Unlocking Creative Potential: Transforming Learning Through Arts In Education

Erica Lovell is Poetry in Action’s Head of Education. She has a background as a writer, actor, director, and theatre-maker and has taught English and Drama at the high school level.

Interview with Erica Lovell: The Importance of Arts in Education

Erica Lovell is Poetry in Action’s Head of Education. She has a background as a writer, actor, director, and theatre maker and has taught English at the high school level.

Erica Lovell, Head of Education at Poetry in Action. Photo credit: Lauren Orrell.

Olivia: Hey Erica, thanks for joining us today!

Erica Lovell: Hey! Thanks for having me.

Olivia: Can you tell us why arts in education are so important?

Erica: So, arts in education is super important for a whole raft of reasons. When students get involved in artistic activities, they learn to approach problems from all these different angles, and they can apply those skills to all their subjects. When you’re approaching something that isn’t typically artistic – like analysing a poem, for example – but doing it using a creative approach, you’re straight away thinking about not just solving a problem, but how to communicate the solution.

Olivia: Do you think it has bottom-line educational benefits as well?

Erica Lovell: Oh! A ton of research shows that kids who participate in the arts tend to do better in school. They’re learning to think creatively and critically and to collaborate and communicate well while problem-solving. The collaborative nature of arts means that learning becomes something social and interactive rather than just academic, so they own the solutions.

Olivia: There’s a genuine push to make modern education more than the last century’s science, English, and Math approaches. Do you think the Arts impact the social and emotional side of learning for young people?

Team Nightingale ’24 performing in Campbelltown. Photo credit: Noni Carrol

Erica Lovell: Well, yeah. The collaborative nature of drama and music has extraordinary benefits for social and emotional development. If you’re making a piece of theatre, it isn’t enough to know ‘the answer’ – you have to come to that answer through discussion as a group, you have to learn how to listen to other perspectives, and then when you present your answer in a performance. There’s a lot of empathy involved in succeeding in creative work.

Olivia: You’ve worked extensively with students through Poetry in Action and your high school teaching. What benefits have you seen firsthand?

Erica Lovell: A lot of my motivation for working with Poetry in Action is rooted in my time teaching extra-curricular drama as an actor. I used poetry a lot in my teaching. Kids who found poetry or Shakespeare intimidating blossomed. That showed me how powerful blending arts with other curriculum areas can be. That pattern has continued at Poetry in Action – teachers tell us kids are so much more engaged and confident in their literature studies after seeing one of our shows or doing a workshop.

Olivia: In my role here, I speak with many teachers, and sometimes, there can be a bit of reluctance to engage students through the arts. What would you say to teachers who are feeling a bit nervous or unsure about integrating the arts into their English curriculum?

Erica Lovell: The arts cultivate the most important skills kids need in the workforce – creativity, collaboration, and communication. The most successful people, whether they’re working directly in the arts or not, are creative thinkers. The more we can get creative pedagogies into all curriculum areas, the better!

Olivia: Thank you so much for sharing your insights, Erica. It’s been great talking to you about the critical role of the arts in education.

Erica Lovell: Absolutely pleasure. You might have noticed it’s a bit of a passion of mine!

This interview was conducted by Olivia Hall-Smith for Poetry in Action’s blog. Stay tuned for more insights and stories about the transformative power of the arts in education.