A MOTHER who holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree and a Post Graduate Diploma in Education confessed: “The homework they give to children is impossible, sometimes it is so difficult I just ignore it. I do not believe the teachers are serious sometimes, and I don’t believe the teachers themselves can do the homework they give the children (sic).”
I had no idea how serious the problem was until I saw for myself.
I have extracted some questions from a homework paper. The homework guide is quite long but what I have extracted is about a third of the paper: “
- What are the elements of design?
- List 7 elements of design?
- List 3 principles of design?
Theatre
- What is a script?
- What are props?
- What is improvisation?
- Name two ways of writing a script?
Dance
- State two principles of balance in dance.
- Name three elements of dance.
- What is a choreographer?
- What is AB and Canon dance?
- Being able to move to instruction, style, change of rhythm and steps is called?
Music
- What is a Triad?
- Name two intervals that you know?
- What is a time signature?
- What is a stave?
Theatre
- What is a folk tale, functions of storytelling?
- Name one moral lesson you learn from watching cartoons.
- What is music software?”
There are several problems with this homework.
The scientific axis, that is the body of knowledge the children are expected to master is way above the conceptual level of a Grade Six child.
Obviously terms and concepts are lifted from somewhere, perhaps the internet and no effort is made to simplify them so that the children understand them.
The level of mastery of the language by Grade Six for most of our children is incapable of deciphering such highly complex technical language.
At Grade Six, most children in our schools are still mastering literacy and now they are being exposed to highly complex technical language.
The pedagogic axis of this homework is contrary to the very concept of visual and performing arts. The arts belong to the practical and productive realm, but the children, in this paper, are expected to repeat definitions.
No-one becomes an artist by memorising definitions, and in this particular case, definitions that are way beyond their conceptual capacity.
This demonstrates that the teaching and learning has not been about the practice and production of visual and performing arts.
It is, and has been, about memorising definitions for the various tenets of visual and performing arts.
The purpose of visual and performing arts has, therefore, miscarried; the children have not been developed into artists.
Grade Six children are being tasked to write a thesis on the definition of visual and performing arts. They are costed to memorise what would make them artists if they ever understood it and if they ever were to put it into practice.
An examination of the aims of The Junior School Visual and Performing Arts syllabus of the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education Grade Three-Seven reveals that in some cases the teacher just changed some of the aims of the syllabus cited below into questions:
“3.3 demonstrate an understanding of the elements and principles that govern the creation of works of art in music, visual arts theatre and dance
3.4 take pride in the history and influence of arts throughout history from pre-colonial, colonial, Chimurenga/Umvukela and post-colonial eras across culture
3.5 describe significant contributions of individual artistes in dance, music, theatre and visual arts from diverse cultures throughout history”
But what is the purpose of this syllabus?
It is practice-based. It is meant to train the capacities of children in visual and performing arts. Children should be able to demonstrate competencies in the various arts thus to engage practically and productively in the arts, to master and produce artistic skills.
On the contrary, this homework stresses, costs the children to only define visual and performing arts and their tenets, no more, just definitions.
The introduction of the syllabus reads:
“The Visual and Performing Arts is a learning area that seeks to develop the skills of creativity, performance, originality and entrepreneurship.”
The rationale of the syllabus reads:
“It is imperative for learners to acquire visual and performing arts skills and competencies as these are essential for national and self-identity, entertainment, employment creation, problem solving, critical thinking, creativity and self-discipline”
Further, the syllabus assumes that the learners have certain innate abilities which will be the vehicles for the visual and performing arts:
- use of their voices to express themselves
- expression of themselves through movement
- respond to stimuli through movement
The Junior School Visual and Performing Arts syllabus is, therefore, a creative and practical syllabus intended to lead to the production of artistes and art. It is a syllabus meant to stimulate and culture the artiste in children so that this important potency in them does not die nor left to dissipate.
Contrary to what is reflected in the four-page homework given to children, this syllabus is not theoretical but is practice and production-based.
Children don’t fail, we fail them.
Visual and performing arts should be the most scintillating teaching and learning area.
Children love to sing, to dance, they love drama, but when this is how they are examined, tasking them to recall dry, sterile terms and definitions, it actually kills the joy in them which should flourish through the practice and production of visual and performing arts.
It is not possible for a child to fail in this heartily ensconcing teaching and learning area, but if teaching means downloading terms and concepts, foisting them on the children, and then asking them to regurgitate the terms in examinations then there is a problem.
Children cannot relate to dead concepts; they switch off and then we pronounce a very harsh sentence on them, that they have failed, but the failure is ours.