Signature Pedagogies in Education and Arts Practice

not “empty rhetoric” but “prophetic ministry” (Shulman, 2005)

NAFA continues to explore innovative pedagogical and assessment practices in the education of arts professionals, combining new and classical ideas in the context teaching and learning the arts in higher education. Since November 2020, a group of colleagues have been gathering monthly to share empirically-led reflective accounts on their teaching and learning, and how we are preparing students for productive careers in the arts.

Together with Associate Professor Christopher Khoo (Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore) colleagues examine the tensions embedded within the surface, deep, and implicit structures of pedagogies in higher arts education, and possible solutions to address them at the micro- (e.g., classroom or practicum), meso- (e.g.,program), and macro- (e.g., institution) levels. “ The way we teach will shape how professionals behave – and in a society so dependent on the quality of its professionals, that is no small matter.”

Shulman, 2005

Envisioning Inclusivity in Arts Practice

As part of the movement to embrace diversity, an inclusive service programme was co-designed by Rainbow Centre Singapore and NAFA for academic colleagues to build awareness of inclusion and inclusive pedagogy.

The concepts of human-centred design, disability through the lens of inclusion, and principles of Universal Design for Learning were examined in the context of inclusive arts education to prepare NAFA educators to deep dive into designing inclusive curriculum for students of all abilities. A joint research study on faculty perceptions towards an inclusive educational community was presented at IAFOR International Conference on Arts & Humanities in Hawaii (IICAH2022). The paper offers an opportunity to think deeply and creatively about what it means to envision inclusive practices in higher education of the arts, and to explore alternative models of evaluating professional development to bring about resilience, collaboration, empathy and an ethics of care.

“Diversity ignites creativity, problem solving, and innovation. This transcends ability, goes beyond gender, beyond disability and dives into feelings, awkwardness, aspirations. The everyday vernacular of life.”

Tan Yeok Nguan

Head of Inclusive Design Rainbow Centre Singapore