1. BackgroundToday, many scientific studies show the positive impact of artistic practices on learning. Teachers involved with their students in artistic projects reflect the contributions observed on the cognitive level, especially on attention, memory, motivation, self-esteem and social cohesion.Yet school systems in Belgium, France and Spain do not allow art programs in schools .In Spain, arts education is not part of the compulsory curriculum, and creates a precedent for other European countries. In Belgium, music teachers have no educational requirement and, most of the time, the untrained teachers themselves, are in charge of providing art classes with the means at hand.Also in France, while the "school culture" is a theme valued by national education, the reality seems equally cacophonous on the field.It is therefore a major challenge that poses the fundamental question of educational aims and of values promoted at school: do we want a school that solely values profitability and functionality, or do we want a humanist school, attached to overall development of the child?2. ObjectivesThe partners in this project are Art & Learning sensitized. They implement active steps for teacher training, class animations, clinical child and class creations for students with learning disabilities.Thanks to those accrued and transnational experiences, we will consistently install structural artistic practices in schools.3. MethodologyEach partner is directly linked to the carrier of education institutions (universities, training centers, schools, school parents, national politicians ..) and will integrate project implemented within project schedules.To do this:- Design: With the help of researchers, we will design a clear theoretical framework.With the help of speech and handwriting therapists, scientists and artists, we co-construct targeted activities and progress, which will propose kindergarten assessment tools up to 12 years.- Training: With the institutions in charge of teacher training we will include a reflection on the curriculum necessary to teachers of arts education.As part of continued training, the new contributions of neuroscience on learning will be shared with teachers, always in this three-dimensional perspective: educational, artistic, therapeutic.Families will be able to support these goals with their children, thanks to cultural and educational events in neighbourhoods and in schools.- Tools: To allow access to these innovative practices a book, a documentary, video clips, publications and a training package will be available and distributed wherever possible.
The origin of the project The "Art & Apprentissage" project is the result of two facts : - the increase in school failure - the low importance given to artistic practices in education - for example, music. However, it is scientifically proven that music has a beneficial effect on brain structure and that musical activities have a positive impact on students, especially in case of learning difficulties. So, music at school, yes, but how and why? The objective of the project was to answer these questions. The partners Three countries are involved: Spain, France and Belgium. The University of Granada (Es) brings its expertise and commitment to music education policy in Spain and Europe. The teams at Résodys (Marseille) and Mélodys (Nice) provide their scientific expertise and are specifically interested in "dys" children. They are active in the medical and educational fields. Four schools are committed to applying the tools created: el Colegio Mirasur (Madrid), L’Ecole du Centre (Brussels), Ecole de Chôdes (Malmédy) and St-Michel (Tournai). The Educ'Art (BE) team, with its experience of networking, coordinates the entire project. The originality of the project The objective was to co-create concrete tools, applicable in class and in consultation, by teachers, music teachers and remediation professionals. This has been possible thanks to the decompartmentalization of the scientific, therapeutic and pedagogical sectors, around the artistic field as a unifying element. Teachers and therapists: a privileged audience They have been very much in demand because, to put music at the service of learners, it goes through the school, teachers and therapists /logopedists. Multidisciplinarity Valuing music as a full-fledged academic discipline is a political matter. The challenge of music in schools is therefore multidisciplinary and our approach is multiple: to make the arts a political priority, to inform and train teachers in musical activities, to provide a robust scientific framework concerning the links between music and learning disabilities. Main activities The result of extensive joint reflection over the three years, various productions were produced: an audio-visual documentary, 3 books, 5 publications in specialized books. A portfolio in which we find - a theoretical framework based on recent neuroscientific studies, which gives meaning to the proposed musical activities - descriptions of musical activities, didactic sheets, illustrated with soundtracks, and videos. Activity outlines have been implemented in classrooms in all three countries, evaluated and adapted to enable teachers with little musical training to use them. An Assessment Tool was co-constructed with 11 observation grids concerning cognitive, instrumental and socio-affective skills, created or taken from existing resources. This system has been tested in the classes. Communication and dissemination: a blog and website in French and Spanish, playlists on youtube have been created so that partners can share their contributions, comments and resources. 5 Colloquia were organized. 3 study trips to Granada, Marseille and Belgium provided opportunities for training and exchange. https://www.aaerasmus.educart.be/ Results: This multidisciplinary project answered the basic question: why and how to make music in school? It leaves researchers, teachers, music teachers, therapists, politicians: practical tools such as frameworks of musical activities with their cognitive, socio-emotional, instrumental and scientific objectives; observation grids to assess their impact; framed by theoretical tools: neuroscientific studies, accompanied by strong political arguments in favour of music education. The initial specifications of the project were respected and largely exceeded: 5 symposia instead of 4 planned, 3 books instead of 1, training for more than 500 teachers, more than 500 contacts, an interest of political leaders in France and Belgium, the wide dissemination of an advocacy campaign (the "Marseille Declaration") and the most moving testimonies: those of children. Sustainability: collaborations are being launched, training planned, agreements signed between international and national partners (IMEP/Université de Laval - MusAlpha), resources are being disseminated in the Hautes Ecoles, the framework for musical activities is already being adopted by music teachers and professors; ongoing work is being carried out on the basis of this project. The feedback is already very positive.