Arts Across the Curriculum

What is this?

This project has been designed to explore the contribution that the arts, working across the school curriculum, can make to children's education and motivation.

The project is based on the notion that: by using arts as an interventionist partnership with, and methodology for, other subject areas; by building working relationships between teachers, pupils, artists, arts organisations and community; and by threading the creative process throughout the school curriculum, measurable benefits can occur in teaching, learning, school and community ethos and communication, attainment, achievement and school attendance, along with raised awareness of, and improved practice of the arts themselves. The proposal is based on a study that the Scottish Arts Council has been making for several years of the Chicago 'Arts Impacting Achievement'(AIA) project.

The central rationale underpinning the whole Arts Across the Curriculum project is increasing performance of students. The Chicago model has shown that achievement in all curriculum areas (including but not exclusively in the expressive arts) improved when artists were involved in well planned team teaching with the class teacher. The project will be tailored to fit Scottish systems and to match with national and local priorities. Partnership working, thorough training for teachers and artists, quality planning time for artists and teachers as well as rigorous evaluation mechanisms will be key elements of the project in Scotland. The rationale of the AIA project and the core implementation strategy, the integrated curricular lessons (ICL's) will be central to the project.

An ICL is an integrated curricular lesson. It is a lesson integrating core curriculum with an artistic process and project. The unit uses art and culture to motivate students and deepen their understanding of a content area while exposing them to an art form. The unit is both planned and taught through an artist/teacher team.

The Scottish pilot project will run for a total of three years on the basis that it will require one year to set up and start running, one to bed in and one to be fully functional. It will be piloted in the following seven local authorities:

Dumfries and Galloway
East Ayrshire
Aberdeen City
West Lothian
South Lanarkshire
Glasgow
East Renfrewshire

FLaT involvement?

FLaT support is being provided to explore the use of expressive arts across the curriculum, linked to raising pupil achievement and motivation levels, as well as improving school ethos.

Links with National Priorities?

1. Achievement and Attainment
2. Framework for Learning
3. Inclusion and Equality
4. Values and Citizenship
5. Learning for Life

Project aims?

To increase pupils' achievement, particularly in understanding, in identified subject areas across the curriculum
To increase pupils' motivation to learn
To support and develop the skills of teachers to work collaboratively and creatively
To encourage links between different areas of learning and erode subject barriers
To improve the ethos of the school
To explore the efficacy of the expressive arts as a delivery mechanism across the curriculum

Project outcomes?

1. A body of teachers:

who have an understanding of arts and creative processes;
who are better able to work collaboratively;
who have proven ability to build strategies which engage pupils;
whose use of reflective practice has increased;
who make increased use of national and local arts resources;
who embrace challenge and change; and
who feel increased confidence in delivery of the curriculum.

2. A body of pupils:

who measurably improve their skills and understanding of identified subject areas;
who show better engagement and motivation to learn;
who show improved skills and interest in expressive arts; and
who show increased interest in school through, for instance, improved school attendance.

3. A body of evidence which includes:

a thorough evaluation of the achievement or otherwise of the outcomes above;
in-depth records – written, filmed recorded - of all planning and practice resulting from the work;
teaching materials arising from the work; and
conclusions which can inform future development.

4. A body of schools:

that have improved ethos and an enhanced climate for learning;
that have better staff-pupil communication;
that have more visual evidence of the arts – on the walls, in the classroom, public performances etc; and
which have enhanced engagement with the surrounding community.

Timescale?

The project started in September 2004 and will run till September 2007

Level of Support?

FLaT support is a grant of £840,880, plus evaluation costs

Who are the evaluation team?

Not yet appointed.

Contact person:

Joan Parr, Scottish Arts Council, 12 Manor Place, Edinburgh EH3 7DD. Tel 0131 240 2402. Email: joan.parr@scottisharts.org.uk