An arts-based learning model - Synergies of artist mentorship, ePortfolio and discovering“possible self”

Oct 15, 2026

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An arts-based learning model was implemented in a middle-years regional school in Australia using Aboriginal artist mentorship to co-create original artworks while teaching cultural heritage, symbols, and techniques. Reflective ePortfolio narratives were integrated into the art-making process to help students develop a “possible self” spanning cultural identity and future thinking. School-based applied research used qualitative data, including interviews, observations, student artworks and stories, and companion webpages to evaluate the ePortfolio’s impact. Results showed improved engagement and raised cultural awareness, with implications for transferring the approach to music, dance, and media arts.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction and background

Engagement challenge for Aboriginal students and identity

ePortfolio use and pilot project foundations

Mentored creative arts program and research question

Qualitative evidence and outcomes

An arts-based learning model: Synergies of artist mentorship, ePortfolio and discovering“possible self” Jennifer Rowley1 and Jennifer Munday2 1 Sydney Conservatorium of Music, The University of Sydney, Macquarie Street, Sydney, New South Wales, 2000, [email: jennifer. rowley@sydney.edu.au](email: jennifer. rowley@sydney.edu.au) 2 Faculty of Arts and Education, Charles Sturt University, Elizabeth Mitchell Drive, Albury, New South Wales, 2640, Australia A successful learning model was adopted in a middle-years school in regional Australia, whereby Aboriginal artists are employed to work with students in a mentoring capacity creating original artworks and imparting knowledge of cultural heritage, symbols and techniques. ePortfolio thinking through reflective narratives was added to the art making/learning process, assisting students to establish a sense of possible self, both cultural and future thinking. Described here is school-based applied research where the learning model emerged as researchers collected qualitative data to measure the impact of webpages (the ePortfolio) to the art making. Data include interviews with key stakeholders, classroom observations, student artworks/stories, and webpages accompanying the culminating exhibition. Results showed that student engagement improved and cultural awareness was raised. The implications for pedagogy and practice include transferring the model to music, dance and media arts. Keywords: learning engagement, education equity, digital narratives, creative arts pedagogy, ePortfolio, identity Introduction and background There exists a challenge surrounding engagement for Australian Aboriginal school students and, according to the 2019 Closing the Gap report,“attendance rates fall throughout the secondary grades, declining with increasing year levels”(Commonwealth of Australia, 2019, p. 54) . The report states that a greater awareness of identity and connection to background contributes significantly to Aboriginal students developing a positive sense of a future “possible self”(Bennett et al., 2017) and thus contributes to their learning engagement, health and wellbeing through enabling educational equity. Dreise (2017) paints an optimistic picture for early education of Australian Aboriginal children, with more four-yearolds attending pre-school than ever before, coupled with the warning that “Indigenous children were twice as likely to be developmentally vulnerable on two or more of the AEDC [Australian Early Development Census] developmental domains (physical health and wellbeing; social competence; emotional maturity; language and cognitive skills; and communication skills and general knowledge)”. The progress achieved for early childhood education is tangible and provides a valuable lens to continue an upward trajectory of educational equity. The situation, however, for Aboriginal adolescents at middle-school level has remained unchanged. Therefore, engagement strategies to encourage students to continue their learning become very important in these vulnerable adolescent years. Adolescent students have many needs for continued engagement, including understanding and involvement in learning about themselves, culture and community. The learning model development described in this article assesses the impact of combining creative art practice with ePortfolio thinking and processes to improve school retention, digital literaciesand cultural knowledge for Australian Aboriginal secondary-school students in low socioeconomic status (SES) regional schools. ePortfolios are becoming more widely used as flexible storehouses for students to collect evidence of learning and documentation of achievement. The authors have engaged in two pilot research projects ata middle-years school in rural Victoria, Australia, since 2017. The first pilot project succeeded in adding student webpages, created by the researchers, to the student art making (Munday & Rowley, 2019) . The webpa

FAQs

How does the model use Aboriginal artist mentorship?

Aboriginal artists work with students in a mentoring capacity, creating original artworks and imparting knowledge of cultural heritage, symbols, and techniques.

What role does the ePortfolio play in students’ learning?

Reflective ePortfolio narratives are added to the art-making process, helping students establish a sense of “possible self” that connects cultural identity with future thinking.

What evidence was collected to assess the ePortfolio’s impact?

Researchers collected qualitative data including interviews with stakeholders, classroom observations, student artworks and stories, and webpages supporting the culminating exhibition.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Kurz