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Why society need
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cultural education T
ortant factor in children’s educatiion? n our second feature thismonth l looking at cu tural education, regular Education Today contriibutor Fellicia Jackson, Chair of the Learn2Think Foundation, examines the issues and asks how schools can deliver culturall education programmes which engage and
here is strikingly little consensus about what culture, let alone cultural education, actua ly is. That being the case,why is it such an mportant factor in children’s educat on? IIn our second feature this month ooking at culturl
here is strikin gly little consensus about what culture, let alone cultural education, actuallly is. That being the case, why is it such an impi
al education, regular Education Today contr butor Fe icia Jackson, Chair of the Learn2Think Foundation, examines the issues and asks howschools can deliver cultura education programmeswhich engage an d informinform.
Effective arts education is widely acknowledged as helping foster creativity, innovation, empathy and resilience, and also making children ‘happier’ and ‘healthier’, as we have seen from recent reports from the Cultural Learning Alliance and the Durham Commission. Cultural education has been defined as covering “archaeology,
architecture and the built environment, archives, craft, dance, design, digital arts, drama and theatre, film and cinemas, galleries, heritage, libraries, literature, live performance, museums, music, poetry and the visual arts.” But what is the unifying process underneath such engagement, and why does it ma tter?
A 2012 independent review of ‘Cultural Education in England’ for the Department for Culture,Media and Sport and the Department for Education said, “at its best, a sound Cultural Education should allow children to gain knowledge through the learning of facts;
understanding through the development of their critical faculties and skills through the opportunity to practise specific art forms.”
There are many inspiring teachers and charities that deliver on this, Shakespeare Schoo l
s Foundation. The work the none more so than the
SSC do is a great example of Cultural Education at its best and as Ruth Brock, Chief Executive, says: “We empower children from all kinds of schools to find their voice. As a charity, we are committed to working with those from
disadvantaged areas who might not otherwise have the opportunity to experience the arts. The
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inclusive mix of the programme is crucial - by bringing different schools together in our workshops, we give young people the
opportunity to grow in empathy through working with peers they might not usually meet.” There are challenges that go along with such programmes, however. Funding constraints, teacher workload, the demands of the curriculum have all taken a dramatic toll on arts provision and made it harder than ever for schools to take on additional projects, even with all of the
resources and support that SSF provides. Not only are schools struggling with their contribution to the cost of the proj
oject, SSF has to raise £1 million a year just to make the Festival happen.
If we look at cultural education in another way though, it’s about more than simply its form. While there is no doubt that children’s lives can be enriched by theatre, music and the perhaps we need to think more about
its context, arts,
content and goals, and be more ambitious for what it can achieve. That could mean having cultural education be the driver of a new culture – one of global belonging and appreciation of others’ differences, one that will foster a s ustainable and peaceful futur e.
The Learn2Think Foundation was founded in 2015 based on the conviction that if children are taught and encouraged to think independently, creatively and compassionately they will become the problem solvers and peace makers that society so desperately needs. This approach is not labelled cultural education as such but at its core it encourages curiosity and openness to the ideas, customs, and beliefs of others.
When the Foundation asked children what they think culture is, they immediately talked about v alues, or in other words “the ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people or society”. They had assumed that learning about this is what is meant by ‘cultural education’. That is often how it is expressed in schools and one of the most important things to understand is how cultural and language frames of reference don’t need to be in competition. It’s also important to
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understand how a society’s norms and customs can change over time.
Jo Newman, Head teacher at North London Collegiate Junior School, is passionate about the role schools must play in cultural education and says, “We have the same demographics as much of London, constantly changing and from all over the world,” she says. “Our very founding as a school broke the social norms and fostered tolerance.We were the first school in the United Kingdom to offer girls the same educational opportunities as boys in 1850, and from the start welcomed girls from many cultures. I feel that it’s a school’s responsibility to encourage pupils to be open- minded.”
She continued, “Cultural education permeates teachers’ attitudes and the way we talk about things. When we look at a subject – History, Geography – we look at what happened in other parts of the world. In Remembrance Assembly we not only acknowledged the 75 years since D-Day but also the other battles going on at the time in
Why society nee s
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