Butterfly, transforming Arts into Education, is built on the Strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training (ET 2020) that encompasses education and training systems in all contexts and at all levels. Butterfly addresses two of the strategic objectives of ET 2020: the promotion of Equity, social cohesion and active citizenship and the encouragement of Creativity and Innovation. And it focuses on the following 2016-2020 priorities:
• Relevant and high-quality skills and competences for employability, innovation, active citizenship and well-being;
• Inclusive education;
• Open and innovative education and training; and
• Strong support for teachers, trainers, school leaders and other educational staff.
Moreover, European cooperation under ET 2020 takes the form of exchanges of information and experience on issues common to European countries’ education and training systems which is one of the main Butterfly project’s aims.
In line with the above-mentioned priorities of ET 2020 and the objectives of Erasmus plus programme, Butterfly is planned around cross-sectorial learning, exchange and training activities both at local and transnational level, building bridges between arts and
education that improve children’s performance and creativity, foster equal access to learning resources, and promote the use of local heritage traditions for reinforcing identity and social cohesion within the community.
Analyzing school curriculums all over Europe we find that in most of the cases they are strictly divided into subjects with no links among them and that more innovation is needed to make those subjects attractive and useful in a multicultural and unequal society. In this sense many studies (among which the previously mentioned Eurydice and OECD reports) shown their confidence in the performing arts to stimulate and create strong links and facilitate social inclusion among school students and within the community as well as improving the acquisition of skills and competences.
The lack of resources in the schools together with the absence of a more comprehensive and innovative approach in the curriculums, prevent teachers to explore the full potential of performing arts for teaching and learning. Butterfly consortium believe that performing arts should not only be present as an extra-scholar leisure activity but as an excellent cross-curricular resource to improve different competences and skills such as local and foreign languages, oral expression, playwriting, scenic art, light, music and sound design and production, showing school children a fully collaborative and creative way of working, enjoying and learning together, in which every student can find their place regardless of their personal condition or abilities.
Therefore, Butterfly starting points is the real need for improving school performance, students’ motivation and social inclusion. In response to this need the project proposes to exchange and develop innovative methodologies and experiences in the three partners’ countries that can be implemented in other contexts, involving not only teachers, artists and students but the entire educational and social community.
In this frame specific aims of the project are:
• Improve students’ performance and motivation through performing arts
• Promote social inclusion by developing the participants’ own capacities and a community sense of belonging
• Elaborate a common methodology that will reinforce teaching skills and expand school’s curricula
• Explore the potential of performing arts for transforming the way of learning and improving participation
• Foster cultural heritage awareness among the entire educational community
Target groups include: Teachers; Students; Families and the whole educational community; Educational institutions, pedagogues, and sectoral associations; Culture agents, performing arts’ companies and artists, heritage experts; Experts and Policy makers; Civil society and general public.
Finally, one of the most important values to work in the educational sphere is cultural and social diversity and respecting and learning from others. Butterfly transnational project will allow to contrast and exchange knowledge, believes, traditions and experiences developed in different contexts that can influence each other mutually. Working transnationally will serve to obtain an external point of view over our daily work at schools, getting feed-back from peers but also from institutions and professionals of different fields enriching our methodologies and educational practices.
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