Writing as an artistic event

: Imaginative pedagogy and young children as unique meaning makers

Abstract

Currently there is a decline in children’s enjoyment and success in writing (Gardner, 2018; Young & Ferguson, 2020a). The widening attainment gap in England is influenced by social inequality and impacted further by the Pandemic (Clarke & Teravainen, 2017; DfE (Department for Education), 2021; EEF (Education Endowment Foundation), 2022). In England, policy and guidance increasingly dictate literacy practice, narrowing English teaching to focus on assessed skills and encourage uniformity of approach (Barrs, 2019; DfE, 2022; Ofsted, 2022). In contrast, this research examines writing practices built on Armstrong’s notion of imaginative pedagogy and signature pedagogies in art (Armstrong, 2009; Atkinson, 2009; Thompson et al., 2012). The study therefore considers writing as an artistic endeavour, where writing, drawing, and making are interrelated. The works of Freire provide a philosophical framework for the research. His notion of humane pedagogy, his passion for social justice, and his resistance against ‘pedagogies of poverty’ resonate throughout the study (Freire, 2000, 2007). The research adopts qualitative methods and a case-study approach to examine children’s learning and behaviour during the imaginative writing process (Armstrong, 2009). Findings reveal that when children can negotiate the writing process through different modes of representation, the process of drawing and making assists the transformation of ideas into meaningful written composition supporting writing quality. This new knowledge has implications for future writing practice in primary classrooms and offers hope for change to the current skills-based ‘Banking’ approach (Freire, 2007) prioritised in England’s primary schools.

Date of Award	19 Jul 2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Winchester
Supervisor	Sue Anderson-Faithful (Supervisor) & Kerry Ball (Supervisor)