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Developing the Creative Process:
PD Courses for Teachers

Cross - Curricular: Visual Arts, STEM and literacy linked
Interactive: Teachers gain confidence and insight through participation
Accessible: Great for all teachers, no matter their experience or the level they teach
Encourages Critical and Creative Thinking
Develops Key Competencies and Values

Through engaging in the visual arts, students learn how to discern, participate in, and celebrate their own and others’ visual worlds. Visual arts learning begins with children’s curiosity and delight in their senses and stories and extends to communication of complex ideas and concepts. 
(The NZ Curriculum)
Our interactive courses for primary teachers explore ways to teach the visual arts with an emphasis on creative thinking and critical thinking, placing value on the development of a rich creative process as much as the final product.
This learning and approach links with visual arts The New Zealand Curriculum Achievement Objectives, across Learning Areas, the Key Competencies and Values.
Our courses are facilitated by Mandy Jakich. Mandy has taught in Primary and Intermediate schools for more than 20 years, was an Art Educator at Auckland Art Gallery for 4 years, is the Founder and CEO of Creative Matters and is a practising artist.
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Mandy has facilitated courses in schools, at Kohia Centre - University of Auckland, and at Studio One, Toi Tu.
Learning the Creative Process through exploring, experimenting, thinking, reflecting, sharing.
Building skills that encourage children to think creatively, creating works of art that are unique.
Developing strategies for planning & setting up for art to make implementation easy and achievable.
Connecting with others through interactive and practical courses - so therapeutic for your staff!
“Creativity is as important now in education as literacy and we should treat it with the same status.” 
― Sir Ken Robinson

Tania McCorkindale, Year 5/6 teacher Helensville Primary School

Denise Arnold, Year 2/3 teacher
​Waerenga School

Riejke Wilson, Special needs teacher
​Wairau Valley Special School
 Experiencing The Creative Process : PD Courses
Choose from our range of courses or we can customise a course to suit your needs

Are you looking to revitalise your visual arts programme with more of an emphasis on creativity?
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Our courses provide the resources, techniques and motivation to implement creative ideas across the curriculum and encourage creative and critical thinking in your learners.

We will support teachers to create and deliver cross curricular art lessons which encourage creativity, mindfulness and individuality as well as providing opportunities to develop practical knowledge and ideas, communicating and interpreting in the visual arts. 

All of our courses follow the same philosophies, approach and interactive format. We can also customise a course that works for your teachers and your school logistics. Discuss with Mandy the curriculum links, achievement objectives, inquiry or visual arts skills you would like to focus on.

Painting and Colour Making

Teachers will develop practical strategies for setting up, managing and teaching painting and colour making in the classroom through a rich creative process of exploring, experimenting, creating, reflecting and sharing.

Using an Artist for Inspiration

Teachers will develop practical strategies for creatively using an artist as inspiration and a starting point for creative thinking, and experience a series of creative art lessons exploring the themes, styles and techniques of this artist.

Collaborative Art 

Teachers will develop practical strategies for creating collaborative artworks that involve creative and critical thinking and a rich creative process. Perfect for term 1 class building and making connections.
Thank you Mandy for the wonderful art workshop you ran at our school recently.  The teachers were engaged and highly motivated as evidenced by the  way the majority of our staff utilised all they learnt with you  into their classroom programmes immediately. 

They enjoyed the way you delivered your programme, and also the freedom you gave them to be creative while also learning some basic paint techniques. All were impressed with how the session catered for all levels of expertise.  They are looking forward to having another session with you.
Denise Haven, Deputy Principal, Waitakere Primary School
I gained lots of practical ideas, the system to teach confidence - a fantastic course that gave us all valuable knowledge regardless of the age we teach or previous experience.
Wendy Kerrison, Glenavon School
I feel more like an artist now. So many practical ideas to use in a whole lot of art sessions. A really good base to apply for art lessons. It's not just art - it's self-awareness.
Tania McCorkindale from Helensville School​

3 Learning Options 

Over 2 staff meetings at your school 

Splitting the course over two consecutive sessions of two hours works brilliantly - giving us time to refine the learning to suit your needs, for an even richer learning experience on the second session.

At a Teacher Only Day at your school

A 4 hour hands-on PD session is a great addition to a Teacher Only Day, encouraging communication and collaboration as well as the learning of new skills and approaches. 

At Studio One Toi Tu in the holidays 

This is a good option if you are seeking individual or small group PD rather than school wide, held during the holidays. A creative, therapeutic treat!
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