Model Making provoking school leaders and learning environment designers to increase student agency on every #AISDProud campus at ATX's #ShakeUp!

Hats off to these incredible educators in the Creative Teaching Leadership Pathway! They spent time in their summer thinking about the ways they can amplify student agency and voice through Creative Teaching.

CLI Insigina Reunion was a space of collaboration and joy! So grateful to work along side these amazing people. Pics show us critically thinking through the CLI strategy Line Journey and Avid's Bend the Line.

St. Elmo 4th graders brought the past and the future to life through visits to Mission San José & Tx State University! Thanks to @AustinISD, @CLIAustin, @AustinEdFund (USDE grant & Rep. Doggett) for making this field trip a day to remember! #StElmo_MightyMustangs

"Which object best represents how you engage with new learning?" Honored to present @AISD Talent Strategy's PL Workgroup to think about the multiple ways AISD engages learners!

A teacher smiles while holding a gift thermos labeled Campus Teacher of the Year

Collage of three photos showing a teacher getting hugs, receiving a gift box, and posing with three adults celebrating her award

Put your hands together 👏 for Austin State Hospital's 🌳 Campus Teacher of the Year, Ms. DeMarsh! 💚

CLI Associate Christy Davis & Coordinator Sloan McLain were honored to have the opportunity to deliver goodies, alongside Principal Mills, & celebrate the goodness of Ms. DeMarsh. Congratulations!

A group of adults and students smile while holding swag in a classroom

Four students help their teacher open a gift box labeled Campus Teacher of the Year

Two adults and four students smile at the front of a classroom

Glimmer, glimmer, send some shimmer ✨ to Pickle Elementary's 🐧 Campus Teacher of the Year, Ms. Santos! 🌟

CLI instructional coach Laura Clay was overjoyed to shower Ms. Santos with celebratory gifts and smiles alongside her students, colleagues, and administrators. Congratulations!

Graphic showing a basketball court, ball, and jerseys, reading: Creative Teaching Strategy of the Month. Foundational: Hot Seating. Advanced: Town Hall Meeting.

Three photos, one of 3 adults sitting in a line of chairs answering questions and smiling. And two photos from the same class showing a young student sitting on a stool at the front of a class and acting like a wicked witch.

Hot Seating Directions. Establish the scenario, like a talk show interview or panel discussion with experts. As a class, brainstorm a list of people (real or imagined), places, objects, or concepts from the lesson. Choose 2-3 to be embodied as characters and interviewed in the “hot seat.” Brainstorm and write down as reference a list of strong, open-ended questions for the audience of interviewers to ask the characters. Prompt questions that relate to your learning objective. Ask for volunteers/select who will role-play each character in the hot seat. More than one person can step in as the character. Lead the class in a ritual to step into role as interviewers and experts (e.g., count down from 5). Faciliate an interview with learners in the hot seat by eliciting questions from the audience/interviewers. Require justification of ideas from those in the hot seat and encourage follow-up questions. Close the interview, step out of role, and reflect.

Town Hall Meeting directions: Inform the class that they’re going to investigate or explore a scenario or problem for a community. Ask learners to brainstorm which community members may be impacted by the topic and generate a list of those who might attend a town hall meeting. For each community member, ask what perspectives they might have and why. Each learner chooses a community member or is assigned a role. Decide who will be in favor of or against the issue, ensuring an equal number of people on each side. Ask learners to write down their new name, opinion, and reasoning. Lead the class in a ritual to step into role (e.g., count down from 5). Facilitate the town hall meeting as an assistant to the decision-maker, remaining neutral as community members are encouraged to share their opinions and justifications. Prompt with questions as needed to drive the debate. Reflect on the conversation, first in role and then out of role.

Introduuucing your March Creative Teaching strategies of the month! First up, it's all about the fundamentals: Hot Seating. And your MVP: Town Hall Meeting. Both drama-based strategies use improv & team work to make the dream work!

Austin ISD staff: Find these strategy cards & more @ link in bio

Austin Soundwaves musicians bring early American history to life at Sadler Means YWLA YouTube video by CLI at AISD

Last month, Sadler Means YWLA social studies collaborated with Austin Soundwaves on a one-of-a-kind lesson, adapting the Creative Teaching strategies Soundtrack & Music Supervisor to score presidential precedents. Watch: youtu.be/TKzwnM_-i34 Details: creativelearningatx.wordpress.com/2025/02/25/s...

Four group photos show ballet folklorico dancers outside of the Long Center, company members onstage for a Q&A, a large group of staff from different departments and organizations that planned the event, and the sold out crowd inside The Long Center.

Testimonial from a high school Languages Other Than English Department chair: “For many of our students, this was their very first visit to The Long Center, their first time witnessing a performance of such magnitude, and for some, even their first field trip…. This was more than just a trip; it was an opportunity to broaden their horizons, deepen their appreciation for the arts, and spark a love for culture that will stay with them forever. As we reflect on this incredible opportunity, we are reminded of the power of experiences like these to shape young minds.”

The Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center team led a post-show Q&A, with questions generated by students, and created instructional resources for teachers.

Our tremendous gratitude to district, city, & cultural leaders for your support & investment in arts education and access.

Two photos showing a dancer wearing a deer costume in a backbend under a spotlight, and two dancers, one a charro with a lasso, and the other swinging her skirt, with a mariachi behind them.

Two photos showing a large group of paired ballet folklorico dancers in colorful costumes, with women waving their red skirts, and a mariachi playing behind them.

Thanks to AISD Multilingual Ed for teaming up with us to cover up to 3 buses per attending campus. To Fine Arts for helping us identify grades best served by the opportunity. To teachers, account technicians, administrators, food service staff, and Transportation for ensuring a safe, successful day.

Ballet folklorico dancers in white costumes dance with arms extended while majigangas dance behind them.

Two photos showing a variety of majigangas big and small; all are dancers wearing large papier mache heads depicting a demon, a man and woman, a calaca skeleton figure, and a clown.

5th-12th graders in attendance included dual language, ESL, & LOTE classes, culture clubs, ballet folklórico, & mariachi! Reactions after this world-class, Spanish-language event: Outstanding. Phenomenal. I cried! A long-awaited cultural opportunity. Making a real difference for my students.

Austin ISD schools attend Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernández at The Long Center YouTube video by CLI at AISD

Last week 2,200+ students, staff, & caregivers from 26 Austin ISD schools attended Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernández at The Long Center. Thank you to The Long Center for generously donating all tickets as part of the Long Reach for the Arts program. Take a look!
youtu.be/dL_3oy2oD5M

Photo collage showing Austin ISD arts field trips, professional learning, arts partnerships, with the National Endowment of the Arts logo

“Receiving the National Endowment for the Arts Collective Impact grant represents the highest praise for our work. We receive this honor because we are strategic, inclusive, and impactful, recognizing the power of the arts and creative learning to support academic success, artistic success, and the individual growth of every student in every classroom, in every school in our district. Quote "Special thanks belongs to the community arts organizations, school district leaders, and all the educators in Austin ISD and in arts partners across the city, and the CLI team at MINDPOP and Austin ISD that make the Creative Learning Initiative a powerful part of the way Austin educates our young people.” — Dr. Brent Hasty of MINDPOP

“This award will help the CLI advance and sustain the impacts of Creative Teaching, arts partnership, and arts learning across Austin ISD. Using the arts as a tool for learning, connection, and expression throughout the school day in every subject, PreK-12th grade, engages students cognitively, socially, and emotionally — and it makes learning personal. It invites students to represent and share in community who they are in relationship with their curricula, their peers, and what matters to them as individuals. This is the kind of innovative teaching and learning unique to our district!” — Sloan McLain, Coordinator of Austin ISD's Creative Learning Initiative

Thankful & proud to announce: Austin ISD has been approved to receive a $100,000 Grants for Arts Projects award from the National Endowment of the Arts for the Creative Learning Initiative!

Congrats to all Central TX orgs among this list. Our students are greatly served by your work! bit.ly/3Wf7ylq

Five people smile, laugh, and cover their faces as they react to a photograph of a large manta ray in a classroom

A room full of adults standing and sitting while discussing a piece of art in a classroom

Two pieces of paper divided into grids, containing pencil drawings of story elements

Two banners affixed to a school's exterior brick wall, both representing arts experiences for students

Then we jumped into instructional strategies with Barrington, T. A. Brown, Graham, Hart, Pickle, and Walnut Creek, P.E. & Music teachers from across Austin ISD, & Central Texas arts educators.
📸 #1: TFW the room simultaneously says a photo reminds them of JAWS! (apologies to the gentle ray 🙂)

Creative Teaching Testimonial from Austin ISD Elementary Math Interventionist YouTube video by CLI at AISD

As a welcome to Monday’s professional learning (PL) with Northeast elementaries, Ms. Holub shared this awesome testimonial about Creative Teaching and her students, as a PPfT Leadership Pathway participant & math interventionist for our PL host Walnut Creek. Take a listen! youtu.be/IhgNRtrzxBA

Creative Teaching Strategy of the Month. Foundational: Visual Brainstorming. Advanced: Idea & Movement.

Visual Brainstorming Directions. Have learners fold a piece of paper into 2 rows, 4 boxes/columns per row. Ask open-ended questions to activate prior knowledge. Give learners a prompt related to the curricular focus to sketch the 1st row of boxes. Have learners sketch 1 idea per box (30-90 seconds to sketch per box). Keep learners focused on 1 box at a time. Facilitate a quick share (among partners, tables, or whole group) for this 1st row of boxes. Have learners select 1 idea from their 1st row; this becomes their brainstorming focus for the 2nd row. Give a prompt asking learners to dig deeper into their selection. Then ask learners to sketch their thinking, one box at a time, in this 2nd row. Facilitate reflection with open-ended questions.

