New initiative enables teaching artists and school teachers to co-develop and co-teach an arts curriculum that meets larger educational outcomes

Students in special education (SPED) schools can look forward to a more integrated arts education experience with the NAC Artist-SPED School Partnership Programme. The initiative by the National Arts Council (NAC) promotes the use of the arts as a pedagogical tool in SPED schools to enhance students’ learning.

This unique proposition for the arts to be embedded as an integral and integrated part of SPED school education offers new ways of learning for students with learning disabilities.

The two-year time frame for each partnership project allows arts-based lessons to be meaningfully developed as part of the SPED school’s core curriculum. Teaching artists are matched with the school to jointly develop programmes aligned to the school’s larger educational needs and provide artist-led teacher training to ensure sustainability of the programmes.

Tapping on artists’ expertise and experiences to offer alternative learning perspectives for students in SPED schools, arts lessons such as drama, ceramics and percussion have been specially developed to educate every child. Through fun and engaging art-making activities, students develop confidence, motivation and competencies for life such as communication, socialisation and dexterity.

Mr Kenneth Kwok, Director for Youth and Arts, NAC says, “The NAC believes that every child, without exception, should have access to quality arts education because of the important role it plays in personal development. The partnership programme helps to provide SPED schools with the extra support to customise arts programmes that will meet the specific needs of their children. It has been very heartening to see the happy faces of the students in the classroom and how they have blossomed through these highly interactive arts lessons in diverse ways.”

Another key aspect of the Partnership Programme is the training of teachers by the teaching artists. Equipping teachers with the principles and practices of art-making not only enables them to continue the co-developed programmes independently, it also enhances how they teach other lessons.

To read the full media release, see the external link below.

https://www.nac.gov.sg/media-centre/news-releases/news-detail?id=11f5117f-91c5-4628-9438-eba58d74042f