Despite the Scottish government claiming that creativity lies at the heart of Curriculum for Excellence (Education Scotland, 2013), one of the most striking things highlighted through both today’s art and drama inputs was that the arts are regularly discarded in Scottish education. As children progress through school, they receive far fewer expressive arts lessons and activities. Any creative tasks that older children do have are teacher-led (McAuliffe, 2007) which stifles rather than boosts their creativity.

In our drama input we discussed some of the issues surrounding drama lessons in school. However, many of us recounted that we had very few drama lessons throughout primary school and those who could remember having them recounted feelings of hopelessness when those who were good at the subject were favoured. This week, we explored five different drama conventions and tools that we could use in the classroom: improvisation, teacher in role, hot seating, thought tunnel and freeze frame. The aim of these is to build all children’s confidence in and love for drama.

In today’s art and design input, we looked at a range of art made by children from various age groups and focused on the progression of children’s artwork as they transitioned from early years to upper school. From the art pieces created by children in the youngest age group, it is clear that these children had complete creative control over their pictures with little or no input from teachers. The two pieces below represent a floating house (see Picture A) and two people (see Picture B). In the past, these types of drawings would have been branded scribbles and pre-representational (McAuliffe, 2007). However, despite bearing little or no visual resemblance to the objects these children claim to have drawn, when these drawings are discussed with the children there is often found to be deep meaning behind them. This view can be supported by Booth (1995) who claims visual art allows children to make meaning in their experiences and the world around them, highlighting its importance in the primary curriculum. This illustrates the importance of valuing children’s drawings and prompting stimulating conversations surrounding them with the child.

As previously stated, from our discussions we concluded that older children have far fewer art lessons. This became apparent when analysing the work of older children. We found that there was far more value placed on written work (see Picture C below). Where art lessons had been taught, these were adult initiated. Children had clearly been tasked with creating artwork for a specific purpose rather than having free reign over their creations (see Picture D).

I believe that the creative autonomy offered to children in the early years will inspire and encourage children to create. They are in complete control of the art they produce and are not restricted by lesson plans or the expectation of any artistic technique. Thus, they can develop both an appreciation for and a confidence in their artwork. However, as we found today, as children progress through school art lessons are often constricted by teachers. These children may become disillusioned with the creative process as they are being forced to create something rather than being offered the freedom to make the things they would like. Research has found that as visual art lessons begin to demand more technique and ability, children begin to feel less confident in their artwork. The pressure caused by high expectations can make children feel frustrated (QCA, 2004) and discourage them from engaging in art lessons and harnessing their creativity as they feel their art is not good enough.

A decline in confidence also brings a fall in engagement. As a practitioner, these inputs highlighted the importance of allowing children of all ages to be creative. It also illustrated the need to show value in all children’s work, regardless of artistic ability.

I enjoyed the extensive and thought-provoking conversations that occurred throughout this input. They highlighted issues surrounding the arts that I had not previously considered. As such, one of the main skills developed this week was communication skills. Communication is a very important aspect of classroom activity (Pollard, 2008) and therefore, teachers must be good communicators.

Thus, lessons in both the visual arts and drama can boost children’s confidence and help them develop vital skills for later life. However, they continue to be neglected throughout primary education. Therefore, it is important as a future practitioner I value the arts and ensure they remain a regular part of my lesson plans.

Reference List
Booth, D. (1995) Imaginary Gardens with Real Toads: Reading and drama in education. Theory Into Practice. [Online] Vol.24(3), pp.193-198. Available: EBSCOhost Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection. [Accessed: 11 September 2019]

Education Scotland. (2013) Creativity Across Learning 3-18. [Online] Available: https://education.gov.scot/improvement/Documents/cre39-impact-report.pdf [Accessed: 10 September 2019]

McAuliffe, D. (2007) ‘Foundation and Primary Settings.’ In: Cox, S. (ed), Watts, R. (ed), Grahame, J., Herne, S. and McAuliffe, D.  Teaching Art and Design 3-11. London: Continuum, pp.11-30.

Pollard, A. (2008) Reflective Teaching: Evidence-informed Professional Practice. (3rd ed). London: Continuum.

Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA). (2004) Creativity: find it, promote it. London: QCA Publications.