Rate My Professor Clare Britt

Dr Clare Britt is an Honorary Lecturer in the Macquarie School of Education within the Faculty of Arts at Macquarie University. She previously served as Lecturer in Early Childhood/Primary Creative Arts (Visual Arts) in the Department of Educational Studies. Britt taught units such as ECH319 The Arts in Education and ECH454 Creativity and the Arts. Her PhD thesis, 'Hopeful lines of flight: possibilities for reimagining pedagogy in the early years of primary school in Australia' (Charles Sturt University, 2019), examined innovative approaches to pedagogy in early primary settings. She holds a Graduate Diploma in Education (Early Childhood) from Macquarie University (2002) and a Bachelor of Arts (Fine Arts and Literature) from the University of Sydney (1997).

Britt specializes in early childhood education from birth to 8 years, with a focus on creative approaches to pedagogy, young children's engagement with contemporary art, and meaning-making in aesthetic experiences. She co-led the Art & Wonder project, collaborating with the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Macquarie University's Mia Mia Child and Family Study Centre, and Blacktown City Council early learning centres. This initiative explored how children as young as 11 months interact with contemporary artworks, informing the co-authored book Art & Wonder: Young Children and Contemporary Art (2021, with Amanda Palmer and contributions from Wendy Shepherd, Janet Robertson, Belinda Davis, Nicole Barakat, Cara MacLeod, and Brook Morgan). Key publications also include Unearthing Why: Stories of Thinking and Learning with Children (2020, co-authored with Jill MacLachlan); 'Early years, art learning, and museums: principles and practices' (2019, International Art in Early Childhood Research Journal, co-authored); 'Dancing with Pipilotti: Young Children’s Encounters with Contemporary Art' (2018); 'Within the Borderlands: Beginning Early Childhood Teachers in Primary Schools' (2003, lead article, Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, co-authored with Jennifer Sumsion); 'Pedagogical Armatures: Making Visible the Strengths of Relational Connectedness' (2024); and book chapters such as 'Complexity theory, early childhood development and social justice: Creating a space for children's voices' (2013). Her research highlights children's profound, embodied engagements with art, supporting creative learning, literacy, school readiness, and well-being.