West Visayas State University

POTOTAN CAMPUS
Brgy. Cau-ayan,Pototan, Iloilo
Telefax No.: (033)-529-8716
Email Address: pototan@wvsu.edu.ph

Compilation of Reports
In
Building and enhancing new
Literacies across the Curriculum
 West Visayas State University
POTOTAN CAMPUS
Brgy. Cau-ayan,Pototan, Iloilo
Telefax No.: (033)-529-8716
Email Address: pototan@wvsu.edu.ph

Unit VII:

ARTS AND CREATIVITY LITERACY

ARTS AND CREATIVITY LITERACY
Why the arts are important Education in the arts is essential to students’ intellectual,
social, physical, and emotional growth. Through the study of music, visual arts, and
drama and dance, students not only develop the ability to think creatively and critically,
but also develop physical coordination and the ability to work both independently and
with others. In addition, the creative and practical work encourages students to express
themselves in both verbal and non-verbal ways, and can enable them to discover and
develop abilities that can prove to be rich sources of pleasure later in life.
Communicating about and through the arts. The arts provide ways for students to
communicate their thoughts, feelings and ideas about themselves and their world.
Literacy skills for reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing and representing allow
them to learn about the arts and to share their new skills and knowledge with others
through music, visual arts, drama and dance.
Activities to help develop literacy through the Arts
Develop reading skills by:
• examining or “reading” the illustrations from stories to see how they
communicate and illustrate the printed words ("picture walk")
• introducing a variety of print forms including posters, scripts, charts and
newspaper articles • reading “out loud” as characters from stories, poems or plays
• introduce and collect stories that stimulate an interest in more reading about
artists, musicians, actors, dancers, history and different cultures
• visualizing (creating an image) the text that is read
• reading reviews of various arts events
• using and reading representative symbols, graphics and notations specific to the
arts (ex: music notation)
• using artistic vocabulary
Develop writing skills by:
• encouraging a planning process before the creative arts experiences begin
• creating new stories, charts and poems
• using reflective journals or diaries to record personal responses related to arts
activities
• introducing new symbols, graphics and musical notations specific to the arts
• writing new lyrics to familiar songs
• writing story books, illustrating the text and binding them
Develop speaking skills by:
• reading “out loud”
• communicating feelings and emotions about specific musical, dramatic, dance
performances and artworks.
• retelling stories from a variety of sources or folktales
• thinking out loud when brainstorming a solution to an artistic problem
• role-playing characters and situations from fictional and non-fictional events
• talking about ideas with others when planning and creating artworks
• sharing personal responses about artworks and positive arts experiences
discussing preferences and defending points of view when reviewing artworks
• encouraging feedback for improvement from listeners
Develop listening skills by:
• listening to a variety of music in many forms and styles
• attending musical and theatrical performances
• interpreting “what was said” and “how it was said” in performances
• planning and creating artworks as a member of a group
Develop viewing skills by:
• paying particular attention to dramatic expression and body language
• interpreting emotion, feeling and meaning of movement in dance.
• studying the illustrations used to accompany fictional and non-fictional print
materials
• applying critical thinking strategies for artworks including describing, comparing,
analyzing, interpreting and evaluating
• developing criteria for selecting and evaluating print and multimedia images
(e.g., posters, films, computer graphics)
• assessing the effectiveness of the decisions that were made when creating
artworks
Develop representing skills by:
• creating artworks that communicate personal thoughts, feeling and ideas
• developing characters and ideas from print materials through role-playing, visual
arts and musical composition
• applying the elements and principles of art when creating visual arts, music,
drama and dance works
• interpreting the content from one art form into another (e.g., painting a mood
suggested by a piece of music)
• What is an arts-based approach?
• Within education, the arts incorporate the five areas of Dance, Drama,
Media, Music and Visual Arts. Each have specific processes, skill bases and disciplines that
they draw on. These different arts areas have some similar elements and approaches,
including knowing through doing and creating, with children learning to express ideas
and emotions through voice, movement, actions and different expressive forms. The arts
can be taught as discrete single discipline areas, or in combination with other learning
areas or arts areas. So we can talk about arts learning but also ‘learning through the
arts’. In primary schools, teachers may use arts processes and strategies to teach content
in other learning areas and this often helps create more engaged and experiential
learning.
• Creativity literacy in Education
• Creativity is characterised by originality and expressiveness, so it can
mean making something or it can be something new and innovative. Sir Ken Robinson
has said that “Creativity is about working in a highly focused way on ideas and projects,
crafting them into their best forms and making critical judgements along the way.” 
    
Bringing creativity and literacy together can be a powerful tool in teaching. It
allows children to be active in literacy, from acting out plays through characters that
they’ve made themselves or through making props. It allows children to explore their
imaginations. Getting involved in a story re-enforces the learning and can also teach
practical skills, for example, working with templates or basic sewing.
    
Children are naturally creative, if you stop and listen to them they often are
natural storytellers. They love to make things up and will very often have imaginary
worlds they will refer to. They also love to get involved in making things, giving them a
sense of achievement. 
    
