No part of this publication may be reproduced by any process without written consent from Singapore Teachers’ Academy for the aRts.
Singapore Teachers’ Academy for the aRts 2 Malan Road
Singapore 109433 moe_star@moe.gov.sg
All names, designations and schools of the art teachers are accurate as of point of conducting the critical inquiry projects.
Edited by: Seow Ai Wee and Victoria Loy
Design by: First Concept Pte Ltd
ISBN 978-981-11-7585-5
Preface
by Rebecca Chew Academy Principal, STAR
At the heart of every dedicated art educator is a desire to constantly renew and transform our teaching practice in order to effect quality art learning experiences for our students. Local and international thought leaders can inspire new perspectives, and sharing by colleagues and friends in the art fraternity can spark new ideas but it is through looking inwards, critically inquiring into our own teaching actions that will bring about changed practice. At STAR, we provide opportunities for art teachers to embark on critical inquiry journeys through Networked Learning Communities, and nurture their professional identity as Teacher-researcher.
Through the lens of a Teacherresearcher, the art teacher develops a heightened sense of awareness of teaching actions in the art classroom; observations of students’ behaviours and artistic endeavours become vivid field notes, and their artworks and artist statements turn into rich sources of data. The art classroom is both a creative studio space as well as a rich micro-lab for inquiry into teaching and learning.
Individually, the findings from the critical inquiry projects might only impact the Teacher-researcher and his/her students. Collectively, they expand the pedagogical knowledge of the art fraternity, and raise the quality of art education in Singapore.
Introduction
by Seow Ai Wee, Deputy Director (Art) and Victoria Loy, