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ART
NSEAD The Gatehouse, Corsham Court
Corsham, Wiltshire SN13 0BZ
T: 01249 714825 F: 01249 716138
www.nsead.org ISSN 1479-0459
Number 2, 2003 £5.00
ST
THE NEW MAGAZINE FOR PRIMARY AND PRE-SCHOOL
TEACHERS OF ART, CRAFT AND DESIGN
In this issue of START…
Charles Clarke on creativity
Designs on Georgia O’Keeffe
Cross-curricular initiatives
Artists in Residence
Subject Leaders’ Handbook
Poussin poster
New resources
NEWS•REVIEWS•GOOD PRACTICE•LESSON PLANNING•FREE POSTERS•RESOURCES•LISTINGS
ABOUT NSEAD
START is published by the National Society
for Education in Art & Design (NSEAD)
with the support of the Arts Council of England
The NSEAD is the leading UK authority concerned
with art, craft and design education and promotes
and represents art and design in all phases of
education throughout the UK.
A professional association with active membership
among art and design teachers and lecturers in
the UK, the NSEAD is also a leading provider of
in-service education, on-line and other publications
for art and design education – visit www.nsead.org
for more information.
UNITS OF WORK
Early subscribers to START receive a year’s free on-line
access to over 300 units of art, craft and design work
on the NSEAD’s website.
How to access art lessons and art
projects on-line
The National Society for Education in Art &
Design ‘Units of Work’ database has about
300 units of work that can be accessed
free of charge by subscribers to START
magazine – there should be something
there to surprise and inspire you. The units
have been written by some of the UK’s
leading art educators and include art
projects, art lessons and descriptions of
classroom and art room teaching
strategies, for children, pupils and
students from 3-18 years old. However
most of the units are easily adapted for
use by a wider age range.
The Society is always keen to receive new
ideas to add to the existing units – if you
have a lesson you are particularly pleased
with, please write it up in a similar format
and e-mail it, together with one or two
examples of your children’s work to
[email protected]
You can simply browse through the units
or search them by using keywords such
as artists’ names, themes or techniques.
Alternatively, you can search for age range,
particular media and processes, and the
elements such as shape, form, colour,
tone, and texture.
To access the Units of Work you should
go to www.nsead.org and then click on
‘Site Map’ followed by ‘Units of Work’.
To go directly to the Units of Work go to:
www.nsead.org/units/index.asp
To subscribe to START to receive your personal
copy call 01249 714825 or photocopy and
complete the subscription form at the back of
the magazine.
You will be asked to log-in and should do
so using the username jade309 and the
password arted. If the search dialogue box
does not appear after logging in, click
‘Refresh’.
THE NEW MAGAZINE FOR PRIMARY AND PRE-SCHOOL TEACHERS OF ART, CRAFT & DESIGN
01
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START
Number 2, 2003
CONTENTS
Page 2
Let There Be… Creativity
Secretary of State, Charles Clarke
shares his views
Charles Clarke on creativity
Georgia O’Keeffe: ideas
Page 3
Page 6
Page 4
START news, Artworks Awards, Artsmark
Page 6
Hands on in the Classroom
Michele Claire Kitto with ideas based
on the work of Georgia O’Keeffe
Page 8
Drawing on Experience
New resources intended to help you
in the classroom
Poussin Poster
Quite Specific Results
Insert
Page 19
From the editor
Well, here is the second edition of START. Thank you for the many messages of support and
congratulations that we have received. We really do welcome your feedback and ideas for future
issues of the magazine.
We knew the arrival of START was timely and this was underlined in June at a major press
conference called ‘Collaborate, Create, Educate’ jointly organised by the DfES and the
Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The key message at the conference was that creativity,
imagination and innovative thinking should be at the heart of children’s experience at school.
Taking this message a stage further, we are delighted to lead with an article on page 2 from
the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, Charles Clarke, in which he shares his views
on the importance of creativity in education. Let’s hope this government enthusiasm leads to
some real results in schools.
If you’re looking for inspiration then we think you’ll find something in this edition. There is the
great Poussin poster with teaching notes and ideas from Dulwich Picture Gallery. Then, in
‘Hands on in the Classroom’, on page 6, there are ideas for projects and lessons based on the
work of American artist, Georgia O’Keeffe and we have articles from two schools featuring
different initiatives that could be reproduced.
We’re already working on the September edition of START so if you have any news or feature
ideas then please send them to us as soon as possible.
Page 9
The Primary Art and Design Subject
Leaders’ Handbook
Part two of our pull-out and keep handbook
Page 13
By Land and Sea, a Journey for
New Teachers
Trainee teachers become artists in residence
Page 14
A Streetmap for Art
What happened when an artist went
to work in a London primary school
Page 16
Two Plus Two Makes Five
Ideas for a successful art week
Page 18
On Display
How to get children’s work on show
in the high street
Page 19
Being Quite Specific
Derek Stears looks at the results of
a school visit to a local church
Amanda Burnside
Page 20
All About Books
New Primary Publications
Cover image: Creative Partnerships in action. Page 2.
Insert
Poussin: The Triumph of David poster
Image below: Children at the Imperial War Museum transformed images of war machines
into imaginary beasts to create animated sequences. Page 8.
Copyright ©2003 NSEAD All rights reserved. With the exception
of fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or
criticism or review, no part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored or transmitted in any form or by any means without the
prior permission in writing from the copyright holder. Subscribers
to START may make photocopies for teaching purposes free of
charge provided such copies are not resold. Authors’ views in this
publication are not necessarily those of the NSEAD.
Editor: Amanda Burnside [email protected]
Design: SteersMcGillan Ltd T: 01225 465546
www.steersmcgillan.co.uk
Advertising Sales: [email protected]
Publisher: National Society for Education in Art & Design
The Gatehouse, Corsham Court, Corsham, Wiltshire SN13 0BZ
T: 01249 714825 F: 01249 716138 www.nsead.org
THE NEW MAGAZINE FOR PRIMARY AND PRE-SCHOOL TEACHERS OF ART, CRAFT & DESIGN
02
Creativity
More details of the Creative Partnerships initiative,
including a list of those areas already covered
by Phase 1, can be found at:
www.creative-partnerships.com/about
LET THERE BE...
CREATIVITY
Picasso didn’t invent Cubism by
slavishly copying other artists. Newton
didn’t come to his conclusions about
gravity by thinking along straight lines.
Both were creative geniuses, unafraid
to challenge the accepted views of their
time - and the world is a richer and
wiser place for their discoveries.
Not everyone can be a Picasso or a
Newton, of course, but everybody can
benefit from a creative approach to life
and learning.
On 3rd June the Culture Secretary Tessa
Jowell and I announced a £70 million
package to boost creativity in schools.
Arts Council England will use the money
to develop 20 new Creative Partnerships
over the next two years. This is in addition
to the 16 pilot schemes already up and
running. Creative Partnerships is a
government-funded programme giving
schoolchildren in deprived areas
throughout England the opportunity to
develop creativity in learning, and to
participate in cultural activities.
It works by developing long-term
partnerships between schools and cultural
organisations. These include museums,
galleries, theatre companies, historic
buildings, dance studios, orchestras, new
media companies, and many others.
In the past ‘creativity’ has often been
thought of as an alternative to high
standards in literacy and numeracy:
something that happens during playtime,
not part of the serious work of the
classroom. This attitude is outdated.
Creativity in education is not an excuse for
a free-for-all, or for a relaxing of the drive
to raise standards. On the contrary,
creativity and excellence go hand-in-hand,
reinforcing each other and pushing up
standards.
Creative partnerships will help schools do
this by using the potential of individuals
and organisations in the wider community
who can release pupils’ creativity,
whether they’re from an arts, science
or engineering background.
There are 401 schools already taking
part in the first phase of Creative
Partnerships – schools serving 170,000
young people from some of the most
deprived parts of the country.
Creative Partnerships The Black Country
will run a project for 11–16 year-olds in
Sandwell this summer and autumn,
aiming to make a 30-minute film fusing
Bollywood and Hollywood into a vibrant
celebration of dance, drama and music.
