We are currently in the fourth year of our Caring & Creative Schools Programme, funded by Paul Hamlyn Foundation, working with 16 partner schools across Yorkshire. Through our intensive Artist in Residency programmes in our lead schools, we are actively exploring how children are and become caring and engaged learners when given the opportunity to work as equal playmakers across the curriculum.
As part of our evaluation process, we are sharing our learning through blogs and evaluation stories throughout the live project. Dr Becky Parry has played a vital role in shaping our understanding of this work. Working alongside Chol’s Evaluation and Learning Lead, Dr Vicky Storey, Becky has brought her rich expertise in children’s rights, literacy, creativity and play into the core of our evaluation. Her insightful research and deep commitment to inclusive education have been instrumental in helpful us explore and develop our equal playmaker approach as a caring, empowering pedagogic practice.
Evaluation Stories
The Imaginary Communities® (IC®) approach was developed through research and practice with teachers and practitioners in the classroom. This action research demonstrated the impact of the equal playmaker approach and helped to establish the IC® handbook. Through our caring and creative schools programme we have invited teachers and SLT to be part of the next phase of action research and shape the future of Imaginary Communities®.
Our shared inquiry question is: How can the equal playmaker approach enable children to be and become caring and engaged learners?
Through this project we have trialled a new approach to classroom action research using our new Evaluation Playbook, developed with Dr Becky Parry. Through this process teachers and artists have been carefully reflecting on the ‘acts of care’ children have demonstrated in their classrooms. Some of the findings from this research are shared here in a series of illustrated evaluation stories.