Improving the Quality of Education: The Role of Arts Education
Quality Education
According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) Education for All (EFA) Global Monitoring Report of 2006, while the
number of children with access to education is growing, the quality of education
remains low in most countries. The report indicates that despite improvements in
education systems, dropout rates are essentially unchanged and learning achievements
remain poor.1
While recognizing that it is essential that all students have access to education,
UNESCO understands that it is equally vital that students are given an education of
good quality. “Quality education” is difficult to define precisely, but three
principles can be identified which underlie what quality education represents:
education that is relevant, education which is equitable in terms of access and
outcome, and education which observes individual rights. 2
Quality education can therefore generally be understood as being education that
provides students with the locally-relevant abilities required for them to function
successfully in their society; is appropriate in terms of the students’ lives, aspirations
and interests, as well as those of their families; and is inclusive and rights-based.
According to the Dakar Framework for Action3, quality education has a number of
prerequisites, including qualified and motivated teachers, active learning techniques, a
locally-relevant curriculum that captures the interest and enthusiasm of learners, and
respect for and engagement with local communities and cultures.
Changing Requirements
As our societies and economies become more knowledge based, demand is growing
for employees who are creative, innovative and adaptable, and have advanced
communication and social skills. In many schools around the world, however,
students are not gaining these abilities and skills, with the result that students are
graduating without the qualifications required to succeed in the changing work place.
The Role of Arts Education
Arts education has the potential to play a distinct role in bringing the principles of
quality education into practice and in making education more relevant in the modern
world.
1
UNESCO, 2005, EFA Global Monitoring Report 2006, UNESCO, Paris, p. 58.
UNESCO, 2004, EFA Global Monitoring Report 2005, UNESCO, Paris, p. 30.
3
Dakar Framework for Action, 2000,
http://www.unesco.org/education/efa/ed_for_all/framework.shtml
2
In spite of this, due to increasing competition and the perception of the arts as an
“optional extra”, the arts and the diversity of cultures represented by them are often
taken for granted and are neglected by the formal education system. Schools typically
focus on the importance of gaining skills in reading, writing and arithmetic and
disregard the arts or at best provide discrete but un-examinable subjects devoted to
individual art forms. This situation has meant that the benefits that arts education has
to offer to students and teachers are neglected.
Benefits of Arts Education
Studies show that learning about, and through, the arts4 stimulates cognitive
development and endows students with the ability to engage in the creative process,
that is, use imagination, critical thinking, and physical and mental skills to generate a
unique creation. It is argued that by engaging in this process, students gain self-esteem
and confidence in their abilities, therefore becoming more motivated and productive.5
In addition, learning in the arts is viewed as beneficial for students and the learning
process as it engages students’ interest and enthusiasm, and encourages students to
actively participate in the classroom.6
The Arts-in-Education Approach
There is increasing evidence that the benefits of art education are multiplied when the
arts are used instrumentally in education. This methodology, known as the Arts-inEducation (AiE) approach, goes beyond teaching the arts and bringing art subjects
into curricula (arts education). The AiE approach utilizes the arts as a tool to equip
students with knowledge and skills across the curriculum, from mathematics and
science to heritage education.
The AiE approach draws on the theory of “multiple intelligences”, developed by Dr
Howard Gardner7. Gardner argues that there are many modes of learning and types of
intelligence (he identifies eight types). He observes that schools typically cater to
students with linguistic and logical-mathematical types of intelligence, thereby
excluding students whose strengths lie in visual-spatial, musical, or other types of
intelligence.
Recognizing the need for education to be inclusive and to enable all types of learners
to understand the subject matter, the AiE approach seeks to move away from
conventional teaching methods and curricula which tend to rely on verbal and logical
thinking. AiE advocates argue that by facilitating an arts-based learning approach that
involves, for example, kinesthetic, musical and interpersonal intelligences as well as
“The arts” include an array of art forms, ranging from drama and music to handicrafts and
storytelling.