Children will learn about Indian percussion,
scriptwriting and directing, musical
scoring, set design, and all the other skills
associated with a full-scale production.
Creativity is no less essential to the sciences
than to the arts. Coming up with a new
piece of technology, or a new application for
an existing process, means thinking beyond
what has been thought before.
Look at space exploration or medical
science. The idea of putting a man on the
Moon, or finding a vaccine for polio, is just
a dream until it’s made a reality. It’s pie-inthe-sky, cloud-cuckoo land stuff. Until a
small team – perhaps with the doubts of
colleagues ringing in their ears – sets out
to prove that it can be done. Everything is
impossible until it has happened.
Rt Hon Charles Clarke
MP, Secretary of State for
Education and Skills, writes
on the importance of
creativity in education
They also found that such teaching only
required minimal changes to a teacher’s
normal planning and practice. Creativity
doesn’t demand massive alterations to the
curriculum or to the way teachers teach.
The opportunity for pupils to be creative is
there already, in existing lesson plans and
approaches, and can be brought out by
activities such as drama, simulation, and
problem-solving exercises.
We need new ideas if we’re to face the
challenges of the 21st Century. Nobody
knows what the future holds, but we can
be sure that if we are to prosper and lead
rich and fulfilling lives, our young people
will need to be increasingly creative and
inventive.
We must encourage our dreamers; but we
must also give them the resources, the
hard facts and the solid materials to build
their dreams upon. Nothing can be built
on nothing. So we’ll be continuing to insist
that schools keep testing pupils, and keep
on driving up standards.
Picasso was an academically trained artist,
and his later styles, however radical,
all build on established principles of colour
and form. Newton studied at Cambridge.
Creativity flourishes outside educational
institutions, certainly, but the combination
of a formal training and the permission
to imagine, to investigate the limits of the
possible, is unbeatable.
Will Alsop Architects is working with
Creative Partnerships Durham/Sunderland
on an Architecture and Urban Design
Programme, opening up what can often
seem to be impenetrable processes
of planning and design, and allowing
children to respond to the space in
which they live and attend school.
It really does work. The Qualifications &
Curriculum Agency recently concluded a
three-year research project into creativity in
the classroom, and discovered that pupils’
language and number skills were enhanced
by teaching that promoted their creativity.
THE NEW MAGAZINE FOR PRIMARY AND PRE-SCHOOL TEACHERS OF ART, CRAFT & DESIGN
Rt Hon Charles Clarke MP
Secretary of State for Education and Skills
Further information:
The Government paper ‘Excellence and Enjoyment:
a strategy for primary schools’ can be accessed at
www.dfes.go.uk/primarydocument
Email the editor with your views
03
START
A full version of this article can be found on
www.nsead.org/news under the heading
‘No more Mr Gradgrind, much more Mr Chips’
Comment:
John Steers, General Secretary, NSEAD
Something very odd is going on –
extraordinary, almost unbelievable!
The first real evidence that government
education policy might just be veering away
from its previous inexorable course is emerging.
Firstly, in February, Mike Gibbons, director
of the newly formed DfES Innovations Unit
spoke about Secretary of State Charles
Clarke’s ‘really deep enthusiasm for subject
teaching and subject specialisms’ and his wish
to make education fun. Fun? Government
policy? Is that not a significant change?
Mike Gibbons talked of the importance of:
• Working with teachers so that they feel
empowered to become the agents of
change and not the objects of change;
• Reclaiming teacher professionalism and
reclaiming teachers having the
confidence in their freedom to innovate.
Then, in a recent consultation paper*,
Charles Clarke expressed his belief that what
makes good primary education great is the
fusion of excellence and enjoyment. He says
‘When there is joy in what they (children) are
doing, they learn to love learning’.
There is more.
Next comes the conference jointly organised
by the DfES and the Department of Culture,
Media and Sport (DCMS) used to launch the
£70 million package for Creative Partnerships.
This, as referred to in Charles Clarke’s article,
was called ‘Collaborate, Create, Educate’.
The key message? – ‘Creativity, imagination
and innovative thinking should be at the
heart of children’s experience at school’.
At the conference Tessa Jowell, Secretary of
State for Culture, Media and Sport, declared:
“The Government wants to see young people
from all backgrounds have the chance to
use their creativity and imagination in a
positive way”.
I must confess that my innate scepticism
is beginning to evaporate. I really do
believe that at last a very important change
of direction and policy is afoot.
Images top to bottom, left to right:
Brockhill Park School Dancers 1, 2 & 3, Jan 2003. Photographer: Tony Nandi.
CP Kent Europhonix project, Dec 2002. Photographer: Laura Thomas.
“Dodgems”, Montagu Junior School, Mexborough, South Yorkshire,
6th Dec 2002 as part of the Barnsley Doncaster Rotherham Creative
Partnerships Launch. Photographer: Richard Hanson.
BDR launch: “Children Viewing Giant Christmas Card”, Card made for
Linda McAvan MEP South Yorkshire by Montagu Junior School and artist
Moya Sketchley.
“Violin Players”, October 2002 as part of the Creative Partnerships
Tees Valley Launch at Greenside School Durham. Photographer: Ken Pattison.
“Medicine Show”, Hallgarth School at The Hexagon Theatre.
Photography: North News and Pictures.
“A Sense of Place”, Easterside Primary School, Middlesbrough.
Photographer: Jenny Hall.
THE NEW MAGAZINE FOR PRIMARY AND PRE-SCHOOL TEACHERS OF ART, CRAFT & DESIGN
START NEWS
We want your news…
Please send news items of interest to primary and
pre-school teachers of art, craft and design to:
Start Magazine, NSEAD, Corsham Court,
Corsham, Wiltshire SN13 0BZ
or e-mail them to [email protected]
A week at the Tate
A weekend in Bath
Tate Modern still has some places left for its
Summer Institute which runs from
The third annual Drawing Power Weekend
takes place in Bath
4-8 August 2003
5-7 September 2003
The Summer Institute is for classroom
practitioners involved in developing and
facilitating the teaching of art and design,
at either primary or secondary level. It is
intended to help teachers to improve their
teaching and learning about modern and
contemporary art.
The intensive weekend of practical drawing
workshops for teachers returns to Bath
(at Bath Spa University College). The
workshops aim to reinvigorate enthusiasm
for drawing, analytical and imaginative
skills and the power of drawing – as a
stimulus to perception, creative thinking,
imagination, communication, problem
solving, visual planning – will be explored.
Key components are direct engagement
with original works of art in the Gallery,
access to the practices, histories and
theories which inform a critical understanding of modern and contemporary art
and the development of a dynamic and
reciprocal relationship between the Gallery,
artists and teachers. “It’s an intensive,
thoughtful and fun week,” say the Tate,
“which will suit any teacher of art and
design who comes with an open mind and
a willingness to share and debate ideas”.
Costs £180
The weekend forms part of the NSEAD
Artist-Teacher Scheme and is a joint
venture between the Society and Power
Drawing, the education programme of
The Campaign for Drawing.
For further information call 01249 714825
or e-mail: [email protected]
or see www.nsead.org
For further information and to receive
a booklet contact the Curator: Schools
Programmes on 020 7401 5065.
New website for teachers
The new-look Artworks website has just
been launched. The website,
www.art-works.org.uk is a resource for
art and design teachers and gives full
details of the Artworks programme, now
in its fourth year. See page 4.
State of the arts
The findings from ‘Saving a Place for the
Arts’ A Survey of the arts in primary schools
in England, have just been published by
National Foundation for Educational
Research, NFER. We’ll be looking at the
results in the September issue of START.
Call NFER on 01753 747281 or e-mail:
[email protected]
Start front covers
We’d like to feature children’s work in
art, craft and design on some future front
covers of Start so please send us images
you think would look good. When sending
digital files please make sure they are
300 dpi – actual size. A small amount of
background text would be welcome.
Send news, views, ideas
for features to:
Chrismas is coming…
Arts Projects for Schools (APFS) have
launched their 2003 Christmas Card project.
Teachers, children and parents from
schools across the UK have a chance to
participate by sending in festive artworks
designed by the children. These individual
artworks are then reproduced onto
greetings cards for Christmas.
