Arts and Cultural Education at School in Europe. Italy 2007/08. European Commission

Transcription

1 Arts and Cultural Education at School in Europe 2007/08 European Commission

2 (Reference year 2007/08) 1. Responsibility and purpose The Ministry of Education is responsible for setting the national curriculum and for the cultural axes. The decisions on all the cultural and creative aims for each type of education are taken at national level and at the level of each individual school. At national level the guidelines for the knowledge, proficiencies and skills required for meeting the general aims are set out. The contents of the teaching programmes to meet the general aims are drawn up at the individual school level. 2. Organisation and aims of arts education 2.1 Organisation of arts curriculum The Italian school system has currently two cycles of education followed by university education. The first cycle is for the 6-14 age-range and the second cycle is for the age-range. The first ten years of education (6-16 years) are compulsory. The first cycle is subdivided into a first segment (6-11 years) called the scuola primaria (primary school), and a second segment (11-14 years) called the scuola secondaria di primo grado (lower secondary school). The second cycle has an initial two-year period for year-olds, which completes the ten years of compulsory education. At the ISCED levels 1 and 2 education in the arts is provided through two separate subjects called Music and Art and Image. The arts at the ISCED level 3 fall under more general heading of the 'language/linguistic axis'(linguistic axis is a part of four cultural axes). Art subjects at the ISCED levels 1 and 2 are compulsory. As regards the first two years of the upper secondary school (age years; ISCED 3) the cultural axes make it compulsory for schools, albeit with different courses of study with different subjects, to meet the objectives, stated in the language axes (these objectives include skills and competences in the area of visual arts and multimedia). Obviously establishments with a specific orientation in the five-year upper secondary school sector art institutes, art colleges and experimental music colleges have teaching and programmes in the respective orientations (art and music) which are compulsory. The time devoted to arts education in the first cycle (6-14 years; ISCED 1-2) is on average two hours per week (66 hours per year) for each subject (Music and Art and Image), which compared with the entire timetable of 27 hours per week (891 hours per year) of all the compulsory teaching is equal to 7 % (therefore equal to 14 %, if we consider the two subjects together as arts education). The weekly quota of hours to be devoted to artistic activities in order to achieve the objectives set out for the Visual Arts and for Multimedia in the two years of the upper secondary school (14-16 years; ISCED 3) in the context of the language axis, cannot be quantified, as the time per week to be devoted to artistic activities is a function of the autonomous organisation of each school, taking into account the various orientations. 1

3 2.2 Aims of arts curriculum First cycle (6-14 years; ISCED 1-2) The instructions for the curriculum (Ministerial Decree of 31 July 2007), referring to the first cycle of education (6-14 years; ISCED 1-2), when indicating the aims (goals) and objectives of the disciplines Music and Art and Image, describe in the introduction the highly educational value of education in the arts, intended both as education in taste and aesthetic sensibility and development of critical and creative capabilities, in reference to the language of sound and the visual arts. Moreover, the following aims and objectives are listed: Music Skill development goals for the end of the primary school (6-11 years): The pupil will know how to explore, distinguish and process sound events from the point of view of quality, space and with reference to their source. Will master various expressive possibilities of the voice, sound-producing objects and musical instruments, learning to listen to himself/herself and to others; use analog or codified forms of notation. Will know how to articulate combinations of timbres, rhythms and melodies applying elementary patterns; perform them with the voice, body and instruments, including computerised sounds; transforming them into short representative forms. Will know how to perform, alone or in groups, simple instrumental and vocal pieces of different types and from different cultures. Will recognise the linguistic elements making up a simple piece of music, knowing how to execute them; know how to appreciate the aesthetic value and recognise the functional value of what is enjoyed in them; will apply various interactive and descriptive strategies (oral, written and graphic) to listening to pieces of music in order to achieve an understanding of the essence of the structures and their functions, and apply them to the context of which they are the expression, through interdisciplinary routes. Skill development goals for the end of the lower secondary school (11-14 years): The pupil will be able to take part actively in creating musical experiences through the performance and interpretation of instrumental and vocal pieces of different types and from different cultures. Will know how to use different systems of notation necessary for reading, learning and reproducing pieces of music Will be able to devise and perform, also by way of improvisation or participating in collective elaboration processes, musical and multimedia messages, comparing them critically with models belonging to our musical heritage, using forms of notation and/or computer systems. Will know how to give meaning to his/her own musical experiences, demonstrating his/her own ability to understand events, materials, musical works and recognise the significance of them, also in relation to the historical-cultural context. Will know how to analyse the formal and structural aspects inherent in the musical events and materials, using an appropriate vocabulary and adopting various representative codes, introducing interaction between music from oral and written traditions. 2

