Texas public schools have the potential to create art environments that foster imagination and creative expression as students acquire the content of the Art TEKS. Art teachers who actively explore and develop their own ideas of what it means to be creative can, in turn, model their beliefs and practices for their students. The following teaching strategies and suggestions are intended to help students develop their emergent creativity:

The fine arts classroom

• Design art environments with natural light, harmonious colors, and comfortable work areas.
• Create climates that encourage risk-taking and expressive freedom within the structure of the Art TEKS.
• Incorporate a variety of instructional materials into projects. Try to use inexpensive, found, or recycled materials for projects such as making collages.

Creative teaching and learning

• Provide concrete sources of inspiration.
• Include students in class decision-making, giving them opportunities to form and express their own ideas.
• Allow time for students to explore, research, and complete projects. Encourage them to revisit earlier projects and revise original ideas.
• Promote long-term, open-ended projects that utilize collaborative modes of work and study. Encourage students to share and understand each other's perspectives.