If they are engaged they will learn more, so it’s about harnessing their ability to
soak up information and to capture their imaginations, which can make teaching more
fulfilling. 

Benefits of creative literacy

The benefits are numerous and wide-ranging. It encourages greater pupil engagement,
brings a subject to life – therefore capturing pupils interest, and improves knowledge
retention. It can also improve oral and listening skills, encourage team building, and can
be made practical, suiting those who may struggle with some traditional methods of
teaching, eg, children who are dyslexic. Creative literacy can also encourage reluctant
readers, build confidence, and help teach practical skills.
    
A cross-curricular approach
So where does creative literacy fit into the curriculum? Well, in a variety of areas.
Research carried out for the CLPE showed that the role of texts brought together reading,
writing, crafting and bodily enactment in a holistic way that addressed curriculum
demands. Creative literacy resources can also be used to teach geography, history or
PSHE. All of these can be brought vividly to life through a creative literacy approach to
learning. 
    
Inclusivity and SEN
A further benefit is inclusivity in the classroom. By teaching this way you can ensure
that all children feel included. Some children, particularly those with dyslexia, like to learn
in a multi-sensory way so bringing subjects to life will suit their style of learning. They will
feel less isolated/different from their classmates. They are likely to take hold of
the subject and help others to see things differently, thereby enriching the experience for
all.
10 Important Skills to Learn from Art Education
1. Creativity
2. Observation
3. Self-expression
4. Focus
5. Discipline
6. Performance
7. Collaboration
8. Risk-taking
9. Open-mindedness
10. Confidence
11. Creativity

Creativity
Is an obvious but extremely important skill gained from art education. Understanding
and harnessing one’s own creativity allows them to think “outside of the box” and
encourages original methods of problem solving. Students who think creatively are able
to take unique approaches to problems and develop alternate solutions. Creativity is a
great leadership skill to have because creators are ready to explore, tackle unseeable
hurdles and embrace discovery.
Observation
Understanding various types of art takes fine-tuned observation. When creating art,
you must be aware of all of your surroundings and observe objects as they are presented
before you. For example, a student must be aware of the color, detail, light and more
when painting a still life — and portray that on a canvas. Learning through art
deconstructs preconceived notions of ideas and objects and allows students to keenly see
what is in front of them.
Self-expression
Art is the obvious arena for self-expression. With every art piece a student creates,
they are using their creativity, their vision, dreams, wonder and sense of the world. Art
education gives students a safe and supportive environment to harness that self-
expression, practice and master it. Students are also provided with the tools and
materials they need, guidance and encouragement.
Focus
Studying and practicing each type of art takes a great deal of focus. Students must
learn how to listen and apply techniques, while presenting their own “voice.” For
example, developing one’s technique as a painter requires concentration to details, such
as color, shadow, light. Students must focus on each detail of their painting, sculpture or
musical score to create the masterpiece as a whole.

Discipline
is a must when practicing and creating art. Students must pay attention to their
educator, study the technique, follow instruction and take constructive advice in order to
progress as an artist. In order to hone in on their craft, students must commit to their
lessons and sacrifice their own time, outside of class.
Perseverance
Learning art does not come overnight. A student may be able to play the piano after
one or two lessons, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ve become a pianist. It may
take decades for an artist to master their craft. Art education teaches students not to
give up, to keep working at their medium — whether it be music, dance, visual arts or
theatre. Gradually, the student will be able to recognize their own improvements and
where their perseverance has lead them. In this competitive job market, employees must
continually improve on their own skills and even take on new ones to remain successful.

Collaboration
Although art education places a heavy emphasis on authenticity and originality, part
of the learning process is understanding, and even emulating, artists before you. For
example, when learning about Surrealism, students may reference the works of Dali. In
learning through others, students can begin to recognize their most important traits and
the techniques that they, themselves, are most successful at. Acknowledging and
developing ourselves through differing perspectives is an important skill that should be
carried over to every aspect of life.

Risk-taking
For students to grow personally and academically, they must take risks. Learning
through art education gives them the confidence to try new things, experiment with the
unknown and formulate their own conclusions. Art education can be especially beneficial
for students who are not as responsive to “traditional” ways of learning. This is a great
trait found in most entrepreneurs or those in leadership positions.

Open-mindedness
Understanding art may foster new ways of thinking for many students. Initially, an art
observer may be reluctant to articulate what they “think” the artist is portraying, but
upon exploration, begin to think in terms previously foreign to them. For example,
researchers from Newcastle University discovered that art can change our innate ways of
thinking and how we see the world. They took older people to exhibitions to see how
they would describe the contemporary pieces. Though, they experienced something new
and were originally unable to describe it, they began to reference their own memories
and experiences to connect with the art.

Confidence
Most people have an innate fear of failing, and it is not particularly easy to get out
of your comfort zone and try something new. Picking up a sketchpad or paint brush can
be daunting, especially if we are beginners. Art education allows students to explore
and practice with new mediums and techniques, thereby finding their own “voice.” They
gain confidence in the path to discovery, without fear of the final outcome. It goes
without saying, that having confidence is beneficial for personal and professional
relationships, helps students tackle a harder subjects, nurtures exploration in their own
lives.