Having the freedom to explore, create, play, fail and learn from this project is incredibly important in terms of hands on learning and enjoyment.

Play is inherently interactive and it encourages exploration. The project holds creative freedom and experimentation as a key factor in engagement and enthusiasm for learning.

The project is setup to encourage experimentation with a series of modular lessons that build upon key skills learnt every term. This aids in confidence and the ability to remix older works, have the desire to play and explore possibilities through the creative freedom and iterative approach the project affords.

“Play is stepping out of reality, into a temporary sphere of activity, with a disposition all of its own.”

Johan Huizinga
1938 Homo Ludens

Learning to code is one part of the overall skills needed for computational thinking. As well as coding we cover traditional art forms and how the thinking and processes are often similar differing sometimes only in language. The key to the combined disciplines shows that coding as a skill has a wider remit in the creative sectors.

We are using the creative coding language #processing so that students and teachers will learn syntax, structure, instructional and logical thinking and the fundamentals of computer programming through a visual arts approach. Using the power of programming frees students from the constraints of traditional software, therefore leading to designing and creating their own tools and processes.

Sharing knowledge is the best means to spread the good word about programming and how it can be used within the arts and creative industries.

Sharing of learning is central to all Warwick Arts Centre Creative Learning projects. Within the project, we have used many OpenSource software and hardware resources which are built upon having a community to share and exchange knowledge with. We want our students to shout about the work they have created and to be as proud and passionate as us.

The project offers students a real world outcome – a festival entitled digiFest. This is a public event open to all that showcases their work alongside peers and professional artists working in the same fields and disciplines. This provides future aspirations and a public platform for parents to see their childrens’ work outside of a school environment.