This winter, ArtsSmarts launched a new two-year research initiative to study the impact of ArtsSmarts on the behaviour and school retention rates of Quebec children and youth.  ArtsSmarts' demonstrated capacity to increase the engagement of students in their own learning has led to the development of this province-wide project, which is being undertaken in partnership with the English language school boards.

"This gives us an opportunity to go more in-depth with our research," says Annalee Adair, Executive Director of ArtsSmarts. "Anecdotal evidence gathered over the past 10 years tells us that some of the biggest changes ArtsSmarts brings to the classroom are with respect to behaviour and retention.  Using valid research methodologies, this partnership will allow us to focus in on and study ArtsSmarts' impact in these areas."

The State of Education in Quebec
Graduation rates have long been of concern to Ministries of Education across the country.  In the fall of 2008, the high dropout rate among francophone Quebec students, particularly boys, received considerable attention in the province.

Former Quebec premier Jacques Parizeau wrote a newspaper article where he cited government statistics on high school completion rates as of 2007.  These stats showed that 63% of girls, and only 49% of boys, in Montréal's French language public schools had graduated seven years after entering secondary studies.  The comparable statistics for Montreal's English language public schools were 86% for girls and 79% for boys ( Richards, 2009).

At the same time, a major concern among Quebec teachers is how to teach and manage classes of diverse learners.  For over 20 years, the English language school boards have adopted an integrated approach which places children with diverse learning needs in the same classroom.  The primary concern is that students who have behavioural needs may be preventing other students from learning.

"Some of the behaviours that people interpret as problematic come as a result of kids not being engaged in classrooms," says Julie Hobbs, team leader for the Schools Administrators' Support Team, who is coaching schools through this project.  "If we can engage these children, then we may be able to eliminate some of these more challenging behaviours."

This is where ArtsSmarts comes in.

ArtsSmarts has been a part of Quebec schools via Riverside School Board since 2000.  From 2000-2009, Riverside School Board undertook more than 200 ArtsSmarts projects, and this school year, folded into the larger province-wide initiative that is now known as ArtsSmarts Quebec.

ArtsSmarts' Behavioural Impact
Just like each and every ArtsSmarts project begins with an inquiry question, this research initiative has been guided by the BIG question, "What is ArtsSmarts' impact on behaviour in inclusive classrooms?"

This initiative brings the ArtsSmarts approach to 9 of the 10 English language school boards via 20 different projects.  Some of the projects involve a single class and others multiple grades, while a few are even transforming their projects into an opportunity to involve the entire school.  It is anticipated that over 1,500 students will be engaged this school year in an ArtsSmarts experience.

While ArtsSmarts has added a research component to projects since 2007, this collaboration with the Quebec English language school boards presents an unparalleled opportunity to take our research to a new level with the potential to substantiate what has anecdotally been documented over 10 years.  

To meet the unique requirements of the school boards involved, modifications were made to ArtsSmarts' existing research instruments.  

"A new behaviour rating checklist was adapted which was complemented by observation sheets and interview protocols.  In addition, new indicators on aspirations, which are linked to staying in school, were also added to the instruments," says Adair.  

Learning Styles
Learning styles emphasize the fact that individuals perceive and process information in very different ways.  This theory recognizes that each student's approach to learning is unique and is based on strengths, weaknesses, and preferences.  Approximately 30% of students in grades K-12 are visual learners, 25% are auditory learners, 15% are kinaesthetic learners and 30% have mixed modalities (Barbe and Milone, 1980).

According to Hobbs, the auditory learning style or what she calls the "chalk and talk approach" is still predominant in some classrooms in the Quebec school system.  "Students with different learning styles and preferences aren't learning effectively through this auditory approach and they're not attracted to learning when they're not working hands-on," she says.  "My experience with ArtsSmarts is that when you walk into a classroom kids are paying attention and they want to come to school."

The kids who tend to benefit from the hands-on approach of ArtsSmarts often are those labelled "at-risk" or "marginalized."

ArtsSmarts and Teaching Practice
One of the biggest challenges this research initiative has posed is that in order to study ArtsSmarts' impact on behaviour and learning, teachers first needed to bring the ArtsSmarts approach to their classrooms.  

While inquiry-based learning is familiar to most teachers, working with another adult who is an artist is foreign and requires considerable coaching and support.  This discomfort stems from the fact that teachers have to give up some control, which may be difficult for them to do.  

ArtsSmarts requires teachers to share ownership of the project's development and process with both the artist and their students.  Students witness first-hand teachers and artists problem-solving and collaborating as they work together on the details of the project, modelling the very skills that students need to acquire as part of their 21st century learning.

"For most teachers, the greatest challenge in learning to use the ArtsSmarts approach is in shifting from their role in the front of the classroom to that of a facilitator and a participant in learning," says Hobbs.  This is not a top down approach, but one that is horizontal.

In changing their practice, teachers also begin to integrate multimodal ways of learning through the process of inquiry that ArtsSmarts projects demand.  This is what is often called differentiated instruction, whereby multiple paths are created so that students of different abilities, interest or learning needs experience equally appropriate ways to absorb, use, develop and present concepts as a part of the daily learning process. It allows students to take greater responsibility and ownership for their own learning, and provides opportunities for peer teaching and cooperative learning.

What's Happening in Classrooms Thus Far
While it is early on in the first year of this research initiative, already Hobbs is hearing that changes in classrooms are well underway.  Teachers are reporting that kids are much more interested and motivated in undertaking their classroom projects, there are fewer disruptions and attendance is improving.

"In the long term, I want every classroom to experience differentiated learning," says Hobbs. "It helps all students learn and provides teachers with an approach to effectively reach their diverse learners."

ArtsSmarts and the Schools Administrators' Support Team will jointly publish a report on year one results to be released in the fall of 2010.