Arts Across the Curriculum residential

Seventy artists and teachers gathered together on 18 April at the Cardrona Hotel in Peebles to attend the Arts Across the Curriculum training residential.  This event marked the beginning of a collaboration between the two groups and the delivery of the Arts Across the Curriculum project in classrooms.  Jackie Murphy, Director of Arts at the Center of Learning and Teaching, Chicago Teacher's Center was there to facilitate the training.  In the article below, she shares her experience with us:

'Dreams do come true'. Sylvia Dow used these words to open the Arts Across the Curriculum Training Institute in Peebles. Nearly eight years ago a collaborative study between the Scottish Arts Council and our arts integration initiative in Chicago, the Lakeview Education and Art Partnership (LEAP) began.  Exchanges of ideas and many visits culminated in this impressive gathering from across seven Local Authorities. To actively enter the processes of integrating the arts into the core academic curriculum was the goal. The outcomes were dynamic and far reaching.

Except for the beautiful hills and the winding River Tweed, the first morning was reminiscent of our project: A room of experts - teachers, artists, co-ordinators - all taking the same risks to rethink the role of art in education. 'Dress comfortably and be prepared to take off your shoes' were suggestions in pre-conference communications and everyone came prepared.

Workshops included: using dance to discover common denominators for the addition of fractions  designing shadow puppets to explore the arguments in a dense persuasive essay and working with improvisational playwriting and photography to fill the gaps in a history text

We explored and experienced the rigor of the arts as a catalyst for learning. There was laughter, silence and the buzz of concentrated, hard work. Clearly we were amazed at one another’s talents as well as the joy of grappling with information and making discoveries and inferences together. It was the microcosm of the classroom.

On Days two and three we focused on the core of the work: teacher/artist collaboration and planning. 

Students were at the center of conversation. 'What lessons can we design that will inspire curiousity?' 'In what way can art support the creative investigation of challenging content and concepts. How can we team-teach?' For example, in one planning session the teacher said that she wanted her students to understand the process of combustion- the swirl of energy, heat, friction. The dance artist listened with intensity. She had no packaged lessons to explore this scientific goal, but she envisioned and outlined clear possibilities of the power of dance movements to support this learning. She described how to put the tools of choreography into the hands of the students. The excitement was palpable and they began to create a sequence of lesson. This happened across all planning teams. When the sessions were over, I heard one teacher say, 'Let’s set our next planning date. We don’t want to lose momentum!'

Yes, dreams do come true and, as William Butler Yeats said, 'In dreams begin responsibility'. September implementation of this bold educational initiative is well on its way. It was thrilling to be a part of this Institute and, though we already miss the collegiality and sharing, we know we've joined an international journey with large stakes: the future of our children. It is a great statement of resolve to go forward together. Let's get on with it.

Slainte'