthusiasm to initiate, offer and implement creative ideas Ø The practitioners showed an increased enthusiasm to support and collaborate with each other Ø Some changes were identified in the way practitioners view the availability of resources Ø Working collaboratively with artists has impacted the way practitioners see, relate to, and plan for, the children Ø The staff recognised that 'artists' have a different way of seeing the children Ø Consciousness of the project being part of a research pilot highlighted issues of self-protection around existing practice Ø Methods and articulation of reflective practice at an individual level varied and were difficult to capture. Ways to document individual learning is an area requiring development Ø Practitioners viewed the project as a successful and connected means of delivering the whole Foundation Stage curriculum Ø Across all centres there was a unanimous preference to employ an artist over a practitioner (teacher) if given the choice Ø Practitioners had an expectation of what the artist would 'bring' to the centre Ø Practitioners measured their own thinking and abilities against those of the artist Ø Learning between the artists and practitioners was reciprocated Ø Practitioners had an expectation of how the artist would relate to the children Ø Across all centres there was a unanimous perspective that the project was not 'more work' but a more interesting way of working that they would like to sustain Ø Practitioners valued the days in between the artists' visits as an opportunity to sustain and extend children's experiences Ø Practitioners were concerned about the future of the children experiencing creative possibilities of this kind, and how children's approach to learning might be received by teachers in the primary school system Ø Staff made voluntary changes to the hours that they worked Ø Staff made voluntary changes to their own lifelong learning Ø Staff demonstrated higher levels of enjoyment in their work Ø Staff made voluntary changes to increase their own e engagement with the arts
3. What are the implications of a curriculum shift in favour of creativity for the training of heads, teachers and cultural animators?
Ø Embedding creativity in the heart of education will require a shift in thinking and values where the place of creativity is identified in leadership practice, professional development and teaching practice Ø Workforce development for teachers needs to address self perception of creativity, defining an understanding of 'what is creativity?' or 'what characterises creativity' Ø Workforce development and strategic planning needs to establish a shared understanding for the value of place of creativity at all levels within the system and at the front face of teaching and learning Ø The education sector needs to glean and partner with other sectors, including creative industries, on establishing the place for creativity in organisational improvement and impact Educational organisations and their employees would benefit from increased exposure to new ways of working and doing, moving beyond or widening personal and professional points of reference. This reciprocity could also allow for other sectors to learn from educational settings. Ø Educational settings can become a closed context that replicate a narrow or singular method of teaching. Professional development that includes increased exposure to other sectors will help teachers to prepare children for a changing workforce with higher levels of autonomy, and the need for self management, initiative and intrinsic motivation.
4. How might parents and education and care providers be persuaded to encourage creativity in the home?
Ø Engagement in children's learning is value driven therefore teaching staff can advocate creativity in the home through links to perceptions of life long learning, attainment, and a healthy child. The Creativity Matters 05-06 report identified that some parents have linked art experiences to creativity and consider this as a survival skill and see this as important for their children's future Ø Curriculum planning and projects need to create stronger links with home experiences placing value on creative engagement Ø Teaching and learning needs to celebrate and provide a means to showcase child and family creativity, giving a voice to creativity at all levels
5. Which special contribution do the arts have to make to creative education?
Ø The arts provide a breadth of means to understanding and expression of self, others, ideas, beliefs and enquiries Ø Artists are creative individuals who work in creative ways. They carry a collaborative spirit which can help to initiate, strengthen and sustain partnerships at multiple levels e.g. children with children, children and family, family and staff, family and cultural places Ø In Creativity Matters 0506 Early Years Education has in turn made a positive contribution to arts practice a. The artists developed new models of collaborative practice b. Through engagement with the children, the artists began to question notions of materiality and performativity in their art making practices c. The artists responded positively to prolonged engagement with the early years settings and have continued to collaborate with the centres after the ending of the pilot d. The artists have developed greater levels of reflective practice and expanded their research and documentation skills
