MAKE YOUR MOVE: EXPLORING A PEDAGOGIC TOOLKIT FOR CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT...
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MAKE YOUR MOVE: EXPLORING A PEDAGOGIC TOOLKIT FOR CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT AND GLOBAL LEARNING IN PRIMARY EDUCATION Robert Pulley Ashley Hall Esther Burkitt Royal College of Art Royal College of Art University of Chichester Kensington Gore Kensington Gore College Lane London SW7 2EU London SW7 2EU Chichester PO19 6PE [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Abstract The purpose of Theatre of the Imagination® is to develop a methodology which helps creative development through design and making in primary education. Objectives supporting this aim include: the development of personal agency through metacognition; the development of creative skills and ideas through practical workshops; and engagement with global learning goals through discussion and storytelling. A series of Constructivist Learning Design workshops have generated tentative findings that suggest design and making can help students to achieve these objectives. An analysis of qualitative data arising from the process of Participatory Action Research indicates that the global citizenship agenda, in tandem with design and making, helps to nurture empathy. Key words: Constructivist Learning Design, Metacognition, Transition Design, Global Goals Introduction Make Your Move is one of a series of pilot workshops situated within Theatre of the Imagination®, the author’s PhD research project, now in its fourth year of part-time study. The research project posits the view that design and making skills can help nurture personal agency, engage with the primary curriculum approach to global citizenship, and engender cognitive acceleration. Make Your Move supports the idea that young people’s learning, thinking and actions, both now and in their adult lives, are fundamental to the achievement of a more just and secure global future. The researcher sets out to develop and test a methodology which demonstrates how creative teamwork can be used as a vehicle for enhancing agency and social responsibility. An education for global citizenship includes opportunities for young people to develop their skills as agents of change and to reflect critically on this role. Transition Design (Figure 1) encourages a long-term vision for society and offers a methodology that can act as a driving force for changing attitudes and behaviour. Make Your Move is conceived to be scaled nationally and globally and to enable the exchange of ideas and experiences between primary children through creative practice. Metacognitive learning strategies are constructed and tested through ‘learning circles’ and ‘pilot workshops’, prior to whole-class lessons to encourage creative thinking and making skills and to drive cognitive acceleration. The approach is constructivist in nature and invites participants to depict lived experiences and to generate imaginative ideas by articulating tacit knowledge through drawing and making. A portfolio of creative learning tools is under development, designed to enable children and teachers to apply strategic thinking to problem exploration. Burkitt’s (2015) research highlights how mainstream primary education finds it difficult to match specialist schools in teaching creative arts practice due to the relatively low number of hours dedicated to developing creative skills in teacher education and to developing teacher confidence in their own training. In addition, Burkitt’s analysis of paintings and drawings made by children suggests creative practice helps to develop cognitive skills, self-efficacy and haptic skills at the primary level, and concludes that these skills are transferable across disciplines. In his thesis on Translocated Making, Hall (2015) explains “it is about the production of artefacts and experiences as a mechanism through which we can create changes in the world that influence our sense of
Transcript of MAKE YOUR MOVE: EXPLORING A PEDAGOGIC TOOLKIT FOR CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT...
MAKEYOURMOVE:EXPLORINGAPEDAGOGICTOOLKITFORCREATIVEDEVELOPMENTANDGLOBALLEARNINGINPRIMARYEDUCATION
RobertPulley AshleyHall EstherBurkittRoyalCollegeofArt RoyalCollegeofArt UniversityofChichesterKensingtonGore KensingtonGore CollegeLaneLondonSW72EU LondonSW72EU [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
AbstractThepurposeofTheatreoftheImagination®istodevelopamethodologywhichhelpscreativedevelopmentthroughdesignandmakinginprimaryeducation.Objectivessupportingthisaiminclude:thedevelopmentofpersonalagencythroughmetacognition;thedevelopmentofcreativeskillsandideasthroughpracticalworkshops;andengagementwithgloballearninggoalsthroughdiscussionandstorytelling.AseriesofConstructivistLearningDesignworkshopshavegeneratedtentativefindingsthatsuggestdesignandmakingcanhelpstudentstoachievetheseobjectives.AnanalysisofqualitativedataarisingfromtheprocessofParticipatoryActionResearchindicatesthattheglobalcitizenshipagenda,intandemwithdesignandmaking,helpstonurtureempathy.
