CONTEXT
Curtin Primary’s Year 3/4 class is lively and diverse, with a range of energy levels and learning needs. As a small school, Curtin offers a close-knit environment where relationships and flexibility shape the classroom experience. The school’s cross-curricular approach guided Term 2 and 3 projects, with learning aligned to a predefined theme, encouraging creativity but sometimes limiting exploration of other suitable themes.
Teacher Mitchell Henderson co-designed sessions and adapted plans collaboratively, allowing student voice and creative exploration. As the Creative Schools practitioner, I used a flexible, reflective approach, adjusting warm-ups, prompts and session flow to match the class rhythms. This adaptability was key to maintaining engagement, especially as the class often needed time to settle.
WHAT WE DID
In Term 2, our project focused on “Our Community’s History and Future,” using South Perth as a case study. Students explored what makes a community, brainstormed presentation formats, and built 3D town models and corner stores to express their ideas. Highlights included an excursion to the South Perth Foreshore and a presentation by Frank, a Town Planner, which helped students connect their learning to real-world sustainability and urban planning.
In Term 3, the theme shifted to “Reading is Adventure,” using Where the Wild Things Are as a guide. Students created campaign posters for King Max or Queen Maxine, debated civic topics, and explored leadership through imaginative tasks. They also choreographed a dance and led a leadership and civics demonstration for a school assembly. While the “Wild Things Wheel” was initially used to reflect on creative habits, we later pivoted to student-led activities better suited to shorter sessions and the class’s energy levels.
How did we make the curriculum come alive?
We brought curriculum concepts to life through hands-on activities, real-world connections, and creative expression. Students explored sustainability through town planning, civic engagement through debates, and literacy through storytelling and visual design. The excursion to the South Perth Foreshore and our guest speaker, Frank, added depth and authenticity to their learning. His visit helped students understand how cities can respond to climate change, population growth, and community needs.
Playful prompts encouraged critical thinking about environmental and civic themes. Questions like “If a tourist left a one-star review of the foreshore, what would they say?” prompted reflection on waste, shared spaces, and sustainability. “If a seagull was elected mayor, what would be their first law?” added humor while exploring leadership and community rules. These ideas carried into Term 3 through campaign posters for King Max and Queen Maxine and civic debates, encouraging students to consider fairness, responsibility, and decision-making.
How did we make the 5 Habits of Learning come alive?
The Five Creative Habits were modelled, explored, and reflected on throughout the term. We used the Wild Things Wheel to link Max’s actions in Where the Wild Things Are to each habit, giving students a playful entry point and shared language for deeper thinking.
Students developed the habits in different ways. Imagination was encouraged through storytelling, visual design, and creative prompts. Persistence grew as students tackled unfamiliar tasks. Discipline was supported through structured reflection. Inquisitiveness came out in inquiry and discussion, especially during the town planner’s visit. Collaboration emerged in group work, gallery walks, debates, and poster creation. We also explored the difference between cooperation and collaboration, highlighting dialogue, feedback, and building ideas together.
Importantly, the habits weren’t just part of the student experience, they were part of ours too. One student observed, “Rebecca is collaborative. She’s all of the habits! She helps us learn and shares new ideas. She and Mr. Henderson ask each other questions—it’s like they’re being inquisitive and collaborative together.”
How did we activate student voice and learner agency?
Student choice was built into every project, allowing students to select presentation formats, working groups, and project directions, giving them real ownership over their learning. For the Corner Stores, each group added a unique creative spin, some inspired by Minecraft, others featuring gardens or a costume box. One group designed a toilet system that turned waste into drinkable water and fertiliser. The project even expanded to include student-led weaving and Chinese language lessons.
This autonomy boosted engagement and pride. When it came time to dismantle the stores, students were disappointed, so we combined elements from each into a shared classroom version. Students rotated managing the store, turning it into a space for collaboration, problem-solving, and real-world learning. As one student said, “That’s how we made our corner store, through teamwork.” It showed how student-led ideas can grow into imaginative, collaborative, and connected projects.
How did you develop creative and critical thinking skills in the students?
We developed students’ creative and critical thinking through open-ended prompts, real-world scenarios, and collaborative tasks that encouraged reasoning, empathy, and creative risk-taking. These activities helped students move beyond surface-level responses to explore narrative, character, and point of view in accessible and imaginative ways.
Collaborative tasks, like the Corner Store project, promoted problem-solving, idea-sharing, and negotiation. Real-world connections allowed students to ask thoughtful questions and apply learning to authentic contexts. Reflection activities, both informal and structured, helped them connect ideas to broader themes and recognise the habits behind their thinking.