6. To what degree should creative education be structured to accommodate the needs of creative industries?
Ø Engagement with creative industries should be at the heart of creative education, new ways of looking, seeing and developing. Without this engagement the education sector can only work from the perspective of internal professional experience, and a limited amount of 'external experience' held by practitioners who have entered education at a later stage in life or have returned to education from other industries Ø The role of specialised teaching based on expertise, could draw from the high calibre professionals in creative industry Ø The most effective way to learn is apprenticeship style learning where all people are learning at different stages and are able to follow and teach one another through the process. Creativity Matters has engaged young people from neighbouring secondary schools in the creative development of young children in children's centres. This partnership has supported the development of both young people and young children alike Ø The partnership between education and creative industries could pull together the 'teachers' strengths' and 'creative industry strengths', a working model for collaboration and discovery for staff and children alike
7. What evidence is there that a creative curriculum assists achievement in other areas?
Ø The preliminary findings indicate that substantial benefits were received by thechildren across all areas of the curriculum. There is evidence to conclude that the impact on children includes: a. The project has increased children's levels of curiosity b. Children's engagement moved from curiosity to initiative and ownership c. Children's increased curiosity resulted in increased sharing of learning with parents d. Children participating in the project have shown increased levels of confidence e. The children have developed their initiative and engagement in making experiences f. The children are demonstrating an increased initiative toward interactions with adults g. The children have made connections between experiences including the memory of previous experiences and the linking together of ideas and concepts h. The children are initiating collaborative experiences with each other i. The children are engaging in an increased amount of making at the early years centre and in the home. j. The children are more purposeful in their making. Before the project they had independence within a directed task, now they are planning and designing the task k. Increased sense of community l. There have been changes identified in children's use of multiple languages m. The children indicate an increased sense of cultural understanding and diversity n. The project has provided collaborative experiences for children to develop their sense of self, and an understanding of their peers o. Children's sense and exploration of space has developed p. The children have demonstrated high levels of concentration in their participation in the project q. The children demonstrated an increased ability to remember previous experiences and to link together ideas and to make connections r. The children demonstrated increased amounts of sustained shared thinking
Ø Further evidence can be found in the book: Bamford, Anne 'The Wow Factor: Global research compendium on the impact of the arts in education' ISBN 978-3-8309-1617-8
8. What is the impact of a creative curriculum on pupil confidence, motivation, behaviour and team work, and literacy, numeracy, ICT and communication skills?
Ø Please refer to Creativity Matters report findings in 05-06 report for children listed in point 7
9. How can creative achievement among young people be acknowledged and assessed?
Ø The experience of the local secondary school students involved in Creativity Matters has provoked a desire to have their art making critiqued professionally, seeking advice on how to improve Ø Local partnerships between secondary schools and creative industries and local organisations (including educational settings) can provide a means for engaging in meaningful documentation and showcasing of achievement in a wider forum. In Creativity Matters the partnership established between a secondary school and two local children's centres was showcased the work of young people in the in local authority, Early Years conference and publications.
10. How can creativity be embedded across the curriculum and within the philosophy of schools?
Ø Embedding anything requires ownership and understanding amongst staff who carry, deliver and implement vision; ownership of creativity as a value can only be found when creativity is experienced, understood, made active and fuelled Ø For creativity to be alive in the philosophy of a school it must be alive in the minds and activity of staff and the relationships they share. Creativity needs to be something we live and share not merely 'teach about' Ø Embedding creativity requires the constant and consistent evaluation of the place and purpose of creativity in all areas of learning and throughout all layers of the educational system. This would need to be a planned initiative form the outset of change, to identify possibilities across the curriculum Ø Schools must be committed to the creative experiences of both staff and children; this would be evident in professional development for all staff and creative opportunities across all areas for children Ø Creativity in the philosophy of the school needs to be owned by all and therefore valued by all. Collaborative projects with artists and staff teams could help to support this process, this is demonstrated in Creativity Matters where artists are embedded in the team and their input reaches beyond one age group, one staff level, one context, one environment and into many
11. How can creativity in schools best be linked to the real work of work and leisure?
Ø School plays an important role in preparing children for working life in a changing workforce Ø Creativity in schools is essential for developing creative thinkers Ø Creativity in schools can strengthen home-school links, blurring the divide between work and leisure and promote work life balance Ø Opening up 'community links and community partnerships e.g. the role of a partnership between a children's centre and its local secondary school is mutually beneficial and has links to progression, career development, and a sense of community ownership and contribution Ø ' Creativity'' is confined to neither work nor leisure, and the presence of creativity in both needs to be promoted and celebrated through the curriculum Ø Links to creative industries will help to give a future view to creative ways of working
July 2007 |