Keywords:ConstructivistLearningDesign,Metacognition,TransitionDesign,GlobalGoals
IntroductionMakeYourMoveisoneofaseriesofpilotworkshopssituatedwithinTheatreoftheImagination®,theauthor’sPhDresearchproject,nowinitsfourthyearofpart-timestudy.Theresearchprojectpositstheviewthatdesignandmakingskillscanhelpnurturepersonalagency,engagewiththeprimarycurriculumapproachtoglobalcitizenship,andengendercognitiveacceleration.MakeYourMovesupportstheideathatyoungpeople’slearning,thinkingandactions,bothnowandintheiradultlives,arefundamentaltotheachievementofamorejustandsecureglobalfuture.Theresearchersetsouttodevelopandtestamethodologywhichdemonstrateshowcreativeteamworkcanbeusedasavehicleforenhancingagencyandsocialresponsibility.
Aneducationforglobalcitizenshipincludesopportunitiesforyoungpeopletodeveloptheirskillsasagentsofchangeandtoreflectcriticallyonthisrole.TransitionDesign(Figure1)encouragesalong-termvisionforsocietyandoffersamethodologythatcanactasadrivingforceforchangingattitudesandbehaviour.MakeYourMoveisconceivedtobescalednationallyandgloballyandtoenabletheexchangeofideasandexperiencesbetweenprimarychildrenthroughcreativepractice.Metacognitivelearningstrategiesareconstructedandtestedthrough‘learningcircles’and‘pilotworkshops’,priortowhole-classlessonstoencouragecreativethinkingandmakingskillsandtodrivecognitiveacceleration.Theapproachisconstructivistinnatureandinvitesparticipantstodepictlivedexperiencesandtogenerateimaginativeideasbyarticulatingtacitknowledgethroughdrawingandmaking.Aportfolioofcreativelearningtoolsisunderdevelopment,designedtoenablechildrenandteacherstoapplystrategicthinkingtoproblemexploration.
Burkitt’s(2015)researchhighlightshowmainstreamprimaryeducationfindsitdifficulttomatchspecialistschoolsinteachingcreativeartspracticeduetotherelativelylownumberofhoursdedicatedtodevelopingcreativeskillsinteachereducationandtodevelopingteacherconfidenceintheirowntraining.Inaddition,Burkitt’sanalysisofpaintingsanddrawingsmadebychildrensuggestscreativepracticehelpstodevelopcognitiveskills,self-efficacyandhapticskillsattheprimarylevel,andconcludesthattheseskillsaretransferableacrossdisciplines.
InhisthesisonTranslocatedMaking,Hall(2015)explains“itisabouttheproductionofartefactsandexperiencesasamechanismthroughwhichwecancreatechangesintheworldthatinfluenceoursenseof
who,whereandwhatweare”andhiscontemplativeapproach,relatedtotheimpactofglobaldesign,isakeyreasonforsettingouttodeveloppersonalagencyinprimaryeducationthroughmaking.MakeyourMovedemonstratesthatwhendesignthinkingandmakingisappliedtoproblem-basedlearningitsupportstheaimsoftransitiondesignandtranslocatedpractice.ChildrenareencouragedtoreflectuponSchaar’s(1970)suggestion:“Thefutureisnotsomeplacewearegoing,butonewearecreating.Thepathsarenottobefound,butmade.Andtheactivityofmakingthemchangesboththemakerandthedestination.”
Figure1:TransitionDesignFramework(Tonkinwise,Irwin,ScupelliandKossoff,2015).Designforsocialinnovationchallengesexistingparadigms,envisionsnewones,andleadstopositivesocialandenvironmentalchange.
BackgroundTheliteraturereviewedexploreskeyconceptsidentifiedintheresearch,includingconstructivism,metacognitionandglobalcitizenship,todevelop,implementandreportonaseriesofeducationalworkshopsinprimaryeducation.MakeYourMovetestsacreativepracticetoolkit,designedtostepoutofexistinginstitutionalandcurriculumboundariesofmainstreamprimaryeducationbaseduponlearningthroughmaking.Currentpoliticalandsocialfactors,intandemwithatechnology-fuelledgloballearningagenda,havecreatedanunstableanddynamicprimaryeducationsystemwhichhasthepotentialtobenefitfromTheatreoftheImagination®.
