Art EQUAL – explore, question, act, learn! Inclusive education for children through arts and cultural activities Erasmus Project

Project Title

Art EQUAL – explore, question, act, learn!
Inclusive education for children through arts and cultural activities

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Creativity and culture; Quality Improvement Institutions and/or methods (incl. school development); Inclusion – equity

Project Summary

The Art EQUAL project is based upon a shared need for qualified methods to create learning environments that foster young children’s well-being, self-empowerment, participation and sense of community. The partners in the project are rooted in the arts and cultural sector and have many years of experience with art- and culture-based programmes for and with children. The partners have experienced how these programmes can have a positive impact on the learning environment, the individual child and the child group. The children experience they have a voice that interacts with other voices in a way they might not find in other learning situations. This is especially relevant when working with inclusive education. The partners have experienced that artistic and cultural activities can have a natural inclusive approach by providing a room for all expressions. There is a lack of competition, and nothing is right or wrong. The children can participate in new ways, and when it works well the children are free to explore, play, follow their own motives and find their own expressions in a group with others.

The aim of the Art EQUAL project has been to integrate the partners’ experiences into the pedagogical practice of early childhood education by setting up interdisciplinary collaborations between professional artists/culture workers and early years professionals. These collaborations have proofed to have a strong impact on the way artistic and cultural activities become present in children’s everyday lives, and in general how these activities can have a positive influence on pedagogical practice, especially in connection with the social integration of children with disadvantaged backgrounds or special educational needs.

The aim of the project has thus been to help early years professionals to develop a new perspective on how art and culture can be integrated into their daily practice, and the other way around to help art and culture professionals to get an insight into and learn from pedagogical approaches and ways of working. The project has provided a range of practical workshops in local nurseries, kindergartens and schools based on collaborations between the pedagogical staff and invited artists or culture workers. The partners developed a common method to ensure a room for equal collaboration and involvement of the professionals’ different experiences, skills and perspectives on working with children in art and culture-based activities. The method is based upon the principles of action learning with the aim of analysing and reflecting on your own practice and learning from your experiences.

Throughout the project the practical workshops formed the content of the project’s intellectual outputs. This process was supported by an external evaluator from VIA University College in Denmark who pointed out several recurring values and introduced the partners to relevant evaluation frameworks, such as writing narratives. The experiences from the workshops were collected and formed the basis of the project’s educational resource. The resource includes:

– An online platform including a reflection and documentation tool “Let’s Collaborate” for early years professionals: http://artequal.eu/en/
– A process guide describing the different steps in collaborative processes based on action learning principles and inspirational models to use in joint reflections
– A methodology handbook as an extended version of the process guide including the background of the Art EQUAL project, essays by relevant experts, case studies from the local workshops and basic tips and ideas from the partners
– A training course curriculum including a methodological description and practical ideas of implementing the material in training at various levels: national, regional and local.

Along with the project’s educational resource the project partners have set the framework for an Implementation Strategy with the aim of encouraging early years professionals, artists, culture workers, decision makers and other relevant stakeholders to implement and make use of the Art EQUAL methodology and resources. In the longer term the aim is to improve and empower the development of inclusive education for children through art- and culture-based activities, at local, regional, national as well as international level. The strategy presents the partners perspectives on how to ensure the project’s results go into real-world practice and benefit both adults and children. It describes the different aspects of implementation in the Art EQUAL project and presents the partner’s basic ideas and recommendations to relevant professionals and stakeholders in early childhood education and care.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 259960 Eur

Project Coordinator

Kulturprinsen & Country: DK

Project Partners

• Bergen kulturskole
• ELDERBERRY AB
• Örnsköldsviks Kommun, Kulturskolan
• The Art Education Centre TRIS KRASAS
• Myndlistaskolinn i Reykjavik