Island students will soon have new opportunities to learn core subjects using music, drama, dance and the visual arts.
The ArtsSmarts program was launched today by local artists and educators to promote learning through the arts in Island schools. Through the program, students, teachers and artists will jointly plan classroom and school-wide projects that integrate the arts into academic programs.
Education Minister Mildred Dover said the program has great potential to enhance student learning and to develop new school-community partnerships that make learning fun and relevant. “We are always looking for innovative new ways for students to learn. This program will bring artists into our schools and it will send students out into our arts and cultural community,” said the minister. “We are excited about the opportunities it will provide to actively involve students in the arts and to help them develop and discover creativity, self expression and critical thinking skills.”
Whether learning history through drama, math through dance or science through music, students who learn through the arts cultivate valuable life skills such as flexibility, teamwork, discipline, positive self-expression and enhanced self-esteem.
ArtsSmarts is a program of the Canadian Conference of the Arts and is supported by the J. W. McConnell Family Foundation. It is the largest education initiative in Canada dedicated to improving the learning capacity of children and youth by integrating the arts into teaching and learning.
The program will be delivered in Prince Edward Island by several partners, some of which include the Department of Education, Department of Community and Cultural Affairs, PEI Council of the Arts, Confederation Centre of the Arts and the three school boards.
A provincial coordinator will be hired soon and an ArtsSmarts office opened at the Confederation Centre of the Arts. Beginning this year, two pilot projects will be held in each of the three school boards. The program will be further developed based on the experiences of these six projects.
For more information on the ArtsSmarts program, contact Lucille Fontaine at 902 368 6495 or Vicki Allen-Cook at 902 368 4634.