OleDreier(2006,pp.21-38)explainsthatweareallparticipantsinsocialpracticeswhocaneitherreproduceorchangethesepractices.Newpracticesandstructuresareco-createdbyparticipantswhenthestatusquoischallengedandwaysofbeingshift.Nurturingresponsiblecitizenswhounderstandtheirownandothers’culturesandhaveadevelopingsenseoftheirplaceintheworldisattheheartofthisinvestigation.Participantsareencouragedtoreflectuponculturaldiversity,culturalconnectionsandasenseofwhatconstitutesamoreresponsiblewayofliving.Eguren(2011)believesthatstrategicplanning,usinganadaptiveanditerativemodel,iscoretobringingaboutchangeandtheWinterhouseSymposiumMatrixforEducationandSocialChange(2015)wasdesignedtohelpcreateapatternofconnectionsbetweeninitiativesaimedataddressingtheimpactofscaleandlevelsofcollaboration(Figure2).
Figure2:AnadaptationoftheWinterhouseSymposiumMatrixforEducationandSocialChange(2015)
Problem-BasedLearning(PBL)isapedagogicmethoddesignedtonurturelearningaboutasubjectthroughtheexperienceofexploringanopen-endedproblem(Armstrong2008).Theprocessdoesnotfocusonproblem-solving,insteaditallowsforthedevelopmentofskillsandattributeswhichenhancelearning.Theseincludeknowledgeacquisition,enhancedgroupcollaboration,communicationand,inthecaseofMakeYourMove,designingandmaking.Learningthroughcreativepracticeiscommonlyfoundinindependentprimaryschools,suchasSteinerWaldorf,andspecialistfreeschoolswhichfocusuponthecreativearts.Lessemphasisisplacedoncreativepracticeinmanymainstreamprimaryschools.
Mainstreamschoolsdonotalwayshavetheexpertiseorconfidencetoteachanexperimentalandambitiouscurriculumthroughthecreativeartsas,accordingtoBurkittandLowry(2015),primaryandsecondarymainstreamteachershaveoftenreportedadesireforfurtherarteducationaltrainingtobuilduponthepaucityoftimededicatedtodevelopingcreativeskillsduringtheirPostgraduateCertificateinEducation.Therestillexistsastrongbiastowardsrepresentationalworkandaccuratedepictionsofrealityintheprimaryschoolartcurriculum(Burkitt,etal.,2010).Incontrast,outcomesfromacreativeworkshopcarriedoutatafreeschoolinPlymouthin2016illustratehowprimaryandfurthereducationstudentsareabletoworkcollaborativelywhileembracinguncertainty(Figure3).
Figure3:AdiscussionbetweendiplomastudentsandprimaryschoolstudentsinPlymouth(CB©,2016)
GloballearningInSeptember2015,theUnitedNationsadoptedseventeenGlobalGoalsforSustainableDevelopmenttoachievethreethingsby2030:anendtopoverty;tocombatclimatechange;andtofightinjusticeandinequality(2015).ThesegoalshelpedsetthevaluesforlearninganddiscussioninMakeYourMove(Figure:4).
Figure4:TheGlobalGoalsforSustainableDevelopment(2015)touchedonbyparticipantsduringMakeYourMove.
Theframeworkhasprovidedafoundationfordisseminatingknowledgeandaplatformfordebate.Keyaspectsoftheglobalcitizenshipagendainprimaryschoolsincludeempathy,creativeandcriticalthinking,self-awarenessandreflectionasparticipantsworkacrossdifferentmediaandcommunicationmodes.Students
learnthatsomebeliefscanbewrongasyoungasfour.Primarystudentsalsolearn,withinanabsolutistconstruct,thatpeople’sbeliefscandifferbutonlybecauseonepersonisrightandtheotheriswrong.Mostpeoplebegintorecognisethatexpertscandisagreeoncertaintopicsastheyprogresstowardsadulthoodandadoptarelativisticview.Peoplethenlearntotoleratesomeuncertaintywhilemaintainingtherecanbebetterorworseopinionssupportedwithreasonandevidence(KuhnandDean,2004).Drawingandmakingusedasculturaltoolsincollaborativeworkshopsexistataninterpersonallevelandcanassistthetaskofdistributionorsharing.Thedistributedformofhighermentalfunction,accordingtoVygotsky(1978),requiresaconcepttoexistinanexternalframesothatlearnerscandiscussideasandopinionswithothersincludingpeers,teachersandthosewhoappreciatetheirdevelopmentallevelandpotential(MercerandLittleton,2007).Vygotskysuggeststhatwhenchildrenacquireacertaincompetencywithculturaltoolstheybegintodevelopideasandbeliefsindependently.
