Exploring the co-construction of knowledge in arts education with pre-service primary teachers

This paper reflects on a collaborative learning experience undertaken by third year generalist pre-service primary teachers, in conjunction with a visual art lecturer and a music lecturer. In this course, the students were scalfolded to undertake a project oftheir own designing that incorporated significant arts skills and links to other areas of the curriculum. Students were encouraged both to develop a sense of collegial collaboration and to explore for themselves learning experiences they would wish to foster in their own classrooms by cultivating a spirit of enquiry and risk-taking, by supporting one another's learning through valuing the particular skills, ideas and preferred learning stylels of each group member member, and by critically reflecting on their own learning processes