University of Tasmania, Australia

Curious Schools is an online project and exhibition to make creativity in schools more visible. The aim of the project is to support innovative and creative teaching across Tasmania. 

• What makes teachers curious about their own work?

• How does that curiosity become quality teaching that can support students’ academic, personal and social development?

"These are the questions we’re curious about and want to support teachers to investigate and to share with others.”
- Dr Mary Ann Hunter, Curious School project coordinator

The launch event

• Multi-media showcase and exhibition of the work of the participating Curious Schools’ teachers, artists, and students.
• Public forum on curiosity and creative learning hosted by the UTAS Faculty of Education’s Creativity and Arts Teaching and Research Group with participating teachers and artists from the Curious Schools project.
• This is a free event.
  

More about the Curious Schools project

“While there is so much focus on children completing national tests this week, it’s really important to remember that schools should actually be curious and creative places to be”, says Dr Mary Ann Hunter, Senior Lecturer in Arts Education and coordinator of the Curious Schools project. 

Last year, Dr Hunter worked closely with visiting Fulbright Senior Specialist, Arnold Aprill, and UTAS Education postgraduate Sherridan Emery, visiting schools to find out what teachers and artists were doing creatively in their everyday work with children.  What they saw was quality learning across a range of curriculum areas, and a face of education that the public rarely see. 

“The stories that the teachers shared of their students’ total engagement and new understandings about themselves and the world around them through arts-based teaching were actually very moving”, says Ms Emery.

Motivated by this, Dr Hunter and Ms Emery developed the Curious Schools Project in partnership with Mr Aprill who is the Founder of Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education (CAPE), a world-renowned professional learning organization for teachers. 

The aim of the project is to document and further support innovative and creative teaching across Tasmania.  “What makes teachers curious about their own work? How does that curiosity become quality teaching that can support students’ academic, personal and social development? These are the questions we’re curious about and want to support teachers to investigate and to share with others,” says Dr Hunter.

The Curious Schools project is now an international partnership between the University of Tasmania and CAPE, with eight Tasmanian schools and early childhood education services participating in this year’s pilot project.