Learning with the arts: what opportunities are there for work‐related adult learning?

Abstract

What can arts-based learning offer to adult, work-related education? A study was undertaken that explored the benefits of learning with the arts for professional development of an adult learner in Australia. The individual experiences of nine adults who participated in arts-based workshops to build work-related skills were examined using the contextual model of learning where the personal, sociocultural and physical contexts were considered. To determine the potential for professional development, the participants' perceived learning outcomes were examined against the list of the skills valued in the modern workplace. The adult learners who participated in this research found learning with the arts to be engaging, enjoyable and productive. The study highlighted the potential benefits that learning with the arts could bring to the workplace which included increased motivation to learn, creativity, strengthened confidence and improved communication skills.

A guiding framework to maximise the power of the arts in medical education: a systematic review and metasynthesis

“…Our selection strategy yielded 49 articles . Of these, 35 presented empirical data and 14 were conceptual in nature.…”

Drama in Education and Self-Directed Learning for Adults

“…Despite their apparent continued neglect in mainstream educational circles (Rademaker, 2003), the arts are finding a growing niche in adult education, where art is seen as a way of knowing that 'releases the imagination' (Greene, 1995), allowing creative learning to emerge. Indeed, the arts are attributed with expanding the boundaries for knowing, learning, and comprehending culture, and numerous studies testify to the role of the arts in developing multi-skilling, memory retention, and increasing concentration and enjoyment of learning (Manning, Verenikina, and Brown, 2010;Merriam, Caffarella, and Baumgartner, 2007;Yorks and Kasl, 2002). Art is thus used as a pedagogical means to access learning in curricular subjects (Scher, 2007), to build community, encourage activism and explore cultural diversity (Clover, 2010;Wesley, 2007), as a tool of action research (O'Sullivan, 2011), and social or environmental justice (Clover, 2000;Trounstine, 2007).…”