heart of heartlands lessons

Have you heard of Bob and Roberta Smith? He is a contemporary artist and art education advocate known for his slogan art, and recently much of his work has carried messages about the arts in education, such as “ART IS YOUR HUMAN RIGHT” “ALL SCHOOLS SHOULD BE ART SCHOOLS” and “ART MAKES CHILDREN POWERFUL”

I’m particularly drawn (haha) to Smith’s work at the moment as the end of the school year beckons and I find myself in that funny limbo of reflecting on the year’s successes, trying to keep going even though exhausted (although that might have something to do with the baby), and simultaneously planning for next year to be even bigger and better. As I facilitate curriculum meetings and reviews with my Faculty team, these artworks provide a passionate reminder of why we teachers of the Arts do what we do.

The numerous extrinsic benefits of studying the arts (making students more employable; improving mental and physical health; increasing emotional intelligence and resilience etc. etc. etc.) are a testament to the unique nature of our subjects, where much work is ephemeral and in the moment (rather than written down), group work is the norm, and non-verbal communication is as prized and practised as much as verbal.

So what’s the secret to facilitating good teaching and learning in the arts, and what could teachers of other subjects and disciplines take away from us?

1. INSPIRE: provide an engaging stimulus to the student’s imagination. Whether that’s real life crime stories & court cases used to entice students into writing Drama scripts about justice and accountability; 8 bars of 400-year old Baroque music used as the baseline for a Remix; or chromatography as a way of exploring colour: think outside the box, take a risk, try something new.
2. CHALLENGE: don’t just ask students to recreate or mimic. Set up the expectation and give them opportunities to explore new ways of working, different perspectives, and to think big. Art have done this by literally giving students bigger canvases and boards to work on this year - you will have seen the phenomenal results of this at the exhibition last week but if not pop up to the N5.9 when Ms McKenzie’s year 9s are in full swing!
3. TRUST: give your students the space to be independent, make them know that you believe in them, and trust them to deliver. Don’t swoop in at the first sign of difficulty: step back, observe, gently guide. Support them not to give up. Let them fail, figure out why, practice/rehearse and then subsequently succeed.

As I wrap up this blog, I want to return to the slogans of Bob and Roberta Smith. Since the EBACC was launched in 2010, there has been a 34% drop in the number of state school pupils taking arts subjects at GCSE and teachers of the Arts are increasingly having to justify their subjects’ place in the school curriculum. It is up to us to fight for and promote our subjects and it is for this reason that we are hosting our very first Arts Week at Heartlands next week, to showcase, promote and celebrate the Arts through performances and workshops.

So I offer this challenge to you: get creative and think about the ways in which you could bring a little of the magic of the arts to your lessons.

Heartlands High School, Station Road, Wood Green, London, N22 7ST

Contact: Mari Williams, mari.williams@heartlands.haringey.sch.uk | www.heartlands.haringey.sch.uk