| 後記：學校裡的「三角伙伴關係」有助建立起更豐富多元的藝術計劃，它亦有利於促進一個健康、平衡的藝術生態發展。透過三角伙伴關係上的合作，各方都能有所裨益：藝術家能獲得其技能上和價值上的肯定，有助他們長遠的藝術卓越追求、社區外展參與及藝術推廣等個人專業發展；教師得到來自藝術界的支援，能更有效地帶領、推廣和為學生們選擇優質的藝術活動；另一方面，學生則能有機會透過與藝術家互動交流、欣賞及創作，從而豐富自己的藝術知識。最終，這個合作伙伴模式將有助於擴大觀眾層面，這不單只以增加人數為目標，更深層次是藉此提升彼此的藝術素養。 |
Triangulation Partnership in Arts Education from the New Zealand Curriculum Perspective:
Interview with Peter O’CONNOR
While successful Arts Education requires close co-operation and vibrant interaction between artists and teachers, a strong learning partnership between the two parties and students would serve to further substantiate it, establishing a collaborative and equal relationship in the learning process. In this regard, it is our honor to have Associate Professor Peter O’CONNOR, School of Drama External Academic Reviewer for the MFA DTE Programme of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, as the guest for our “ArtsEd in Chat”. A highly experienced professional in Arts Education, he shared with us his perspectives on Arts Education with reference to the case of New Zealand and emphasized the paramount role played by the “Triangulation Partnership” between artists, teachers and students in a fruitful Arts Education.
About Peter O’CONNOR
Peter O’CONNOR is an Associate Professor at the University of Auckland and Director and Founder of the acclaimed Applied Theatre Consultants Ltd. He has international experience in education from preschool to tertiary levels, primarily around using applied theatre as a public education medium to address major social issues including public health, gender equity in schools and the development of inclusive, empathetic and critical school cultures. He is Adjunct Associate Professor, Faculty of Education and Social Work, the University of Sydney. In 2009 he was an Honorary Principal Fellow (Associate Professor) at the University of Melbourne.
Q: Performing Arts Education Centre
P:Peter O’CONNOR
| Q: | First of all, can you share with us the New Zealand Arts Education curriculum? |
| P: | In 2001, New Zealand implemented the new Arts Education curriculum, which is The Arts in the New Zealand Curriculum;it is the core curriculum statement indicating the essential learning areas of the arts, and it identifies four separate disciplines of dance, drama, music and the visual arts. So, with this rich arts curriculum, the arts become the compulsory part for every child in schools in New Zealand. Another rich thing about the Arts Education in New Zealand curriculum is its relation with the indigenous arts and culture, the Māori culture. To be sure, the significant and unique aspiration of the curriculum is the inclusion of Māori culture. So, indigenous arts have actively shaped the curriculum of New Zealand and that’s why we can say that the curriculum is embracing different aesthetic form. Students participate in the making of dance, drama, music, and the visual arts in a variety of contexts using traditional and contemporary modes of expression. |
| Q: | So how is the implementation of this new curriculum so far? Is it successful or not? |
| P: | The new curriculum has been implemented for over ten years, and though I would love tell you that “everything is wonderful in the curriculum”, the truth is, I think, that our school curriculum is narrower and more constrained than 10 years ago. The reality is that the arts don’t seem to match recent changes in government education policy. And that’s because of the narrowly intensive approach to literacy and numeracy. Also, it focuses on national standards and comes with frequent testings. |
| Q: | The Arts Education can get through into the curriculum because of the focus on the relation between the arts and literacy. It’s one of the reasons why Arts Education can be part of the core component in 2001. But what leads the curriculum to become narrower than before? |
| P: | I think there is a push around the arts as a way for students to matriculate to the university and to gain qualification to the university, and that has been successful. But this kind of teaching focuses on skills and techniques rather than arts as a means for students to explore themselves, to explore the world as a process of inquiry. It’s very technical oriented because, at the senior secondary, students can only major in two arts subjects of technical skills, which leads to a narrow arts curriculum. Another reason is that the national examination system crushes the curriculum down. The Government has also pulled away from funding the arts. Schools just increasingly focus on literacy and numeracy, this totally collapses creativity in the classrooms in New Zealand. |
| Q: | So is there anything we can do to change this situation? |
| P: | To make change in education you need a long-term strategy and long-term commitment by the government and everybody. The government can spend as much money as they like in the short run, but nothing would happen without a strategic long-term plan. Changing a traditional education system doesn’t happen overnight. |
| Q: | When we talk about Arts Education or arts development, it is always essentially a long-term strategy. Can you elaborate more on your vision about what you would consider as a long-term strategy? |
| P: | It has to be multi-agency and multi-level, and it has to involve the relationship between educators and artists. Arts organizations should play a major role in Arts Education and it’s about the way to bridge the classrooms and the artists. I also think it’s significantly about the way to support teachers in the classrooms. So, training offered to teachers to develop confidence and competencies in teaching arts is essential. I personally believe that there’s nothing more important than the school when talking about Arts Education and arts development. |
| Q: | They are good advices for Hong Kong that we need to bear in mind. Concerning the recent new education reform, what we see is that the arts components in the curriculum are much richer than before. Our government seems to be very supportive, but, how should this be sustained? You have just mentioned the relation between teachers and artists, right? |
| P: | Yes, besides the long-term strategy and long-term commitment, the collaboration of the partnership between the teachers and artists is also important. They can have mutual benefit beyond this partnership. It’s a way for artists to discover more about themselves by working and making arts with teachers and students. After that, artists can learn and understand more about their arts form. The other example of this partnership in school is working on an arts project together with artists, teachers as well as the students in a “Triangulation Partnership”. To make this partnership succeed through their engagement and participation in the project, artist, teachers and students all have to work as “artists” together. Both students and teachers benefit from opportunities to interact with and learn from artists. What this partnership excites me is that it offers a journey for all of them to make art together. |
| Q: | However, when we talk about partnership, we usually just focus on teachers and artists, and we risk completely forgetting about the partnership with participants. As a result, the learning will only amount to a teaching-centered approach. |
| P: | Absolutely, when the artist becomes a teacher in school, they just continue with the particular kind of traditional teaching role. For me, I will take over the class as an artist and teach the students how to get into the project together. All of us are going to be the artists during the class and we will then generate ideas together. I believe that teaching itself should be an art. Nowadays so much teaching is simply reduced to technical skills, but it’s not. The arts is about understanding human beings. I have participated in a lot of school lessons on theatre, and sometimes when I arrive at the classroom, the teachers just literally absent themselves, as if they expected me to have everything arranged myself. I think artists have to pre-plan with teachers before the classes, and work out a significant role for the teacher for the whole process. In this respect, professional development for both teachers and artists is needed, so as to build up their confidence to continue to work together. Finally, it is worth remembering that bad arts experience is worse than no arts experience in school. And my advice to school teachers and artists is: whenever they work on arts-related projects or arts learning, commitment is the key to success in Arts Education. |
| Afterword: Not only does the triangulation relationship at school sustain and build better programmes rich in arts, but it also contributes to a healthy ecology of arts development as a whole, in which all the three parties benefit: Artists acquire skills and values essential for a career in arts, including personal artistic excellence, community engagement and advocacy. School teachers receive support from the arts community and eventually develop the ability to lead, promote and select quality arts programmes for their students. Students, in turn, are given the opportunity to enrich their artistic knowledge, from doing, making and appreciating the arts as well as drawing inspiration from the art works and artists. Eventually, it will contribute to an overall audience development not just in quantity but also in quality. |
|
|