Education Through Arts

The Arts Learning Area in The Curriculum

Attempting some self portait photography as part of my journey into Photography, 2018

The Australian Curriculum separates the arts learning area into distinct disciplines, or forms: Dance, Drama, Media Arts, Music, and Visual Arts. This separation enables students the opportunity to “create, design, represent, communicate and share their imagined and conceptual ideas, emotion, observations and experiences” across different mediums (ACARA, 2025). The disciplines represent different means by which these opportunities can be expressed, almost as if learning a separate language, with students becoming literate in each medium (Dinham, 2022, p. 31-33). We see examples of this literacy in the curriculum where students practice the technical skills necessary to engage in the mediums of Dance (ACADAM006) and Visual Arts (ACAVAM111) (ACARA, 2025). The disciplines are again separated into “making” and “responding” strands, allowing students to practice both creating and reflecting critically on the arts medium, increasing engagement and resulting in more satisfying arts experiences (Dinham, 2022, p. 19). This making and responding process also encourages students to consider different perspectives or contexts (cultural, historical, social) by which art can be interpreted or explored (ACARA, 2025). Students in years 5-6 might be asked to perform with other students, reviewing and interpreting the meaning of the performance and key events that took place to convey the narrative (ACADRM035) (ACARA, 2025).

The unique structure of each discipline within the curriculum allows each medium to be tailored to students' developmental stages. In Dance, for example, younger students (F-Y2) “become aware of their bodies, learning about body bases, parts and zones used in dance,” whereas older students (Y5-6) “combine movements that use body parts and actions with those involving body zones and bases” (ACARA, 2025). The physical progression of the dance curriculum fosters the development of kinaesthetic intelligence, one of Gardner’s seven Multiple Intelligences (Dinham & Chalk, 2022, p. 66). In contrast to Dance, early primary students in Media Arts focus on becoming aware of how “ideas can be communicated through selecting and organizing elements,” and later primary students (Y5-6) explore “structure, intent, character, and settings by incorporating different perspectives and genre conventions in their compositions” (Australian Curriculum, 2025). Exploring different perspectives and understanding intent in Media Arts composition will enable students to “traverse digital culture with confidence” (Sinclair et al., 2017, p. 129), and develop skills that align with the general capabilities of fostering creative and critical thinking, intercultural understanding, ICT capability as well as personal and social capability (ACARA, 2025). By separating the arts into these five distinct forms, the curriculum fosters both technical skills and literacy in each form as well as providing a mechanism for students to deeply engage in the form through critical reflection across different contexts and perspectives (ACARA, 2025). The multi-strand approach to art provides students arts literacy across forms. Art literacy is achieved by understanding both the language of the form and background knowledge of the form including the social, cultural, and political contexts through which the form is or has been expressed (Dinham, 2022, p. 33). The division of the arts in this manner maximises the potential for learners to engage in, and with, the different forms, contexts, and general curriculum capabilities in the F-10 curriculum.

Why Are the Arts Presented as an Essential Learning Area?

Portrait Photography with a more handsome subject, 2018

The arts are presented as an essential learning area in the curriculum because of the numerous benefits they provide. The rationale in the curriculum gives the following statement, arts “play a major role in the development and expression of cultures and communities, locally, nationally, and globally” (ACARA, 2025). Dinham (2022, p. 3) goes further claiming the arts are integral to human existence stating the arts are “one of three key drivers to the evolution of humankind”. The forms previously discussed offer unique ways for students to communicate with others and experience their world in different contexts (Dinham & Chalk, 2022, p. 33). The skills built by the arts allow students to develop not only technical skills but “collateral benefits” across other areas of the human experience (Winner et al., 2013, p. 20). Cognitively, arts education enhances critical thinking and creativity, general capabilities that are becoming increasingly sought after in the modern world. As children engage in artistic pursuits and education they develop their ability “to pay attention to sensory information” (Dinham & Chalk, 2022, p. 97), this sensory stimulus is a gateway to cognitive development without which, children can be compromised in their ability to learn. Arts-based initiatives such as Singapore’s “School of Arts” have shown the cognitive benefits of an Arts-based curriculum, with 44% of the first cohort graduates scoring in the top 5% of students taking the IB diploma exam (Winner et al., 2013).