4 Country description Will know how to evaluate in a functional and aesthetic way what there is to enjoy in them, succeed in linking his/her own experience to historical traditions and to the diversity of contemporary cultures. Will know how to integrate his/her own musical experiences with other knowledge and other artistic practices, also using appropriate codes and coding systems. Will know how to direct the development of his/her own musical skills, with a view to constructing a musical identity coming from the awareness of his/her own aptitudes and capabilities, the musical opportunities offered by the school and from the enjoyment of the socio-cultural contexts existing in the area. Learning aims for the end of Class three of the primary school: To be able to use voice, instruments and sound-producing objects to produce, reproduce, create and improvise sounds and musical events of various types. In groups to produce simple vocal and instrumental pieces attending to the expression and accuracy of performance in relation to the various sound parameters. To recognise and distinguish between the basic elements in a piece of music. From listening to be able to grasp the expressive and structural aspects of a piece of music, interpreting it with words, motor actions and graphic reproduction. Learning aims for the end of Class five of the primary school: To be able to use voice, instruments and new sound technologies in a creative and conscious way, increasing their own abilities to invent sounds and music. To perform collectively and individually vocal/instrumental, including polyphonic pieces, attending to intonation, expressiveness and interpretation. To evaluate functional and aesthetic aspects in pieces of music of various kinds and styles, in relation to the recognition of cultures from different times and places. To recognise and classify the basic elements which make up musical language in aesthetically relevant pieces of music of various kinds and origins. To represent the basic syntactic elements of sound and musical events through conventional and non-conventional symbolic systems. Learning aims for the end of Class three of the lower secondary school: To be able to perform vocal/instrumental pieces of various kinds and styles expressively, collectively and individually, also using electronic instruments. To improvise, rework and compose vocal and/or instrumental musical pieces, using both open structures and simple rhythmic-melodic patterns. To recognise and classify, also stylistically, the most important elements which make up the language of music. To be familiar with and give a critical interpretation of musical works of art and plan/perform sound events which include other artistic forms, such as dance, theatre, the plastic arts and multimedia. To decode and use the traditional notation and other systems of writing. To explore the construction of their own musical identity enhancing their own experiences, the route followed and the opportunities offered by the context. 3

5 Art and Image Skill development goals for the end of the primary school (6-11 years): The pupil will use the basic grammatical elements of visual language to observe, describe and interpret static images such as photographs, posters, works of arts, and moving messages, such as commercials, brief films, video clips etc. Will use knowledge of visual language to creatively produce and rework images exploiting many techniques, of materials and tools (graphic-expressive, pictorial and plastic, but also audiovisual and multimedia). Will understand the formal aspects of a number of works; appreciate works of art and craft objects from countries other than his/her own. Will know the principal objects of the artistic and cultural heritage of his/her own country and will learn to show respect for them and to take care of them. Skill development goals for the end of the lower secondary school (11-14 years): The pupil will master the grammatical elements of visual language and will decipher and understand the meaning of static images and moving images, audiovisual films and multimedia products. Will understand the most significant works produced in ancient, modern and contemporary art, knowing how to place them in their respective historical, cultural and environmental contexts; will also recognise the cultural value of illustrations of works and craft objects produced in countries other than his/her own. Will recognise the main elements of the cultural, artistic and environmental heritage of his/her own area and be aware of the problems relating to their protection and conservation. Will produce a personal and creative exercise applying the rules of visual language using different techniques and materials including the integration of several media and expression codes. Will describe and comment on works of art, cultural assets, static and multimedia images, using the appropriate verbal language. Learning aims for the end of Class three of the primary school: Visual perceptiveness To explore images, forms and objects present in the environment using visual, auditory, olfactory, gestural, tactile and kinesthetic capabilities To look at static and moving images with awareness, describing verbally the emotions and impressions produced by the sounds, gestures and expressions of characters, forms, lights and colours etc. Deciphering To recognise through an operational approach the lines, colours, forms, volume and compositional structure present in the language of images and in works of art. To identify in the language of the comic-strip, film and audiovisual media the various types of codes and narrative sequences and decode the various meanings in elementary form. To describe everything that can be seen in a work of art, both ancient and modern, giving space to their own feelings, emotions and thoughts. 4

