Gwen Hedley PSG :: Sarah Hedley and the Children from Foxwood School
Gwen Hedley
My creative dialogue is with my daughter Sarah, and through her, a class of ten young children with moderate to severe learning difficulties. Some of the children are autistic, many are non-verbal. There is also an invaluable team of Teaching Assistants.
My early background was teaching within the primary sector of mainstream education, with Art and Craft as a specialism, and so I was very keen to work with my daughter, sharing our skills in a Special Needs environment, with challenges that were new to me.
My own textile work involves a local shoreline and its harvest of flotsam and jetsam, using it with paint and stitch, and this approach was shared with the children. I needed much guidance from my daughter as we undertook the planning for the project, and it took twelve teaching sessions to complete the work. Teaching and learning was largely through sensory experiences, and sessions needed to be short, and flexible in approach, to accommodate their frequent need for spontaneous change of activity.
It was a challenging, exciting and immensely rewarding project. The spontaneous freedoms of children’s creative processes are a joy to share, and we can all learn from them.
Sarah Hedley
Prior to teaching, I graduated in Fine Art and Sculpture, so I share an interest in both teaching and creative work with my mother, Gwen Hedley.
My creative approach to teaching has become increasingly important since working in a special school environment where the phrase "sensory experience" has taken on a new dimension. My pupils’ difficulties include autistic spectrum condition with associated communication difficulties and global delay. Some are verbal, others are not. They all, however, have means of self expression and are capable of communicating and developing their abilities through a wide range of experiences.
Whilst my pupils have worked in 2 and 3 dimensions with me, they had not worked with stitch. As a group, they responded well to the rhythmic processes of stitching, and I intend to further develop this skill.
Working collaboratively with my mother has brought textiles into my classroom, broadening pupils’ tactile experiences. It has offered them the chance to work alongside a practising artist, and to have work exhibited in a gallery, giving them, their teaching assistants and families, a great sense of achievement. Their work acknowledges the creative potential in us all; I am proud of them and of our creative dialogue.
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