Class Context
Ms. Avery’s Year 3 class comprises 22 students, 16 of whom are on Individual Education Plans (IEPs). The class presents a range of academic, emotional, and behavioural challenges. They are a warm and enthusiastic group who love engaging in fun, hands-on learning and enjoy being in Ms. Avery’s classroom.
Project Overview
Our project focused on the Year 3 HASS curriculum theme: “Then and Now”, with a particular emphasis on the history of transport and cultural representation in our local community. Through drama, storytelling, and visual arts, students explored historical changes and the cultural diversity within their own lives and environment.
Bringing the Curriculum to Life
We began by exploring how we can use our bodies to tell stories without words. This started with confidence-building exercises in mime, progressing to tableaux and collaborative group performances illustrating past and present modes of transport.
Next, we turned our focus to our local community and cultural identities. Students explored the cultural diversity in the classroom, choosing elements from their own backgrounds to represent through symbolic art models, using a variety of creative and repurposed materials.
How We Brought the 5 Habits of Learning to Life
After each session, students reflected on which of the 5 Habits of Learning they used: Imagination, Inquisitive, Collaboration, Discipline and Persistence.
These were visually represented on our classroom’s Community Tree, where coloured leaves symbolised each habit and how it supported their learning. Students also placed their photos around the 5 habits wheel, indicating which habit had helped them in that day’s activity.
Activating Student Voice and Learner Agency
Building trust was key to encouraging students to step outside their comfort zones. There was no pressure to perform — instead, we fostered a safe space where trying was celebrated. As students gained confidence and began to enjoy the process, their ideas flowed more freely. They were encouraged to test ideas, reflect on what worked and what didn’t, and suggest changes or improvements. This reflective approach empowered them to take ownership of their learning.
Developing Creative and Critical Thinking
Many activities involved multi-layered thinking and problem-solving. For instance during tableau work, students identified challenges (e.g. “We need more people to form this shape,” or “Can I use a different material to make my mask?”). In improvisation, they explored how to signal a character change without dialogue. They continually referenced the 5 Habits of Learning to imagine new approaches, collaborate, persist through challenges, and innovate in their creative choices.
Connection to the UN Sustainable Development Goals
We incorporated recycled and repurposed materials in our drama and art projects, sparking discussions on recycling and waste reduction, the impact of transportation and technology on climate and communities and the role of renewable energy and sustainable urban development.
These conversations linked directly to Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, Goal 15: Life on Land and Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being.
Impact of the Project
Students:
The most noticeable impact was an increase in confidence, engagement, and enjoyment.
At the start, many students were reluctant to participate — some even struggled to stand in a circle. Over time, they became enthusiastic and actively involved, with even the initially hesitant students wanting to join in as they saw others having fun.
Teacher:
Ms. Avery’s confidence grew in integrating her own creativity into the classroom. A highlight was her bringing in a sewing machine to assist with the cultural model-making. Her obvious skill and imagination around what she created at home and empowering each student to use the machine for their models, really engaged and excited the class in a way that was very encouraging for her moving forward.
Creative Practitioner:
This project taught me to let go of my own creative vision and follow the students' lead. While I previously believed that “performing for” students was engaging, I learned that true engagement happens when students are empowered to lead and shape their own creative journey. Flexibility and responsiveness became essential tools in supporting student agency.
School Community:
The visibility of our outdoor sessions drew curiosity and interest from other students and staff. Our work highlighted how creative approaches can support engagement, particularly for neurodiverse students, and showcased the potential for broader application across the school.
Parents & Families:
While we hoped for more parent involvement (e.g. sharing cultural recipes or bringing in old photos), engagement was limited. Many families speak languages other than English at home, which may have been a barrier. However, several students reported having conversations at home about their culture, showing that the project still fostered connection and pride in their heritage.
Quotes
“Bringing Creative Schools to Somerly has given our children an opportunity to go beyond explicit teaching. It moves away from purely structured approaches and allows them to think with an inquisitive mind. They’re not just relying on their usual learning strategies—they’re opening up their creative thinking and engaging all their senses, which really inspires their learning. By having two Year 3 teachers involved, we’re now able to look at the data after this process and see the impact Creative Schools has had—particularly on student engagement and the development of their inquisitive nature. Over the past two years, we’ve focused heavily on refining our instructional strategies and making teaching more explicit. While this has strengthened clarity and consistency, it’s also narrowed some of the creative and critical thinking opportunities. Through Creative Schools, we’ve been able to reintroduce learning experiences that open students up to wonder and questioning—asking things like, “Why is this happening?” That kind of thinking is not something we typically get from explicit instruction. It’s not about one replacing the other, but about bringing both approaches together—getting the best of both worlds.
The Professional Learning provided a clear framework and practical tools for our teachers that they could use to create opportunities for student inquiry. They’ve already started using the Creative Habits of Learning in their teaching—not just with the Creative Practitioner, but in other areas of learning too. They came back from the Professional Learning and began implementing it straight away, which was fantastic.” (Louise Carroll - Deputy Principal)
“I think for me, having an artistic background, I’ve really loved this process. What I’ve realised—especially through this experience—is that I’ve been the creative one all along. A lot of it was already me, so having those trial-and-error sessions has been really beneficial. It’s helped me consciously shift my practice. Janny’s influence—especially her drama background—has also been really interesting. It’s definitely pushed me outside my comfort zone. I’m usually a behind-the-scenes person, not someone who wants to be centre-stage, so that’s been challenging. But I’ve seen how beneficial it is for the students.The first few sessions were tough, I won’t lie. It was uncomfortable for the students and for me. But last week felt like a real turning point. The students allowed themselves to make mistakes, to feel embarrassed, and to actually interact with each other. That’s a huge shift. They’re building those social and creative skills now. At first, they’d dig in the ground and refuse to participate—but now, they’re willingly coming forward. It’s not the direction I expected, but I’m really enjoying it—and so are they. During the Creative Schools professional learning, one of the biggest things was that shift from me being the creative one, to giving students more space to be creative. I’ve consciously stepped back so more of what’s happening in the room is led by them, not me. That’s been a big mindset change.” (Jo Avery - Teacher)
“Creative Schools has been fabulous. The kids are really starting to respond. At first, there was a lot of shyness and trepidation because they were doing something very different. But they’ve really opened up now—and they talk to me about all sorts of things. That’s the bit I love the most: trusting the process and watching it emerge. That’s been so lovely. It’s definitely given me an insight into the expectations placed on teachers—the huge amount they have to cover and the pressure they’re under. They’re trying to manage really diverse classrooms with students at such varied levels of ability, especially in reading, writing, and comprehension. That’s a real challenge. Understanding those pressures has helped me realise that if we’re bringing creativity into the space, it has to be something teachers feel comfortable with. So it’s important to design activities that align with what they’re already doing—something they can take forward, something that shows benefits for their students and for them. It’s about equipping them with a creative toolkit—strategies and approaches they can continue using in their own classrooms.” (Janny O’Connell - Creative Practitioner)
“In Creative Schools, you get to build things and be creative. In normal lessons, you just write words and that’s it.” (Student)
“Creative Schools makes me feel brilliant and happy. We get to talk about our culture, share who we are, and learn about the olden days. It makes me feel good about learning—especially in HASS and health.” (Student)
.png)