A2: Connect Arts Champions have been sharing their experience of collaborating with arts professionals to enrich the learning in their classrooms. Our team of 12 Arts Champions are all teachers who have arts as a specialism either as subject teachers, co-ordinators or through their own training and practise.
On Friday two of the Arts Champions from Bridgend led a successful session ‘Expressive Arts Projects: Collaboration for Success in Schools’ at Carnegie House Gallery in Bridgend for other teachers. During the afternoon they discussed best practice and some of the key considerations when it comes to working collaboratively with any arts professional or arts organisation.
For instance;
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Where do you start when you are looking a suitable artist to work in your classroom?
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What should you think about when you talk through their visit or project?
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What do they need to know and what do you need to find out from them?
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Who else should be involved in the planning of a visit or project?
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How do you fund it?
The session was devised by the A2: Connect Arts Champions, who working with Artworks Cymru established a checklist and information starter pack for teachers that draws on the best practise advice included in the Artworks Cymru’s Qualities Principles.
By the end of the afternoon everyone was inspired, enthused and more confident to introduce arts professionals into their classroom. Successful arts projects can establish work that unites the creative expressive arts and embeds memorable cross curricular learning experiences in the classroom.
If you would like to arrange for a peer to peer session from one or more of our an Arts Champions at your school staff, cluster group, SIG or any other network of teachers please do contact us. Where appropriate A2 Connect can be on hand to support you to find arts professionals to come to your school. If you would like to find out more about how we can help you please contact us and you can also find our group on the Creative Learning Zone https://dysgu.hwb.gov.wales/go/wesieq
