Cultivating Creativity: Best Practices for the Art Classroom

I can say with complete confidence that since completing my Masters, I feel I am a much better teacher. I finished my first Masters degree in 2018 while I was living out west in a small rural community. I had a lot of spare time on my hands, and I found that the research and literature I was engaging with could be put directly into practice in my classroom. Behaviour management wasn’t really an issue at this school, so I had the space to really experiment with my teaching style, testing new techniques and ideas that I was learning through my studies.

When I returned to Brisbane, these skills felt more deeply embedded, and the transition between a small rural school and a large metropolitan school felt far easier than I expected. Through this study, I was able to understand students better, understand methods and pedagogies that allow for stronger student support, and recognise best practices that have been proven through data and research.

Now that I am completing my second Masters degree in research, I feel excited by the idea that one day what I write, and the research and literature I produce, might influence someone in the same way that research influenced me.

So what exactly has doing two Masters degrees done for my teaching?

Firstly, I have learned so much more about the young people I teach. Through my interest in adolescent mental health, I have learned about triggers, circumstances, cause and effect, and how young people’s brains operate. Even though I am no medical professional, it has been incredibly interesting to learn more about the teenage brain. Understanding this helps me to better interpret what is happening in my classroom, and it certainly supports the way I approach behaviour management.

I have also been able to really see how valuable my role is as an Arts teacher. Over the years I have witnessed the undervalued perceptions that Arts teachers often face, but I have also seen the rich benefits that arts-based learning provides for young people.

When people used to say, “Oh, I bet you just paint all day,” I used to get really riled up. These days I tend to just internally groan and move on. It doesn’t affect me in the same way anymore, because I know the research. I know the data. I know that what I do is valuable. The environment and creative space I build for my students is enriching. My classroom is not a place where students sit in a constant state of alert or threat. Instead, they feel safe. They feel comfortable to explore ideas, take creative risks, and feel that what they do in art matters.

Because it does.

As I work further into completing my second Masters degree, I have also been able to look more closely at how Arts teachers themselves are affected in their work, focusing on those whose impact on students can be so pivotal. I have really enjoyed that my studies have allowed me to explore both sides of education: the students we teach, and the teachers who work alongside me every day.

My hope is that moving into the PhD stage of my journey will allow me to contribute more directly to the literature and lead research that continues to demonstrate just how valuable the arts are in education. Not just for arts students, but for the teachers who dedicate their lives to this work.