MusicPlanning

Creativity is at the heart of effective learning in the arts... Why?

“Creativity is an essential component of effective learning when the purpose of learning is to enable learners to act and think independently, grow and change and ultimately to make valuable contributions to the field.” (Hennessy, 2005: p.140)

MusicPlanning

Here are the key elements that were considered when planning for the music workshop at Breamore Primary School:

1. Sharing a clear set of values and aims without restricting their creativity

2. Making the session motivating and stimulating

3. Ensuring that the lesson is accessible to all abilities and needs.

4. Assessment for learning

Below: Stage 3 of Bloomfield’s

planning process

MusicPlanning

This is the lesson plan for the music workshop.

MusicPlanning

Sharing a clear set of values and aims without restricting their creativity

“When we decide what will be taught and how it will be taught, we influence, but do not determine, what students will have an opportunity to learn.”

(Eisner, 2002: p.72)

Therefore...

Our Learning Intention today is ...

I can

MusicPlanning

Making the session motivating and stimulating

The following is the input that we planned for the session to make it motivating and stimulating:

• Theme of the Olympics• 10 selected HEART’s words• Visual notation to map

their composition• Variety of Instruments• Group work• Purpose – recording on to a

CD

“The facilitator introduces the stimulus. The choice of the stimulus is the point at which the facilitator has influence over the content of the enquiry.” (Liptai, 2004: p.136)

MusicPlanning

Ensuring that the lesson is accessible to all abilities and needs.

Teaching for Creativity is ‘learner inclusive’.

“A learner inclusive pedagogy involves giving the child many choices and a great deal of control over what is explored and how. It is essentially learner-centred.”

(Craft, 2005: p.12)

Kyriacou (2001) states that “Differentiation involves adapting the way the work is set and assessed in order to meet the needs of a range of abilities within the same class.” (p.43)

DanceTeaching

• Introduction– Warm up– Grouping– Team Teach

input •Dancing (main activity)- HEARTs words- Music- Discuss the Olympics- Sports

•Plenary-Assessment-Evaluation-Discussion

DanceTeaching

Introduction

• The Report ‘All Our Futures: Creativity, Culture and Education’ (DfES, 1999) has affirmed the complexities in this concept:

“Creative activity involves a complex combination of controlled and non-controlled elements, unconscious as well as conscious mental processes, non-directed as well as directed thought, intuitive as well as rational calculation.” (p.32)

DanceTeachingIntroduction

Setting rulesEisner discusses how teacher’s use prompts, cues and scaffolding to influence how the students will be challenged.

“These interacting forces create a cognitive culture that has as much to do with developing dispositions as with

developing aesthetic and analytic abilities. It is a culture that, at its best, models what adults do in those

realms.” (Eisner, 2002:p.74)

DanceTeachingMain Activity

“The aim of creative dance is to develop the children’s movement through exploring and using their imagination, which will help develop some dance skills in performing, composing and appreciating. Ultimately, it is the process of educating the child through movement, not just the product of a created dance or dance performance. The process is as important as the product.” (Swindlehurst and Chapman, 2008: p.31) (my emphasis)

Helping children to respond to the artsOffering emotional and intellectual experiences through which children understand, in a meaningful way, the nature of the

arts.Offering resources for the arts, arranging visits to galleries, theatres, museums, heritage sites, concerts, working with

professional artists, and having access to film, video, Internet resources.Equipping children with criteria for judgement of art works relative to stages of understanding.

Applying the vocabulary acquired through children’s ‘doing’ to viewing and listening. Expecting children to write about and read about art and artists, dancers, writers, musicians.

Helping children to test their ideasGuiding, suggesting, intervening, discussing,

demonstrating, questioning,Explaining to children as they engage in creative

thought and action.Applying techniques and skills of dance, drama, music

and art.Facilitating and resourcing, enriching experiences,

extending the use of artistic terminology.

Helping children to form their ideas

Stimulating and motivating creative thought and action, visualising and imagining, supposing and explaining,

thinking in terms of moving, thinking in terms of looking, thinking in terms of listening, thinking in terms

of speaking, thinking in terms of feelings, using appropriate words. Exploring ideas through techniques

of dance, drama, music and art.

DanceTeachingMain Activity

TEACHER’SROLE

Helping children to communicate their ideasIntegrated Arts

Dance Drama Music ArtGuiding, supporting, appraising, discussing, valuing the children’s

artifacts – dances, plays, musical compositions, art display etc.Using an artistic and aesthetic vocabulary.

Assessing, recording and reporting as children build up their repertoire.

Stimulating

Guiding

SuggestingValuing

Assessing

Facilitating and resourcingEnriching

Reporting

(Bloomfield, 2000: p.7)

DanceTeaching

Plenary“... feedback which enables the student to ‘close the gap’ between where he/she is at to where he/she needs to go is vital in the teaching, learning and assessment loop.”

(Murphy, 2007: p.373)

•Formative Assessment-Rehearsal time with feedback-2 ‘s and a wish

•Performance-4 group performances

•Formative Assessment- Had the group listened to their feedback from the class?

•Evaluation-Group discussion about both workshops

-What did they enjoy?-What was done well?-What could be improved?

DanceTeaching

Plenary12

3

4

56

78

9

Orange –

Improvements

Purple – Things that worked well

BibliographyHennessy, S. (2005) ‘Creativity in the music curriculum’ in: Wilson, A. (ed) Creativity in Primary Education Exeter: Learning Matters Ltd

Bloomfield, A. & Childs, J. (2000) Teaching Integrated Arts in the Primary School: Dance, Drama, Music and Visual Arts London: David Fulton Publishers

Eisner, E. (2002) The Arts and the Creation of Mind Yale: Yale University Press

Liptai, S. (2004) ‘Creativity in music and art’ in Fisher, R. & Williams, M. (ed) Unlocking Creativity, teaching across the curriculum London: David Fulton Publishers

Craft, A. (2005) ‘Changes in the landscape for creativity in education’ in Wilson, A. (ed) Creativity in Primary Education Exeter: Learning Matters Ltd

Kyriacou (2001) Essential Teaching Skills Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes Ltd

DfES (1999) All Our Futures: Creativity, Culture and Education Nottingham: Department for Education and Skills

Swindlehurst, G. &Chapman, A. (2008) ‘Teaching Dance: a framework for creativity’ in Lavin, J. (ed) Creative approaches to Physical Education London: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group

Murphy (2007) ‘Harmonizing Assessment and Music in the Classroom’ in Bresler, L. (ed) International Handbook of Research in Arts Education Dordrecht: Springer