This week, we’ve been going through some terminology that is new to many of our emerging artists. So we thought we would take a few days and explain some of these terms. We work a lot with community-based research and community engaged arts projects, and the terms “co-learning” and “co-creation” are mentioned frequently. Let’s take a look at what those terms actually mean.

Imagine you’re in a classroom. Normally, the teacher teaches, and students listen and learn, right? Well, co-learning is a bit different. It’s like saying, “Hey, teachers can learn from students too!” So, it’s a two-way learning street.

In co-learning, students share their ideas, questions, and experiences with the teacher, and the teacher listens and learns from them. It’s not just the teacher teaching and students listening; it’s everyone learning together.

Now, let’s talk about “co-creation.” This is when everyone in the classroom, including students, teachers, and sometimes even artists, work together like a team to make cool projects. It’s like making something awesome together, like a big art project or a science experiment.

In co-creation, everyone has a say in what the project should be about, how it should be done, and what they want to learn from it. So, it’s not just the teacher deciding everything; it’s everyone’s ideas coming together to create something special.

Now, why is all of this important? Well, it’s because it puts students right at the center of their learning. It says, “Hey, you students are not just passive learners. You are active partners in your own learning adventure!” It’s like giving you a bigger role in how you learn and what you learn.

In really simple terms, co-learning is when teachers and students learn from each other, and co-creation is when everyone, including students, teachers, and sometimes artists, work together to create awesome projects. It’s all about making learning more fun, interactive, and student-centered!