Blog 6 - What are the value of expressive arts in activities in primary education
What are the value of expressive arts activities in primary education?
The Expressive Arts AoLE has been created with the intention to encourage children and young people to develop their creative appreciation and foster their talent and performance skills (Donaldson, 2015). This was first seen in Professor Dai Smith’s (2013) report into arts and education in Wales, ‘An independent report for the Welsh Government into Arts in Education in the Schools of Wales’. This report powerfully highlighted that it is imperative that skills related to Expressive arts have a significance within education in schools (Smith, 2013; Donaldson, 2015; Welsh Government, 2019; Craft, 2005; Van Eman, Thorman, Montgomery, & Otto, 2008; Davies, 2009).
Donaldson (2015) states that the arts will provide children with a number of opportunities such as thinking, refining, communicating, engaged thinking, imagination and creativity. By having a positive engagement in the expressive arts AoLE, a child will be developing their application strategies, perseverance skills and learning how to pay close attention to detail. The areas also foster’s transferable skills such as critical thinking, which aid learners to question, make connections, innovate, problem solve, communicate, collaborate and reflect critically (Welsh Government, 2019; Donaldson, 2015). These are skills known as ‘high demand’ skills and will allow a child to succeed within future workforces (Donaldson, 2015; Welsh Government, 2019). This is because these skills are sought out by employer’s and are in high demand (Welsh Government, 2019). By developing these skills, children will not just be achieving in Expressive arts, but can apply these skills to every other area within the curriculum, as well as outside education activities (Donaldson, 2015). However, the expressive arts AoLE has a crucial link to the success in the cultural industries sector in Wales and to lifelong learning (Welsh Government, 2019). The AoLE is made up of 5 cross-disciplinary approaches – dance, drama, film and digital media, and visual arts. They all have their own distinct experiences, knowledge and skills whilst still sharing a common creative process with transferable skills (Welsh Government, 2019). These disciplines are made of up 3 interlocking strands known as ‘What Matters’ created by the Welsh Government in addition to the Successful Futures document for the new curriculum. One of these is exploration. By having an exploratory approach within the Expressive Arts, it is with the hope that this will deepen a child’s artistic knowledge and will play a larger part in the contribution to their understanding of identities, cultures and societies (Welsh Government, 2019). Dewey (1999) and Johnson, Liu and Goble (2015) can also back up that “children are exploring organisms with constructive characteristics and that schools should not prepare for life; they are life itself. Children enter their school prepared to be artists and scientists. The role of the teacher is to communicate with those active minds through coaching, managing, and arranging the learning environment”. It is the teacher’s responsibility to provide an authentic environment to allow this development (Sagar and Mehli, 2013).
The 2nd area is responding and reflecting. Responding and reflecting is both a massive part of being both artist and audience and is due to the result of the Expressive Arts (Welsh Government, 2019). The communication skills of problem solving, assertion, conflict management and negotiation all require the extensive ability to listen and respond (Katz and McNulty, 1994). A child that is able to listen reflectively, is also beneficial for their development of feelings such as being compassionate and grateful. Having these skills allows them to listen to another person if they are experiencing a difficulty or a problem. These are valuable skills for the development of a child (Katz and McNulty, 1994). In responding to another, you are expressing the essence of both the content and the feeling that the other has discussed with you (Katz and McNulty, 1994).
The 3rd and final, being quite obvious, is the creative side. The creative work involved, combines knowledge and skills using the senses, inspiration and imagination (Welsh Government, 2019). The field of creativity has expanded dramatically over the last half a century (Bardot, Besancon and Lubart, 2011). However, Bardot, Besancon and Lubart (2011) argue that once a child has demonstrated a sense of creativeness, they should be seen as creative and those who do not, should focus on other strengths they have within the curriculum, ie Maths or Science (Hocevar and Bachelor, 1989). Donaldson (2015) hugely argues this as he openly discusses the need for creativity within every AoLE, including Numeracy and Science.
Due to the length of this blog, I do not have the words to go into this in as much detail as would like to. To add onto this, watch this video by Neil Hawkins.
It can also be argued about the impact the expressive arts module has on a child’s well-being. Art and creative activities have long been known to have therapeutic properties (Duncan, no date). Expressive art therapies, have a potential to aid young children in the struggles that they are likely to be associated with (Lindsey, Lindsey and Robertson, 2018; Malchiodi, 2005; Duncan, no date). Research undertaken by Lindsey, Lindsey and Robertson (2018) suggests that creative therapies allow children to express themselves more authentically and effectively in ways that other strategies can’t, for example, with words (Malchiodi, 2005). These ‘therapies’ can be something as simple as a dance or painting lesson (Lindsey, Lindsey and Robertson, 2018). Other theorists such as Green, Drewes and Hoboken (2014) believe that expressive arts can be used to make changes in children’s lives and guide them toward a happier and more fulfilling existence. Well-being has become such a massive part of the curriculum, so much so that it is its own AoLE. It is essential that we have happy learners, in order to achieve successful learners (Donaldson, 2015). By promoting positive well-being, you are ensuring positive development, allowing them to achieve their full success in school, but also in life in general (Barry, Clarke and Dowling, 2017). Adopting a whole school approach by encouraging expressive arts, and in turn improving the health and wellbeing of a child, has been identified as being more affective in having sufficient academic development throughout year groups (Weare and Nind, 2011; Adi et al, 2007; Barry, Clarke and Dowling, 2017). However, some research shows that if it is not implemented at a consistent and rigorous level, then the benefits will not perform (Durlak et al, 2011; Wislon and Lipsey, 2007; Barry, Clarke and Dowling, 2017). The expressive arts, has the potential to heavily impact health and well-being in schools if implemented, adopted and sustained over time (Barry, Clarke and Dowling, 2017).
