A Critical Evaluation of the Creative Arts Work I Taught in School

By Kim Marshall

Creativity in Education

‘Creativity in education has increasingly become a focus in curriculum and pedagogy. It is now embedded in the Foundation Stage Curriculum and National Curriculum for schools [in England]’

(Craft, 2005, p.7 in Wilson)

Key Skills

The National Curriculum (NC) identify key skills that enable pupils to ‘learn, practise, combine, develop and refine a wide range of skills in their work’, and key thinking skills that enable pupils to ‘learn how to learn’ (QCA, 1999, pp.21-22).

Key conditions for creative learning• The need to be challenged

• The elimination of negative stress

• Feedback

• The capacity to live with uncertainty

‘Creativity is a ‘state of mind’ and not another intelligence’ (Lucas, 2001, p.40 in Craft, A., Jeffrey, B., Leibling, M)

Art lesson (Yr 6)

Topic – Tudors

Focus:• teamwork;• fine details and shading - demonstrated through children’s own interpretations of the features of a portrait, taken from a written description.

Group of children’s interpretations of King Henri VIII

Portrait of Henry VIII - drawn and painted

from written descriptions.

Group of children’s interpretations of Anne Boleyn and Catherine of Arragon

Drawn and painted from written description.

Group of children’s own interpretations of Anne of Cleaves and Jane Seymour

Drawn and painted from written description.

Group of children’s interpretations of Katherine Parr and Catherine Howard

Drawn and painted from written description.

Self-Assessment formArt and Design - Evaluation of my Work

Name _____________________ Date _________________________

What teamwork was involved in the creation of your portrait?

How do you feel about the finished product?

What do you like about it and why?

How could you improve it if you were to do it again?

Inspiration

My inspiration for this lesson came from Marion Richardson’s teaching experience in Art and the

Child.

Discovering ‘that my teaching could fire and free something which would otherwise be fortuitous

gave new purpose and inspiration’ (Richardson, M. 1948, p.14)

Music lesson (Yr6)

Topic – Fairground Rides

Focus:• teamwork;• composition skills, incorporating tempo, pitch, duration and dynamics.

Planning and Teaching

Key aspects to be taken into consideration when planning:

• Children’s needs and abilities;• Clear, appropriate learning intentions and success criteria;• Achievable targets; • Challenging and engaging activities;• Resources available.

(Penny, S., Ford, R., Price, L,. & Young, S., 2002, p.5)

Assessment for Learning (AfL)To facilitate learning teachers need to:

• Make learning objectives and success criteria explicit;• Provide opportunities for paired discussion before answering a question;• Allow sufficient thinking time before obtaining an answer;• Provide self and peer assessment opportunities;• Provide effective feedback;

Analysing learning is only the first step towards finding out what children know and can do, but this assessment only ‘becomes formative assessment when the evidence is […] used to adapt the

teaching work to meet the needs’ of the children (Black and Wiliam, 2001: p.2).

Scaffolding• Concept termed by Vygotsky• Expanded by Bruner

‘The role of the teacher is what Bruner refers to as a mediator. The teacher must not direct the student too much, but needs to give enough guidance to enable the student to have the means to learn’

(Legge and Harari, 2000, p.31)

‘Scaffolding describes the various types of support given by teachers to support the learning of students’

(Bentham, 2002, p.11)

Mercer (1995) states ‘a more competent peer could [also] provide support in the context of scaffolding’

(Mercer, 1995, in Bentham, 2002, p.16).

References• Bentham, S. (2002) Psychology and Education. East Sussex: Routledge.• Black, P. and Wiliam, D. (2001) Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards Through Classroom

Assessment. BERA. http://weaeducation.typepad.co.uk/files/blackbox-1.pdf (accessed 16/10/09).

• Clarke, S. (2001) Unlocking Formative Assessment: Practical strategies for enhancing pupils’ learning in the primary classroom. London: Hodder Arnold.

• Clarke, S. (2003) Enriching Feedback in the Primary Classroom. Oxon: Hodder Education.• Clarke, S. (2005) Formative Assessment in Action: weaving the elements together. Oxon:

Hodder Education.• Coffey, H. (no date) Available at http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/5074 (Accessed: 24/05/10).• Craft, A. (2000) Creativity Across the Primary Curriculum, framing and developing practice.

London: Routledge Falmer, pp. 155-168• Craft, A. (2005) ‘Changes in the Landscape for Creativity in Education’ in Wilson, W. (ed)

Creativity in Primary Education, Exeter: Learning Matters pp.7-19.• Legge, K. and Harari, P. (2000) Psychology and Education. Oxford: Heineman Educational

Publishers.

References (continued)• Liptau, S. (2004) ‘Creativity in music and art’ in Fisher, R. & Williams, M. (ed)

Unlocking Creativity, teaching across the curriculum. London: David Fulton, pp. 133-149.

• Lucas, B. (2001) ‘Creative teaching, teaching creativity and creative learning’ in Craft, A., Jeffrey, B., & Leibling, M. (ed) Creativity in Education, London: Continuum, pp.35-44.

• Penny, S., Ford, R., Price, L., &Young, S. (2002) Achieving QTS: Teaching Arts in Primary Schools, Exeter: Learning Matters.

• QCA (1999) The National Curriculum: Handbook for Primary Teachers in England. London: QCA.

• Raiker, (2007) ‘Assessment for Learning’ in: Jacques, K. and Hyland, R. Achieving QTS: Professional Studies: Primary and Early Years. Exeter: Learning Matters Ltd.

• Richardson, M. (1948) Art and the Child. London: University of London Press. pp.6-29.

• Images available at www.google.co.uk/images (Accessed 20/05/10)