Teaching Art Creatively (Learning to Teach in the Primary School Series)

Teaching Art Creatively is packed with ideas and inspiration to enrich teachers' knowledge and understanding of art and design in the primary classroom. It synthesises the philosophical and practical elements of teaching, encouraging a move away from traditional didactic approaches to contemporary classroom pedagogies to develop children’s creative potential.

With an emphasis on recognising the value of children’s art and how to support children’s creative and artistic processes, key topics explored include

• improving your own creativity, competence and confidence
• helping children become independent artists
• starting points and imaginative contexts for art and design
• individual, group and whole class work
• art inside and outside the classroom
• how to develop visual literacy
• the value of working alongside artists
• the contribution of art and design to children’s overall creative development

Teaching Art Creatively offers a new model of visual arts education in the primary years. Illustrated throughout with examples of exciting projects, children’s work and case studies of good practice, it will be essential reading for every professional who wishes to embed creative approaches to teaching in their classroom.

Penny Hay is an artist, educator and researcher; Reader in Creative Teaching and Learning, Senior Lecturer in Arts Education and Research Fellow at the Centre for Cultural and Creative Industries, Bath Spa University; and Director of Research, House of Imagination. Penny’s PhD, awarded in 2018, focused on children’s learning identity as artists.