How did we make the curriculum come alive?
We connected the topic of algebra to real world issues around food and hunger. So a or b as unknown quantities, would stand in for how much a certain supermarket wasted versus another one for example.
How did we make the 5 Habits of Learning come alive?
The 5 habits quickly became part of the classroom language. Half way through the program one student said: “I’m disciplined. I reflect on things in maths. If I don’t get a good grade, I take Ms Ritchie’s feedback and reflect on it. I also develop new techniques”, showing that they understood the more nuanced definition of discipline we were using. Because we were in a high school and the classes were 60 minutes, we opted for a 5 minute weekly reflection - adding coloured sand to a jar and tracking which habits we were using regularly. 2-3 students each week would name a habit and describe how we had used it and then would come up and add a layer of the corresponding coloured sand to the jar. Over two terms we ended up filling the jar with a rainbow of creative habits. This also allowed us to easily see where we were doing less of one habit and adjust accordingly.
How did we activate student voice and learner agency?
We created exercises that allowed students to do maths differently, for example in one class where we made tape art across the floor of the library (mathematically this was about using our bodies (e.g. a known length of one of their feet) to estimate length of the shapes used in the tape art. This meant the students could participate in designing the examples they were using to learn the maths topic, in this case measurement.
How did you develop creative and critical thinking skills in the students?
By giving them permission to imagine, or asking them questions that are out of the realm of possibility – e.g. if specific fractions were animals what would be they be and why? – got their creative juices flowing. Sometimes permission to be creative is all that is needed. The reflections helped them think critically about what they were doing.
What was the impact?
Students: The students understood the connection of maths to multiple different areas such as social issues (food insecurity) organisational tasks (managing food waste/farming) and animation and media arts. Two students reflected at the showcase that even though maths often seemed really abstract, they thought it was more important now than they did before. Another said: “We are learning about world hunger and how to cook during Maths which is cool.”
Teacher: Jasmine observed that students were out of their seats and saw how this impacted the student’s behaviour and attention.
Creative: Andrea gained a huge appreciation for teaching at this level and the challenges of using digital media to engage kids.
School: Piara Waters is a new school - it’s still under construction! We got to use and activate the amazing library space, and the area directly outside the classroom to break out when we needed more space. Doing a media project also inadvertently allowed us to test some of the digital pipelines that are in place (between students>teacher>artist) and were able to give feedback on what worked and what didn’t to the school.
Parents: Parents were made aware of our project through the kids. Some of the kids won stickers to take home to identify the food that needed eating in the fridge first, and they were involved in helping the students select appropriate food donations.
Local charity: We engaged with OzHarvest and ran a food drive so we could make a large food donation to them and support local WA people experiencing food insecurity.
Quotes
“The Creative Schools model of learning is fantastic. What I took away from the professional learning is that it's not about teachers being creative in their teaching—it's about teaching students how to be creative. Of course, we as teachers are naturally creative, and Jasmine is especially creative, so creativity is something that comes naturally to many of us. That’s probably what attracted us to being part of this in the first place. But what we keep reminding ourselves is that we’re not just being creative—we’re teaching creativity. We’re helping students become creative thinkers and creative spirits. Creative Schools supports real-life learning. We're not just teaching within the walls of the classroom—we’re using surveys, reaching out to the community, connecting with different people, and evaluating their input. It extends learning beyond the classroom and gives it real meaning. It has genuine benefits for students—it builds their confidence and gives weight to their voices and opinions. That’s important, because they are our future. They are the future leaders. We need to be in this fully, to support them properly, because they will be leading us one day.” (Rebecca McClelland, Creative Schools Coordinator/Head of HASS)
“I'm really enjoying Creative Schools. It has definitely been a challenge balancing time for creativity with delivering the curriculum and balancing the needs of high achievers with those who struggle with the concepts. Some students take a while to make the connection. Andrea and I have been looking at differentiation for both extension students and those with academic challenges. Our academic extension kids sometimes struggle with the loss of structure—they tend to do nothing—so we need to provide some extra creative activities for them during the sessions. We’re trying to find ways to integrate more structure, like providing short, achievable goals that are broken down into smaller chunks. Using OneNote more could also help, so students can keep referencing the material as they go.” (Jasmine Ritchie, Teacher)
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