b'Connections beyond the Classroom Expanding the reach of students communicative capacities beyond the classroom hasvastpotentialinencouragingvisualstorytellingandtheco-constructionofmeaning through artmaking. The process of learning and communicating involves interdependence and connectivity between students and their environments. Thus, when learning experiences are extended beyond the classroom to reflect the needs of local environments, students can build meaningful connections through artmaking that inspires collective transformation (Lawton, 2019). Embracing community connections through visual storytelling can positively impact and alter the dynamics of learning and the ways students communicate their stories and ideas with others. Making these types of connections outside of the classroom yields fresh approaches to artmaking that encourage new ways of viewing the world and participating in social dialog (Schlemmer, 2017). Students also gain understanding and knowledge with and from each other in a caring community which cannot be achieved by isolated learning activities (Kohn, 2015).Likewise,communalartmakingprojectsfosterstudentssenseofself,place,and belonging within the community (Lawton, 2014). Forming a sense of community and collective responsibility helps students to situate themselves in expansive circles of influence and care to improve the experiences and lives of others beyond themselves (Kohn, 2015). The co-creation of visual stories through collaborative artmaking supports students in developing respectandunderstandingofdiversityinreal-worldsettingsandprovidesthemwith opportunities to apply their learning to benefit their local community (Lawton, 2014). Such opportunities encourage students to engage in critical thinking and reflect upon how their experiences inform their understanding of the stories they tell (Hobson et al., 2020).TRENDS 202537'