6 Country description To recognise in their own environment the main monuments and objects from their artistic-cultural heritage. Production To express feelings, emotions and thoughts in productions of various kinds (graphic, plastic, multimedia etc.) using suitable materials and techniques and incorporating different forms of language. Learning aims for the end of Class five of the primary school: Visual perceptiveness To be able to look at and observe with awareness images and objects in the environment, describing the formal elements and using the rules of visual perception and spatial orientation. Deciphering To recognise in an iconic-visual text the grammatical and technical elements of visual language (lines, colours, forms, volume, space) and of audiovisual language (planes, fields, sequences, narrative structure, movement etc.) identifying their expressive significance. To interpret in a certain number of art works from various historical eras and from various countries the main elements of composition and the symbolic, expressive and communicative meaning. To recognise and evaluate the main cultural, environmental and craftwork items present in their own area, carrying out an initial analysis and classification. Production To use instruments and rules to produce graphic, pictorial, three-dimensional plastic images through processes of manipulation, development and association of different symbols and different techniques and materials. To experiment with the use of audiovisual communication technologies to express, in visual, sound and verbal symbols, feelings and emotions and carry out various types of production. Learning aims for the end of Class three of the lower secondary school: Visual perceptiveness To be able to observe and describe in appropriate verbal language and using several methods, all the significant formal elements present in works of art, and in static and dynamic images. Deciphering and understanding To recognise the codes and rules of composition (lines, colours, form, space, weight-balance, movement, shots, planes, sequences etc.) present in works of art, static and moving images and identify their symbolic, expressive and communicative meaning. To be familiar with and use the elements of visual communication, its codes and functions to interpret visual messages in their denotations and connotations, and in a basic way, the integral images and language. To decipher and interpret critically a work of art, relating it to a number of elements of the historical and cultural context. In a certain number of works of art, to recognise and compare the stylistic elements from various eras. 5

7 To have a basic knowledge of the historical-artistic production of ancient, paleochristian, medieval, renaissance, modern and contemporary art. To identify the types of artistic, cultural and environmental objects existing in their own country, knowing how to interpret the meanings and the aesthetic and social values. To elaborate hypotheses and strategies for the protection and conservation of the cultural assets, bringing in other disciplines. Production and processing To process photographic images, materials in common use, iconic and visual elements, written and spoken materials, to produce creative images. To produce processed objects, using the rules of visual representation, graphic, pictorial and plastic materials and techniques to create expressive, creative and personal compositions. To experiment with the integrated use of several codes, media, techniques and tools of multimedia communication to create expressive messages with precise communication aims Two years of upper secondary school (14-16 years; ISCED 3) With regard to the two years of compulsory education in the age range, the Ministerial Decree n 139 of 22 August 2007 includes a technical annex concerning the knowledge and skills needed to meet the obligations with reference to four cultural axes. The language/linguistic axis (as a part of cultural axes) introduces the objectives of familiarity with and skills in the Visual Arts and Multimedia: 'A basic knowledge of the various forms of expression and artistic and literary heritage require and promote the habit of reflective and creative thought, awareness of the need for protection and conservation of the cultural assets and awareness of their value'. Linguistic axes: Visual arts Use the basic tools for a conscious enjoyment of the artistic heritage: Recognise and appreciate works of art; Be familiar with and respect the cultural and environmental heritage of his/her own area; Basic elements for deciphering of/listening to a work of art (painting, architecture, sculpture, photography, film, music etc.); Main forms of artistic expression. Multimedia Use and produce multimedia texts: Understand the products of audiovisual communication; Draw up multimedia products (texts, images, sounds etc.), also with digital technologies; Main structural and expressive components of an audiovisual product; Simple applications for audio and video processing; Essential use of telematic communication. 6