The arts foster the social and emotional development of students. Collaborative artistic projects such as a group performance (regardless of discipline) require students to learn to communicate, negotiate and form relationships of trust, offering practical ways of experiencing belonging, being, and becoming (Dinham & Chalk, 2022, p. 128). At the same time, the arts offer a space for children to develop their emotional intelligence through the creation of, and response to different art and art forms. This engagement with art allows children to shift perspective, to a character for example, developing their capacity for empathy (Dinham, 2022, p. 88). The capacity of the curriculum to deliver authentic arts experiences enhances is a well-researched means of enhancing students' social and emotional development (Gibson & Ewing, 2020, p. 5). Culturally, the arts enable students to experience through different contexts in which they can connect to their own culture as well the wider human experience. In one of the most linguistically and culturally diverse nations on earth, it is a necessity that students develop the skills and knowledge to connect with this multicultural society and foster their own sense of identity among it (Sinclair et al., 2017, p. 2). The arts provide a means of intercultural communication and understanding by providing a “means to connect imaginatively with the lived experience of peoples in different kinds of societies past and present” (Sinclair et al., 2017, p. 42). Being exposed to artwork and cultural products from different cultures will also enable students to develop skills and opportunities to connect in an increasingly connected world (Dinham, 2022, p. 89).

Personal Experience with the Arts & Advocating for Arts Education

Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut, the book that changed my course in Life

Up until I was 23 years old, I was not passionate about the arts, other than the music I was listening to at the time. I hadn’t really read a fiction book since I was 14. After arguing with a friend about the point of fictional books and reading he lent me a book called Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut, a science fiction novel about a man-made weapon that has the capacity to bring about the apocalypse. I couldn’t put the book down. I still view that book as a major turning point in my life. I kept reading, mostly science fiction, but I also dove into other areas, like philosophy. Because of this experience and the books that followed I became interested in further education. I left the navy and went to university to study computer science because of the passion that these artistic works had kindled.

For me, art was the missing piece of the puzzle to understand the “why” of education. I was an average student in my schooling years, but I had the capacity to perform well when I had a passion about the subject, that is still true today across all the different facets of my life. Passion is hard to attain in abstract fields like mathematics, but if we understand the why, we can be motivated to understand the how. While I don’t have the fluency or technical skill to look at a painting and analyse what Da Vinci may have felt when he painted the Mona Lisa, or why some people love Pollock, I recognize that the arts have an unparalleled capacity to bring out a subjective passion in people that can inspire them to achieve more. My views on arts education have shifted greatly since my own schooling. Now, as I prepare to become an educator, I recognize the importance of enabling students to express their creativity through, and engage with, the arts. The act of attempting to engage in the arts can at the very least, open one’s mind to different perspectives, or might be enough to keep someone going one more day. At the other end of the scale, art might provide someone the spark that shifts their life in a new direction or creates a great work to further inspire. If Jules Verne had not been such a great artist would von Braun and Tsiolkovsky pursued the dream of sending a man into space? To paraphrase Plutarch, “the mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled”, in my opinion, and experience, nothing can kindle the fire of the mind like art.

My Position on How The Arts Should be Implemented in Primary Learning

Kindling a different kind of fire on the Dampier Peninsula, 2018

The value of arts education in Primary education is undeniable, with 89% of Australians believing the arts are important for children’s education and 2/3rds recognizing the major impact they have on child development (Dinham, 2022, p. 20). Some form of engagement in the arts should take place daily to maximize the benefits across the cognitive, social, cultural, and emotional domains (Winner et al., 2013, p. 20). This engagement does not have to be in a structured ‘Arts Lesson” it could be as simple as starting or ending the day with a short expression of emotion about the day with a technique that has been worked on during more structured arts lessons, from any of the five strands. This exposure allows students to develop their creative thought, connect with their emotional wellbeing, and further enhance and explore their literacy in their chosen medium. Just as reading has been emphasized as a daily activity for children, daily engagement in arts literacy affords students the opportunity to work on the curricular capabilities arts enable, while also developing the cognitive, social, emotional and cultural benefits mentioned previously (Winner et al., 2013, p. 20).

