Items tagged as "learning"

CapeUK is an independent, not for profit organisation, committed to improving the lives of young people, preparing them to face the future with creativity and self belief. CapeUK work with early years settings, schools, youth centres and community organisations, as well as universities, the cultural and creative sector, and other organisations which share their aims.

CapeUK's ‘Early Years Creative Cookbook’ in partnership with Earlyarts and Calderdale Council’s Early Years Team, will inspire early years settings, professionals and practitioners across the country to engage in similar creative approaches. This is a free, practical, resource, to inspire early years teachers and staff, supporting them with planning, engaging artists and other external partners in creative learning activities. This publication brings together ‘recipes’ of creative development, drawn from a project instigated by Early Years Learning Consultants for Calderdale involving artists, children and staff from across six early years settings who worked with national organisations CapeUK and Earlyarts.

Each ‘recipe’ explores a different way of creative learning, with a different enquiry question in mind each time. For example, Ash Green Children’s Centre wanted to find a way to empower families to take an active role in children’s learning. Operating in an extremely deprived area, they wanted to help create an environment where children are encouraged to learn, and believed parents to be crucial in this.  Their enquiry question was, “How can we empower our families to take an active role in our children’s learning?” The aim was to use drumming and drum circle techniques to build confidence, self-esteem and relationship building skills.  The project was shown to have a positive effect on children and parents, with increased confidence and self-esteem, as well as parents claiming the sessions allowed them to relax and gave them more confidence. The sessions have also improved relationships between parents and staff.

The ‘recipes’ are divided into sections, making them easy to re-create or adapt, as well as explaining the results for both the children and the adults involved. The “top tips” section outlines experiences, and adds some reflective tips on how the project could be improved. Each ‘recipe’ ends with an explanation of the lasting effects on the early years settings and those involved, as well as any plans for the future they may have.

Madeleine Irwin, Creative Director, CapeUK says; “We believe this resource explores creative development – learning about the opportunities to nurture children’s creativity within early years pedagogy. The resource effectively demonstrates how these projects supported; personal, social and emotional development, physical development, communication and language, literacy, mathematics, understanding the world and expressive arts and design.

“CapeUK is dedicated and committed to supporting leaders of creative education, both regionally and nationally, we will continue to innovate, advocate and implement creative education to ensure young people have the skills and creative capacities to face the future.”

CapeUK’s ‘Early Years Creative Cookbook’ is available free on their website here

An earlier resource, ‘One Small Step for Early Years, One Giant Leap for Children’ contains more creative enquiry projects, and can also be found free on the website here

For other CapeUK resources, click here

The ‘Shadows of the City’ project took place at Ripon Evolve, a centre for young people aged 16 to 19 who are not in education, training or employment.  Engaging in a variety of activities, volunteering, community projects and skills, they work towards personalised programmes, which include qualifications that suit their individual needs.

In December 2012, 12 young people passed their Bronze Arts Award, with support from their Adviser Bev Skaife.  Each young person was encouraged to select an art form unique to them, motivating them whilst developing their confidence, self esteem, and transferable skills.  Also, the young people were encouraged to participate in a group event, developing their ability to work with others.

CapeUK is responsible for the strategic development and advocacy of the Arts Award in the Yorkshire, Humber and North/North East Lincolnshire regions (in partnership with the Arts Council and Trinity College London).

One of the major activities the young people took part in was a sellotape sculpture project.  They took it in turns to fully sellotape each other, cut the sellotape off and then re-stick it to create translucent, life size figures.  They then did this to other objects and began forming different poses with the sculptures.   The sculptures were used for a week of candle lit visits to Ripon Museum called ‘Shadows of the City’.  The sculptures were placed into different cells and areas of the museum to reflect the fragile nature of the workhouse inmates, as well as providing a beautiful and haunting visual impact for visitors to the museum.

The young people who took part were at different levels of ability and stages of the process. They were taught in a classroom session on a weekly basis, with opportunities to work on individual projects outside of the classroom, and with specialist artists in their chosen fields.  The Adviser found this complex and challenging to orchestrate, but felt that the rewards of their individual achievements outweighed these challenges.  The young people attended a variety of events in the area. Some students delivered lessons to their peers, while others worked in small groups, to pass on the skills they had learned. Additionally, the young people involved in the ‘Shadows of the City’ event gained an opportunity to work with older members of the community, who were volunteering at the workhouse museum.  They also had an opportunity to show their work to primary and secondary school students who attended on education visits. This project has forged further links with all members of the local community and has been a major success in relation to community cohesion.

“I really enjoyed doing Arts Award.  I developed my creative writing so I feel more confident in my art form.  The moderation process didn’t make me feel uncomfortable, and it gave me good ideas for Silver, and I received really good feedback that helped me creatively.” Beccy, 17, Ripon Evolve Student

“Arts Award was a real eye opener to the creative side of education.  We had 4 stages to complete. I made a 20 minute lesson on how to make a piece of music.  It was a production lesson.  It was so productive and enjoyable that it inspired me to go on to do music production at Leeds college of Music. Overall it was a great experience and I’m glad that I did it.” Shane, 18, Ripon Evolve Student

“The Award In The Arts allows young people to explore and demonstrate their creativity in ways that they had previously thought impossible.  It is a fabulous way to engage and motivate young people to develop their skills in a positive and exciting manner.”  Bev Skaife, Ripon Evolve Arts Adviser

“What an interesting group of young people all following their own art form.  There is some excellent work there. It is very creative and there is good use of communication skills using both photos and DVDs.  Fantastic sellotape bodies. The work also engages the young people with the community especially as these young people have often been so disaffected at school. ” Susie Barrett, Arts Moderator

For more information about this project please visit www.riponevolve.co.uk 
Yorkshire Post Article http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/at-a-glance/main-section/youngsters_show_off_their_first_impressions_of_workhouse_life_1_3897769

For more information about Arts Award, click here

These events focus on Professional Development, using “Outdoor Creative Learning” as our specific focus. It will be led by Phil Lowde, an Outdoor Creative Practitioner,  Forest School Leader and Early Years Specialist, delivering Outdoor Learning & Play, Team Building, Problem Solving, School Grounds Design, Staff Training & Development and Forest Schools. In March we will be exploring “Growing & Gardening”, and how this can be creatively used with pupils.

