Michael Anderson

Robyn Gibson

Josephine Fleming

This book presents ground-breaking research on the ways the Arts fosters motivation and engagement in both academic and non-academic domains. It reports on mixed method, international research that investigated how the Arts make a difference in the lives of young people. Drawing on the findings of a longitudinal quantitative study led by the internationally renowned educational psychologist Andrew Martin, the book examines the impact of arts involvement in the academic outcomes of 643 students and reports on the in-depth qualitative research that investigates what constitutes best-practice in learning and teaching in the Arts. The book also examines drama, dance, music, visual arts and film classrooms to construct an understanding of quality pedagogy in these classrooms. With its evidence-based but highly accessible approach, this book will be directly and immediately relevant to those interested in the Arts as a force for change in schooling. How Arts Education Makes a Difference discusses: The Arts Education, Motivation, Engagement and Achievement Research Visual Arts, Drama and Music in Classrooms Technology-mediated Arts Engagement International Perspectives on Arts and Cultural Policies in Education This book is a timely collation of research and experiential findings which support the need to promote arts education in schools worldwide. It will be particularly useful for educationists, researchers in education and arts advocates.

Research examining successful classroom practice and pedagogy

How Arts Education Makes a Difference

Once hanging static in a wardrobe or folded away in a trunk, in recent times clothes have found themselves thrown into the spotlight. The crowds that are drawn to large scale fashion exhibitions staged with increasing frequency in galleries and museums around the world offer glimpses into the meaning that we attach to these items of clothing. Apart from their aesthetic value, clothes have the ability to evoke issues of identity, of the relation of self to body and self to the world. We are able to find ourselves through the experiences of delving into our wardrobes and remembering. Clothes are thus layered with meaning since they have the power to act as memory prompts. Woven into their fabric are traces of past experiences; stitched into their seams are links to people we have loved and lost. Viewed as visual objects, clothing is not frivolous, flippant or foolish. In telling and talking about clothes, we reveal much about ourselves, our lives and the experiences that we drape around our bodies. Whether bought or handmade, passed down or reconstructed, clothes help us to construct meaning as we remember those things in our lives that matter.

Robyn Gibson

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