Integration of the arts across other curriculum areas not only benefits a student arts literacy but could act as an amplifier for their understanding of other disciplines. Acting out a historical scene or painting a chemical reaction might allow a student to better connect with that knowledge than reading about it in the relevant textbook, this “blurring” of curriculum boundaries aligns with the interdisciplinary nature of the world beyond school as well as the idea that we integrate knowledge in ways that work for us as individuals (Gibson & Ewing, 2020, p. 36). Keeping this integration of arts playful and authentic and not an ‘assessed part’ of the learning experience would be key, noting that play is the context by which children learn, organize, and make sense of their social worlds (ADGE, 2022, p. 67). Challenges to this approach, include the arts literacy of the teacher, the confidence of the teacher, resources, and the authenticity of the integration (avoiding a “handmaiden” approach or other common pitfalls (Dinham, 2022, p. 51)). Some of these challenges can be overcome by continuing professional development (possibly run by an arts specialist if available). Others may be integrating simple, or recycled materials to overcome resource shortages or using mediums that require few or no resources. Artistic members of the community may also be drawn on to help enable these experiences enabling different perspectives to be explored.

References

(ADGE), Australian Government Department of Education. (2022). Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia (V2.0). In: Australian Government Department of Education for the Ministerial Council.

(ACARA) Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA]. (2025). Australian Curriculum.

Dinham, J. (2022). Delivering Authentic Arts Education. Cengage Learning Australia. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/deakin/detail.action?docID=30550636

Dinham, J., & Chalk, B. (2022). It's Arts Play 2e EB: Young Children Belonging, Being and Becoming Through the Arts. Oxford University Press Australia & New Zealand. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/deakin/detail.action?docID=7018679

Gibson, R., & Ewing, R. (2020). Transforming the curriculum through the arts / Robyn Gibson, Robyn Ewing. In Springer Nature eBook. (2nd 2020. ed.): Palgrave Macmillan.

Sinclair, C., Jeanneret, N., & O'Toole, J. (2017). Education in the Arts 3e. Oxford University Press. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/deakin/detail.action?docID=5199515

Winner, E., Goldstein, T. R., & Vincent-Lancrin, S. (2013). Educational Research and Innovation Art for Art's Sake?: The Impact of Arts Education. OECD Publishing Centre for Educational, Research Innovation. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/deakin/detail.action?docID=1336564

Since moving to Cairns in April last year I’ve become increasingly aware of the importance of the health of the Great Barrier Reef to the region. The Reef is recognized as an iconic world heritage natural wonder, an important cultural and spiritual site for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People, and is also crucial to the North Queensland Economy. Threats to the existence and sustainability of the reef; Climate Change, Coral Bleaching, Water Quality, Invasive Species, and Coastal Development (GBRF, 2025).

The unit of inquiry learning will be centered around the health of the reef and the big idea for the unit will be “How can we protect, sustain, and continue to enjoy the Great Barrier Reef for future generations?”

Inquiry into the health of the reef will provide students with a unique place-based opportunity to explore how place dynamically shapes the people and the people dynamically shape the place (Taylor et al., 2015, p. 224; Gilbert et al., 2019, p. 475). It also provides a theme for students to explore the local issue across multiple perspectives (improving critical and creative thinking skills(Gilbert et al., 2019, p. 476) and it’s connections to global systems such as tourism and climate change (Taylor et al., 2015, p. 270). This inquiry will also allow students to examine the idea of sustainability as a contested notion, looking at the needs and wants of the different groups who live and work with the reef across the socio-cultural, economic, and environmental domains (Gilbert et al., 2019, p.469).