The 2003 Christmas Card project will
raise 60 pence for school funds per 12
pack of cards sold, with the average size
primary school expecting to raise £150.
For further information or for a free
Christmas project sample pack, contact
[email protected], call 01227 262417
or go to www.apfs.org.uk
THE NEW MAGAZINE FOR PRIMARY AND PRE-SCHOOL TEACHERS OF ART, CRAFT & DESIGN
[email protected]
BEROL Reader Offer, see page 22
REWARDING ARTISTS
OF THE FUTURE
A report on the results of the Artworks
Awards from the organisers, the Clore
Duffield Foundation.
A total of 550 schools submitted entries
this year for the Artworks: Young Artists
of the Year Awards which reward
inspiring art and design teaching and
learning in schools. The Artworks
Awards, devised and funded by the
Clore Duffield Foundation, are now
established as the UK’s largest and most
influential awards scheme for young
artists under the age of 18.
Application forms for the fourth round will be
available from 1 September 2003 either from
www.artsmark.org.uk or through the Artsmark
helpline on Tel: 0800 0560 196
The deadline for applications is
5 December 2003.
05
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MAKING YOUR MARK
The latest news from Arts Council England on Artsmark
On Children’s Art Day, Thursday 3 July
2003, Award-winners from schools as far
afield as the Isle of Lewis, Fort William
and Tyne & Wear attended the Artworks
Awards ceremony at Tate Modern. They
received award money totalling £60,000
and copies of a specially commissioned,
signed, limited-edition print by
internationally renowned artist Julian
Opie. The Artworks award-winning work
is exhibited in the Clore Education Centre
at Tate Modern throughout July, and in a
virtual Gallery of Winners on the Artworks
website www.art-works.org.uk
Schools entered work in three categories:
Working with Artists, Working with
Galleries and Working with Resources.
This year, a total of 27 schools won
Awards, with 17 of the winning entries
coming from nursery or primary schools.
Entries to Artworks 2003 suggest that art
and design teachers are embracing new
technologies, with an increase in entries
working with ICT, and an overall increase
in the quality of these entries, as well as
more entries using video, either as project
documentation, or as art work. The use
of digital cameras has contributed greatly
to the quality of presentation of entries,
contributing to ‘stronger’ storyboards,
and clearer documentation of what
happened in the project. Disappointingly,
there were very few actual photography
projects, although those submitted were
of a high quality.
The Artworks Judges were impressed by
the quality of the entries this year, noting
an overall improvement in the quality
of entries as well as strong evidence of
raised standards of teaching and learning.
The Judges were particularly pleased
to see an improvement in the quality of
nursery school entries, along with more
examples of high-quality out-of-hours
projects than in previous years.
‘Apart from giving the children’s confidence a
well-earned boost, winning Artworks has made me
more determined to broaden the art curriculum
and look for imaginative ways of studying it.’
Diane Steadman, Art Co-ordinator, Milburn Primary
School, Cumbria (Artworks Awards winner 2002)
Arts Council England has just
announced that 780 schools have been
awarded an Artsmark, in the third
round of the national arts award for
schools. This brings the total number
of Artsmark schools to 1,722.
The Artsmark award recognises schools
that have made a strong commitment to the
arts and that have developed a nationally
recognised range of arts provision for their
students. The scheme aims to encourage
schools to increase their provision of arts to
students and to raise the profile of arts
education across the country.
The application form for Artsmark is a full
audit of a school’s arts provision, and has
proved to be an excellent developmental
tool. Every Artsmark school has shown that
they provide opportunities for their students
in visual arts, music, dance and drama
both in curriculum time and in out-of-hours
opportunities. Also, that they offer their
teachers opportunities for professional
development in the arts, and have shown
how they manage the arts in school.
Following a school-led application
process, which was supported through
assessment and validation by education
and arts professionals, the Arts Council
has awarded:
• 279 Gold Artsmark awards
• 297 Silver Artsmark awards
• 204 Artsmark awards
Peter Hewitt, Chief Executive of Arts
Council England said: “Now in its third
year, Artsmark continues to go from
strength to strength. Our belief is that the
arts have the power to transform lives,
and that dynamic arts experiences offered
by schools have a lasting impact on young
people. This year, we are delighted to
make the award to a further 780 schools.
Artsmark celebrates the importance of
arts in education, encourages schools to
review and develop arts provision and
recognises teachers for their commitment
to the arts.”
The development of the award was led by
a partnership between Arts Council England,
the Department for Culture, Media and
Sport, the Department for Education and
Skills, the Qualifications and Curriculum
Authority, OfSTED and Sport England.
David Miliband, Minister of State for
School Standards said, "We welcome the
increased number of Artsmark awards in
2003. Recent research has shown that
giving time to the arts is an effective way
to increase learning across the curriculum.
The Artsmark sets a benchmark which we
hope many schools will aim for."
There are three levels of Artsmark:
Artsmark, Artsmark Silver, and Artsmark
Gold. Awards are offered annually and
are valid for a period of three years.
THE NEW MAGAZINE FOR PRIMARY AND PRE-SCHOOL TEACHERS OF ART, CRAFT & DESIGN
06
Curriculum ideas
Web Sites
www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/okeeffe_georgia
Links to galleries who have her work
www.okeeffemuseum.org
Museum in New Mexico (where she was born)
www.happyshadows.com/okeeffe
Biography and links to images
HANDS ON IN
THE CLASSROOM
Michèle Claire Kitto takes the work of Georgia O’Keeffe
and the study of flowers, and provides practical ways of
working with it in the primary art curriculum.
In the classroom
About the artist
Georgia O’Keeffe is a fascinating and
inspiring artist to use as a starting point for
a project on flowers. The inspiration that
she lends to a project is crucial to attract
the attention of boys and girls alike. In the
classroom, by rooting the project in
observational drawing from the offset, the
children can build up an exciting array of
personal source material, from which to
draw (literally) their designs.
Georgia O’Keeffe herself was spellbound
by the microcosm of flowers ever since an
art teacher asked her to draw and study a
‘Jack in the pulpit’ flower. She later went
on to paint over 200 large flower paintings.
Most of these show flowers in a
magnified manner, especially as she
painted on a grand scale. These close up
studies focus on a small aspect of the
flower, often the centre, enlarged. They
give the impression of that they are seen
from the perspective of a bee or butterfly.
She painted everyday flowers like poppies
and lilies as well as rare irises and orchids.
It is interesting to compare her work to
that of the Dutch still life artists and the
way in which they addressed flowers and
composition e.g. Jan van Huysum.
Image this page:
O’Keeffe, Georgia (1887–1986) Purple petunias, 1925.
Oil on canvas, 15 7/8”x13”. Collection of the Newark
Museum, Bequest of Miss Cora Louise Hartshorn, 1958.
Location: The Newark Museum, Newark, New Jersey,
USA. ©The Newark Museum / Art Resourse, NY
1. Observational drawing
Find an interesting array of flowers for the
children to draw. Local flower shops will
often sell you flowers which are not perfect
enough for bouquets at a fraction of the
cost, but perfect for the classroom. Placing
a flower head on a scrap of white paper will
intensify the colours. Ask the children to
make observational studies in their
sketchbook or on sheets of cartridge, using
an array of 2B-6B pencils. Start with a faint
outline, and then build up detail and tone.
Factfile:
• American women artist
• Born 1887 – Died 1986
• Famous for her landscapes,
skyscrapers and flowers
• Responded to the environment
• Most her work is in American
collections
• She decided she wanted to be
an artist at age 12
©ARS, NY and DACS, London 2003
THE NEW MAGAZINE FOR PRIMARY AND PRE-SCHOOL TEACHERS OF ART, CRAFT & DESIGN
2. Discussion and introduction of artist
A discussion about the work of Georgia
O’Keeffe and her use of colour is a
valuable exercise at this stage. Use the
web sites below if you want children to do
some personal research, otherwise a few
large images is all you need.
• What colours has she used and why
in her flower paintings?
• What feelings do they evoke?
• How has she created tone?
• Compare two different paintings; what
are the similarities and differences.
• Some of her later flower paintings are
almost abstract, what does that mean?
