Have you toyed with the idea of bringing an artist/creative/cultural organisation into your school? Are you unsure of the benefits, or how to convince your head? Here are seven reasons to help you decide:
1. The obvious one: pupils will learn specialist, creative skills – and have their own validated by someone who’s trained and experienced in their field
As a teacher you’ll understand the importance of ‘real world’ learning. By bringing in an artist/creative, pupils can learn skills from someone who lives, eats and breathes their artform/creative practice
2. Think of it as CPD for you/your colleagues, as much as skills development for pupils
An artist/creative has skills – and ways of thinking – that could take your teaching and learning into new directions. You can even write this into the brief for the project.
3. It’s always a bit exciting having an artist/creative in your school/classroom. And you may find pupils pay greater attention
No matter what age your pupils are, everyone’s a little bit in awe of people who make a living in the arts and creative industries. You may even find your pupils are more likely to take on board some of the feedback that you’ve already given them!
4. You never know what spark a creative professional might light
Even the most disengaged pupil may be gripped by a musician or storyteller, dancer or visual artist, and find motivation and a new confidence in their own skills
5. A new perspective stimulates fresh thinking among pupils and teachers
Bringing another professional into your school and classroom can stimulate fresh thinking and a new energy and excitement among pupils, teachers and other staff.
6. You may not need to spend as much money/time as you think
Even a half- or one-day workshop could act as a springboard for learning, and it needn’t break the budget. What’s most important is to make time to develop a good brief – you may even find it helps to write or rework it in conjunction with the artist
7. All of these reasons will become even more important when the new curriculum is launched in Wales
So now’s a great time to start testing out different approaches and collaborating with artists and creatives. You could start by registering on our website and searching for an ‘opportunity’ posted by an artist. Or even better, post your idea for a project/partnership as an ‘Opportunity’. It’s easy, and our simple-to-complete form takes you through the process. Find out how to register and create an opportunity here.
*Create and discover opportunities for your school and pupils, or your creative business*
Whether you’re a teacher looking for a creative person to share skills and inspiration with your pupils … or a creative person looking for teachers and pupils who can benefit from your input: make sure to CREATE as well as SEARCH for opportunities on the Opportunities section of the A2:Connect website.
