CULTURAL EDUCATION
The value of cultural education A
s debate around the place of the arts and culture in education continues, a
growing body of research points to the unique role they play in helping to realise potential in all young people. In October 2018, the Royal Shakespeare
Company (RSC), TATE and the University of Nottingham launched the first comprehensive study in to why cultural education matters to young people. Time to Listen analysed 6,000 responses from young people aged 14–18 over three years and revealed why studying arts and cultural subjects in school is important to young people. The study brings to light the voices and opinions of young people. The depth and breadth of the research gives significant new insights into the positive difference that sustained engagement with arts and cultural education has on the lives of young people. Here, Jacqui O’Hanlon, the RSC’s Director of Education, examines the findings and explains why it’s really Time to Listen to what young people are telling us. In 2016 the OECD (Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development) produced a table that compared the rankings of countries according to which education systems have a
prevalence of memorisation, drill and repetition compared to those that have a prevalence of elaboration, deep learning, creativity and critical thinking. The UK tops the table for memorisation and is bottom of the rankings for elaboration, creativity and critical thinking. At the same time, a growing recognition
globally that in the future creative and critical thinking will be at a premium, means many international Governments are actively seeking to import overseas arts education expertise into their own education systems. The OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment Programme (PISA) which triennially ranks education systems globally, has also announced that its next round of league tables will measure creativity alongside maths and science. As other countries seek to boost creativity,
participants in our Time to Listen study talked consistently about arts lessons as the only place where they felt able to build the kinds of competencies that the OECD is highlighting. Students told us that arts subjects are where they get to explore and express their own thoughts, opinions and develop creative ideas. With no definitive right or wrong answers, they talked
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about the freedom that arts subjects give them to develop their identities, explore alternative ideas, see things from other points of view and develop and articulate arguments of their own. Often referred to as ‘soft’ skills, these are arguably some of the most important tools in any young person’s armoury, preparing them for life beyond school and encouraging them to contribute to their communities as well as to the wider world. Culture moves and inspires us, it helps us make
sense of the world around us. It helps us to understand what it means to be human, understand one another and see ourselves and the world in new ways. Whether that’s exploring a Shakespeare play or learning about visual arts, music, dance or film, the arts offer a different perspective and school plays a vital role in opening those experiences up. Our research revealed that a third of Time to Listen respondents will only access the arts through school. Not only does this underline the essential role that schools and teachers play in brokering arts and cultural experiences but as the opportunity gap between students at state-funded and independent schools continues to grow, it also becomes a matter of social justice. Without access to art and culture in
December 2018
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