The children could discuss these questions
in groups and report back to the class.
Use sketchbooks to record ideas/feelings
and thoughts.
Key Words
Close-up
Magnification
Detailed examination
Scale
Abstraction
Zoom in
3. Enlargement
Take her idea of magnification and enlarge a
section of an observational flower drawing.
Make a viewfinder out a piece of black card.
(Make a class set – either square or
rectangular depending on the paper you
will enlarge onto) A3 cartridge paper works
well, with small 5cm x 3cm viewfinders.
These can be attached to the drawing with
masking tape. Ask the children to search
for an interesting composition with the view
finder. The children need to think carefully
about proportion in the enlarging stage. Ask
them to think about dividing the viewfinder
up like in a geography grid reference.
I have then used this enlargement to
create blended pencil crayon drawings
(see illustrations). Discussions about
complementary colours and the use of
tonal effects prove valuable with lots of
opportunity to experiment with colours in
sketchbooks.
4. Materials/Project ideas
These coloured pencil (or you could use oil
pastel) pieces can be then used to create
large scale paintings on card or hardboard
(see illustrations), or be taken into an array
of different projects:
• To experience painting on a large scale
using acrylic paint/ materials/oil
pastel/tissue – blending of colours,
highlighting areas
• Working on different scales
• To use graduated tone effectively
• Tissue paper collage – variety of scales,
the different colours lend themselves to
blending colours. Add oil pastel on top
to create tonal effects.
• Lino/Press print – printing (multi-colours)
• Batik
• ICT – scan in the pencil crayon or oil
pastel images and use a paint package
(paint shop pro, photoshop) to alter the
colours and manipulate the images.
Cross Curricular links
• Numeracy – Enlarging, scale, proportion,
translation
• Literacy – Take the idea of the viewpoint
of a bee or butterfly, describe a journey
to a flower, or a description of the inside
of the flower. Study poetry relating to
flowers, or write about the feeling that
the flower evokes.
• Science – The construction of a flower,
and its function in plants. Label the key
elements of a flower, stigma, stamen,
petal, stem, receptacle, pollen, anther,
filament etc…. The role of pollination.
Cut up the flowers after drawing them
to examine them in more detail.
Handy hint: Mix PVA medium and ready mix
together to make a cheap acrylic.
This project is illustrated with work from
year 6, but could easily be adapted for any
age from year 3–6.
Key Learning Objectives
• To use sketchbooks to record visual
information and develop ideas
• To study the work of a female artist –
role and purpose of an artist
• Observational drawings of flowers
• Compare ideas, methods and
approaches in their own and others work.
• Experiment with blending pencils to
show depth, tone and detail – visual
and tactile elements of art
Michèle Claire Kitto is Director of Art at
The Dragon School, Oxford. She is a primary
school teacher, who specialises in teaching art to
year 4–8. She edits a broadsheet for prep school
art teachers and organises an annual national
prep school art exhibition. She also represents
the south on the NSEAD council.
THE NEW MAGAZINE FOR PRIMARY AND PRE-SCHOOL TEACHERS OF ART, CRAFT & DESIGN
08
New resources
Look out for more Big Draws in October
If you would like to find out more, go to
www.drawingpower.org.uk. If you would like to register
online, please do so on www.thebigdraw.org.uk
3
DRAWING ON
EXPERIENCE
2
Eileen Adams continues
her review of the Campaign
for Drawing with a look at
some new resources
intended to help you in the
classroom.
1
Power Drawing is the education
programme of the Campaign for Drawing.
Essentially action research, it enables
educators to share their experience of
using drawing as a medium for learning
across the curriculum. A series of
publications* is being produced during
the research phase to report on work in
progress. Power Drawing establishes a
framework for using drawing to develop
skills of perception, communication and
invention. Start Drawing! shows how
drawing contributes to young children’s
educational development. Crayola, who
have also worked with the Power Drawing
team to produce guidance notes for
teachers, funded these books.
The latest book, Drawing on Experience,
has been funded by the DfES. It reports on
the use of drawing in museums, galleries
and science centres. Examples of drawings
show how children and adults can use
drawing to focus attention on exhibits,
analyse and synthesise information and
ideas, and reflect on their experience in
order to understand it more fully. Drawing
is an important tool in interpretation,
enabling the viewer to respond in ways not
possible through words. Following visits,
impressions and observations recorded
through drawing can be used as
inspirational source material in workshops
or in class. Further drawing, requiring
powers of imagination and visualisation,
can enable children to develop their ideas
and communicate what they have learnt.
A short video Draw It! is also available.
It is based on the first Big Draw at
The British Museum. It is designed to help
educators to think about how drawing can
be used to understand what is on view in
collections and exhibitions, and to share
the experience with others. It shows
how drawing can be celebratory and fun,
with children and adults enjoying the
excitement of shared discovery. Drawing
transforms looking into seeing. It develops
curiosity and promotes the joy of learning.
THE NEW MAGAZINE FOR PRIMARY AND PRE-SCHOOL TEACHERS OF ART, CRAFT & DESIGN
Illustrations
1 Perception
The mud drawing of a horse inspired by
an exhibition of Marino Marini bronzes at
the Yorkshire Sculpture Park emphasises
essential form.
2 Communication
Young visitors to the Garman Ryan
Collection at the New Art Gallery Walsall
communicated in large-scale charcoal
drawings the emotional impact of
landscape paintings.
3 Invention
Children at the Imperial War Museum
transformed images of war machines
into imaginary beasts to create animated
sequences.
*Power Drawing publications are available from
the NSEAD. Books are £4.95 and video pack
£15.00 (includes books, information on the
Campaign for Drawing and The Big Draw,
discussion notes and ideas sheet). The final Power
Drawing publication will be available in 2005.
Part 2
Part two: Guidance on developing
a policy and curriculum plan
Subject Leaders’ Handbook
START
THE PRIMARY ART AND DESIGN
SUBJECT LEADERS’ HANDBOOK
Part two: Guidance on developing
a policy and curriculum plan
Each edition of START contains a pullout section of a handbook providing guidance
and support to all primary art and design Subject Leaders. While reference is
sometimes made to the requirements of OFSTED that apply in England, the broad
principles are applicable elsewhere. References to Key Stage 1 relate to children
aged 5–7 while Key Stage 2 refers to those aged 8–11.
Collect all sections over time to create the definitive primary art and design
reference resource, offering invaluable support for all aspects of your work.
At some point in your career as an art
and design subject leader it will be
necessary to review documentation for
the subject. This may be the result of
comments from an inspector or
adviser, in response to new national
initiatives and developments, or simply
as part of the regular cycle of
curriculum development. By now, as a
consequence of increasing awareness
of the connection between effective
planning and raising standards, there
are probably few schools that could
not produce their example of a basic
art and design policy, though rather
more still lack an effective progressive
scheme of work.
This section will outline key
requirements for this documentation,
consider the dilemmas facing you as
subject leader when you are required
to produce a progressive plan, and
offer guidance on breadth, balance,
continuity and progression in the art
and design curriculum.
The overall requirement
for subject documentation
Art and design documentation is most
easily considered in three categories;
the first is the policy statement divided
into key sections; the second is the
curriculum plan (sometimes called a
scheme of work), and the third section,
(which is not essential) comprises the
appendix. The appendix may include
supplementary guidance to staff on
areas as diverse as assessment
procedures, the properties of specific
media, to instructions on firing the
kiln – effectively a staff art handbook.
If the appendix offers accessible and
comprehensive guidance to all staff it
may ease the burden created by
repeated requests for information from
you, the hard-pressed subject leader.
The policy
General advice
Each policy statement in the policy
document should be brief; if it is
necessary to provide detailed
information about procedures and
practice this should be provided in the
appendix. Nor should the art and
design policy merely repeat generic
statements that are available in other
general school policy documents, but
rather should focus specifically on the
art and design subject dimension.
and may be derived from a key
document on art and design education
such as the national curriculum or
guidelines.
The aims and objectives for the subject
These may vary according to the
philosophy of the school but are likely
to include: the development of visual
awareness and visual literacy in pupils;
the opportunity to use art to record
inner feelings and express their
creative imagination; development of
pupils’ understanding of the visual
elements of art and design; the
development of pupils’ critical abilities
and understanding of their own and
others cultural heritages and,
obviously, the opportunity to use
artistic media to acquire skills and
develop techniques.