CapeUK presents Flourish – placing creativity at the heart of inspiring teaching and learning

Please click here to take you through to our online booking system

Choose to attend either Tuesday 28 or Wednesday 29 June 2011 at Wentworth Castle Gardens

With keynote speakers Michael Rosen (28th) and Anne Fine (29th)

Flourish is CapeUK's one day festival of teaching and learning.  A space for arts and education professionals to experience, discover and be inspired by the impact of arts, culture and creativity on children and young people's lives.

Delegate fee £60. 

For more information, view our pdf Flourish leaflet here

For more information please e-mail flourish@capeuk.org or call 0114 286 6260

Over 60 people attended the Northern Big Link Up Event held in Leeds yesterday (23/11/2010).

CapeUK invited cultural, creative and educational leaders from across the region and beyond to the Northern Big Link Up Event, which was one of the Cultural Learning Alliance (CLA) ambitious platform of events to highlight the importance of all children and young people having meaningful access to culture in this difficult economic climate.

Madeleine Irwin, CapeUK; “This was an invaluable opportunity to bring together cultural, creative and educational leaders from across the region.  Throughout this event we continually added our questions, thoughts and voice to the national debate.  Our Link Up event highlighted the importance of collaborating and having a collective ‘northern’ voice to demonstrate, celebrate and debate the importance of cultural learning.”

Attendees met in the afternoon to discuss the three Big Questions; What barriers do you see to the delivery of cultural learning? What new kinds of partnerships and online support are needed to take cultural learning forward? What one key idea for the future delivery of cultural learning would you like to share with other professionals? 

We then linked to the live video of Ed Vaizey, Minster for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries who was at the British Museum, he defended the government’s position on arts in schools and said they believed in allowing schools more local autonomy. 

Professionals that attended the event ranged from large arts organisations to individual arts practitioners and specialist schools.  The northern delegates were particularly keen to ensure that the Government recognises that cultural excellence can take place in a community centre or a school as well as a national theatre.  

There is a strong track record of high quality participative cultural and creative learning in the North – which collectively we want to ensure is not diminished, by the end of the event we had a shared commitment to explore practical ways of making this happen and demonstrate the wider societal impact of this work most effectively.

Photo Caption: CapeUK staff were gathering a collective northern voice – thoughts, questions, comments to send via chat rooms and twitter to feed into the national event at the British Museum.

Twitter hashtag #culturelearning

At the beginning of the academic year we launched our NEW CapeUK Professional Learning Programme.
 

Click here to see a list of our Autumn/Winter Professional Learning Opportunities.  We aim to help participants to: grow new ideas and behaviours, drive change and sustainability, enable creative development, introduce analysis, understand creative processes, experience creativity, think systemically to bring about change, be engaging… and more.
 

If you book onto any CapeUK led event before Friday 15 October you will receive a 20% discount (please note 20% has been deducted from final prices stated)

Additionally we are offering a CapeUK’s Professional Learning Bursary Scheme.  This means that CapeUK may, at its discretion, offer up to three full bursaries per course to freelance or unemployed teachers or creative professionals.  Click here to find out more.
 

We hope to see you at an event soon!

Please click here to book now

Arts and culture bring pleasure, participation, self-expression and essential skills into children’s lives: they are a life-enhancing, essential part of human existence. Sign up to the Cultural Learning Alliance and help to promote, protect and build access to culture for all children and young people.
 

By signing up to the Alliance you can help to build a united cultural education community which can share ideas, information, evidence and influence – and you can send your own stories, research and examples.
 

Sign up now at: www.culturallearningalliance.org.uk

Everyday Creativity: Acquiring the Art of Lifelong Learning

A guide to increasing Creative Teaching and Learning in the 14-19 Curriculum.

In this Guide you will find in-depth case studies, activities and discussion starters that are freestanding and can be dipped into as time and inclination allow.

Taken as a whole, the Guide has an underpinning structure to explore the ideas in greater depth and from a range of perspectives.

Young Roots, Your Roots: Creativity, Schools and Community Cohesion

A guide for those working with young people in the 5-13 age-group in schools and communities, and anyone working to promote community cohesion.

This guide sets out to share with a wider audience some of the lessons learned from ‘Young Roots, Your Roots’, a series of ‘community cohesion’ projects in Yorkshire schools coordinated by CapeUK in the summer of 2004.

CARA – Building Creative Futures

The story of the Creativity Action Research Awards 2005. In 2004, Creative Partnerships initiated the Creativity Action Research Awards scheme (CARA) and CapeUK designed and ran the project during the school year 2004-2005.

CARA was a bold move – a national project, involving 104 individual projects running in 145 schools across the country. This publication presents the findings of CARA 2005 in thematic schemes such as ‘focus on pupil learning’ and ‘focus on partnership’.