The teaching and learning of Arts
We believe the Arts is important because:
- it gives a students the chance learn and to express ideas, thoughts and feelings in visual, auditory and kinaesthetic forms
- artistic observation heightens perception
- knowledge of how the work of a range of artists, craftspeople and designers contributes to cultural awareness and understanding
- we recognise that the Arts learning essentials are an important part of the Queensland curriculum
Strategies for the teaching of Art and Design
Our principal aim is to develop the student's knowledge, skills and understanding in the Arts. We ensure that the act of investigating and making something includes exploring and developing ideas, and evaluating and developing work. We do this best through a mixture of whole-class teaching and individual/group activities. Teachers draw attention to good examples of individual performance as models for the other children. They encourage students to evaluate their own ideas and methods, the work of others and what they think and feel about them. We give the students the opportunity within lessons to work on their own, and collaborate with others, on projects in two and three dimensions, and on different scales. Students also have the opportunity to use a wide range of materials and resources, including ICT. We recognise the fact that we have students of differing ability in all our classes, and so we provide suitable learning opportunities for all students by matching the challenge of the task to the ability of the student. We achieve this through a range of strategies:
- setting common tasks that are open-ended and can have a variety of responses
- setting tasks of increasing difficulty where not all children complete the tasks
- grouping students by ability and setting different tasks for each group
- providing a range of challenges with different resources
- using additional adults to support the work of individual students or small groups.
Teaching Art and Design to children with Special Educational Needs
We teach the Arts to all our students, whatever their ability. The Arts forms part of our school policy to provide a broad and balanced education for all students. Our teachers provide learning opportunities that are matched to the needs of students with learning difficulties. Pupils with special needs are often able to develop confidence and express their feelings in Art. Pupils with learning difficulties may find opportunities to excel in this area. Those with particular ability and flair for Art are extended through the use of more advanced techniques and materials.
Art and Design curriculum planning
We carry out the curriculum planning in the Arts in three phases; long-term, medium-term and short-term. Our long-term plan, maps out the themes covered in each term during the key stage. Our Head of Curriculum works this out in conjunction with teaching colleagues in each year level. Our medium-term plans give details of each unit of work for each term. These plans define what we will teach and ensure an appropriate balance and distribution of work across each term. The classroom teachers are responsible for keeping and reviewing these plans and ensure a balance of work in various media and skills over the key stage. Teachers in each year level complete a weekly (short-term) plan for each of the Arts disciplines, specific essential learnings. We plan the activities in the Arts so that they build upon the prior learning of the students. While we give students of all abilities and opportunity to develop their skills, knowledge and understanding, we also build planned progression into the scheme of work so that there is an increasing challenge for the students as they move up through the school.
Information and Communication Technology
We use ICT to support Art and Design teaching when appropriate. Students use computer graphics and related software in their own work, and CD ROMS and the Internet to research Art history and famous artists and designers. Visual information can be collected by using digital and video cameras.
Resources
We have a wide range of resources to support teaching of the Arts across the school. All our classrooms have a range of basic resources and specialised equipment for example a digital camera per year level. A range of card, display paper, and a range of art materials are kept in the art store rooms. There is a selection of art reference books in the library for use by teachers and students. We have a Blue room for film and photography and a hall for drama and performances. Also, our music room has a variety of instruments.
Health and safety
Class teachers are responsible for the safe storage and use of tools and materials in their own classrooms. The Art co-ordinator is responsible for the ordering and distributing of art materials, including storage and maintenance of tools in shared areas.
Assessing and Reporting
We assess the student's work in the Arts whilst observing them during lessons, by evaluating the finished product and through discussion of pupil opinions/choices. Teachers record the progress made by each student against the Essential Leanings for their lessons. The teacher makes an assessment of progress for each student as part of the students report to parents. We pass this information on to the next teacher at the end of each year.
Monitoring and Review
The monitoring of the standards of student's work is the responsibility of the classroom teacher. The work of the Arts co-ordinator also involves supporting colleagues in the teaching of the Arts, being informed about current developments in the subject, and providing a strategic lead and direction for the subject in the school.
The role of the Art and Design co-ordinator
The role of the Arts co-ordinator is to:
- inspire an enthusiasm for the subject and advise staff when necessary
- ensure continuity of progression in work across the key stage and coverage of the Queensland Curriculum, assessment and reporting framework
- write and evaluate an annual action plan as part of yearly documentation
- monitor the schemes of work to ensure progression and continuity in art throughout the school
- act in an advisory capacity and encourage “good practice”
- promote ICT in the subject
- manage a budget, ordering and maintaining all art materials used in school in consultation with other members of staff
- develop a common approach to assessment of the subject
- liaise with year prep to seven classroom teachers as necessary
- take the lead in policy development and update the policy when required
Each arts subject is timetabled weekly for art, media, drama, visual art and dance. Music is undertaken by a specialist teacher on a weekly basis in addition to this. We are able to cater to all learning styles of our students when teaching the arts. The Auditory, Visual and Kinesthetic approach to teaching and learning is fundamental in all our curriculum areas. The classroom teacher will use a variety of strategies to teach the arts from the use of ICT, artists in residence, workshops in school by visiting teachers, practical work, practice of basic skills, first-hand experience and investigation of open-ended activities. We are committed to Partnership with our community through the Logan Art Gallery, KITE, and artists in our local community. Also we value the up-skilling of our teaching staff through professional Development.
Assessment
Assessment should:
- show that the programme reflects a balance of the strands where relevant
- be related to the achievement objectives
- be integral to the action/reflection cycle, as stated in the curriculum
- improve student learning by providing opportunities for regular feed-forward and feedback, using the language of the arts
- use specific learning outcomes and clearly understood expectations for achievement
- provide assessment information that can be formative and summative, qualitative and quantitative, written and verbal, and formal and informal
- be regularly documented in accordance with the requirements of the curriculum to monitor progress and achievement
- be integrated with students’ self-evaluation and guided peer evaluation
- should include the assessable elements knowledge and understanding, creating, presenting, responding and reflecting
- inform parents/caregivers of their child’s progress and achievement.
Note:
It is not necessary to assess all leaning essentials on all the strands in a unit of work.
Evidence:
Evidence of students’ progress used for assessment could include live presentations, exhibitions, work in progress, portfolios, digital portfolios, workbooks, journals, audio and video recordings, and school website documentation.
Evidence example – Portfolios:
The portfolio method gives students opportunities to demonstrate and evaluate their developing skills, knowledge, attitudes, and understandings in the arts. Through the process of developing a portfolio, the student can demonstrate:
- the ability to negotiate an agreed assessment criteria with the teacher (which is agreed during teacher-student conferencing)
- the ability to communicate and demonstrate their own art-making processes, involving the use of essential skills as listed in the curriculum statement (such as problem solving and decision making)
- self-evaluation skills
- evidence of student reflection on their own leadership in relation to the assessment criteria.
Arts and the community
Practicing artists can support and enhance the arts programmes and provide a wide range of models. The school will offer opportunities for students to experience interactions with visiting or touring artists, arts organisations, and arts makers with high artistic standards (Logan Art Gallery and QPAC -KITE)
However, such artists cannot replace a teacher, or deliver teaching programmes, unless they have teacher registration.
Date policy agreed:
Principal’s signature:
Board of Trustees (Chair) signature:
Review
When the curriculum area is reviewed nationally, this policy must also be reviewed in order to assess the extent to which the policy has been successfully implemented, and to update it in line with any national policy or curriculum changes.
Review date: