Arts-Based Teaching in E.L.T.: A Review of Concepts and a Proposal of Integration

Abstract

This article reports a study about the intersection between Arts-Based and English Language Teaching. The literature review and proposal discuss the promotion of creativity in a pedagogical intervention consisting of sixteen sessions, divided into two cycles, that combine visual arts, mu-sic, acting, and literature. In the qualitative action research, 35 second graders between the ages of 7 and 9 participated. The findings suggest that Arts-Based Teaching fosters the combinational, exploratory, and transformational dimensions of creativity and enhances English language deve-lopment. We propose a syllabus that contributes to holistic education. An Art-Based curriculum should promote considerable progress in the creative dimensions which deal with combinatio-nal, exploratory, and transformational thinking.