Peered and tiered learning: action research as creative cultural pedagogy

This article presents and problematizes a peered and tiered model of creative and educational knowledge transfer piloted in Culture Shack, a community-based arts education program in Melbourne, Australia. Drawing on Eisner and Sefton-Green and Soep, I argue the value of this approach as a potential new pedagogical strategy in both secondary learning and teacher education courses, refocused on collaborative and process learning rather than outcome-focused pedagogy and assessment. Because education is a key factor for successful integration of those from refugee-background and emerging communities, self-reliance and creative problem-solving can be enhanced through arts programs such as Culture Shack that increase participation in continuing, collaborative educational pathways. In this paper I argue that this peered and tiered collaborative learning model offers possibilities for working cross-sectorally, interdisciplinarily, and interculturally for effective pedagogical outcomes and for the value of arts-based action research-as-pedagogy.