Policies are of course simple to write
but, as we all know, more difficult to
implement. It is essential that the
policy accurately reflects the reality of
the school’s art and design practice
rather than present an idealised picture.
Staff activity suggestion
In order to ensure that the aims of the
policy accurately reflect practice in the
school, you can ask all staff this simple
question in a development meeting:
‘What do we wish to achieve through
the delivery of art and design in our
school?’ The debate will commence.
Sections of a Policy
The document should include brief
statements on the following areas.
The Programme of Study
This follows on from the aims listed in
the policy statements.
Rationale
The rationale fronting the policy is the
mission statement that underpins the
school’s philosophy for the subject,
The role of the subject leader may be
outlined here, although if there is
already a clear job description provided
in other whole school documentation,
THE NEW MAGAZINE FOR PRIMARY AND PRE-SCHOOL TEACHERS OF ART, CRAFT & DESIGN
Left top & bottom:
Drawing using hens as a stimulus
Above left & right:
Painting
or a generic statement covering the
responsibilities of all subject leaders,
it need not be repeated.
A statement should be included about
the way in which the subject will be
organised and managed in the school
and the teaching strategies that will be
used to deliver it. It may be that a topicbased methodology dominates delivery,
or there could be separate art lessons
perhaps (with the subject leader taking
a lead in classes outside their own
general responsibility), or most probably
a synthesis of these methods.
Incorporated in this section might be a
statement about the teaching style that
will be adopted generally for the subject.
It is now recognised that a range of
different teaching styles, including those
involving direct whole class instruction,
are necessary if effective ‘focused’ art
and design teaching is to take place.
This section might also include the policy
on differentiation for art and design,
which though it is likely to be achieved
largely by outcome, is increasingly being
focused on specific differentiated tasks
targeted at both the more able, or those
pupils who might be disadvantaged by
the verbal dimension of critical studies
for instance. Connected to this will be
the policy on equal opportunities, a key
point being the importance of ensuring
that stereotyping is avoided in relation
to the gender of the artist, and that
multicultural diversity is celebrated.
Finally the policy for organising
materials and equipment should be
stated. Usually some key resources will
be held centrally and others distributed
around the school (with details supplied
in the appendix).
There may well be a separate policy
statement on assessment to
supplement the whole school policy on
assessment. In England, for example,
this will focus on the requirement to
assess pupils’ work using the National
Curriculum levels at the end of Key
Stage 1 and 2, reporting to parents
using National Curriculum statements
(these can be presented in the appendix
if required) and the need to ensure that
consistency in teacher assessment
for the subject is maintained through
portfolio moderation procedures.
In view of the importance of information
and communication technology (ICT)
a discrete policy in relation to art and
design could be presented, and also
one on the importance of display and
presentation.
The curriculum plan
Why is this needed?
The second section of the documentation
should be the curriculum plan. It is now
recognised that there is more to art and
design teaching than simply providing
the opportunity to explore materials,
important though this is. All subject
teaching involves progressive planning
and clearly identified learning objectives.
THE NEW MAGAZINE FOR PRIMARY AND PRE-SCHOOL TEACHERS OF ART, CRAFT & DESIGN
To be effective this document should
summarise the programme of activities
for art and design to meet the stated
objectives for the subject.
Some English schools have adopted
the National Curriculum units of work
published by the QCA as their overall
programme. However, many schools
now provide a network of progressive
skills, knowledge and understanding
that runs alongside these units to
ensure progression and consistency.
If the school already has a curriculum
plan/scheme it should not automatically
be replaced with QCA units – their use
is not mandatory and the units can be
adapted according to need.
A structure for the Plan
There is no single accepted structure
for a curriculum plan, but the following
list of activities can provide a helpful
structure from which to start:
Processes
Drawing
Painting
Printing
Modelling
Constructing
The visual elements
Line
Tone
Texture
Colour
Pattern
Shape
Three-dimensional form
Left to right:
Card printing – Key Stage 2
Printing from junk – Key Stage 1
Modelling
You should identify the skills and
knowledge you wish pupils to acquire
in each year group, listing the learning
objectives for drawing, painting,
printing, modelling and constructing,
with a separate though interactive plan
for the visual elements of line, tone,
texture, colour, pattern and shape, and
three-dimensional form.
Introducing pupils to differing artists,
designers and craftpersons, whose work
centres on a particular process or aspect
of the elements in the plan, is a useful
strategy to ensure that critical studies
work is integrated systematically, and
has clear learning objectives.
In order to avoid needless repetition of
a narrow range of styles of art or artists,
it is necessary to provide a ‘map’ across
year groups ensuring that there is an
appropriate and balanced range of
genre (e.g. landscape portrait, still life
etc). This should include artists of both
genders, work from a range of different
periods and diverse cultural sources.
Staff should have the flexibility to
incorporate the programme of artistic
learning into whatever lesson topic
they wish, through both subject
centred teaching and cross-curricular
activities, as long as they are
addressing the learning objectives in
the curriculum plan.
Breadth, balance, continuity
and progression
The curriculum content should be
broad and balanced, and the
programme should show evidence
of continuity and progression.
The range of experiences should be
wide but this can create a dilemma
for the curriculum planner. It might
seem a simple process to identify the
constituents of a broad course: pupils
should be given opportunities to
engage in observational work and
record these observations, explore
sources for imaginative work and
personal expression, develop their
art vocabulary and engage in activities
in which they evaluate their own
and others’ artistic endeavours so
developing their critical abilities and
cultural knowledge.
In doing this they are likely to engage
in the processes of drawing, painting,
printing, collage, modelling and
constructing. However many of these
activities are interactive and can
therefore be covered simultaneously.
If it is decided that pupils are to
experience all aspects of this
comprehensive programme every year
there is a danger of superficiality
unless considerable time is provided
for the subject. Thus choices need to
be made, some areas of activity will
need to be prioritised, whilst retaining
a balanced experience.
The most challenging aspect of
curriculum planning is to identify
progressive activities in art and design.
Some subjects have clear linear
progression (in mathematics one would
hardly teach division before subtraction
for instance) but in art and design it
is less defined (activities are revisited
and reinforced in a flexible manner as
a spiral curriculum). However a
progressive programme of activities
can be established in relation to
materials and processes, and the use
of tools and some artistic concepts.
Some simple examples follow:
Progression in relation to materials
and media, and related tools is easiest
because most primary teachers
recognise that some artistic media are
simpler to use than others. Powder paint
is likely to be used in all years, to
encourage colour mixing from a dry
medium, but exploiting the properties
and subtlety of watercolour is more likely
to be focused on Key Stage 2 pupils, and
although pupils of all ages would use
pencils, the subtle differences that can
be gained by using pencils of a range of
different hardness, from 2B to 2H might
be most appropriately introduced to
older pupils in Key Stage 2. Therefore,
though the majority of media and tools
can be used by pupils at any time, the
curriculum planner must decide at what
stage pupils can most effectively
exploit their potential.
THE NEW MAGAZINE FOR PRIMARY AND PRE-SCHOOL TEACHERS OF ART, CRAFT & DESIGN
Left to right:
Constructing
Exploring the visual elements – colour
Front page:
Critical studies – Key Stage 1 – pupils explore
colour and paint after visiting an exhibition by
Howard Hodgkin
Some processes are also more
complicated than others; for instance
potato printing and printing from junk
are likely to be Key Stage 1 activities
but screen-printing or lino printing
more appropriate for Key Stage 2.
There is also no obvious progression
in subject matter. Adventurous
teachers now introduce quite complex
issues and themes to young pupils
with considerable impact; however
there will need to be agreement
amongst the staff in a large school to
ensure that topics are not repeated.
It maybe that you disagree with my
judgements about progression – in
this case you are probably on the way
to developing your individualised
curriculum, because there are no
absolute rules in this debate.
Developing a Curriculum Plan –
a whole school strategy
Curriculum development involves
change and you could encounter
resistance from colleagues who have
an established pattern of work.
