As our education system becomes more and more focused on assessment and measuring, we face a potentially dangerous homogenisation, a “one size fits all” approach to how subjects are taught. The pressure for schools to have a standardised way of measuring things means that progressive and creative approaches to teaching are being eroded.
Making and creating are a part of what makes us human. It is essential that we make space for children to undertake these approaches, but it would be wrong to assume that this only applies to the “arts” subjects. Creativity should be encouraged across the curriculum and this starts with giving teachers the opportunity to develop their own creative approaches to teaching and learning.
Teaching as an artistic practice
This was the thinking behind A Dog in the Playground (see pictures), a publication that was the result of a project in which I worked with PGCE students from University College London’s Institute of Education to focus on teaching as a socially engaged artistic practice.
Together, we explored approaches to working as an artist in the classroom. Each student developed their own piece of action research to explore the issue. Some created schemes of work to use with a particular class while others ran extracurricular activities or conducted a series of observations, but the emphasis was always on documentation rather than on resolution.
One student made a beautifully poignant film interviewing a slightly cynical art technician about his views on art education. Two students collaborated to produce a critical piece about the erosion of space for art classrooms in the school they were based in. Another worked with a group of school pupils to make positive versions of “kick me” signs (see picture). All of the projects focused on the teacher, as well as their pupils, having the space to work creatively and explore ideas through art.
Creative risks
In lots of ways I think that teachers and schools are their own worst enemies. The curriculum is not so prescriptive that it does not allow for inventive and creative approaches. But the increasing pressure to meet certain standards means that schools are often terrified of taking risks. So, we have a situation where departments develop a formula for “success” and panic when pupils - and teachers - fail to conform to this.
I think that the key to a really great art education is to allow the pupils to lead and develop their own ideas. In order to do this we have to start by empowering the teachers and allowing them to take creative risks themselves. We need to support them in exploring how their own work in the classroom can be a form of artistic practice and research. Just like young artists, they need to be given the opportunity to “fail”. We need to liberate. But in the current climate there just isn’t space for failure.
Dr Henry Ward is an artist, writer and head of education at Freelands Foundation
A Dog in the Playground was launched with an exhibition at the Peckham Platform gallery. You can purchase a copy of the book via Culture Label
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