Unit Structure and Inquiry Questions

This inquiry unit could be adapted to different year levels, however would be better suited on the upper primary years (Y5-6). Inquiry questions, formed in partnership with the students could include;

• What is the Great Barrier Reef and why is it so important to people and the planet?
• What are the threats to the health of the reef?
• How do different groups of people use and care for the reef and how has this changed over time?
• Why do people disagree about how we should use the reef?
• How would changes to the reef affect people who live in Cairns? What about people outside of Cairns?
• What can people do locally and globally to help protect the reef?

These questions provide the “focus and direction” (Tudball et al., 2024, p. 102) to encourage students to explore the sustainability of the reef across different perspectives and contexts. The questions, also challenge students to reflect on their own lived experiences of the reef developing a deeper awareness, connection to place, and meaning for both sustainability in general and the sustainability of the reef itself (Gurner et al., 2013). The questions build on each other, with students asked to reflect on their own understandings of the reef before scaffolding the perspective shifts necessary to view the reef across different social, cultural, and economic concepts. This inquiry will offer students an opportunity to explore and reflect critically on the big ideas of the reef through the arts.

Part 2 - Responding to Paul Kelly

Paul Kelly is one of Australia’s most popular and enduring singer songwriters, being active since the 70s. The song was released in 2020 following the bushfire season now known as Black Summer. I selected this artwork because of the odd connection of singing “rock-a-bye baby” to my own children and realizing how strange and unfitting the lyrics are. As a Paul Kelly fan, I’d also advocate for Gravy Day (21st December) being part of the school calendar, but I think school finishes the week prior in most states.

The song is written as a lullaby with a very calming tone. However the lyrics, like the previously mentioned lullaby, aren’t exactly calming when you think about them. The lyrics describe Kelly’s lament of Australia’s inaction on climate change and wider sustainability initiatives. I believe Kelly’s intention here was to use a tragically ironic lullaby to awaken his audience to the very real threats facing our country and world. Kelly lists a number of issues in this song from species extinction (“count down the little things, the insects and birds”), to climate change (“Coz it’s only a matter of degrees”), as well as the acidification of oceans (“with acid seas rising”). Personally, I feel like it’s a haunting song. It’s very easy forget the huge effect that “a couple of degrees” has on the ecosystem; I remember hearing a story of a heatwave in Hopetoun, WA being relayed to me while I was at university, with 47 degree heat causing hundreds of birds to fall out of trees dead. Stories of environmental catastrophe are only becoming more common so Kelly’s lullaby, is a good perspective check on where one’s priorities should sit.

Part 2 - Responding to Alick Tipoti

Alick Tipoti (or Zugub traditionally) is a Torres Strait Islander artist from the Kala Lagaw Ya people. Growing up and being educated in the Torres Strait before attending ANU to study Visual Arts. His artwork explores themes of the Torres Strait Islander connections to sea country, sustainability, and culture across different mediums.

I selected this artwork for the artist’s connection to the subject, the striking visual style, and because it reinforces some of my own opinions about humans and their place. The central image of the artwork, and the only part of the artwork with colour, is a green sea turtle. This turtle is surrounded by other life that may be found in the region including other turtles, lizards, birds, a human, and a wild pig; mostly things that would pose a threat to an egg or young sea turtle. Humans are distinctly shown as part of the natural world of this sea turtle rather than the notion that humans are “given dominion”, or are above, the natural world and its processes. The intention of the work not only shows that people have been a part of this ecosystem for millennia but asks us to view the ecosystem and its processes from the perspective of the turtle. Perhaps this is attempting to mirror the shift in peoples perspectives when it comes to sustainability, recognizing that short term pain may lead to longer term benefits. Sea turtles are one of the animals that come to my mind first when thinking about sustainability and the pollution of the reef, I distinctly remember seeing imagery of turtles with their heads caught in plastic six-pack holders as a child. Beyond all this the artwork also provides some insight into Torres Strait Islander history and culture, the turtle is a source of sustenance not just for humans but the ecosystem as a whole, and the placing of the human within that process as an equal to any other subject in the work.

