About this Resource

by Anne Rayner

This site is the result of the collaborative work of four pre-service, secondary school visual arts teachers, produced as an assignment in the process of studying our Master Of Teaching qualifications at ACU

The unit has been designed as an integrated curriculum resource for secondary teachers of Visual Arts   Stage 4,  with an inquiry based learning model and is available for unlimited educational use by teachers of the syllabus.

For any publishing of content in a public arena, please contact
us at; ajrayner47@gmail.com

 

Evaluation.

by Catherine Flynn

The work of secondary educators reaches further than just a presentation of syllabus content, it’s an opportunity to shape the attitudes of future citizens and in the process re-shape society (ACARA, 2011). The subtle undertones of our content, the attitudes we exhibit and the words we speak, hold the power to quite literally change the world as we cast them over the malleable minds of adolescents. With this in mind, four pre-service art teachers set out to build a unit of work that did what Art does best; Question Everything.

We determined that the politically provocative art genre of Pop Art was the perfect vehicle for this type of endeavour as it was engaging and entertaining for the young minds of stage 4 students, whilst still clearly communicating the revolutionary spirit from which it originated (The Art Story, 2012). It was in the spirit of this revolutionary attitude, that we found the perfect place for to ‘hide’ the socially critical concepts and potentially world-changing ideas that are outlined in our curriculum. This unit became more than just an integration of The Australian Curriculum’s cross curricular priorities, and general capabilities (ACARA, 2011), it became a place to create space for another of Art’s intrinsic capabilities; the ability to generate creative thought (Alter, 2011). An inquiry based learning approach is ideally suited to this type of learning experience and sat comfortably with our unit’s overall theme of ‘questioning’ – question society, question authority, and indeed question yourself.

Collaborative work, of course is not merely the slotting together of separate elements and hoping the edges line up. It is a democratic, sometimes utilitarian process that requires the values of many to homogenise into a cohesive whole. Individuals’ values of course do not always align, however, one also cannot grow in an environment of complacency and comfort. These challenges allow one to find one’s strengths and weaknesses, finding self-efficacy within strengths and growing as an individual from where weaknesses once lay. For this reason, working in small groups has been shown to develop creative thinking and problem-solving skills that outweigh the difficulties resulting from inequitable contributions (Davoudi & Mahinpo, 2012).

The process began on a foundation of good communication between members via a Private Face Book group page where files and ideas could be easily exchanged. With collaborative discussion during the creation of each part, a series of Pop themed PowerPoint presentation templates were designed to ensure visual cohesion of the unit, and the requirements of the unit were then delegated amongst us. The unit map and introductory lessons were a completed as a collaborative effort between all participants.

As teachers, we are required to be flexible and respectful of others’ opinions and to be able to transform emotional responses into rational dialogue. William Glasser stated, “Running a school where the students all succeed, even if some students have to help others to make the grade, is good preparation for democracy” (Coddington, 2011). Being able to instil these civic values in our students requires modelling empathy and cooperation.  Overall, working as a group, we were able to find each individual’s strengths and through thorough discussion and frequent alterations, we created a cohesive final product of which each member could be proud.

 

References

ACARA. (2011). Curriculum: General Capabilities. URL accessed at:
http://www.acara.edu.au/curriculum/general_capabilities.html

ACARA,. (2008). The Melbourne Declaration. ACARA. Retrieved 8 May 2016, from http://www.curriculum.edu.au/verve/_resources/National_Declaration_on_the_Educational_Goals_for_Young_Australians.pdf

Alter, F. (2011). Exploring visual arts pedagogies that support critical and creative thinking. Australian Art Education, 34(1), 10-29. Retrieved from http://search.informit.com.au.ezproxy1.acu.edu.au/fullText;dn=771288507220156;res=IELAPA

Davoudi, A., & Mahinpo, B. (2012). Kagan Cooperative Learning Model: The Bridge to Foreign
Language Learning in the Third Millennium. TPLS, 2(6). doi:10.4304/tpls.2.6.11341140

Glasser, W in Coddington, J. (2011). Quotable Quotes and Insightful Ideas Offered By William
Glasser.  International Journal Of Choice Theory & Reality Therapy, 31(1), 143 – 146

The Art Story,. (2012). Pop Art Movement, Artists and Major Works. The Art Story. Retrieved 9 May 2016, from http://www.theartstory.org/movement-pop-art.htm

 

*The assignment required a reflective evaluation of the collaborative process involved in the creation of this resource and an outline of the individual contributions.