To link in with this blog, me and a few of my peers got the opportunity to carry out a expressive arts lesson alongside my lecturer with a local primary school. The project was based on the Spring Equinox due to the time of year it was and I was surprised by how cross curricula we could make this lesson. We were able to obviously hugely incorporate expressive arts, as that was the main focus, but we also included humanities by discussing the history and science and technology as there science behind the reasoning for the equinox. There was also a massive impact on well-being here for both the children involved, and for me as I saw first hand how happy it made the children to be able to make up their own music and dance moves, and then preform for people.
References
1. Barry, M., Clarke, A.M., and Dowling, K (2017) Promoting social and emotional well-being in schools, ‘Health Education’,117(5), pp. 434-451.
2. Craft, A. (2003). Creative thinking in the early years of education. Early Years, 23(2), 143–154.
3. Davies, D (2009) Enhancing the role of the arts in primary pre-service teacher education, ‘Teaching and Teacher Education, 26, pp. 630-638.
4. Dewey, J (1999) ‘John Deweys Thoery of Practical Reasoning’,Educational Philosophy and Theory,31(3), p. 291-293
5. Donaldson (2015) Successful Future: Independent Review of Curriculum and Assessment Arrangements in Wales. Wales: Crown.
6. Duncan, K (no date) Arts Works: Using the arts to promote emotional health and wellbeing in schools. Accessed at: https://city-arts.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Art-Works.pdf(Accessed on: 1st April 2019).
7. Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R.P, Dymnici, A.B, Taylor, R.D and Schellinger, K.B. (2011) The impact of enhancing students social and emotional learning: a meta-analysis of school-based universal interventions, Child Development, 82(1), pp. 405-432.
8. Edric C. Johnson, Katrina Liu & Kristin Goble (2015) Mantle of the Expert: Integrating Dramatic Inquiry and Visual Arts in Social Studies, The Social Studies, 106:5, 204-208
- Hocevar D, & Bachelor P. (1989) A taxonomy and critique of measurements used in the study of creativity. In: Glover JA, Ronning RR, Reynolds CR, Eds. Handbook of Creativity. New York: Plenum pp. 53-75.
10. Katz, N. and McNulty, K. (1994) Reflective Listening. Accessed at: https://www.maxwell.syr.edu/uploadedFiles/parcc/cmc/Reflective%20Listening%20NK.pdf(Accessed on: 1stApril 2019).
11. Laura Lindsey, Phyllis Robertson & Beth Lindsey (2018) Expressive Arts and Mindfulness: Aiding Adolescents in Understanding and Managing Their Stress, Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 13(3), p. 288-297
12. Malchiodi, C. A. (2008). Creative interventions with traumatized children . New York, NY: Guilford Press.
13. Sagar, H. and Mehli, H (2013) Expanding teacher’s competences in authentic and entrepreneurial teaching issues in science and technology, Nordina,9(2), pp. 171 – 191.
14. Smith, D (2013) An independent report for the Welsh Government into Arts in Education in the Schools of Wales Arts Council of Wales. Crown: Wales.
15. Van Eman, L., Thorman, J., Montgomery, D., & Otto, S. (2008). The balancing act: arts integration and high-stakes testing. Journal for Learning Through the Arts: A Research Journal on Arts Integration in Schools and Communities, 4(1). Available online: http://repositories.cdlib.org/clta/lta/vol4/iss1/art7. Accessed 31.3.09.
16. Weare, K. and Nind, M (2011) Mental health promotion and problem prevention in schools: what does the evidence say?, ‘Health Promotion International’,26(1), pp. 29-69.
17. Welsh Government (2019) Preparing for the new curriculum. Accessed at: https://gov.wales/preparing-new-curriculum(Accessed on: 1st April 2019).
18. Wilson, S.J, and Lipsey, M.W., (2007) School-based interventions for aggressive and disruptive: update of a meta-analysis, ‘American Journal of Preventitive Medicine, 33(2), pp. 130-143.
19. Y, Adi,. Et al (2007) Systematic review of the effectiveness of interventions to promote mental wellbeing in children in primary education. National Institute for health and clinical excellence: London.
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