Therefore when you develop a
scheme of work it is important to build
on existing good school practice and
ensure ‘ownership’ by involving all
staff in its development
Staff Activity – suggestion
In my work on curriculum planning
with groups of teachers, I always
commence with an ‘audit’ of existing
practice. I ask all staff to write down
what activities pupils have experienced
in art and design, and to note the
medium used, the skills learnt, the
visual elements that have been focused
upon and aspects of art history/critical
studies that have been addressed.
An audit sheet can be used for this
task listing the medium/ process,
visual element and critical studies
references, if any, and providing a box
to note the details of each one. The
review should consider a complete
year of art activities to ensure that it is
representative. It is useful to ask
colleagues to identify both what pupils
did and the specific learning objectives
for the activity.
After everyone has completed this
audit you can incorporate all the
responses onto one large-scale
master copy for collective scrutiny. If
the same media/processes, concepts,
elements or artistic styles and genres
have been focused on in differing year
groups, this repetition will be evident.
Ascertain the reason for this. Do
activities differ in level or challenge or
are they revisited for reinforcement
or are they simply being repeated at
individual’s whim, thus consuming
valuable curriculum time? A staff meeting
is the best place to analyse this in
order to reach some conclusions about
necessary changes and developments
to the existing scheme of work.
THE NEW MAGAZINE FOR PRIMARY AND PRE-SCHOOL TEACHERS OF ART, CRAFT & DESIGN
There are a number of published
schemes of work available that can be
purchased by the subject leader.
Though these may provide a useful
model that can be adapted according
to the individual school’s need, they
should not be adopted in their entirety
without modification.
The Primary Art and Design Subject
Leaders Handbook is compiled by
John Bowden MA
Note about Part One of the Subject
Leaders Handbook
‘The (National Curriculum) level descriptions
provide the basis for making judgements
about pupils’ performance at the end of Key
Stages 1, 2 and 3.’ QCA website.
Subject Leaders should note however that
the use of the National Curriculum levels to
report to parents is only mandatory at Key
Stage 3 for art and design. If the subject
leader is confident that any alternative
assessment procedures that are in place in a
school are both comprehensive and effective
then there is no requirement to use the
National Curriculum levels. If however the
National Curriculum levels are used for
assessment purposes in the school, in my
view it would be sensible also to use them
to report to parents.
Assessment procedures will be dealt with in
detail in a later chapter of the handbook.
Age range:
5–11 years
13
START
Further reading on Aboriginal art:
This Earth for Us and
Aboriginal Art and the Dreaming
(see page 20)
There is growing interest in Artists in Residence projects. START looked at two…
BY LAND AND SEA, A JOURNEY FOR NEW TEACHERS
In their first week of starting a PGCE Art and Design course two trainee teachers went to work
with Heronsbridge Special School in Bridgend as Paul Herrington, their course director, explains.
The Artists in Residence Project forms
part of the Introduction phase of the
PGCE Art & Design course at the
Cardiff School of Education, University
of Wales Institute, Cardiff.
The theme for the residency this year was
‘Journeys’ which PGCE Art & Design
students/artists were asked to research
prior to their commencement of the course.
Within one week of starting the course
two PGCE Art & Design trainee teachers,
Sarah Nowell and Christopher Beer, were
working with groups of students from
Heronsbridge Special School.
Testament to the excellent investment of
both students and pupils was how readily,
enthusiastically and creatively everyone
became fully involved. Central to their
approach was a focus on experiential
learning and using sensory experiences to
stimulate curiosity and personal responses.
Pupils created work which was expressive,
symbolic, humorous, mythical, or with a
concern for time and a sense of place.
What was most pleasing was the variety
of approaches and distinctive ways that
the theme/focus was explored and
investigated by pupils and students alike.
Here, Sara Nowell describes the
experience:
Based on the theme ‘Journeys’, the first
part of the project, Land, explored Australian
Aboriginal art and more specifically the
‘Dreamtime’. The second part of the project,
Sea, was based on the different depths of
water and the creatures therein.
We were very keen to make good use of
the space, materials and resources of the
school which we were able to adapt
appropriately. It was important to create an
environment full of imagery and artefacts
for the pupils to see and touch, which
helped to capture and promote the themes.
Pupils were able to engage in the theme
of ‘Dreamtime’ and Aboriginal art using
the traditional symbols as well as
‘Dreamtime’ creatures within their work.
Throughout the project pupils were taught
about the Aboriginal people and their
traditions. They looked at Aboriginal
paintings and listened to the stories
behind the symbols in the ‘Dreamtime’
imagery. Pupils listened to traditional
music as well as experimented with
some of the traditional ways of making art.
Through role-play, pupils were able to
decide upon their own dreamtime which
they then used in their work.
As part of the sea theme pupils looked at
the work of Paul Klee. It was important to
encourage the pupils to talk about the sea
and so we were able to carry out a lesson in
the school swimming pool. We laminated
about thirty images of sea creatures and
scattered them around the pool so they
floated in the water. The group, equipped
with goggles, then had to find and identify
the creatures. This experience was then
shared and discussed in the next session
as part of the lesson.
During the residence the pupils had the
opportunity to work in paint, clay, print,
plaster casting, sand art, stencilling and
papier maché. The large and varied
amount of work ensured that an element
of each child’s effort was able to be
included in the final piece. The work is to
be exhibited on the walls of the school’s
stairway so as to be seen by everyone and
to celebrate the achievements of all the
pupils involved.
Thank you to the pupils and staff at
Heronsbridge Special School, Bridgend for
their help with this project.
THE NEW MAGAZINE FOR PRIMARY AND PRE-SCHOOL TEACHERS OF ART, CRAFT & DESIGN
14
Artists in Residence
A STREETMAP FOR ART
In the second of our reports on Artist in Residence projects Robert Watts, curriculum
co-ordinator for art and design education at University of Surrey Roehampton, looks at what
happened when an artist went to work in a London primary school.
Wanted: Art teacher for class
of ten-year olds. No previous
knowledge of National Curriculum
required. Results of project to be
on permanent display.
A dream job?
Or a recipe for disaster?
A recent project carried out in a west
London primary school resulted in a
striking piece of public art and challenged
many accepted approaches to delivering
the primary curriculum for art and design.
Artist Alistair Lambert, funded by
environmental group Groundwork West
London as part of their Safe Routes to
School campaign, carried out a series of
workshops with a class of Year 5 pupils.
The work produced during the sessions
eventually formed the basis of a
permanent, large-scale work now installed
at the school. “My aim for the project”,
explains Alistair, “was to work with the
pupils to explore through visual means
various ideas related to travel, maps and
the ways in which we locate ourselves in
the environment.”
Alistair’s approach to teaching the sequence
of lessons at Normand Park Primary School,
Fulham, was unconventional. The starting
point appeared deceptively unpromising,
consisting as it did of photocopies of a
page from the London A–Z. However, as the
children coloured in their maps, assigning
colours and shapes to various landmarks, and
made large collages based on the emerging
compositions, the familiar pattern of streets
was gradually transformed into Matisse-like
cut-outs. The process of abstraction
continued as the maps were joined together
to make an imposing, frieze-like structure.
THE NEW MAGAZINE FOR PRIMARY AND PRE-SCHOOL TEACHERS OF ART, CRAFT & DESIGN
Ideas for subsequent lessons were allowed
to evolve out of the children’s own work. Lifesize outlines of figures in action poses were
drawn on chequer-board grids of coloured
card, echoing the way in which grids are
imposed on maps: “A simple process,”
explains Alistair, “that physically involves
the pupils in mapping their own borders.”
The figures were then cut out and transferred
on to a second grid of contrasting colours
to create a striking Warholesque composition.
“I encouraged the pupils to avoid trying to
‘correct’ what they inscribed, as they were
mapping and then recording, not drawing.
It is the distortions and changes that give
the image life.”
This set of images provided the inspiration
for the permanent artwork now installed
at the school. Photographs of children and
parents, some running, some strolling,
some kissing goodbye – were reduced on
computer to expressive silhouettes of
primary colour, then cast in steel and fixed
to the perimeter fence of the playground.
