Art Education Helps Improve Student Performance

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In the present economic scenario, limited resources and budget cuts have adversely affected the education system around the world. As arts and music classes are considered non-core classes, the fine arts department is usually the first to be affected and have been eliminated in numerous schools. You may feel that your children’s education might remain unaffected due to this, but the fact is all young children need to study arts as it helps to stimulate their minds and bodies. Every education system must include arts in order to provide well-rounded and comprehensive learning. Studying arts is essential to teach your young ones to think innovatively and creatively.

Importance of Arts in Education

Studies show that young learners who take part in effective art education tend to perform well in other educational areas. As creative activity utilises the right hemisphere of the brain, it helps to improve higher reasoning functions as well. Art certainly plays a significant role in the development of your child’s intelligence and creative skills. Experts claim that training in fine arts leads to improvement of communication skills, problem solving skills and most of all creativity. Art education helps a child to build skills which will benefit him in future irrespective of his career choice. Hence, education systems across the globe should focus on incorporating this area in a better way instead of undervaluing it.

ACW Report on Art Education

According to a report published by the Arts Council of Wales (ACW), schools will be able to increase numeracy and literacy through proper arts education. Arts enable schools to improve their standards and thus should not be considered as wastage of scarce resources. The report states, “The current, and very necessary, emphasis on literacy and numeracy is narrowing the focus of schools and limiting the opportunities for young people to engage in creative practice that can - ironically - lead to improved standards in these areas.”

The Arts Council of Wales believes that teachers are currently not capable of making arts education a priority as they are burdened with other objectives and reducing budgets. Apart from problems related to budgets, there is also a lack of qualified and well trained arts teachers. The ACW reports that there is a scarcity of skilled music teachers in Wales and most charge separately for lessons in musical instruments.

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Report Author Professor Dai Smith commented “Teaching in and through the arts, far from detracting from literacy and numeracy, should be seen as an enabler to driving up standards in those academic priorities. The value of the arts therefore needs to be reiterated with schools and, importantly, schools need to be supported in taking up and delivering more imaginative approaches to cross-curricular creative activity.”

ACW Report Recommendations

The report authored by Professor Smith has made several recommendations to the Welsh Government that could help schools improve literacy and numeracy. Below you can find a summary of the recommendations made in the ACW report-

• The Welsh Government should make formal commitment to the provision of first-rate arts education and make it accessible. Moreover the government should take the central role to achieve the desired goals.
• The Welsh Government must encourage the utilisation of arts to deliver enhanced literacy and numeracy.
• The Government should improve the present curriculum to incorporate creativity, along with literacy and numeracy as a core topic in all subject disciplines across primary and secondary education.
• A new framework should by developed continuing professional development (CPD) by the Welsh Government and the Arts Council of Wales along with experienced education experts.
• The Welsh Government should bestow awards to the students and individual teachers and recognise their contribution towards the development of arts in education.
• A Creative Education Portal should be designed and developed by the Arts Council of Wales and the Welsh Government.
• The Arts Council of Wales (ACW) should work with various cultural institutions and its revenue funded clients to develop Creative Learning Networks that will inspire arts, teachers, artists, and parents to exchange information and ideas for improving creative learning standards in schools.

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Apart from these the report made several other valuable recommendations to the authorities for the development of arts education.

The Government has made plans to work on the recommendations during this summer. Huw Lewis, Education Minister, said “Learning about the arts and culture, and playing an active part in the cultural life of the school and wider communities, are vital to developing a young person's identity and self-esteem. We are fully committed to working closely with the arts and education sectors, and other key partners, in taking forward this vital agenda.” He further said, “The recommendation to include creativity in the curriculum will be considered as part of Professor Graham Donaldson's wide-ranging review of curriculum and assessment which I announced this week.”

Professor Smith was delighted by the response of the Welsh Government. He remains confident that development of arts education will certainly help in improving the students’ performance and will be beneficial for the entire education system.

Article Source: bbc.in/1mY2TM1, bit.ly/1is9onm