An Ode to Joy … or the Sounds of Silence? An Exploration of Arts Education Policy in Australian Primary Schools

Russell-Bowie, Deirdre

doi:10.1080/10632913.2011.566099

Cited by 19 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Arts educators in Australia and around the world, the author included, hold deep convictions and advocate strongly for specialist arts teachers to be employed in schools. This would provide much needed guidance and support to generalist classroom teachers and ensure that all learners were exposed to quality arts education (Seidel et al, 2009;Russell-Bowie, 2011;Donnelly & Wiltshire, 2014). Unfortunately, the present reality continues to see teachers (and home educators) overwhelmed and in need of support to facilitate meaningful learning across all art forms.…”

Section: The Breadth Of Arts Learningmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Of all subjects, arts education is particularly dependent on previous experience and a sense of competence in the various domains of arts learning (Bamford, ; Seidel et al ., ; Chapman et al ., ). These findings have led to a consistent request for a more significant focus on developing arts knowledge and skills during pre‐service teacher education (Bamford, ; Dinham, ; Russell‐Bowie, ), which again highlights the significance of possessing knowledge in the arts as a foundation for a quality arts education. Formal educational training is not a requirement for home educating parents, and this leads to a sense of feeling ill‐equipped in their role, particularly with respect to arts teaching (Burke & Cleaver, ).…”

Section: The Challenges Of Arts Learning In Home Education Contextsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The challenges of facilitating arts learning in home education

Burke

2019

British Educational Res J

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Home education, or home schooling, is a rapidly growing global educational phenomenon. Given the emphasis that educators, policy makers and researchers have placed upon the arts as an important element in a holistic education, the ways in which the growing home education community are facilitating arts learning warrants consideration. Facilitating quality arts learning has been found to be extremely challenging, especially for generalist classroom teachers who may not possess background learning across the range of arts subjects represented in most arts curricula. Revelations from this study on Australian home educating parents identifies a similar dilemma with the facilitation of arts learning in home contexts, and a significant proportion of the home educating participants acknowledged little to no educational or artistic training. In this project, an online survey was conducted to develop insights into the ways Australian home educators (n = 193) approach arts education, the challenges associated with facilitating arts learning and the strategies they employ in light of these challenges. The research highlights that, while home education is pedagogically unique and distinct from traditional classroom education, the challenges participants expressed regarding teaching in the arts aligned closely with those expressed by classroom teachers in wider research; however, the uniqueness of home education contexts means that support structures for classroom teachers are less helpful for home educators. Implications arising from the research are thus beneficial in understanding the nature of support that might be tailored for arts learning in home education.

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Section: The Breadth Of Arts Learningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Challenges Of Arts Learning In Home Education Contextsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The challenges of facilitating arts learning in home education

Burke

2019

British Educational Res J

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“…Ewing (2010) argued that the arts have the potential to transform ‘learning in formal educational contexts, and ensure that the curriculum has relevance for all children’ (p. 1). Several researchers (Edwards, 2010; Isenberg and Jalongo, 2009; Russell-Bowie, 2009; Wright, 2012) have examined the importance of the arts in young children’s worlds and how children’s use of art to express themselves positions them as active agents in the world (Isenberg and Jalongo, 2009; Wright, 2012). This is particularly evident in the Reggio Emilia approach where children engage extensively in the arts and act as collaborators, co-constructors of their environment, and creative and effective communicators (Bartlett and Gandini, 1993).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Valuing children’s voices across diverse global contexts: A gallery exhibit of children’s multimodal art

Streelasky

2019

Global Studies of Childhood

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This article describes an international classroom partnership with twenty-eight 5-to 7-year-old Canadian and Tanzanian children, and outlines the meaningful ways they were involved in the research process. In this project, the children shared their valued school-based experiences and environments through multiple self-chosen modes. The children’s arts-based multimodal texts, descriptions of their valued school experiences and environments, and their personal biographies were then shared at a 2-week exhibit at a national art gallery in Canada. The findings across both data sets revealed the children’s interest in spending time outdoors in their local contexts, engaging in collaborative and imaginative play. This project also addresses the importance of providing a space for children to share their perspectives, which aligns with Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Child. Article 12 addresses the importance of children having a right to have a voice and to have their opinions heard in matters that affect them. Article 13 is also highlighted in this project and outlines children’s right to freedom of expression. This right includes the freedom ‘to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of the child’s choice’. In this project, the Canadian and Tanzanian children’s multimodal texts of their valued school-based experiences revealed more similarities than differences in relation to what learning experiences mattered to them at school. During this project, the children in both contexts became interested and invested in their international peers’ lives and school-based experiences, and felt a sense of connectedness and kinship across the globe.

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“…Despite the recognition of these benefits in key policy documents at both national [3] and international levels [22], music is not mandated in Australian schools [23]. In practice, policy in this country continues to take a neo-liberal stance to education that favours competitive funding and reduced public expenditure on "non-essential" subjects [24] such as music. This has lead to inequality in the provision of music in Australian schools, with the most recent reports stating that only 23% of government schools provide opportunities for meaningful musical participation, as compared to 88% in the private sector [25].…”

Section: Music In Schoolsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Barriers and Enablers for Implementing Music in Australian Schools: The Perspective of Four Principals

Crooke

McFerran

2015

BJESBS

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Aims:To explore and identify the barriers and enablers of music provision in Australian schools, as seen through the eyes of four Melbourne-based school principals, to inform policymakers and other school leadership teams. Study Design: The study used an exploratory design. Place and Duration of Study: Interviews were undertaken across multiple school sites in the greater-Melbourne area between June 2011 and April 2013 as part of a study conducted through the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music at The University of Melbourne. Methodology: Four school principals were interviewed from diverse schools across the greater-Melbourne area, including primary, secondary, government, independent, mainstream, and special education schools. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, and analysed using a combined inductivedeductive approach to identify the barriers and enablers to music provision in schools reported by Crooke and McFerran; BJESBS, 7(1): 25-41, 2015; Article no.BJESBS.2015.069 26 principals. Themes arising from the data that related to either one of these factors were presented as the results. Results: Analysis revealed eight main themes related to barriers: burden on schools, staff challenges, program relevance, convincing the school community, lack of appropriate resources, unsupportive leadership, sustaining a program, and competing models of education. Eleven enabling themes were identified, which included: existing level of arts, existing resources, school leadership, a tailored approach, external support, embedding music, staff support, involving students, convincing the school community, community partnerships, and working towards sustainability. Conclusion: Findings support many barriers and enablers of school music identified in pervious international research, thus also confirming their presence and impact in the Australian context. Findings also provide insight into how the greater school community and the internal organisational cultures of a school can act simultaneously as both barriers and enablers of musical participation. Results also identify potential strategies for schools and policymakers aiming to support musical participation in schools. Original Research Article

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An Ode to Joy … or the Sounds of Silence? An Exploration of Arts Education Policy in Australian Primary Schools

Cited by 19 publications

References 4 publications

The challenges of facilitating arts learning in home education

The challenges of facilitating arts learning in home education

Valuing children’s voices across diverse global contexts: A gallery exhibit of children’s multimodal art

Barriers and Enablers for Implementing Music in Australian Schools: The Perspective of Four Principals

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