Both primary and secondary teachers favour pedagogical foundations that
prioritize child-centred approaches and constructivism, and which emphasize
guided-learning, collaborative or peer-learning opportunities and a wide
variety of activities and learning experiences.
Below are four examples of arts education in Fiji, in which innovative
approaches to teaching and learning are used to foster NCS. A number of
the teachers who participated in the study have been part of these initiatives.
These teachers describe these approaches as being authentic and creative
methods of teaching and learning, which present students with real-life
problem-solving opportunities.
The first of the examples is the Tadra Kahani, an annual national performing
arts competition. Schools register to participate in this competition and
work towards the staging of a live performance on a contemporary issue or
theme. The second example is the Kula Film Festival, a national student film
competition, in which students compete for awards for short films. The third
is Voices for Change, a national music festival that brings together students
from across the country to participate in choral singing and dance. The final
example is the Suva Primary School Teachers’ Arts Association, which is a
teacher-driven initiative that brings together teachers from the greater Suva
area to develop resources for the teaching of art in primary schools, to provide
professional development for art teachers and to facilitate art activities and
exhibitions featuring the creative works of primary school students in Suva.
The teachers participating in these innovative efforts are committed to
facilitating holistic learning experiences that extend beyond gaining subject
content knowledge. They emphasize not only the development of artistic
skills, but also learning of other skills through the arts.
Professional networks such as the Primary School Teachers’ Arts Association
are viewed as providing an avenue for collaborative learning and peer-
mentoring of teachers, and for developing pedagogies that work, as well as
for sharing good practices. Teachers found that students who participated
in the learning-through-the-arts experience were capable of more holistic
critical and creative thinking. The teachers also agreed that these benefits are
transferred to subject-based learning in the classrooms.