The University of Sydney has enlisted theatre legends John Bell and Andrew Upton to help promote the importance of arts education. Spearheaded by Professor Robyn Ewing, the public events aim to highlight how enriching education with the arts can improve student outcomes and engagement. John Bell will discuss making Shakespeare accessible to students through performance. Andrew Upton will lead a workshop on using creative writing to teach literature. The goal is to boost teacher confidence in integrating the arts across the curriculum.

1. News
John Bell and Andrew Upton join University of
Sydney to build teacher confidence in the Arts
By Emily Jones
20 August 2013
The Faculty of Education and Social Work at the University of Sydney has enlisted two
legends of Australian theatre - John Bell and Andrew Upton - to help promote the
importance of the Arts in education.
Spearheaded by Professor Robyn Ewing, a leading advocate for the Arts in education, the
two public events will highlight the transformative potential of the creative arts for improving
broader educational outcomes and students' lifelong approach to learning.
"International longitudinal research demonstrates unequivocally that enriching the curriculum
with quality arts experiences enhances our academic and affective learnings as well as
building confidence in who we are," said Professor Ewing. "In a nutshell, the Arts improve
children's life chances."
Despite new figures from the Australian Council for Educational Research claiming a decline
in reading levels for 15-year-olds, as well as reports indicating slipping outcomes in
mathematics, Professor Ewing said embedding quality literature, drama, dance, and music
experiences across the curriculum could re-engage students' approaches to learning.
"Each art form is another way of meaning making," said Professor Ewing, who will chair both
events.
And while the incoming national curriculum in the Arts, entitling children to two hours of arts
experiences a week, is a step in the right direction, it's not enough without adequate
resourcing of teacher professional learning to see the full benefits, according to Professor
Ewing.
"Many primary teachers and those in non-arts secondary areas don't feel confident about
embedding arts experiences in the curriculum, and there's uneven funding for and resourcing
of the Arts across schools."

2. To tackle some of these issues, founder and Artistic Director of the Bell Shakespeare
Company, John Bell AM OBE, will discuss the benefits and potential pitfalls educators face
when teaching Shakespeare in the talk 'Shakespeare - Up Against the Wall?', on Thursday 22
August.
Bell, an Adjunct Professor of the Faculty, said many students are deterred from engaging with
Shakespeare due to a self-fulfilling prophesy from peers and parents that the Bard is "too
hard" or "too boring."
But he will point to his work with Bell Shakespeare in schools to argue for the tangible
advantages in grappling with Shakespeare from an early age.
"One of the best ways to help them is to act it. If they start acting it when they're very young
and play with the words and sing the songs and act out the scenes I think they take to it much
more readily," Bell said.
Teachers have an important role to play in making the cerebral themes of Shakespeare's
texts both relatable and accessible for students by "not sitting and swatting from a book, but
performing".
"Active participation is much better than sitting reading footnotes, so anything to stimulate the
child into responding in a very visceral and personal way is going to get much better results,"
said Bell.
"I think it's a mind-expanding experience to grapple with great ideas, great imagery and great
poetry. It opens up your mind to all sorts of other possibilities and if your mind is open and
receptive, it's ready to apply to anything."
As part of his role as Artist-in-Residence in the Faculty of Education and Social Work, Andrew
Upton will return to the University of Sydney on Tuesday 27 August to lead a second
workshop on creative writing entitled 'How Stories Breed.'
The Artistic director of Sydney Theatre Company will help pre-service and in-service teachers
refine their skills in teaching creative writing through an examination of three texts - Hamlet,
The Seagull and Oedipus Rex.
His earlier inaugural keynote, seminars and workshops have already helped "open up the
conversation" among teachers and students on the value of arts in the classroom.
"Literature and drama challenge and expand one's worldview," Upton said. "It's important to
engage with the arts to refine your sense of agency in cultural creation; to refine your sense
of self in the cultural web, and to deepen your experience of life through the implicit sharing of
that cultural space."
These events form part of the Faculty of Education and Social Work's ongoing strategy to
promote the Arts in education. Both Upton and his wife Cate Blanchett have worked
alongside Professor Robyn Ewing to create the School Drama project with the Sydney
Theatre Company, a professional development program for primary teachers to gain
confidence in their use of drama with literature to enhance literacy outcomes.
Event details
What: John Bell: Shakespeare - Up Against the Wall?
When: 5:30-7pm, Thursday 22 August 2013
Where: Lecture Theatre 351, Education Building A35, Manning Road, University of Sydney
Cost: Free
Registration: Helen Loughlin on 9351 2791 or helen.loughlin@sydney.edu.au
What: How Stories Breed: Artist-in-Residence Workshop with Andrew Upton
When: 11am - 1pm, Tuesday 27 August 2013
Where: Room 612, Education Building A35, Manning Road, University of Sydney
Cost: Free
Registration: Places are strictly limited, bookings essential. Contact Helen Loughlin on 9351
2791 or helen.loughlin@sydney.edu.au
Contact: Emily Jones
Phone: 02 9114 1961; 0405 208 616
Email: emily.jones@sydney.edu.au
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ABN: 15 211 513 464. CRICOS Number: 00026A. Phone: +61 2 9351 2222.
Authorised by: Dean, Faculty of Education and Social Work.
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