As one student said, “I think I’m getting better at being inquisitive and persistent. I ask more questions, and I don’t give up when things are hard.” Mitch also noted, “A lot of their thinking was very concrete initially… but with persistence and using concrete materials and prompts, more creative ideas have started to come through.” These shifts show students engaging more deeply with creative and critical thinking, both in their work and their approach to learning.
How did you link your project to the UN Sustainability goals?
Sustainability was a key theme in our Term 2 project. Students imagined a future South Perth, brainstorming ways to make it environmentally friendly, inclusive, and connected. Their designs included solar panels, ride-sharing systems, community gardens, tech hubs, and even a rooftop dance floor generating energy for a building. These ideas were imaginative while addressing real-world concerns.
Guest speaker Frank inspired much of this thinking, explaining sustainable design and how planning shapes communities. After visiting the South Perth Foreshore, one student noted, “We had to think about animals that used to live there. That was tricky,” showing growing awareness of environmental impact and history.
Recycled materials were used throughout the projects, including 3D towns, maps, and Corner Store models. Even our silliest prompts, like imagining what bins might complain about at night, sparked thoughtful discussions about waste, pollution, and shared spaces.
WHAT WAS THE IMPACT?
Student:
The project had a clear and lasting impact on student confidence, creativity, and collaboration. Students became more confident in sharing ideas and presenting their work, and they showed deeper engagement with concepts like community, sustainability, and leadership. Their creative thinking developed through hands-on activities, peer learning, and opportunities to reflect. One student shared, “We don’t just do normal stuff like spelling and maths, we get to be creative and do hands-on things.” Another said, “When Rebecca gave us prompts and we had a timer outside. At first, I didn’t know how, but we practised, and now I’m getting better.” A third noticed their peer’s growth, saying, “My friend learned how to write prompts. Before he didn’t know, but now he’s really good at them.” These reflections show how students not only developed their own skills but also recognised growth in others, building a classroom culture of creativity and mutual support.
Teacher:
The teacher gained valuable insights into student engagement through creative formats and co-designed sessions that aligned with curriculum goals. The use of the Five Creative Habits helped shift student thinking from concrete to more imaginative and reflective. As Mitch shared, “I’ve seen them being inquisitive, collaborating a lot, and most importantly, showing real persistence.” He also noted the importance of having another lens on the learning, saying, “The kids have loved every session when the Creative Practitioner comes in.”
Creative Practitioner:
This year, my third experience with Creative Schools has challenged and reshaped my understanding of the program. Working with a new age group and teacher reminded me that no two projects are the same, and that the Five Habits of Learning are just as essential for me as they are for the students. I had to let go of strategies that worked in the past, embrace uncertainty and adapt in real time, modelling the habits as much as teaching them. Building rapport with students was one of the most rewarding aspects, deepening my understanding of nurturing creativity in diverse classrooms. More than ever, I see the need to teach creativity and critical thinking intentionally. Creative Schools helps bridge that gap and highlights the value of creativity in education for students, teachers, and schools alike.
School:
Curtin Primary strengthened cross-curricular learning and community connections, with the term’s theme supporting the school’s strategic goals around inquiry and curriculum integration. A whole-school showcase highlighted student voice, creativity, and projects focused on sustainability and civic engagement. Vice Principal Rebecca Reiger-Ross noted, “It fits so well with our school values of being a creative, connected community.”
Reflecting on the broader impact, she said, “Many kids are disengaged and not ready to learn… Creative Schools helps with that and can work within policy.” The program also shaped reporting practices, moving from vague descriptors like “happy” or “improved” to specific observations on “problem-solving, collaboration, and awareness of social justice.” Rebecca emphasised aligning teaching with deeper beliefs: “If we can show that we’re making an impact, that’s where change happens.”
Parents:
Parents engaged meaningfully through the Term 2 end-of-term showcase and the South Perth excursion, where some saw firsthand how students explored community and sustainability through creative learning. These events also provided opportunities to discuss the Creative Schools program with parents. In Term 3, the student-led assembly offered another moment of connection, showcasing students’ civic debates and leadership. With a Term 4 showcase planned, families will have further opportunities to engage with the creative journey and celebrate student growth.
Quotes and Photos
“I love seeing what the kids have been able to produce. It was a bit of a teething process at first to get the creative ideas flowing, but with persistence—and the Five Habits—the students have definitely come through.” Teacher – Mitchell Henderson
Students
If you could teach someone about Creative Schools: “I’d say, ‘Come on—we can learn together!’ I’d teach them how to be imaginative, persistent, and collaborative. Those are the best ones.”
Your strongest habit and one to practise: “I’m good at being imaginative and persistent—I can stick with hard things and come up with ideas. I need to practise being disciplined. I don’t always develop techniques—I sometimes need help. I want to try figuring things out on my own more.”
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