SENsational art: An educational programme for children with behavioural issues and Special Educational Needs (SEN) and an in-service training programme for their teachers at the Hungarian National Gallery

Abstract

The AMASS project in the Hungarian National Gallery (HNG) focused on young adolescents with disadvantaged backgrounds (social, economic, with learning and behavioural difficulties) and on the new perspectives of using art in the Hungarian history and literature curricula in or outside the classroom. The chosen methodology for the museum classes fostered the students with Special Educational Needs (SEN) to develop certain skills, improve their emotional intelligence and help them with their difficulties (dyslexia, the ability to concentrate, attention deficit, communication skills and fine motor skills). Within the programme, a 30-hour teacher training course (Connections and parallels in the visual arts - new possibilities of teaching 19th-century Hungarian literature and history) was created with the aim to encourage teachers to use digital and on-site sources of the museum in their teaching practice, and to increase the willingness of knowledge sharing between the educators. The project intended to create teaching aids and museum education packages which can be adapted to other museums with similar objectives. The HNG’s programme could also draw attention to the problem that on many occasions, marginalized groups of children have limited access to (any) cultural institutions and further, to any programmes, tailored to their special needs.