Thepurposeofanalysingtheglobalgoalsthroughlearningcircles(Collayetal.1998)andpilotworkshops,inpreparationfortheirintroductionthroughwhole-classlessons,isasastartingpointforstimulatingtheimagination,encouragingopendiscussionandgeneratingideas.Findingsemergingfromthefirstmajorresearchstudyongloballearninginprimaryschools,undertakenbyFrancesHuntetal.(2012)attheInstituteofEducationatUniversityCollegeLondon(UCL)suggestthatgloballearningislinkedtohigherawarenessofdiversityandtodevelopingsocially-aware,responsibleglobalcitizens.Teachersinvolvedintheresearchsuggestedthatthinkinggloballyalsohasapositiveimpactuponsubjectknowledge,skills,andvalues.
ConstructivistLearningDesignConstructivismhelpsprogressionfrominterpersonaldialoguetoanintrapersonaldialogueandthisisconsideredpartofthedevelopmentofhighermentalfunctions(Vygotsky,1978;Brooks,2005).AConstructivistLearningDesignmethodology(GagnonandCollay,2006)wasadoptedbytheresearchertointegratetheteachingandsharingoffactswiththeteachingandsharingofskillsbyconstructingsituationsbasedonthePrimaryEducationforGlobalLearningandSustainabilityreport(Bourn,Hunt,BlumandLawson,2016).Vygotsky’s(1978,pg.86)conceptoftheZoneofProximalDevelopment(ZPD)isthedistancebetweenachild’sactualdevelopmentlevelandtheirpotentialdevelopmentlevelasseenwhenproblemsareexploredcollaboratively.Piaget(1932)proposedthatworkingwithpeersprovidesexperienceofdifferentpointsofviewandleadschildrentothinkaboutmoralrulesgoverningco-operationandfairnessinsocialrelations.
InanepisodeofBBCRadio4’sTheEducators(Montague,2016),KenRobinsonremindsusthateducationisnotpoliticallyneutral,bywhichhemeanswhoevercreatestheschemahasthepowertodecidewhatfactsareincludedinthecurriculum.Factsareclearlyimportantinhelpinglearnerstounderstandasubjectandtomakedecisionsintheworld-mentalarithmetichelpsanindividualtoworkoutthecostofthingsortoscoreagameofdarts-butanarrowselectionofthefactsdoesnotteachwhat,whereandwhoweareanditdoesnotteachushowtolearnindependentlyorcollaboratively.
MakeyourMovemethodologyApilotworkshopwasheldon23rdand24thMay2016atGreenwichPrimarySchool.DuringtheprocessofConstructivistLearningDesigntheresearcheractsaschoreographer,teachesbasicstepsandsharesculturaltraditionsinordertoorganisetheproductionofalearningevent(GagnonandCollay,2006,pp.195-198).Theworkshop(Figure5)wasdeliveredusingasetofnewlearningtoolsandinvolvedthefollowingsixstages:
(i) SituationTheprimaryconcernofthiselementwastodiscussthevisionandpurposeofMakeYourMovewithparticipants.Theoverarchingaimsoftheprojectweretodevelopapersonalperspectiveonaspectsofglobalcitizenshipbyexploringtheconceptofempathyandbyencouragingcognitiveaccelerationthroughdesignandmakingincollaborationwithpeers.
(ii) GroupsThepilotworkshopincludedayear6teacher,astudent-teacher,fourKS2children,thedesignresearcherandteacherswhostoppedbyoverthetwo-dayperiod.Theteamworkedasadesignstudioandindividuallyasdesignersinadvanceoftheproject’sintroductiontothewholeclass.
(iii) BridgeParticipantswereintroducedtomethodsofdrawing,designingandmakingwiremodelstohelptranslatememoriesofaneventintheireverydaylifeintoautomatawhich,inthiscontext,referstomovingmechanicaldeviceswhichtellastoryusingsimplecammechanisms.
(iv) TaskModelsweredevelopedfromdrawingsandstoryboardsresultingfromthe‘toandfro’oftransformingdrawingsonpaperintowiresculpturesinthemannerofAlexanderCaldertotellastorythroughanimation.