8 Country description 2.3 Cross-curricular links between arts and other subjects Arts education in the first cycle (6-14 years; ISCED 1-2), and in the two years of the upper secondary school (14-16 years; ISCED 3) has a strong interdisciplinary connection, in particular with History. The following are objectives which belong to the discipline of history, although brought into the artistic context, and therefore have basic interdisciplinary value: First cycle (6-14 years; ISCED 1-2): Music- History: Be familiar with and interpret musical works of art critically. Art and Image History: Decipher the main compositional elements and the symbolic, expressive and communicative meaning in a certain number of works of arts from different historical eras and coming from various countries. Recognise and appreciate the main cultural, environmental and craftwork assets existing in his/her own area, applying an initial analysis and classification. Decipher and interpret a work of art critically, relating it in relation to a number of elements in the historical and cultural context. Two years of upper secondary school (14-16 years; ISCED 3): Visual arts History: Be familiar with and respect the cultural and environmental assets of his/her own area. 2.4 Use of ICT The new information technologies, in the context of arts education, are present specifically and comprehensively in the last two years of compulsory education (14-16 years; ISCED 3). Computer skills are described as follows: 'Computer skills enhance the possibilities of access to knowledge, allow the creation of individual ways of learning, interactive communication and personal creative expression'. 3. Special provision with a focus on art education As far as the first cycle is concerned (6-14 years; ISCED 1-2) there are no schools specifically directed towards education in the arts. However, there are lower secondary schools (11-14 years; ISCED 2) specialising in music, where pupils learn to play an instrument. Entry to the lower secondary school specializing in music is by parental choice. For the two compulsory years of the upper secondary school, while awaiting reform of the system, there are art institutes, art colleges and experimental colleges specializing in music and dance. 4. Assessment of pupils progress and monitoring of standards in the arts 4.1 Pupils' assessment Both at ISCED level 1 (scuola primaria; 6-11 years) and ISCED levels 2 and 3 (scuola secondaria primo grado; years, compulsory first two years of secondaria di secondo grado; years) pupils taking art subjects are assessed according to the following: continuous formative assessment to determine their level of progress; 7

9 an end-of-year summative assessment which, along with assessment in other subjects, determines progression to the next year; internal assessment criteria set independently by the teachers in individual schools, with no external assessment by means of standardised tests. Both at ISCED level 1 (scuola primaria; 6-11 years) and ISCED levels 2 and 3 (scuola secondaria primo grado; years, compulsory first two years of secondaria di secondo grado; years) the art subjects are assessed in the same way as other subjects. As of the 2008/09 school year, pupils progress in art subjects is measured according to a decimal scoring system 1-10 (Decree Law n. 137/2008), as it is in all other subjects. Assessments cover course content and are based on the pupils grasp of theory as well as the skills they have attained which, at the end of the year, determine whether they will proceed to the next stage of schooling. The foregoing applies, in particular, to ISCED levels 2 and 3 (scuola secondaria primo grado; years, compulsory first two years of secondaria di secondo grado; years), as pupils are taught specific subjects. Continuous formative assessments are carried out by awarding marks to pupils work and informing their families of those marks. Final and periodic assessments are made by way of school reports sent to the pupils families. The school keeps a copy of the reports for its records. The reports cover assessments in every subject. Assessment takes place internally at the school and there is no external assessment. Even at the end of a ciclo ( 1 ) of education, assessment by means of a State examination is carried out by internal teaching staff, and an external assessment would only ever be carried out if the national exam set by the National Institute for the Evaluation of the Educational System (INVALSI) included questions relating to art subjects. This has never occurred. Assessment in arts, along with assessments in the other subjects, determines whether pupils will progress to the next year. If the outcome of assessments in art subjects is negative, this may result in the non-admission of pupils to the next school year, especially at levels ISCED 2 and 3 (scuola secondaria primo grado; years, compulsory first two years of secondaria di secondo grado; years), whilst a positive or excellent assessment will contribute to the pupils successful progression to the next year. 4.2 Monitoring of standards Since 2000 no monitoring has been carried out in art subjects in. 5. Teacher education in the arts 5.1 Initial teacher education Art subjects at ISCED level 1 (primary school; 6-11 years) are taught by general teachers. The general teachers teach the art subjects which are planned and chosen by the consiglio di classe. The subject taught is normally visual arts, but subjects like music, drama and dance may also be taught, depending on what the teaching staff has planned. With the current reform (Decree Law 137/2008) introducing the system of a single teacher for all subjects at primary school level, there is less likelihood that the proposed art subjects will be anything other than visual arts subjects. General teachers may receive specific preparation, usually in art history or music, as part of the university curriculum. Degree courses in education may include specific exams in art subjects as part ( 1 ) Translator s Note: In the Italian education system, the primo ciclo lasts eight years and comprises primary education (5 years) and lower secondary school education (3 years) and ends with a pupil assessment. The secondo ciclo corresponds to upper secondary school education. 8

