The Art of Learning 2021-2023
Three primary schools in Hungary are actively participating in the research project, and two control schools are assisting in testing the results. Each school will be assigned an artist who, together with the participating teacher, will implement exercises developed by the Art of Learning project experts, aligning with the curriculum framework. The intervention is intensive, lasting four semesters in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 academic years, and the target group of the program is first-grade students. The sessions, which are implemented in artist-teacher cooperation, took place in the project schools three times a week for 12 weeks per semester.
We measured the performance of the students in both the control and intervention classes, before, during, and several times after the intervention. Although the pupils seemingly improved in literacy, we found no significant difference between the two groups in measuring executive functions. This can be attributed to the short duration of the intervention. Still, it is possible that the measurement tool used was not suitable for the purpose, and, likely, the relationship between creativity and executive functions is not as straightforward as the initial hypothesis suggested.
Artists
The artists for the project are recruited from the fields of painting, dance, and performing arts. The artists are selected based on both artistic skills and previous experience. The project must involve well-tested professionals who have already proven themselves to be creative partners. The artists will participate in a 4-day training course before the start of the project, where they will gain further knowledge about how art can be used in a school environment, gain insight into the subject framework underlying the intervention, and thus become competent partners for the teachers.
The teachers
The schools select the participating teachers. The selected teachers will participate in a two-day training course before the start of the project, where they will learn about the partnership method, meet their artist partners, and lay the foundations for cooperation.
More information can be found on the Creative Learning and Teaching Foundation website.