(v) EvaluationParticipantsincludingchildren,teachers,studentsandartisanscompletedquestionnairesbeforeandafterthepilotworkshop.Thegrouptookpartinaquestion-drivenexchangeofideasandthoughtsimmediatelyafterMakeYourMoveandagainsixmonthslater.Evaluationofparticipantdrawingsandmodelswasmoderatedbyteachers.
(vi) ExhibitionThedrawings,automata,videosandstoriesfromthepilotworkshopandthewhole-classlessonfeaturedinGreenwichPrimarySchool’sArtsWeekexhibitioninJuly2016.Parents,teachersandstudentsfromacrosstheschoolvisitedtheexhibitionandexternalfeedbackwasgatheredasafourthstrandofdata.
Figure5:Participantsdesigningandmakingwiredrawingsthatdepictapersonalstory.PhotographcourtesyofCharlotteStirling©
AnalysisandevaluationAtriangulatedapproachtoevaluationoftheworkshopoutcomesincluded:aself-assessmentquestionnaire;contentanalysisofrecordeddiscussionanddebate;anevaluationofdrawings,modelsandvideos.Theprocessofanalysiswasmoderatedbyteachersandotherprofessionalpractitionersinvolvedintheproject.
Attheendofeachhouroftheworkshopaplenarysessionenabledparticipantstoexplaintheirposition,searchoutquestions,andofferhelptoothers.Thisapproachbecamemorefluentandmoreinclusiveastimepassed,whichprovidedanopportunityforthewholegrouptoreflectandmoveforward.Beinginasmallgroupmeanttherewassufficienttime‘tothinkagain’.Thepolicyof‘nohandsup’discussionwasnewtosomechildrenbutsuccessfullymanagedbythegroup–“It’snohands-upMatthew.”Student-teacherCharliedescribedEmmaandMatthew,participantsinthepilotworkshopwhohelpedsupportpeersduringthewholeclasslesson,as“brilliant”whentheysharedtheirskillsandknowledge.
Emmademonstratedthatmakingcanhelpself-assessmenttobecomemoreinsightful:“IhaveanautomatonathomebutrealisedIhadnotlookedatitveryclosely.Whenyoumakesomethingyoureallyknowhowitworksandideasflyoutofyourhead.”Amy’sdrawings,designskillsandmakingskillswerefluentanditwasclearthatshethoughtcarefullybeforefillinginthequestionnaire.Shedidnotover-statehercapabilityandherresponsedemonstratedthatthereweredifferentlevelsofself-assessmentbeingappliedtothetask.Thereisaquestionmarkoverwhybothboysratedthemselvesrelativelyhighlyandbothgirlsratedthemselvesatalowerlevelandthismaybe
OnpersonalagencyandmetacognitiveskillsPersonalagencycomprisestwokeyaspectsoflearning;self-efficacyandself-regulation.Self-efficacydemandsgoodcommunicationskillsandgoodsocialskills.Self-regulationpromotesthinkingabouthowyourbehaviourandapproachimpactsuponyourlearningopportunitiesandthoseofothersinthegroup.Developingparticipatoryskillsthroughreflectiononthedifferentperspectivesofparticipantswaskeytoproblemexploration.AreasofdifferenceareimportantwhenconsideringtheroleofthesocialworldincognitivedevelopmentaccordingtoGarton(2004).
Metacognitionisoftendefinedasthinkingaboutthinking.Throughouttheworkshopchildrenwereaskedtoreflectupon:“Whyarewedoingthingsthisway?”Participantswereencouragedtothinkabouthoweffectivelytheywereworkingwithothers,whattheycoulddotomakechangehappen,andwhytheirengagementwiththeglobalgoalsmightinformglobalcitizenship.Reflection,forBoudetal.(1985),isanactivityinwhichpeoplerecapturetheirexperience,thinkaboutit,mullitoverandevaluateit.Participantswereaskedtorepeatdrawings,re-makemodelsandre-draftpersonalstoriesandallthoseinvolvedinthe
pilotworkshopillustratedeffectivemethodsofreflectioninaction.ClassteacherImogenexplained:“Overthedurationoftheworkshop,thechildrendevelopedtheir‘voice’andbeganleadingtheconversationwithlesspromptsastimewenton–theyquestionedeachother,listenedtoeachotherandrespondedtoeachotherinawaythatthepaceoftheclassroomdoesn’talwaysallow.”