15
START
The resulting display is one of which the
pupils are proud: “I can recognise my
friends in the pictures,” says ten-year old
Lily, “and I remember how we made our
own collages.” The children clearly feel
they played a key role in producing this
impressive work, which provides a burst
of colour for the local area.
Sequencing art and design lessons
Alistair’s approach to planning a sequence
of lessons may be unconventional, but it
has much in common with the ways that
many artists produce their own work. The
lessons were allowed to evolve out of the
children’s ideas, without a clear picture of
what the finished pieces might resemble.
The artwork described can be seen at Normand Park
Primary School, Lillie Road (and Mulgrave Road),
Fulham, London SW6. Alistair Lambert can be
contacted via [email protected]. Groundwork West
London can be contacted on 020 8743 3040.
Try this approach: when planning for a
half-term’s work in art and design, consider
one activity you are really looking forward
to teaching. Make this the second activity
in the sequence.
For the first acitivity, establish that the
children have an understanding of the basic
skills they’ll need to use the following week.
For example, if they are going to be making
paper sculptures in Week 2, Week 1 could
be spent exploring the different ways in
which paper can rolled, folded, shredded
or plaited for different effects.
Having practised these skills, observed
others’ results and discussed any
difficulties, children will then be equipped
with a wider ‘vocabulary’ with which they
can make their paper sculptures.
The content of subsequent lessons could
initially be left open-ended – children will
want to experiment in the light of what
they have seen each other produce.
Whilst it is important to ensure that pupils
experience progress and continuity, it
need not be a problem if your planning for
Week 4 is: Same as Week 3 (opportunity
to have another go!) Remember – artists
need opportunities to repeat and review
their experiences – children are no different.
Images:
• Part of the artwork now installed at Normand
Park School, Mulgrave Road, London SW6
• Body Maps
• Routes A to B
THE NEW MAGAZINE FOR PRIMARY AND PRE-SCHOOL TEACHERS OF ART, CRAFT & DESIGN
16
Cross-curricular
initiatives
Age range
7–11
TWO PLUS TWO
MAKES FIVE
Caroline Corker, Art co-ordinator, and Jackie Stevens,
Maths co-ordinator, at Hampton Junior School, Richmond
upon Thames, report on a cross-curricular initiative that
brought exciting results.
In the new education and skills publication,
“Excellence And Enjoyment – a strategy
for primary schools” it states that “high
standards and a broad curriculum go hand
in hand.” Sadly it seems all too true that in
primary schools the “poor relation,” art
and design, may have a tendency to be a
neglected subject that might take place if
there is any time at the end of the week,
depending on the energy and inspiration
of the teacher.
At Hampton Junior School, however, staff
are always looking for ways for creativity
to be incorporated in all areas of the
curriculum. So when the idea of a week of
working entirely on arts and maths related
activities was put forward, by the numeracy
and art co-ordinators, it was welcomed by
staff, parents and children alike.
Before the week started, a great deal of
preparation went into planning events and
putting together a pack of ideas to give
out to the staff. A very comprehensive and
exciting portfolio of work was produced
for the teachers to either use or adapt as
appropriate. A detailed timetable had to be
written up to allow for practical workspaces
to be made available and a fair distribution
of activities between the year groups.
The programme of events started with
children producing displays of 2-D artwork,
paintings, pastels and collage, in the style
of artists who used geometry in their
paintings or sculptures. These artists
included: Piet Mondrian, David Bomberg,
Robert and Sonia Delaunay, Escher, Celtic
art, Josef Albers, Gustav Klimt, Barbara
Hepworth, Bridget Riley and Viera da Silva.
The children designed and made
symmetrical patterned mosaics, using
ceramic tiles. They experimented with
curves and circles, which developed into
pottery models. Budding dress designers
produced clothing based around
number and shape. Children worked on
investigations involving points on a circle
and the number of connecting lines. Clay
tiles were produced inspired by elements of
rotation, reflection and tessellation. A large
sectional painting, combining grid enlarging,
close observation and colour matching was
produced. Tangram mobiles, papier-mache
mathematical masks, sculptured cubes
and pyramids, weaving workshops, creative
cookies, origami, pop-up cards… the list
of activities seemed endless.
In addition to the hard work put in by the
teachers, visitors from other agencies and
schools were asked to share their expertise
with us. These included: a print making
expert, Paula Allerton, from a local
secondary school, who worked on twocolour press prints, focusing on
sequencing, with year five. A local artist
and printmaker, Antony Dyson, who taught
year six pupils how to use mathematical
skills to design an alphabet. The borough’s
Advanced Skills Teacher in ICT, Matthew
Reed, focused on artists who used maths
concepts that would reproduce well using
art programmes such as Colour Magic and
Paint (Mondrian, Wassily Kandinsky, Frank
Stella, Terry Frost, Islamic art). There were
also some fantastic parents who worked
with children on enormous pastel posters
inspired by the cubist artists, Pablo Picasso
and Georges Braque.
The week was extremely popular. It brought
the school community together, made the
maths exciting and gave the arts the high
profile that it deserves.
THE NEW MAGAZINE FOR PRIMARY AND PRE-SCHOOL TEACHERS OF ART, CRAFT & DESIGN
This proves that art and design is still alive
and kicking and is a valuable tool for learning
and a fine partner to the core subjects.
We are now planning an ambitious arts/
science week. But that will be another story…
Tips for a successful art week:
• Plan well in advance – at least four months.
Some schools like to plan their events a
year ahead so make sure you “book early”
• Do some research related to the theme
of the week. The teacher pack of activities
taken from books and the Internet
proved useful as inspiration for the staff.
• Work together, particularly if it is a crosscurricular initiative, everyone’s expertise
is essential.
• Order art stock, visit the local scrap
store, start to save modelling junk, ask
for donations of material, card, etc. well
in advance.
• Organise your visitor, animators and arts
partners as soon as possible. Give them
a brief and make sure that you know
what they are doing. Check your
school’s policy on children working with
visitors. Most schools welcome visitors
working in the classroom, alongside the
class teacher. Helpers working with
groups of children without supervision
will probably require police checks.
• Make sure that your visitors are made to
feel welcome and are valued. Write
thank you letters – you may want to ask
them again.
• Publicise the event in the local newspaper,
invite parents to an exhibition of the
children’s work – art and design needs the
high profile.
17
START
THE NEW MAGAZINE FOR PRIMARY AND PRE-SCHOOL TEACHERS OF ART, CRAFT & DESIGN
18
New schemes
For advice on running a similar scheme in your
area contact: Tim Bates, Head of Art at Chafyn Grove
School, Salisbury: [email protected]
If you would like to contribute to On Diaplay then
please send an outline of your event, project or
scheme to: [email protected]
Please do not send images until requested.
ON DISPLAY
Tim Bates, head of visual arts at Chafyn
Grove School in Salisbury, describes a scheme
which brought state and independent schools
together – ARTSHOP2003.
Images left to right, top to bottom:
Forres Sandle Manor in the shoe shop
Harnham Junior in a gift shop
Chafyn Grove in an artists’ supplies shop
La Retraite Swan in a clock shop
Amesbury Infants at a book shop
Braemore Primary school in the Chemists
I run an arts education forum for anyone
that ‘passes on knowledge’ (education in
the broadest sense) of the visual arts. So we
have teachers, college lecturers and artists
in our midst. One of the aims of the group is
to hold an exhibition of work by our learners
to show just what they are capable of.
Out of this mission was born ‘artshop’ in
February this year. Artshop 2003 was an
exhibition of work by predominantly primary
school children. We wanted the work to be
seen by the largest possible audience so,
rather than house it in a space such as the
local city hall, we decided that shop
windows in Salisbury city centre would be
the best and more accessible, option.
In the previous year we had run a pilot
study involving 3 windows and this met
with great enthusiasm. The date was
chosen to be a dead time of year, just after
Valentine’s Day when we felt that shops
would be changing their displays.
A huge mailing was delivered to schools
and shops and the response, though small,
was enough to enable the project to work.
