KITE
Nurturing Agility and Risk-Taking through Creativity
The imagination is the medium of appreciation in every field. The engagement of the imagination is the only thing that makes any activity more than mechanical.
- John Dewey
The 20th-century education reformer and psychologist John Dewey captured a fundamental connection between creativity and learning. Writing during the increasingly “mechanical” late-Industrial age, Dewey identified the human imagination as the catalyst for critical thinking and innovation across “every field.” With the rise of AI transforming the pace and accuracy with which we receive, interpret, and disseminate information, imagination remains a crucial human faculty - one that enables us to innovate and critically interrogate ideas.
To honour the value of creative and playful learning, Term 3’s Staff Development Day was facilitated in-house and focused on nurturing risk-taking and agility through artistic exploration. Led by Gene Clark (Director of Music), Drew Bickford (Head of Visual Arts), and Lisa Moir (Head of Drama), in collaboration with facilitators Greta Beaumont (Head of English), Kelly Young (Acting Head of Drama), and Anna Goodman (Year 4 Teacher), the day was designed to reconnect teachers with the lived experience of creativity. Teachers engaged in mini-workshops that explored critical thinking through music, drama, and visual art, underpinned by principles of play-based learning that prioritise curiosity and student-led meaning-making.
We also welcomed back our newest Project Zero Classroom graduates following their completion of the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s intensive program. We congratulate Helen Maynard, Rebecca Grose, Benjamin Farr, Henry Clark, Dan Lin, and Anna Koutsoukis on their participation in this internationally regarded program, which supports our ongoing cultivation of a culture of thinking. In addition, we again commend our Director of Curriculum – Junior School, Ky-Lee Murphy, for proudly representing Kambala at the International Coalition of Girls’ Schools (ICGS) Conference in Philadelphia.
By combining explicit teaching strategies with innovative practice, we reaffirm our commitment to educational excellence at Kambala and ensure that “any activity” serves a meaningful purpose for our students.
Ms Lauren Walsh
Executive Director - Professional Practice and Learning Culture (KITE)
