Project Support of Art Education for Equal Opportunities was implemented from October 2017 to February 2020 and was co-financed by the European Union under a subsidy from the operational programme Research, Development and Education (project number CZ.02.3.62/ 0.0/0.0/16_037/0004850). The project focused on working with pupils with special educational needs at art schools and had the following three main objectives:
1) Creation of methodological and didactic materials and other publications dealing with the topic of teaching pupils with SEN at art schools in the widest possible spectrum of approaches. The project thus attempted to remedy the fact that so far, no complex Czech language material for teaching SEN pupils that would respect the specific environment of art schools has been prepared.
2) Testing of the teaching materials by art school teachers and teachers of art subjects at primary and secondary schools. Trying new methods and approaches in respect of pupils with SEN in art education. The testing included extensive action research, which provides an exact reflection of methodological materials and some pilot project activities.
3) Promoting the publicity of the above issues. We endeavoured to meet teachers and headmasters on various platforms in order to discuss the issue of co-education (inclusive of listening to concerns of the teachers and headmasters concerning inclusion).
The main objectives were further subdivided:
All the project activities were built on collaboration of artists and teachers and the use of artistic tools and methods in working with pupils of different ages and different types of schools. That´s because art can and even has to play a multifaceted role in the educational process, while providing us with specific tools that we can use within it. We want to continue (upon termination of the project) to utilise and develop this potential in the work of art schools at all three levels, in addition to cooperation with elementary and secondary schools.
We present the specific project outputs in the Czech version of the website. We managed to organise a total of 92 educational activities for teachers, 84 events for pupils, we held 12 concerts and 2 conferences and published 20 publications and brochures. The project included activities aimed at strengthening cooperation of different types and grades of schools, as well as pilot activities for pupils, educational activities for teachers and specific activities aimed at use of various technologies (e.g. e-learning courses, seminars for teaching art subjects using modern technologies, etc.). As part of the project, we also address the necessary support of schools´ leadership in the creation and updating of school educational programmes. A more detailed description of the project activities is provided in the attached document.
The beneficiary of the subsidy from the EU funds and the organisation responsible for the project was the Grammar School and Music School of the Capital City of Prague, the project management was provided by the public benefit company Portedo o.p.s., while the strategic partner was the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen. Other key partners were the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, the Society for Creativity in Education, the Elementary Art School of A. Doležal in Brno and the Elementary School 28. října in Příbram. Over one hundred art, elementary and secondary schools participated in the project, and several hundred teachers, experts and artists were involved in its implementation.
Download final project report in PDF.