Each shop was paired off with a school
and the work was produced to fit in with
the theme of what the shop sells. Some
schools produced work specifically for the
exhibition, others used work that was to
hand. The school representatives worked
with the shops, so I did not have the job
of co-ordinating each pair, I just made the
contact. Some shops left the schools to
it, others got very involved and gave over
the whole shop floor to the exhibition.
We received a grant to cover publicity from
the local council and posters and invitations
were printed to raise the profile of the
event. By this time the levels of excitement
were steadily rising.
So it was that on a crisp, freezing February
night, the opening event got under way.
I produced a guide-map and for the first
evening, participants (the pupils and
families) were invited into ‘their’ shops,
THE NEW MAGAZINE FOR PRIMARY AND PRE-SCHOOL TEACHERS OF ART, CRAFT & DESIGN
often for a glass of wine or whatever, and
from there, followed the rest of the trail.
The success of this opening event was
great – the atmosphere was that of one
of those late-night shopping events near
Christmas. Clusters of people were to be
found, guide maps in hand following the
trail around the city.
In total 12 shops and 12 schools took part
and the response from the public and the
shops was immense from people wanting
to buy the work, to the shops actually doing
a better business for the duration of the
show (a minimum of two weeks). The work
itself was astounding and all the pupils rose
to the challenge in very different ways.
The event was publicised on TV and will take
place again in 2005, hopefully becoming
a permanent instalment in the calendar.
This was a great opportunity for state
and independent schools to work together
as is rarely the case and was a fantastic
showcase for the art that our pupils produce.
Useful references:
John Piper, Kenneth Rowntree
www.johnpiper.fsnet.co.uk
www.archeus.co.uk
19
START
Thanks to the teachers and children
at Ysgol yr Hendre, Caernarfon and
Ysgol Gymuned Pentraeth, Ynys Mon
BEING QUITE
SPECIFIC
Site-specific studies can have real value and produce
positive results as Derek Stears discovered.
In this case pupils visited their local church
and worked from the features that most
interested them. Five pupils concentrated
on the vestibule and door, initially drawing
a number of sketches in pencil. These
were photocopied on return to school
so they could return to the original image
and experiment with it through a range
of media, referring to their notes made
on the visit and photographs of the site
recorded by their teacher.
The initial line drawing with no tonal
values is shown above as the preparatory
foundation for the study as a whole.
Subtle changes to the interpretation and
application of colours have been made,
so that pupils may have several alternatives
to choose from. This example shows the
selection of orange-brown as warm colours
on the door, contrasted with cold slate
grey-blue for the porch. These have been
applied in transparent inks glazed over each
other to demonstrate convincing volumes.
Most of the examples given here have
been in graphic media such as pencils,
crayons, pastels and paint. Pupils should
be encouraged to widen the range of
their media awareness and interest by
developing confidence in handling
three-dimensional materials such as clay.
The value of the following example of a
study of the front of a primary school by
a pupil in Year 6 is not only in the looking,
recording and making by careful shaping
and manipulating; but the use that the
piece has been put to. The slab has
been photocopied to emphasise the
importance of lighting on volume. Pupils’
attempts to draw and paint the site will
benefit from such sculptural experience.
Project directions:
Can you make a drawing and/or painting,
print, photograph, sculpture or construction
of some place in your local environment
like a gate, fence, door, wall or archway?
What would you like to explore?
To begin, you could try experimenting
with different things to draw, paint, print
or construct with. See how many different
tones (from light to dark), lines or colours
you can make. Can you mix different
materials to create different textures?
What types of shapes can you see?
What materials are best for you to use.
Note: although all the church site images are drawings
that have been photocopied and coloured; the
recommendation for the next level is to extend this
newly found process by beginning to paint directly.
Children may over-use the photocopier just as we all
may over-use the camera…
Images top to bottom, left to right:
Local church – site for studies of environmental feature
Collage (coloured paper)
Drawing (ink and wash)
Coloured drawing (pencil, ink and oil pastel)
Painting (ink and paint)
Original drawing from observation
Re-worked from a photocopy of the drawing
(left) in inks and paint
Study of the front of the school (clay/photocopy)
THE NEW MAGAZINE FOR PRIMARY AND PRE-SCHOOL TEACHERS OF ART, CRAFT & DESIGN
20
Primary books
Further infomation:
www.nsead.org/publications
ALL ABOUT BOOKS
Three very different books are featured this issue:
Aboriginal Art and the Dreaming
Aboriginal Art and the Dreaming is published
by the Department for Education and
Children in South Australia to help teaching
about the exciting diversity of both traditional
and contemporary Aboriginal art and
sculpture. While there is a focus on South
Australia, this book incorporates information
about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
visual arts and artists from throughout
Australia. Aboriginal art and the Dreaming
will meet the needs of teachers who are
aware of the sensitive issues involved in
teaching about Aboriginal art and require
more knowledge in this area. It stresses the
inseparable link between particular Aboriginal
groups and their land, their Dreaming
and their art. The book has an informative
section on contemporary Aboriginal art
and extensive lists of resources.
UK £20.00 (incl. p&p)
Also see: This Earth for Us
A teacher’s resource pack and CD Rom
published by the Commonwealth Institute
which explores a range of aboriginal art
forms, from central desert dot paintings to
the ceramics of the Hermannsburg potters.
An ideal resource for pupils age 5–14 to
explore works from different cultures.
UK £21.80 (incl. p&p)
David Sharples, manager of the STAR
Project, Wednesbury EAZ, reviews our
second selection:
Understanding Art: A Guide for Teachers
Understanding Art: A Guide for Teachers
by Martin Wenham is a readable book
which can be used without any specialist
knowledge or experience. It is ideal for the
generalist teacher in primary school and
for teachers in secondary art departments
as it covers the full teaching age range.
Art subject leaders will also find it invaluable
in supporting their subject knowledge.
It would be essential reading for
undergraduate and postgraduate level
students of art education, who have no
prior knowledge of art and design.
The content of the book includes the
exploration of art focussing on, point,
line, tone, mixing and controlling colour,
perceiving and observing colour, responding
to colour, shape, space, form, texture,
pattern. The book is essential for every
teacher of art and one that could become
well thumbed with over use.
It is well documented that children need
to learn concepts, facts and skills through
firsthand experience in any area of the
curriculum. The aim of this book is to
help teachers to start to develop effective
teaching and learning in art. Such learning
depends on exploring and experimenting
with the visual language through which
artists communicate, and the visual
elements such as line, colour and shape.
THE NEW MAGAZINE FOR PRIMARY AND PRE-SCHOOL TEACHERS OF ART, CRAFT & DESIGN
The National Curriculum has a strong
emphasis on experimenting with and
applying the visual elements, a concept
that this book systematically explores
incorporating the basic knowledge needed
to do this effectively. The author deals with
the visual elements of art, their properties
and how they are related, and especially
about how children’s knowledge of each can
be developed through simple but creative
activities. Each element is placed in context,
with extensive cross-referencing. The author
shows how these elements can be observed
in the children’s environment and in each
chapter provides clear examples of how
they have been used in artworks. A useful
appendix identifies the artworks used and
references are made to various websites.
UK £23.95 (incl. p&p)
Drawing and Painting: Children and
Visual Representation
The revised edition of John Matthews book
now reflects recent developments in early
childhood education, in developmental
psychology and in our understanding of
children’s development in the arts. The author
shows how the new model of children’s
development in visual representation has
important implications for education.
He examines children’s development in
visual expression and suggests how this
development might be supported.
UK £21.90 (incl. p&p)
All these books are available from NSEAD
T: 01249 714825 F: 01249 716138
Email: [email protected]
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Berol Skin Tone Oil Pastels allow pupils to
focus on portrait work by giving them a
range of appropriate colours to choose from.
The pack includes colours suitable
for skin, hair, lips and eyes and the colours
are blendable which allows for more subtle
variations and more realistic portraits.
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produce large scale work easily.
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SKINTONE PASTELS AND PENCILS
Berol’s jumbo pastels and Verithin pencils reflect the skin, eye and hair colours of a multi-tonal classroom.
They let children draw what they see – and use colour to say who they are.
The medium may be paper thin, but the message goes more than skin deep.
Tel: 01553 761221
Fax: 01553 766534
Bright ideas begin with
www.berol.co.uk