Criticalreflectionencouragedparticipantstochangeanddevelopthe‘thing’beingmade–asignofself-regulationandresilienceonthepartofthoseinvolved.Edithsharedherfeelings,supportedbyotherchildrenwithnodsandsmiles.Shesaid:“Icouldn’tbelievewecouldmakesuchamazingthingsfromrubbish–stuffyoucouldfindjustlyingaroundinacornerorinarubbishbin…”Amyadded:“Thethingaboutusingrubbishisyoudon’tmindmessingabout-ifitdoesn’tworkthenyoucanjustchangeit.”Throughtheiractionsanddiscussions,studentsprovidedcompellingevidenceofhowtheywerethinkingandrethinkingtheirideas,drawingsandmodelsthroughouttheworkshop.
Hamedexplained:“WhenIfinishedmakingthecambox,yousaidIcouldhelpothers,soIdid–andfounditeasyandgood”.LearningwhentohelpandwhentoletgotakesempathyandsensitivityandwhileHamedclearlyenjoyedhelping,themomentAmyexpressedawishtobelefttogeton,hehandedthestructurebackandgaveherspaceandtime.Hamed’sresponsetohelpingandthenbacking-offwasanexampleofself-regulationthroughsocialinteraction.Thesekeyfeaturesofmetacognitionandpersonalagency,self-efficacyandself-regulation,continuedtobuildoverthecourseoftwodaysasparticipantsbecamemoreintunewiththeideaofworkingtogetherina‘studio’environment.
Student-teacherCharliepickeduponthemetacognitivestrategyof‘waittime’andsecondwaittime.Thistranslatedintosketching,prototyping,andmodelmakingaimedatcontinuouslyimprovingworkinhand.Oneoftheparticipants,Amy,movedfromexpressivedrawingsofhermothertoconstructingdrawingsas‘blueprints’forwiremodelmaking.Thisrequiredasophisticatedlevelofskilltoproducedrawings‘fitforpurpose’.Charliealsoappliedherdrawingandliteracyskillstohelpingpupilslookclosely,thinkdeeplyandexperimentwithconfidence(Figure6).
Figure6:WorkinprogressbyCharlie,thestudent-teacher.PhotographCS©
SixmonthsafterthepilotworkshopMatthewexplainedhisthoughtswhenlookingbackontheexperience:“IfeltexcitedbecauseIknewthisstorywasgoingtobecomesomethingmorethanjustmystory–astorythat
everyonecouldseein3Dandastorythatwouldneverbeforgotten.Sometimes,ifyoujustsaysomethingpeopledon’tlistenbutthiswaslike‘holdableproof’.Ifeltlike-ifsomeonesawthis,itcouldaffecthowtheychosetobehaveandalsomakethemwanttocreatesomethingoutoftheirownpersonalstories.”
OncognitiveaccelerationAccordingtoBurkitt,creativepracticehelpstodevelopcognitiveskills,self-efficacyandhapticskills.Toencouragecognitiveacceleration,theaimwastoembedthreekeyfeaturesintotheclassroom:cognitiveconflictastheminddevelopsinresponsetostimulation;socialconstructionwheredialoguewithothersisessential;andmetacognitionbyreflectingonhowtheproblemwastackled.
TomGray,theheadteacherofGreenwichPrimarySchool,describedtheapproachtolearninginMakeYourMoveas“original”,bywhichhemeanttherewerecreativeideas,methodsandinterpretations,performedbystudentsandteachers,facilitatedbythedesignresearcher.Theseaspectsoftheworkshopweretheresultofintroducingdesignandmakingskills,suchasiterating‘backandforth’,sketchinganddrawing,makingmodelsandprototypes,andcreatingpersonalstoriesandmakingautomatatofeatureinvideoanimations.Thepilotgroupworkedconstructivelytogetherasateamanditbecameclearthatparticipantsenjoyedtheideaofworkingaspartofthe‘designstudio’,supportingeachotherwithenthusiasmmostofthetime.Methodsrelatedtotheprocessofdesignandmakingwereintroducedandexploredasthinkingstrategies.Prototypes,photographsandvideosprovidedarecordofhowthedrawingsandmodelmakingevolvedovertime.Charlie,thestudent-teacher,noted:
Everychildcouldseetheirdrawings,andthedrawingsoftheirpeers,developastheymovedfrombasicstickpeopletoCalder-likefiguredrawings.Movingfromdevelopingexpressionandfeelingonpapertoproducingwire-drawingsillustratinganimatedposesflourished.Wecouldsee,inrealtime,confidence,visualthinkingandimaginativeinterpretationsofpersonalstoriesemergingoverthecourseofthesessions.
