Recently, creativity has begun to be talked about as a twenty-first-century competency [UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation). 2006. "The World Conference on Arts Education: Building Creative Capacities for the 21st Century: Working Document", Lisbon, Portugal, 6-9 March 2006". Lisbon: UNESCO].…

In both England and Japan, art education was viewed as having nothing to do with self-expression, but was considered to be an efficient means for industrial development. In England, it was designed to train the eyes and hands of artisans. The art critic Ruskin has often been referred to in the context of the transition to self-expression in the…

It is widely believed that digitally-driven changes are not welcomed amongst academic staff in higher education. However, when in March 2020, the University of Nottingham went online in response to the UK government's COVID-19 lockdown, a different picture started to emerge. This contribution reflects on the initial steps taken to respond to the…

Becoming a university graduate has long been considered the route to individual occupational and social mobility, while educating more citizens has been assumed to add to a nation's human capital and competitiveness. University education has come to be associated with individual and societal aspiration. However, changes in the labour market…

In 2015 the (UK) National Society for Education in Art and Design (NSEAD) conducted their biggest and most comprehensive survey to date with art and design educators. Some 1,191 teachers and lecturers employed in early years to further education settings across England and Wales responded to the survey, which aimed to capture how government policy…

This paper outlines a small-scale Case Study, which took place in England, involving six School Direct Primary teacher trainees acting as participants. Important assessment points, evidencing progress against the Teachers' Standards, are 'Units of Learning'. These contain sequences of lessons, planned and evaluated by the trainees, assessing…

This paper explores the relationship between notions of 'access' and 'hospitality' by focusing on two practice-led research interventions conducted in two regional arts venues in the culturally and ethnically diverse city of Coventry, UK. By conceptualising Warwick Arts Centre and The Belgrade Theatre as potential sites of hospitality, I consider…

The European Framework for Key Competences (2006) promotes a shared European identity as a priority for assuring a cohesive future for the European Union (EU), yet the development of a discrete European identity remains acutely contentious, with critics claiming it is too shallow to support the bonds of solidarity needed to engender and support a…

Drawing books can be seen as a vital component to teaching and learning art. They serve as an excellent resource for understanding the historical context of teaching drawing. As the industrial revolution geared forward in the nineteenth century, drawing books became a crucial source for sharing and disseminating educational philosophies for the…

Aim: The article explores secondary school students' perceptions of the 'value' of UK curriculum subjects; alongside what, how and why specific subject value attribution patterns are important for students, and the psychological impact of this on their wellbeing and academic self-efficacy beliefs (SEB). Method/Rationale: A mixed-methods,…

This paper aims to explore whether the teaching of the abstract literary concepts of symbolism, narrative perspective and style to young readers can be made more effective by the study of art in an art museum context. The research is an interpretive qualitative case study exploring the learning of 6 participants within a class of 28 students aged…

This article reviews the use of mobile technologies within teacher education at the University of Northampton. In order to develop a strong commitment to digital literacy, the School of Education is using sets of teaching iPads with trainee teachers and has allocated an iPad to every member of the academic staff. Experiences from mobile technology…

Marginalisation of the visual arts resulting from the marketisation of education impacts young people's access to and interaction with culture on a global stage. In England this educational disruption is characterised by inconsistent access to arts-based curricula and democratic pedagogies, where those from lower socio-economic backgrounds are at…

In this article, the author strengthens and develops the theoretical platform for her concept of little public spheres. Hickey-Moody does so in order to present the concept as a tool for theorists who want to consider the political significance of marginalized youth. The concept of little publics is a theoretical frame the author developed to show…

This article traces the development of a new National Curriculum in England following the general election of 2010. The prevailing political ideology of an approach based on securing "core knowledge" in a limited range of preferred "academic" subjects and its deleterious impact on the arts in schools is described. The vigorous…