HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 31 May 2024 - To foster a deeper understanding and facilitate the exchange of ideas regarding arts-based creative learning among various stakeholders in the educational and artistic communities, The Absolutely Fabulous Theatre Connection (AFTEC) is organising a two-day forum from May 31 to June 1 at the Hong Kong Maritime Museum, themed Knowledge Exchange - Re-imagining Creative Futures.

Funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, AFTEC's Jockey Club Arts-based Cross Curriculum Creative Learning Project holds the Knowledge Exchange forum annually. A key feature of the forum will be the keynote speeches delivered by overseas experts committed to promoting creative teaching approaches. Distinguished speakers will include Mrs Clara Lim-Tan, Director, Arts Education Branch, Ministry of Education, Singapore, and Ms Sharon Foster, Executive Director, Curriculum, Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). They will explore the significance of creative teaching, addressing the topics of Learning to Flourish in the Future: The Creative Imperative and Embedding Creative Thinking into the Education System (Assessment too!), respectively.

The forum will showcase interactive classroom experiences from eight local pilot primary schools and host two themed discussions on the topics of Breaking New Ground: Three Years of Learning & Change and Growing Arts & Education Partnerships – Why & How? The event will gather representatives from both the local and overseas education and arts communities to reflect on the past, assess the present, and envision the future. The first discussion will focus on utilising the arts to create cross-disciplinary platforms, facilitating the sharing, implementation and stimulation of innovative ideas to seamlessly incorporate creative learning into standard education. The second discussion will evaluate the current landscape in Hong Kong, examining ways to foster partnerships between the arts and education through cross-sector collaboration, thereby enhancing creative thinking and driving transformative changes in contemporary education and the arts.

Ms Lynn Yau, Chief Executive Officer, AFTEC and Project Director, Jockey Club Arts-based Cross Curriculum Creative Learning Project, said: "As early as in 2006, UNESCO organised a meeting in Seoul, bringing together culture and education ministers from across the globe to collaboratively create a framework for Culture and Arts Education. This framework was designed to encourage and guide international partners in the fields of culture and education to foster innovative approaches in arts education. Since its inception, AFTEC has dedicated itself to providing exceptional and high-quality 'arts-in-education' experiences that stand apart from conventional, structured classroom education. The Jockey Club Arts-based Cross Curriculum Creative Learning Project employs thematic teaching and cross-disciplinary project-based learning to develop the '5Cs' in the new generation – Creativity, Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration, and Contribution – upskilling and preparing them to tackle the challenges of the 21st century. We eagerly anticipate the launch of the second phase of the Project. This forthcoming phase will continue to stress the significance of creative learning, enhance ongoing professional development for educators, and further advance innovation and progress in the educational field, filling the gaps in traditional education by nurturing creative thinking."

Speaking at the ceremony, Ms Winnie Yip, Head of Charities (Culture, Sports and Community Engagement) at The Hong Kong Jockey Club, said the Club has always been committed to the promotion of arts, culture and heritage conservation in the community. The Club has supported this project of The Absolutely Fabulous Theatre Connection since 2021. It harnesses the arts to facilitate thematic teaching and interdisciplinary hybrid learning models, enhancing youngsters' abilities in advanced and multi-perspective thinking, resilience and independent learning, and the results have been encouraging. The Club is pleased to see the launch of a new chapter of the project in the coming school year. It will provide more diversified training courses and cooperate with tertiary institutions and art institutions to cultivate more teachers and creative practitioners who are interested in joining creative education. It is hoped that the project will serve as a reference for the advancement of sustainable arts and creative education in Hong Kong.

Planning for the Second Phase of School Recruitment

The AFTEC Jockey Club Creative Futures Project is a continuation and expansion of the Creative Learning Model of the Jockey Club Arts-based Cross Curriculum Creative Learning Project, initially piloted from 2021-2024. This model builds on AFTEC's substantial experience in Hong Kong, aiming to enhance the city's creative capital by embedding creative thinking more deeply within educational frameworks. The pilot project started by pairing up arts professionals with a select number of schools, fostering initial collaborative networks between educational and creative sectors. As a result of its success and positive feedback, this model evolved in its second phase to include a more extensive and interactive community of practice. This community involves professionals regularly engaging with one another through school visits and workshops, sharing insights and practices. The project plans to expand the service scope to reach junior secondary schools and tertiary institutions.

