No kid is an island' : the Gallery as a classroom space for creativity, student engagement and the bigger pictures

Abstract

This thesis promotes the importance of arts pedagogy in developing purposeful, creative and engaging learning, Taking a social justice perspective, the qualitative study involves the design, implementation and analysis of the arts within three lower socio-economic status primary school classrooms in a major Australian city. The research distances itself from a need to prove the usefulness of arts programs from an instrumentalist perspective, and moves towards promoting a case for the arts as a deeply worthwhile human endeavour in its own right. With a focus on teachers' pedagogies, the research considers the effect on students' relationship with learning. There are four core themes that underpin this research. These are arts pedagogy, creativity, student engagement and learning as a human endeavour. A driving force behind the research intention around the synchronous interplay of these four research themes, was that this synchronicity could enhance the social and academic outcomes of all learners, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. This research is conducted through qualitative, co-teaching action research methodologies, in line with arts-based research (Barone & Eisner, 2012). Such methodologies are well suited, as it is precisely the complex and subtle human interactions, artistic representation and emotional expressions that are inherent aspects of arts pedagogy, and the foci of this study. Data collection concentrated on the students' responses to the pedagogy, and the analysis was marked by an investigation of their responses through the four major theoretical frames of the research. The focus on arts-based pedagogies led to the conception of 'The Gallery' as a guiding metaphorical principle. 'The Gallery' is an image describing the intersection of arts-based teaching and students' learning practices characterised by creativity, student engagement and a human focus to curriculum. Parallels have been drawn between a Gallery and classroom spaces because both can be devoted to the exhibition of learning, and both are community spaces that are open to sharing ideas of cultural value and importance. Furthermore, both spaces have the potential to appeal to emotional and aesthetic enjoyment, to the creating of open and shared democratic spaces. Analysis showed that the pedagogy developed a strong foundation for intellectually rigorous, deeply engaging and human educational experiences. Students began to value the artistic process of their lessons as 'serious' academic business, and artistic tools became an acceptable 'language' for the students to communicate and demonstrate shared empathy around issues of human concern. The heart of the Gallery emerged, over time, to become the compassionate and emotional expressions of the students during their experience. Concepts of 'beauty' in education (Winston, 2010) and 'humanising creativity' (Chappell, 2008) surfaced at the intersection of the four research themes. Beauty was thought to have the potential to inspire and engage students in a critical pedagogical space for energising, pleasurable and moral experiences in education. Humanising creativity appealed to a more communal and ethical version of creativity through using inherently human practices such as group work, shared responsibility, a focus on learning, shared goals, reflective practice, and, ultimately, a focus on 'big ideas' of human importance.

Date of Award	2015
Original language	English