5
For studies and discussions of the benefits of arts education, please refer to the UNESCO publication
Educating for Creativity, 2005, UNESCO, Bangkok.
6
Sahasrabudhe, P, 2005, “Design for Learning Through the Arts”, in Educating for Creativity, 2005,
UNESCO, Bangkok, pp 47-54.
7
Gardner, H. 1983, Frames of the Mind, Basic Books, New York
4
verbal and logical intelligences, educators can make learning easier and more
rewarding for all.
This approach to arts education recognizes the inexorable connections between the
arts and culture, and therefore also seeks the deliberate acknowledgement and
promotion of culture in educational systems. Such inclusion of culture is viewed as a
means by which to counteract the effects of globalization and stem the decline in
cultural diversity (as manifested in the loss of languages, practices and art forms). The
incorporation of culture into education is also seen as important because learning
about one’s own culture, how it has changed and how it relates to other cultures,
better enables students to construct their own sense of personal identity, enhancing
their confidence and sense of belonging, and fostering social cohesion.
AiE and Art for Art’s Sake
While some view the AiE approach as an attempt to displace the conventional
approach to arts education – which promotes the teaching of the arts as a separate
subject (the “art for art’s sake” approach) – there is in fact no conflict between the
AiE approach and conventional arts education. Both approaches agree on the benefits
of arts education and on the need to ensure that arts education is an integral part of
school curricula and therefore an integral part of life.
Adherents of the AiE approach argue, however, that the AiE approach has certain
advantages in terms of improving the quality of education.
Firstly, they argue that by incorporating the arts within all subject areas, the benefits
of arts education are extended to the entire curriculum. That is, they point out that
the use of the arts instrumentally in all lessons brings about active student
participation in lessons of all subjects. Learning through the arts engages students’
interest and enthusiasm, thereby bringing the benefits of arts education to all students
and all subjects. They also argue that bringing the arts into all subject areas enables
students to make connections and see the relationships between subject areas, leading
to creative insights and original ideas.
Secondly, advocates argue that the AiE approach facilitates the incorporation of
local cultural values and identity into all areas of education. They point out, for
example, that when schools draw on local artists and handicraft producers as
resources in social studies or history lessons, this provides an opportunity for students
to learn about local art forms and develop greater appreciation for cultural values
and diversity.
Thirdly, the AiE approach is considered particularly valuable in schools which lack
the human and financial resources to provide specialized art classes but still wish to
impart the benefits of art education to students.
Finally, the utilization of the arts as a tool to teach other subjects has been found to be
a means by which teachers can develop their own skills and gain motivation and
enthusiasm in their work. 8
The AiE approach can therefore be effective in enhancing at least four of the factors
that the Dakar Framework specifies are required for high-quality education: active
learning; locally-relevant curriculum that captures the interest and enthusiasm of
learners; respect for, and engagement with, local communities and cultures; and
trained and motivated teachers.
Conclusion
Arts education is recognized as a vital component of educational systems as it
contributes to students’ cognitive development, encourages creativity, and
reinforces patterns of social tolerance. Arts education thereby has a key role to
play in making educational systems more relevant in modern societies – by
producing graduates with the creative and innovative abilities required in a
knowledge-based workplace.
The AiE approach goes further and provides a means by which to improve the quality
of education, through encouraging active participation in lessons for all subjects,
tapping into local cultural resources, and motivating and encouraging teachers and
learners.
Recognizing the value of arts education and of the AiE approach, UNESCO seeks to
encourage policy makers, teachers and educators worldwide to explore ways and
means by which to mainstream arts education into educational systems and
thereby improve the relevance and quality of education for all students.
8
For case studies which describe how the arts-in-education approach has been implemented in practice,
please refer to “The Arts and Quality Education in Asia”, by Vibeke Jensen and George A. Attig, in
Educating for Creativity, 2005, UNESCO, Bangkok, pp 25-29.