Description
The project is focusing on support of successful inclusion of Roma children to educational programmes of mainstream schools and on support of study results of Roma children. The project implements the Creative Partnerships programme to 2 primary schools in Karlovarský region. The main working method of the Creative Partnerhips programme is application of art and structured cooperation of artists with teachers. Artists and teachers work alongside to develop and implement teaching in classrooms. They develop classroom projects that focus on specific needs of Roma pupils using methods of art. Classroom projects develop key competences of pupils, improve their results and increase their motivation for studies. The project will be carried out in cooperation of two partners - Association for creativity in education (Czech applicant) and The Great Pretenders (Norwegian partner).
Summary of project results
The goal of the project was to improve the chances of Roma pupils for successful learning. Among the major challenges the project wished to resolve were: the disadvantaged position of the Roma pupils within the education system, their difficulties with acquiring the school curriculum and the risk of their segregation to schools with decreased demands, which, in the long-term, represents the risk of their future social exclusion. The project looked for a solution for these significant threats, offering the innovative approach of Creative Partnerships, i.e. the system of structured co-operation of artists with teachers both during the planning and the classroom execution stages of learning. Artists, together with teachers, planned creative approaches to teaching of various subjects and topics selected by the classes from May to September 2015. From September 2015, artists started working with teachers and pupils directly in classrooms during regular sessions. This intensive part lasted till the end of January 2016, when all project participants presented the results of their work to the school communities. The school attendance increased and the project partakers started looking for the project sessions. Learning became experiential, helping the pupils apprehend the curriculum in focus in an efficient way. The relationships between teachers and pupils improved significantly. The project would have to be longer with more options of including parents into the children’s activities at the school to improve the relationship of the school with the parents. The teachers involved valued highly the workshops organised as part of the project and plan to make selected activities they used during the project an integral part of their classroom routine.
Summary of bilateral results
The co-operation with the Norwegian partner focused on the expert support of the project. The partner has ample experience with creative ways of working with pupils. Its representative, Ms M. O. Hundevadt, participated in the Norwegian Creative Partnerships programme in the role of a Creative Agent, facilitating the creative process at several school. The project used the partner’s erudition and expertise first during the training sessions with artists and creative agents and, second, for direct support of artists. Joint training sessions with follow-up consultations regarding the support of artists were held by the partner’s representative and attended by the project manager. Thanks to this hand-on co-operation, we were able to share our experience with the organisation of the Creative Partnership projects, to compare the education systems of Norway and the Czech Republic and to share the learnings regarding the required support for artists working with the schools. The partner was able to provide the artists with suitable tools for working with specific groups of pupils within the selected artistic field, thus contributing to the high quality of the work in the classrooms. The partnership was utmost beneficial for solving critical issues experienced during the work in the classroom set-up. Approaching the critical moments from a different socio-cultural context helped us interpret the situations and find solutions which were both substantial and efficient.