Part 2 - Making

Concepts

I’d like to focus my artwork on the contentious nature of sustainability, while also attempting to shift the audience’s perspective, or to lead them in one direction and redirect. I believe that the ability to catch people off guard might encourage some reflection on their preconceived ideas. Some initial ideas:

• A digital media piece that displays “the Great Barrier Reef means x” with x rotating through something each user group might say about the reef; tourists, fish, culture, profits, beauty, ideal, etc
• A visual arts piece of a humanized form of the reef with an octopus doctor giving a prognosis along the lines of “I’m sorry but we really need a to build some more high density fish schools to support the growing population”. This could highlight the concern of coastal development affecting the reef.
• A digital media arts piece using a propaganda style poster, or ‘ransom note’ letter talking about invasive species such as the crown of thorns starfish or another threat. This artwork could utilize re-usable materials and may also be repeatable in a classroom setting.

I settled on the third of these based on my limited technical skills in the other forms.

Process:

I decided to go with the invasive species concept and use some WW2 propaganda style imagery that sticks in my mind . Personally the WW2 propaganda connection resonates with me due to my grandfathers’ involvement in the war. Using this as a base I decided to modernize the “poster” give it some animations and audio. I decided based on the crown-of-thorns starfish appearance that an alien-esque theme might work well. I used Canva and signed up for a 30 day trial to access some of the features. I sourced my imagery from open-source or public domain locations and got the audio from the ‘free music archive’.

Statement:

I wanted to subvert the audiences expectations, thinking that this might be an alien style arts piece, revealing the image of the starfish after some typical sci-fi alien invasion style text and sinister music. The invasive starfish works as a metaphor for the otherworldly invader we are all accustomed to from movies and stories, allowing people to make a connection. It invites viewers to consider what a real alien threat might look like. The reveal that these ‘aliens’ are already among us, doing damage to our reef may reveal the urgency of the situation to the viewer. I hope that the piece encourages people to reconsider their perception of what threats to our nation look like. People are often worried about threats to national security, but if a starfish destroys one of our most beloved ecosystems, the damage to the country’s economy and culture may be just as devastating.

Artwork

See artwork here or in files submitted with assignment

Song Attribution

HolzinaCC0 – A Fight in The Dark

Part 3 - Development For Primary Students

The reef and its connections provide plentiful opportunities to explore the key ideas across the Sustainability priority; systems, world views, and futures. The inquiry unit could also be developed to include other areas of the curriculum including the Arts and foundational HaSS ideas, as well as the general capabilities of critical and creative thinking and ethical understanding (ACARA, 2025). Based on the content I would suggest the unit is best aimed at upper primary students, years 5 and 6. The aim of the unit is to foster a critical view on how the reef is used, creative solutions to how it can be protected, and ethical engagement and discussion of how the decisions we make affect the users through a place-based, arts-integrated inquiry approach.

At year 6 the HaSS learning area emphasizes students understanding of concepts such as; continuity and change, cause and effect, interconnections, rights, responsibilities, as well as perspectives and action. By utilising a place-based approach this unit can “enrich and broaden” the students understanding of their social, cultural, and economic connection to the big idea (Preston, 2015). Within the framework of this big idea students can explore these concepts through open questions such as “what is the responsibility of the average person to protect the reef?”, before performing the necessary research, analysis and reflection to find and answer and finally communicate their conclusions in a meaningful way (ACARA, 2025) (ACHASSI122- 133). By engaging the local community students could be exposed to different perspectives through excursion or incursion on answers to their questions from local Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Groups, Tourism Operators, Scientists & Researchers, or government authorities. Students could be given the option to participate in an AuSSI linked project, directly exposing them to sustainability in action and kickstarting their understanding of the later civics and citizenship stream in HaSS (Henderson & Tudball, 2016). A number of curriculum descriptors could be

