news source: <Ministry of Education Global Information Network>

Since 2014, the Ministry of Education has been promoting the third phase of the medium- and long-term plan for aesthetic education. Among its sub-plans, the "Cross-disciplinary Aesthetic Education Excellence Pilot Program," it has been committed to deepening the integration of art and non-art subjects, and focusing on promoting cross-disciplinary aesthetic courses with art as the core. Today (12th), the "Art in the Heart, Embarking on a Beautiful Voyage" 2014 Academic Year Outstanding School Award Ceremony and the 2015 Academic Year Consensus Workshop were held at the Public Enterprise Center of National Chengchi University. Through the sharing of curriculum experiences that build on past achievements and forge ahead, the event initiated the joint creation of cross-disciplinary aesthetic courses by primary and secondary school teachers and partner universities for teacher training.

In the 114th academic year of the program, a total of 127 schools across Taiwan were selected as benchmark and seed partner schools. To date, the Cross-Disciplinary Aesthetics Program has accumulated nearly 1,000 partner schools and over 1,800 curriculum proposals. This year's ceremony presented the "Cross-Disciplinary Aesthetics Pilot Award," "Cross-Disciplinary Aesthetics Excellence Award," and "Cross-Disciplinary Aesthetics Sailing Award." Forty schools received awards from cities and counties across Taiwan, including one International Taiwan School. This demonstrates that the program's achievements are not only deeply rooted in local schools but also extend internationally, broadening the impact of cross-discipline aesthetic education. These awards not only recognize the schools' efforts in designing and promoting aesthetics curriculum but also express sincere respect for the hard work of their teachers.

This academic year's curriculum encompasses international affairs, gender equality, human rights, technology, and other key topics. In conjunction with the release of the "First Five-Year Plan for the Medium- and Long-Term Social Emotional Learning Program," the morning session "Cross-disciplinary Aesthetics Creation and Practical Models" invited three schools to share their SEL-related curriculum. Ludong Elementary School in Lugang Township, Changhua County, presented "Local Fieldwork: Exploring Connections between Culture, History, and Society." The session focused on how the school establishes deep collaborations with local communities and cultural and historical institutions, integrating local cultural and historical resources into the curriculum through fieldwork and other methods. The session also addressed topics such as how to integrate aesthetics instruction with social and emotional learning (SEL) at the elementary level.

Secondly, New Taipei City Qingshan Elementary and Junior High School shared "The Core of Art: Experience in Connecting Curriculum and Issues," introducing how the curriculum uses art as a bridge to connect core issues such as human rights and SEL, guiding students to explore in depth in a concrete and vivid way, perceive issues, express ideas, and engage in cross-disciplinary thinking and learning.

Taoyuan Senior High School, with the theme "Cross-School Integration: Community Connection and SEL Strategies," shared its journey from in-school promotion to cross-school collaboration, building a bottom-up educational community and establishing the "Taoyuan Cool Ling Cross-School Teacher Group" to facilitate resource sharing and professional collaboration. Focusing on SEL, the group provided teachers with strategies that can be easily integrated into the classroom, helping students enhance their self-awareness, social awareness, and interaction skills throughout high school.

The three schools, based on their spiral teaching experiences at different learning stages, closely followed the current important issue of social emotional learning (SEL). At the same time, they exchanged new educational ideas with the participating teachers, and through sharing and dialogue, sparked the spark of integration and co-creation of beauty.

The afternoon consensus workshop, themed "Embark on a Cross-Disciplinary Aesthetics Project," facilitated interactive interaction through icebreaker activities, leading teachers to in-depth discussions on the core curriculum modules and strengthening their practical curriculum design skills. Teachers learned how to develop lesson plans using the curriculum library available on the Cross-Disciplinary Aesthetics Project's official website, demonstrating how these plans can be effectively implemented in daily teaching to achieve desired learning objectives. Partner universities participating in the program also shared case studies from past cross-discipline curriculum initiatives, providing practical references and applications for new teachers.

The Ministry of Education stated that it will continue to promote medium- and long-term aesthetic education programs, expand their impact, and share aesthetic case studies at all levels of education, impacting more teachers and students. For more information on the Interdisciplinary Aesthetics Program's course cases, please visit the Interdisciplinary Aesthetics Program official website (https://www.inarts.world/ or search for "inarts").