How could expressive arts sessions relate to the four purposes of the curriculum?

This blog post will be exploring how expressive arts sessions relate to the four purposes of the new curriculum, as proposed by Professor Donaldson which will be fully implemented in Wales by 2020. This blog will aim to explore what expressive arts and creativity are, and how this new Area of Learning and Experience will contribute to all of the purposes of the curriculum. 

To begin, expressive arts could be “taken to include the making, performance, expression or appreciation of one or more of the following art forms: music; drama; dance; film and digital media; visual arts and design; literature and creative writing” (Smith, 2013, p. 5). “Learners should be able to use and appreciate various forms of expressive arts so that they can communicate their ideas and feelings, which enrich their lives through developing self-expression and empathy with and for others” (Welsh Government, 2018, p.4). Expressive arts can provide opportunities to explore thinking, refine, and communicate ideas, engaging thinking, imagination and senses creatively. They also promote exploration of issues of personal and cultural identity (Donaldson, 2015, p.43). The expressive arts provide inspiration and motivation as they bring children and young people into contact with the creative processes, performances and products of others and stimulate their own experimentation and creativity. 

Expressive arts can provide many opportunities for experiences such as visits to theatres and galleries and for bringing the specialist expertise of, for example, artists and musicians into the classroom (Donaldson, 2015, p.43). Furthermore, in a 2012 report, Estyn suggested that “effective schools organise trips to places and events to which learners might not otherwise go, such as museums, and orchestral and theatrical performances. Many of these successful schools invite a variety of visitors to school, including artists, poets and authors, to enhance learners’ learning experiences. These experiences raise learners’ self-esteem by developing their ability to express their ideas and feelings. This has had a positive impact on learners’ academic outcomes” (Estyn 2012, p.23).

Achievement in the expressive arts provides a basis for lifelong participation and can ultimately contribute to a thriving economy and cultural life for Wales (Donaldson, 2015, p. 44). Similarly to this, creativity has been described as “essential to the success and fulfilment of young people, to the vitality of our communities and to the long-term health of the economy” (Smith, 2013, p.12). Sir Ken Robinson in 2013 suggested that everyone has creative capacities; creativity is possible in whatever you do, and it can require great discipline and many different skills. “Primary education in the UK has long been regarded as notable for its creative elements” (Wise and Ferrari, 2015. p.31). And in this twenty-first century, schooling will increasingly become the basis of a creative society, of a creative economy and a creative culture. Creativity, or being open to the acquisition of new knowledge and innovative skills, will shape our world like no other force imaginable. It is, in essence, the basis of life-long learning, and that begins in our schools (Smith, 2013, p.6). As a result of this, expressive arts is becoming increasingly important and will be a major part of the new Welsh curriculum, as it is one of the six Areas of Learning and Experience. From this, schools and teachers can encourage children and young people to develop their creative appreciation and talent and their artistic and performance skills.

Professor Donaldson introduced four purposes of the new Welsh curriculum, which should be that children and young people develop as:

• ambitious, capable learners, ready to learn throughout their lives, 
• enterprising, creative contributors, ready to play a full part in life and work
• ethical, informed citizens of Wales and the world
• healthy, confident individuals, ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society (Donaldson, 2015, p. 29). 

The Expressive arts Area of Learning and Experience can contribute to all four purposes of the curriculum. To begin, expressive arts will encourage pupils to explore new and challenging areas of experience and to strive to improve their performance. Also, “by communicating effectively in different forms and settings, fostering curiosity and challenging themselves to take creative risks and critically evaluate, learners will develop resilience and gain confidence to make connections and apply skills and knowledge in different contexts to become ambitious capable learners who are ready to learn throughout their lives” (Welsh Government, 2018, p.3).

In addition, for children to become enterprising, creative contributors, expressive arts will allow them to develop their creativity in a range of forms of expression; providing rich contexts and challenges within which they can work collaboratively, learning from critical appraisal of their work. Expressive arts will allow children to “empower themselves to take measured risks and grasp opportunities so that they are ready to play a full part in life and work” (Welsh Government, 2018, p.3). To provide further illustration on this, during a university seminar I had the opportunity to facilitate year five pupil’s in an activity which involved the ‘Spring Equinox’, which marks the start of spring and a time for new beginnings, birth and fresh starts. Our activity consisted of providing the pupils with words in relation to this topic, such as ‘spring, seasons, celebration, beginning and Earth’, and it was their role to get into groups and decide their own meanings of the words and express themselves by putting together a sequence of movements and sounds to perform to the rest of the group. The pupils’ response was excellent and they were very creative and each group thought of different ideas. This activity also provided some pupils with a confidence boost, as they did not originally want to perform infront of their class, however, with some encouragement from their peers, they felt a sense of achievement after they had performed. 

During these activities, the children were also able to relate to another purpose of the curriculum by being “ethical, informed citizens, who are ready to be citizens of Wales and the world” (Donaldson, 2015, p.29), they achieved this by “understanding and respecting the responses and interpretations of others” as they openly shared their ideas with each other and also by "appreciating the impact of their own interactions” (Welsh Government, 2018).

This specific activity also relates to another purpose of the curriculum, through understanding and respecting the responses and interpretations of others, learners will appreciate the impact of their own interactions, becoming ethical, informed citizens who are ready to be citizens of Wales and the world (Welsh Government, 2018, p.4). Pupils also engage with a range of art forms that span time, place and culture. 

Finally, children will be healthy, confident individuals ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society by using expressive arts to help them to develop resilience and feel more confident as they gain enjoyment and personal satisfaction from creative expression; contributing directly to enriching the quality of their lives (Donaldson, 2015, p. 44). 

To conclude, this blog post has explored how expressive arts sessions can relate to the four purposes of the new Welsh curriculum by defining expressive arts and providing discussion on the benefits of this new Area of Learning and Experience. It has also discussed the increasing importance of expression and creativity within primary education and in everyday life. And finally, the expressive arts area of learning and experience has been directly linked with the four purposes of the curriculum. 

References

Donaldson, G. (2015) Successful Futures: Independent Review of Curriculum and Assessment Arrangements in Wales.

Estyn (2012) Effective practice in tackling poverty and disadvantage in schools.

Smith, D (2013) An independent report for the Welsh Government into Arts in Education in the Schools of Wales Arts Council of Wales. 

Welsh Government (2018) Expressive Arts AoLE. Available at: http://gov.wales/docs/dcells/publications/180131-expressive-arts-en.pdf. Accessed: 16/04/18.

Wise, D. & Ferrari, A. (2015) British Educational Research Journal ‘Creativity and education: comparing the national curricula of the states of the European Union and the United Kingdom’ DOI: 10.1002.