NURTURING CREATIVITY IN NON-ART-SPECIALISED PROSPECTIVE TEACHERS: A CASE STUDY

Theoretically, art has been given a place in the school curriculum, but it is considered a fringe subject. This was also observed in prospective teachers with specialisations other than art, and likewise, they were reluctant to draw or paint. There is a need to understand the underlying issues and fill the gaps. This will help in prospective teachers' personality development. In addition, they will help promote art in their schools, which they will join after finishing teacher training, which can pave the way for art-integrated teaching envisioned in National Education Policy 2020. This study aims to examine prospective teachers' understanding of art and attitudes towards art as a subject, as well as the experiences that shaped them. It also attempts to organise an art workshop to see if it can help bridge the gap in the prospective teachers' understanding of art. For the study, 300 prospective teachers with specialisations other than art were taken as participants. Questionnaire was followed by a painting activity. Qualitative analysis highlighted the issues and gaps. It reflected participants' misconceptions of art, fears, and disinterest in art, as well as a discouraging school and home environment. It also reflected the issues in the teaching and learning process: a lack of trained art teachers and art being in the curriculum just in theory. The analysis was followed by organising the art workshop, focusing on bridging the gaps. Participants created artwork, and its qualitative analysis expressed values, showed growth in their understanding of art, and reflected participants' joy in its creation, aligning with art education's aim as mentioned in the National Curriculum Framework for School Education 2023. It is concluded that there are issues and challenges, and art workshops can bridge the gap in prospective teachers' understanding of art. Consequently, art is essential to "teacher education" and can facilitate art-integrated learning, as outlined in the NCFSE 2023.