Idea and Movement Directions. Have learners think about movement as a tool for representing their understanding of a topic. Ask open-ended questions to activate prior knowledge. Have learners create several drafts of movements to represent the content. For each draft, ask learners to reflect silently about how their choices represent their thinking. Use an element of dance (B.A.S.T.E.) to help learners explore and represent their thinking in new ways. After creating the drafts, ask learners to choose a “working draft” movement with a beginning, middle, and end to represent their thinking. Share movements as a class, spotlighting to observe and reflect.

Three photos. Two of visual brainstorms (pen/pencil on paper) and one of a large group of people extending their arms and legs as they learn movement vocabulary

Happy new year, Austin ISD! To kick off 2025 & support multimodal learning in January, try Visual Brainstorming or Idea & Movement with your learners.

Resources for these & all Creative Teaching strategies are in the CLI tile in the Austin ISD portal. Looking forward to collaborating in '25!

Bookkeeper & Arts Partner Breakfast Mixer Graphic: Creative Learning Initiative Austin logo and drawing of tacos

Arts partners & CLI campus account techs & bookkeepers: Join us Wednesday Jan. 15, 9:30-10:30am for a mixer! Come build relationships & share/learn about programs & events for this spring & beyond. Breakfast provided by MINDPOP. Other available & interested campus staff welcome!

RSVP links in bio.

Photo of an assemblage of acorns, sticks, and leaves, arranged on a table to form physical models or representations of thoughts and ideas

Photo of a collection of several pieces of paper, taped together to form an incline

Model Making Directions. Brainstorm symbols and examples with the class in connection to a curricular topic (e.g., vocabulary word, historic event, math concept, scientific process, main idea). Introduce material to be used as art medium (e.g., foil, clay, newspaper, construction paper). Demonstrate how the medium can be manipulated to create a sculpture. Give learners time to explore and practice using their medium. Offer creative constraints (e.g., time limit) and a prompt to initiate the meaningful instructional task to be completed by making models. Then have students create models. Spotlight 1-2 models and reflect as a class. Repeat #4 with a second prompt, expanding on the first. Facilitate a gallery walk to view and reflect.

Curate a Collection Directions. Discuss what “curate” means with the class. Provide a prompt asking students to curate a collection of objects (can include models/ artwork already made by class) related to the curricular topic. Ask open-ended questions to activate prior knowledge about the topic. Record responses for groups’ reference. Divide learners into small groups. Assign a display format (e.g., 2D or 3D) for their collection. Ask learners to curate objects into multiple categories according to the prompt, intentionally selecting and arranging items in a way that communicates their response to the prompt. Reflect as a group. Give learners more criteria that you or they choose, and have learners curate a second collection. Facilitate a gallery walk to reflect.

Welcome back, Austin ISD! In December, we invite you to try Model Making with your learners, then build to Curate a Collection. Our complete Strategy of the Month calendar is on our staff resource hub (via the CLI tile), with suggested pacing for implementing Creative Teaching strategies.

A boy adds his tinfoil model to the community art installation

Photo showing two hands placing a tinfoil crown on top of a tinfoil human figure, representing the book The Westing Game

8 handwritten pages listing songs that relate to literary genres Nonfiction, Mystery, Drama, Fantasy, and Horror

Three adults smile at a space-themed art installation and time capsule, two holding astronaut props

Here's a sampling of contributions to our community art installation & playlists! We also visited Blackshear Elementary for Little East, an out-of-this-world display of the power of arts ed, showcasing the myriad arts opportunities students receive due to committed staff, the PTA, & arts partners.

Dozens of children and adults making art under the festival tent

Teens and adults participate in arts activities at different tables

Two teen volunteers sit onstage at a table with mics while an adult asks them questions for an improv activity

A teen dressed in a medieval knight costume sits at a table answering questions as the Fantasy genre

On Saturday, we had a blast repping CLI and Austin ISD at Texas Book Festival's teen tent, thanks to an invite from Anderson and LASA High Schools' librarians. Dozens of festival-goers joined us for literary-themed activities, adapted from our instructional strategies.

Graphic featuring Texas Book Festival, Austin ISD, and Creative Learning Initiative logos. Reads Join us at the Camp Texas Teen Book Festival Tent, Saturday Nov. 16, 11-11:45 am

We'll be at the Texas Book Festival tomorrow morning with literary-themed arts activities for teens — stop by and see us at the Camp TTBF tent! texasbookfestival.org/schedule/imp...

Lit Crawl: Your Saturday Night Just Got Booked 21+ programming includes Banned Book Bash, Black Women Writers Showcase

At the Texas Book Festival Lit Crawl, there will be a Banned Book Bash, Black Women Writers Showcase, and more for the over-21 crowd.