How could expressive arts sessions relate to the four purposes of the curriculum (Donaldson, 2015)?

Donaldson (2015) introduced Successful Future report as a significant change in Wale’s curriculum. He recommended four purposes of the Curriculum for Wales, stating that all children and young people should be:

1. Ambitious, capable learners who are ready to learn throughout their lives.
2. Enterprising, creative contributors who are ready to play a full part in life and work.
3. Ethical informed citizens who are ready to be citizens of Wales and the world.
4. Healthy, confident individuals who are ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society.

He designed a new curriculum that meets the four purposes, including cross-curricular focus and organised by 6 areas of learning and experience instead of separately narrow subjects as at present. The six Areas of Learning and Experience are:

·         Expressive Arts

·         Health and Well-being

·         Humanities

·         Languages, Literacy and Communication

·         Mathematics and Numeracy

·         Science and Technology

It can be seen that the expressive arts will be one of six areas of learning and experience that will take the place of traditional subjects as Wales approves a radical overhaul of its curriculum for primary and secondary schools. In the report, Donaldson (2015) described the expressive arts as providing “opportunities to explore thinking, refine, and communicate ideas, engaging thinking, imagination and senses creatively”. This area of the curriculum will span the making, performance, expression and appreciation of art, drama, music, dance, film and digital media. The report anticipates it will provide “many opportunities” for students to visit theatres and galleries, and provide an incentive to bring artists and musicians into the classroom Donaldson (Richens, 2015). In Expressive Arts, it is intended that pupils will develop their creative appreciation and talent, and their artistic and performance skills. They will have opportunities to explore thinking and refine and communicate ideas through creatively using their imagination and senses (Dauncey, 2015)

There is a connection between Expressive Arts with other Areas of Learning and Experience.

Through the Expressive Arts, children and young people can be encouraged to develop their imagination, their creative appreciation and talent, and their artistic and performance skills (Meehan, 2015). As a result, it helps to promote children’s mental health and well-being.  They can have opportunities to communicate not only via verbal language but also their body, their minds, their emotions expressing through pictures, colours, music and dances. Also, they use a lot of modern technologies in arts in a creative way, for example, the lights, the filmmaking apps and digital music, etc. It is believed that all of the outcomes from different areas of learning and experience will support each other, helping the individual become more talent and confident in different aspects. Moreover, achievement in the expressive arts also provides a basis for lifelong participation and can ultimately contribute to a thriving economy and cultural life for Wales.

In illustration, Expressive arts can contribute to all four purposes of the curriculum:

•           It encourages children to explore new and challenging things and to strive to improve their own performance, becoming ambitious, capable learners

•           It develops children’s creativity in a range of forms of expression; providing rich contexts and challenges so that they can work collaboratively, learning from critical appraisal of their work, becoming enterprising and creative contributors

•           It enables children to understand their own cultural identity and those of societies in other places and at other times through a lot of sources from music and history, helps them become ethical, informed citizens

•           It helps children 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, becoming healthy and confident individuals

Successful Future Report is one of the most exciting issues in education in Wales at the present. Government and educators are in the process of developing a better curriculum that aims to create a successful and exciting future for all the children and young people of Wales.

References

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

Richens, F. (2015) Wales to put arts at the heart of the curriculum. Available at: https://www.artsprofessional.co.uk/news/wales-put-arts-heart-curriculum (Accessed: 17/4/2018)

Dauncey, M. (2015) Donaldson Review: The ‘purposes’ and content of a Curriculum for Wales. Available at: https://seneddresearch.blog/2015/03/17/donaldson-review-the-purposes-and-content-of-a-curriculum-for-wales/ (Accessed: 17/4/2018)

Meehan, J. (2015) The Expressive Arts are proposed as one of six areas of ‘learning and experience’ in Professor Donaldson’s Review of the Education Curriculum in Wales. Available at: https://www.conwyartsandmusic.org.uk/en/updates/2015-03-03-the-expressive-arts-are-proposed-as-one-of-six-areas-of-learning-and-experience-in-professor-donaldsons-review-of-the-education-curriculum-in-wales (Accessed: 17/4/2018)