Body Languages: Art as an alternative teaching method to promote inclusivity and equality in education

Abstract

This article examines how the education system and education through art can work together to build schools that are both democratic and inclusive. To this end, we will consider a specific case study: an arts education programme run by the Lisarco Collective at the CEIP Trabenco public school. The Lisarco Collective is a group of artists with and without disabilities, and at the time of this study, the CEIP Trabenco school was a centre with particular provision for pupils with special educational needs. Our main research objectives were to analyze said project, called "Nuevos Creadores", and assess its impact on the educational community. We address these objectives by reviewing the ideology of the Lisarco Collective and evaluating, through a quantitative study, the impact of artistic and pedagogical activity on its participants. Our results show that students included in this art-education programme internalised the principles of equality and respect for diversity and achieved improvements both academically and personally. Indeed, the Lisarco led intervention appears to benefit all project partners. In conclusion, this work shows that artistic activity is a viable alternative teaching method that both addresses student's education wholistically and promotes inclusivity.