Since I sent in my proposal last May, and possibly unconciously for a long time before that, I have been trying to work out exactly what I am planning to do. Initially I started with a vague notion that my Junior Cert students are getting less creative every year and the idea that integrating art in the primary school curriculum may be a way of overcoming this problem - teaching other subjects through the arts, or with art methodologies could possibly develop important skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, team work, risk-taking, etc. seen to be important for fostering creativity. I got excited by the mountains of studies that I've been gathering, which seem to agree with this. However, the more I read, the less certain I am about this.
Creativity is a bit of a buzz word these days, everyone from politicians and economists to parents and teachers talking about the need for creativity in the future. Problems with this include the fact that no one can agree on exactly what creativity is, or how best to develop it. Other interesting aspects of the debate, which I came across recently, are that society may not be able to function if everyone is very creative (see www.psychologytoday.com/blog/mindbloggling/201011/should-everyone-be-creative) and that creativity is not always a good thing (see Cropley, Cropley, Kaufman and Runco (2010) The Dark Side of Creativity (www.cambridge.org/gb/knowledge/isbn/item2705195/?site_locale=en_GB), there's a Google books preview available). Arts advocates are claiming that teaching through the arts can tackle all problems from truancy and low self-esteem to higher academic results across all subject areas. Others, arguing for art for arts sake, are worried that these claims may cause more damage, with the intrinsic values of the arts losing out, especially if they prove to be false, or inconclusive. You can read a summary of this debate here: www.practice.ie/essays/april-09-nick-rabkin-arts-intrinsic-and-instrumental-values
Earlier this week I realised that this is the issue that I want to focus on (some of you may have noticed the addition of a question mark to the end of my title above). Is there a case to be made for greater integration of the arts in Irish primary schools, or would the arts lose more than they would gain if this happened? Does learning in the arts actually boost creativity? Rather than the large nationwide survey that I had originally envisaged carrying out, I have decided to conduct case studies around my region (Longford, Westmeath, Cavan, Roscommon and Leitrim). I have been in touch with the Arts Officers in these counties and I hope that a small number of primary schools will facilitate my research in the new year. For the moment I am continuing to define my terms of reference and finalise my methodology, but I feel that I am finally making some progress.
