Curriculum Renewal Through Policy Development In Arts Education

Abstract

Across Canada, the arts disciplines - dance, drama, music and visual arts - are integral to the school curriculum. However, there is neither a consensus on the knowledge and instructional skills required of practitioners to effectively implement arts lessons, nor agreement on approaches to teaching the arts in teacher education and professional development programs. In this paper, I discuss a policy Delphi undertaken for the purpose of developing a curricular image for the arts in a faculty of education. My motivation for this study derives from previous research which indicates that effectively designed and delivered arts education programs can enhance teachers' confidence and willingness to the arts in their own classrooms. Findings from this study indicate that elementary teachers need a level of comfort with the arts to teach them. They require the expertise to apply generic instructional skills in the arts, a desire to play and experiment with artistic processes, an appreciation of the importance of the arts, and an understanding of basic arts concepts. Specialist secondary arts teachers should foster creativity in their classrooms. They require expertise in two arts disciplines and a broad knowledge of the others, an understanding of outcomes-based learning and how to organize appropriate activities, and an ability to motivate and inspire young people to participate in the arts. Teacher educators need to re-focus the arts curriculum to emphasize personal expertise, comfort level, creativity, experimentation, and conceptual knowledge across the arts disciplines. Professional development programs in the arts should emphasize outcomes-based learning, generic instructional strategies, integration, and assessment strategies.