Amomentofconflictarosewhenoneparticipantsuggestedtheautomatonoftheirpartnerwas“headbutting,notkissing,yourmum”butdismaysoonturnedtolaughter.Gartonsuggeststhatatheoreticalexplanationofempathycomesfromdemonstratingtheabilityofchildrentounderstandthatothersknowthingstoo,havebeliefsandcanthink.EmpatheticactioncoexistedwithdebateconcerningethicswhenMathewaskedaquestionrelatedtogivingahomelesspersonmoneyinthestreet,thesubjectofhisautomaton.Thisincreasedcognitivedissonance(Festinger1957)asdifferentopinionsemergedthroughquestion-drivenexplanatoryreasoningwhich,accordingtoGraesser(1996),developsindependentthinking.Participantswereabletodiscusstheresponsibilityoftheindividual,societyandgovernmentinalucidandengagedmanner.
WhenclassteacherIsabelaskedMatthewhowMakeYourMovewasdifferenttothewayhewouldnormallylearninschoolhisresponsewascompelling:
It’skindoflikebringingtogetherDT,artandliteracy.Inschoolwedon’tnormallybringthosesubjectstogether–inliteracyyounormallyhaveanaimdecidedbytheteacher,butthiswasmorefreeandmoreforustodecide.Wehadtodecideonthestoryandonwhatourcharacterslookedlike.Itmademefeelkindoflikeamaster.Idunno…incharge.
Itwassurprisingtolearnthataparticipantassessedas“performingbelowtheaveragelevelforhisageinsomecoreareas”illustratedaremarkablelevelofengagementandcompetenceindesigningandmaking.Numeracyandliteracyareinstrumentalinthepursuitofaneffectiveeducationbutthatis,accordingtoHerbertRead(1949),thesumofwhattheyare.Developingself-efficacy,andself-regulationinpursuitofwhatitmeanstoliveaworthwhilelifeis,accordingtoDewey(2011),thetruepurposeofeducation.
GlobalCitizenshipMakeYourMovegeneratedarichdiscussiononthetopicsofempathyandcompassion.Thedialogueflowedfromanabstract,globalscaletotheeverydaylifeofindividualparticipants.Allparticipantsdesignedandconstructedatleastoneanautomatonillustratingtheirexperienceofcompassionatebehaviour.Thekineticsculptureswereusedintheproductionof‘one-minutevideoclips’forexhibitionandtobesharedwithcolleaguesandstudentsinIndia,MexicoandSpain.Themedium-termaimofTheatreoftheImaginationistoencouragereciprocityacrosscontinents.
Compassionunderpinstheglobalcitizenshipcurriculuminprimaryeducationwhichexploresequality,povertyandglobalwarming.MakeyourMovesetouttoprovokediscussionaroundtheseissuesbyaskingquestionswithnosimpleorsingularanswerandbyembracingcognitivedissonanceasacriticalposition.Graesseretal.(1996)recommendeducationalinterventionsthatfosterdissonancebyincreasingstudentawarenessofconflictsbetweenpriorbeliefsandnewinformation.Isableexplained:
Duringthe‘MakeyourMove’workshop,childrenbeganbydiscussingtheirunderstandingofsustainability…itwasgreattotakeastepbackandhearthemapplypriorknowledgetoanorganicconversation.Theybeganbydiscussingsolarpanelsandwindpower-ideasandknowledgetheyhadexploredbefore.Butastheconversationprogressed,theirthoughtsseemedtobecomemorephilosophicalandabstractwhentheybegantoquestiontheirownideas,forexample:‘Iwasthinking…isabirdflyingsustainable?Isupposeitisbutthenmaybeitrunsoutofenergy,maybeitswingsgettired.’
