Creativity is not a subject. Art, music, English, drama, dance – these are subjects, but in part they are teaching their own techniques and history as well as the creative application of the skills of the subject.
But learning outside the classroom gives an opportunity to explore creativity itself, because it takes the pupils and students into a new world, where novel responses are needed.
Every one of the art forms listed above has a strong tradition of working beyond enclosed spaces, from the artist painting outdoors, to the musician considering the sounds of the environment and how the sounds of his/her instrument changes outdoors. Drama and dance likewise take on new forms when removed from the normal environment.
So thus we have an opportunity to decouple the artistic form from the normal environment of learning and start to explore the notion of creative responses to what we see outside.
But this can go further. If the pupils or students are learning about a particular historical event or location (the battlefield, the castle…) and they can visit such a location, then rather than just observe and maybe touch, they can move on to begin to consider a creative response.
The more the pupils and students are engaged with the environment the more their inventiveness is liberated. Take them to an ancient stone circle, and they can not only contemplate the world of the ancients who built it, but also consider it from their own perspective.
Clearly, to be able to offer your pupils regular learning outside the classroom experiences, you will need a suitable and affordable mode of transport, which is why Benchmark focuses on leasing minibuses to schools.
It is an arrangement which very often makes it possible for schools to fund the minibus through a small payment each month. And in some cases, where trips are paid for by contributions from parents and the PTA, it is possible to allocate a part of those payments towards the cost of the minibus – reducing the funds being deducted from the school’s capital account.
What’s more, through leasing a minibus from us, we take responsibility for its maintenance, thus absorbing the costs and keeping the vehicle fully operational at all times.
If you are interested in finding out more about the benefits of leasing a minibus, please visit http://minibusleasing.co.uk/. Alternatively, you can call 01753 859944 or email minibus@benchmarkleasing.co.uk.