The five forms of the arts can be integrated with the above ideas across the making and responding strands. Arts can both challenge the preconceived notions of the learners as well as provide opportunities to integrate multiple ways of learning in a complex and contentious learning area such as sustainability (Lehtonen et al., 2020). An example of this in the classroom context may be utilising drama to explore the various stakeholder perspectives on the uses of the reef and how the impacts of decisions may affect them. Alternatively, learners might utilize dance and music to express the perspectives of creatures on the reef affected by decisions that humans have made exploring their bodily-kinaesthetic awareness and embodiment (Sinclair et al., 2017, p105) or utilize a community link to understand the cultural importance of the reef to the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (Sinclair et al., 2017, p. 151). By integrating multiple forms of the arts into the unit we can display to learners that we value different approaches and intelligences in their sustainability education. The sense of place is more than just knowing where you are on a map, there are things that cannot be taught in a traditional intellectual way. By utilizing multiple art perspectives we deepen the learners sense of, and engagement to, their own sense of place as well as encouraging students to protect, care for, and conserve their environment (Everett et al., 2009).

Other curriculum areas that could be developed in this unit include; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures, ethical understanding, and critical and creative thinking. By engaging in the artwork, stories and possible visits from local ATSI peoples, students can begin to understand how the reef was interacted with pre and post European settlement as well as developing an idea of how important sea-country is to these peoples and their individual identities (Tudball et al., 2024p. 399-404). Ethically, this unit almost insists that students engage with diverse perspectives of conflicting reef user groups, challenging students to explore the moral, social, and economic problems, this could be furthered by asking them to make and justify ethical decisions about the future of the reef while reflecting and critiquing the decisions of their peers (ACARA, 2025). In a similar vein, students will be placed in situations in this unit that will require them to utilise the critical and creative thinking skills, exploring the big idea and conflicting perspectives before using their creative thinking skills to propose solutions and create art.

References

• [ACARA] Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2025). Australian Curriculum - Curriculum ID Where citing a specific identifier. In.
• Everett, L., Noone, G., Brooks, M., & Littledyke, R. (2009). Education for Sustainability in primary creative arts education. In M. Littledyke, N. Taylor, & C. Eames (Eds.), Education for sustainability in the primary curriculum: a guide for teachers (1st ed., pp. 180–206). Palgrave Macmillan.
• [GBRF] Great Barrier Reef Foundation. (2025). Threats to the Great Barrier Reef. Retrieved 06/04/2025 from https://www.barrierreef.org/the-reef/threats
• Gilbert, R., Tudball, L., & Brett, P. (2019). Teaching Humanities and Social Sciences. Cengage. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/deakin/detail.action?docID=6135920
• Gurner, E., Garden-Thompson, N., & Carey, M. (2013). Exploring connections to nature and sustainability through a process of experiential arts-based inquiry. Eingana, 36(1).
• Henderson, D. J., & Tudball, E. J. (2016). Democratic and participatory citizenship: youth action for sustainability in Australia. Asian Education and Development Studies, 5(1), 5–19. https://doi.org/10.1108/AEDS-06-2015-0028
• Lehtonen, A., Österlind, E., & Viirret, T. L. (2020). Drama in Education for Sustainability: Becoming Connected through Embodiment. International Journal of Education & the Arts, 21(19), 1–27. https://doi.org/10.26209/ijea21n19
• Preston, L. (2015). The place of place-based education in the Australian primary geography curriculum. Geographical Education (Online), 28, 41–49.
  • HTML version
• Sinclair, C., Jeanneret, N., & O'Toole, J. (2017). Education in the Arts (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/deakin/detail.action?docID=5199515
• Taylor, N., Quinn, F., & Eames, C. (2015). Educating for Sustainability in Primary Schools: Teaching for the Future. Springer. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/deakin/detail.action?docID=2094920
• Tudball, L., Brett, P., & Gilbert, R. (2024). Teaching Humanities and Social Sciences: Teaching and Learning Across Australia. Cengage. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/deakin/detail.action?docID=31743321