"We need to put the Arts on the map!"- exploring the perspectives of primary educators about the teaching of the Arts in Australian primary schools

This research contributes to investigation of the place of Arts education in Australian primary schools, a mandated area of study largely reliant on presentation by general classroom teachers with little background and limited training in the Arts. The project considers the perspectives of public primary school educators in three different regional areas about their presentation of learning experiences across the five different disciplines of Arts education (Music, Visual Arts, Drama, Dance and Media Arts). A mixed method approach, including descriptive quantitative and qualitative data from 196 questionnaires and 25 follow-up interviews, was undertaken, with educators discussing the implementation of each Arts education area in their teaching space. Participants reflected on their own confidence to teach in each Arts area in the classroom, expressing their appreciation of Arts education, but also feelings of inadequacy and uncertainty in the Arts education space, leading to a need for training and ongoing support within their schools and communities. Concern was expressed at the lack of time allocated to the Arts in several teaching spaces, with an already crowded curriculum giving priority to the teaching of literacy and numeracy. This emphasis away from the Arts, together with classroom teachers’ perceived lack of confidence, was described as leading to considerable neglect of Arts education implementation in several teaching spaces. Spatial themes emerged, with educators reflecting not only on their own personal space to teach the Arts, but also considering the challenges faced in different teaching contexts, where appropriate spaces for Arts learning experiences were reported to be limited and resources were perceived to be inadequate. The work of Michel Foucault inspired further analysis and interpretation of the data through a spatial lens, akin to observing patterns within a kaleidoscope: problematising the current situation, described through truth-telling by participants (parrhesia), exploring the network of power relations perceived in different spaces, considering historical influences on the present, leading to contemplation of freedom and resistance. Examples where challenges had been navigated within different school contexts, demonstrated strategies explored to create space for the Arts, ensuring that the Arts are put on the map.