IsabelbelievedMakeYourMovehadabeneficialimpactuponthewholeschool.Shesaid:
MakeYourMovegeneratedenthusiasmamongteachersandchildren.Asaresult,theglobalgoalshaveinformedmuchofourlearningthisyearalready,andwill,infact,bethethemeforthisyear’sArtsFestival.TheGlobalGoalscancomeacrossastoo‘big’forchildren–andforus-tocomprehend.MakeYourMovefocussedonpersonalexperienceswhichmeantthatchildrencouldseehowtheethosandvaluesreallydoapplytotheirdailylives,decisionsandactions”(Figure7).
Figure7:‘MotherandChild’byErin,aged10,HalstowPrimarySchool.PhotographCS©
ConclusionTheintentionwastodevelopapracticalmethodologywhichhelpsengendercognitiveacceleration;fosterpersonalagency;andnurtureglobalcitizenshipthroughdesignandmakinginprimaryeducationandmany
positivesignsemergedalongsideissuesforreflectionandreview.MakeYourMovehelpedtocultivateempathyandcompassion.Itisnotpossibletoclaimvaliditywithsuchasmallsamplebutitispossibletohighlightpotentiallyinsightfulfindings,worthyoffurtherinvestigation.TheseinsightsapplytoGreenwichPrimarySchoolforwhomtheoutcomesandobservationsprovedtobevaluable.Workingwithanoutstandingschool,anableclassteacherandahighlymotivatedstudentteacheralsodemonstratedthepotentialofcontinuingprofessionaldevelopmentthroughpractice.Theimportanceofareciprocalexchangebetweenthehostschoolandtheresearchercannotbeoverestimatedinanenvironmentwheretheburdenofworkandscarcityofresourcesisincreasing.
SettingcleargoalsfortheMakeYourMoveworkshopencouragedparticipantstocollaborateeffectively.Skillsdevelopedwhileco-designing,suchasdrawingandmaking,provokedareflectiveinterpersonaldialoguetotakeplace(KnightandLittleton,2015).Opendiscussionenabledabroadassessmentofthestudioactivityprovokedbyvariedparticipantperceptionsandobservationsandfeltsimilartoa‘designcritique’inhighereducation.Amoderatedreviewoftheworkproducedcontributedtotentativefindingsthatsuggestchildren,andtheirteachers,gaininconfidenceandapplynewlyacquiredcreativepracticeskillswhileworkingcollaborativelyasa‘designstudio’.
Drawingsandautomataservedasekphraticartefacts(Pulley2014),supportingVygotsky’sdistributedformofhighermentalfunctionbyillustrating‘aconceptinanexternalframe’andbyallowinglearnerstodiscussideasandopinionswithteachersandthosecommittedtocognitivedevelopment.Developingcreativetools,relatedtoexploringglobalgoalsthroughdrawingandwriting,helpedprimarychildrentounderstandthattheirinterventionscanmakeadifference.Feedbackfromexperiencedteacher-participantshelpedtoimprovethepedagogictoolsusedincreativedevelopmentandgloballearningworkshops.
SomeoftheinsightsandfindingsgainedfromMakeYourMovehavebeentransferredtootherprimaryschoolsinthefledglingTheatreoftheImaginationnetwork.Thepotentialforculturaltransferacrosscontinentsisa‘nextstep’atatimeofpoliticalfragmentationanddivision.Researcherswhochoosetoworkinprimaryschoolsmayfindthisworkinformative.MakeYourMovebroughttogetheraspectsofcitizenship,literacy,numeracy,designandsciencewithintheprimarycurriculumanddemonstratedhowselectedgloballearninggoalsmaybeaddressedthroughdesignandmaking.Feedbackfromparticipants,teachers,artists,anddesignershashelpedtheresearchertoimprovethecreativepracticetoolkitwhichwillcontinuetobetestedandrefinedthroughprimaryschoolworkshops.
EthicalpositionItistheresearcher’sresponsibilitytomakesurethatconsent,confidentialityandanonymityarepreserved,asfaraspossible,onbehalfofallparticipants.PriortoMakeYourMove,parentalconsentformsweresentout,signedandreturnedconcerningtheuseofphotographsofparticipantsandtheirwork.Thenamesofparticipantsandtheschoolhavebeenchangedtohelppreserveanonymity.AlldocumentsrelatedtotheethicalstancetakeninTheatreoftheImagination®workshopshavebeensubmittedtotheRoyalCollegeofArt’sResearchCommitteeandagreedbythosedesignatedwithresponsibilityforassuringresearchethics.
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