Arts-based Teaching: A Pedagogy of Imagination and a Conduit to a Socially Just Education

Abstract

âWhen all is said and done,â contends Hammond (1997), âwhat matters most for studentsâ learning are the commitments and capacities of their teachers.â This paper examines how 53 teachers gained, through arts-based professional development implementations, an understanding of the power of the arts and developed deeper perceptions about student voice and higher-order thinking to provide all children the possibility of success in learning. The writings of the participants were examined using document analysis to determine how the teachers developed an understanding of a pedagogy of social justice, and how the use of arts-based approaches contributed to this perspective.