10 Country description of the education they provide. These exams are normally compulsory, hence it is university curricula which determine the art subjects studied. Art subjects at ISCED levels 2 and 3 (scuola secondaria primo grado; years, compulsory first two years of secondaria di secondo grado; years) are taught by specialist teachers. At scuola secondaria primo grado (11-14 years) specialist teaching covers artistic education subjects, in particular, visual arts and music. During the compulsory first two years of secondaria di secondo grado (14-16 years) art subjects are taught by specialist teachers depending on the specific specialisation they have followed. Therefore, specialist teaching occurs only at ISCED levels 2 and 3 (scuola secondaria primo grado; years, compulsory first two years of secondaria di secondo grado; years), and the subjects taught are determined by national curricula. In order to qualify as a specialist teacher, it is necessary to obtain a degree in the relevant subject area. Essentially, that involves gaining competence in an art subject, art history and art education. Recruitment methods are governed by national legislation on the basis of safeguard procedures and union guarantees. When the art subjects being taught are official courses, the selection procedure for specialist teachers is regulated by national legislation. However, when art subjects are taught as extracurricular activities, individual schools can select their specialist teaching staff themselves. Professional artists may carry out teaching activities as teachers appointed in accordance with national legislation and they can be either general teachers at ISCED level 1 (scuola primaria; 6-11 years) or specialist teachers at ISCED levels 2 and 3 (scuola secondaria primo grado; years, compulsory first two years of secondaria di secondo grado; years). Alternatively, they can be appointed directly by individual schools for extra-curricular activities as part of their projects designed to enhance the pupils education. Professional artists are rarely appointed to train teachers, although individual schools do arrange this occasionally as part of their in-service training initiatives. 5.2 Continuing professional development Both general and specialist teachers undertake continuing professional development activities at individual educational institutions which may, either in conjunction with other schools or independently, offer them refresher courses in the art subjects that they teach. This type of in-service training organised by educational institutions, possibly in conjunction with other schools, is not compulsory and can be organised quite differently from school to school. The hours of training required are not very long and could be 6 to 9, or 12, hours over two, three or more sessions. Training courses are always organised by the educational institutions themselves. Training courses cover the study of art education. There is a special focus on drama and music. Professional artists are quite frequently involved in training courses for general and specialist teachers. 6. Initiatives Based on the law on school autonomy (Presidential Decree of 8 March 1999, No. 275), it is left to all the schools to decide, plan and carry out forms of collaboration between schools and expert bodies and personalities in the world of art, and to interact, by educational visits or trips, with museums, exhibitions and art centres. Again on the basis of the law on school autonomy (Presidential Decree of 8 March 1999, No. 275), schools are obliged to prepare the Curriculum Plan (Piano dell offerta Formativa P.O.F.), which, among other things, includes afternoon extracurricular activities of an artistic-creative type intended as optional activities for students of the particular school. Many schools take advantage of this opportunity and organise afternoon courses in culture and the arts which are optional and extracurricular. 9

11 The Ministry of Education supports and finances specific projects. One of these projects intended specifically for arts education is called Scuole aperte (Open schools). On the basis of this project, every school (or network of schools) can propose specific initiatives, also in arts education, so that these will be funded by the State. 7. Ongoing reforms and proposals The Italian school system in its current form is governed by the reform law of 28 March 2003, No. 53 and with the relevant legislative decrees implementing it. The most recent change has been provided by the directions for the curriculum which are experimental in nature and which break down education in the arts and culture into two subjects defined as 'Music' and 'Art and Image' and concern the first cycle, covering the age bracket 6-14 years (ISCED 1-2). On the other hand, for the two years of the upper secondary school (ISCED 3), as compulsory education up to the age of 16 has been introduced, the Ministry of Education promulgated the cultural axes which represent the common setting for all the various school orientations, such that a certain number of skills and types of knowledge are guaranteed to all the students, whatever the school chosen. And for the language axis the ministerial document also refers to education in the Visual Arts and Multimedia. From the school year 2009/10, in accordance with the Act of 28 March 2003, No. 53, the definitive implementation of the reform of the school regulations and programmes will proceed, in which there will be full systematic application of both the Directions for the curriculum for the first cycle of education (ISCED 1-2), and the technical document of the Cultural axes, for the first two years of the upper secondary school (14-16 years; ISCED 3). The Government has recently approved a draft regulation for the reorganisation of the Licei. This draft regulation provides for the introduction, starting from school year 2010/11, of a new liceo (general upper secondary school) specialising in music and dance. Unrevised English The content is under the responsibility of the authors Authors: Gaetano Cinque, Rolando Meconi For detailed information on the educational system and teacher education, please see Eurybase on 10