Developed and organised by AFTEC and funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, the pilot Jockey Club Arts-based Cross Curriculum Creative Learning Project is a three-year long endeavour. Since its implementation in the academic year 2021/22, it has been complementing the Hong Kong school curriculum to foster whole-person development and life-wide learning in students from Primary Four to Six through the arts and creative thinking, with the goal of refining the school curriculum. The initial phase of the programme has already demonstrated success; the interim report reveals that 90% of the teachers involved, after undergoing the first two years of training in cross-disciplinary arts and creative learning, now possess a heightened sense of imagination and curiosity regarding cross-disciplinary teaching methods and are confident in their applicability across the entire school. This shift fundamentally altered their thinking processes and boosted their abilities and confidence.

With ongoing support from The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, AFTEC - the specialist in creative learning - is about to launch the second phase of the programme, titled AFTEC Jockey Club Creative Futures Project, and is currently recruiting dedicated educators. Principals, teachers, and curriculum coordinators are invited to lead and advance cross-disciplinary arts-based creative learning.

The four-year project is set to begin in the 2024/25 academic year. It will include the establishment of a project advisory committee composed of highly respected educational professionals from both local and international contexts. This second phase of the initiative will see an expansion in scope, and the advancement of creative teaching in participating schools will be assessed at six levels: Express, Explore, Engage, Empower, Exchange and Excel. The initiative will engage with creative experts through the series of the Train-the-Trainers Workshop, Creative Classroom, School Cultural Outings, Creative Learning Arts Awards, and Knowledge Exchange Festival. Working in collaboration with teachers, it seeks to jointly develop and customise creative teaching curricula that meet the specific needs of various schools, ensuring distinctive educational achievements for all teachers and students involved.

To sustain the outcomes of the three-year pilot project, the AFTEC Jockey Club Creative Futures Project, initiated and organised by AFTEC and funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, will continue to advance and maintain creative learning through the arts under the guidance of specialists in the arts and education fields, alongside educators and creative professionals. With a focus on grass-roots students, AFTEC incorporates creative learning within the foundational curriculum of local primary schools, and blends conventional academic education with creative fields, thereby using the arts to support and improve teaching. The project plans to expand the service scope to reach junior secondary schools and tertiary institutions.

Members participating in the programme include primary, secondary schools and local tertiary institutions. Partners include the School of Dance and the School of Drama at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts; leading creative schools in Hong Kong will have an opportunity to join a London Study Trip; the participants also encompass local arts organisations and higher education institutions.

Principals, teachers, curriculum directors and arts practitioners interested in learning more and joining the programme, please visit: www.aftec.hk

The Jockey Club Arts-based Cross Curriculum Creative Learning Project Year 3 Retrospective
Knowledge Exchange: Re-imagining Creative Futures Two-day Forum
Date: 31 May and 1 June, 2024 (Friday to Saturday)
Time: 10:00 - 17:00
Venue: Hong Kong Maritime Museum (Central Pier No. 8)
Free admission
Details: https://www.aftec.hk/ArtsBasedCrossCurriculum/ke2024/index.html
Programme enquiry: 2520 1716 / info@aftec.hk
Hashtag: #AFTEC

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About The Absolutely Fabulous Theatre Connection

The Absolutely Fabulous Theatre Connection (AFTEC) is the pioneer and specialist in creative learning and teaching in Hong Kong. As an award-winning bilingual Learning Theatre™️, AFTEC is dedicated to nurturing the next generation of young people and creative learning professionals. We believe in the power of the arts to inspire, motivate, and transform, and use an integrated arts-in-education approach to enhance education and encourage creative learning. Our acronym, A.F.T.E.C. also stands for Arts For Transformative Educational Change.

Established in 2008 as a registered charity, we have reached over 256,000 audience members and participants through our diverse cross-disciplinary projects. Since 2009, we have been the Venue Partner of the Sai Wan Ho Civic Centre under the LCSD Venue Partnership Scheme. AFTEC was a recipient of HK Arts Development Council's Award for Arts Education 2014 & 2017, and Arts Promotion 2020, as well as a two-time recipient of the Springboard Grant under the Arts Capacity Development Funding Scheme (2015 & 2017) and a grantee of Art Development Matching Grants Scheme (2022 - 2024) of the HKSAR Government. AFTEC pioneered Relaxed Theatre and the performing arts module of Medical Humanities developing STEAM as a teaching & learning approach.

Website: www.aftec.hk

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