Cape Town - The Western Cape Education Department (WCED), in partnership with Rustenburg Girls' Junior School (RGJS), announced they will be hosting the first ever virtual creative arts conference this month, with a variety of local and international speakers, to assist teachers with the necessary resources to provide quality creative arts education to all pupils.
The conference will take place on August 27 and August 28 – with workshops, panel discussions, and two keynote addresses delivered by New York Education Through Music founder and director Dr Katherine Damkohler, and Western Cape Education MEC Debbie Schäfer.
RGJS music and specialist subjects head Hendrik Marais said they aimed to expose teachers in foundation, intermediate and senior phases, as well as pupils, school principals and management teams, to a wide range of voices representing the diverse scope of arts education.
Marais said there was an urge to bring the magic back to creative arts teaching and to provide teachers with the tools to deliver quality creative arts education – to every child, in every school.
RGJS principal Belinda Petersen acknowledged that, for 127 years, their pupils benefited from an exceptionally high standard of education and this included exposure to the arts, and different art forms.
“We recognise that this is not the story of most South African schools and, as a school, we have the responsibility to share and support other teachers, who are not teaching in privileged, well-resourced schools.
“Through this conference, our responsibility is to provide a platform for teachers to learn, discover, explore ideas, and realise their own capabilities in making the arts come alive for all children,” said Petersen.
WCED creative arts senior curriculum planner Anina Lundie said they aimed to show teachers how the arts could be a lever in learning other subjects, especially during this time where teachers were faced with increased pressure to cover all areas of the curriculum.
WCED curriculum development director Karen Dudley said the conference would highlight that social, economic, cultural, and educational contexts – of the 21st century – demanded new ways of thinking about the arts.
“We want all teachers, irrespective of their knowledge and skill level in teaching the creative arts, to walk away with tools in their toolbox to enhance their everyday practice in their classrooms,” said Petersen.
For more information, visit: https://schoolscape.co.za/creative-arts-conference/
Cape Argus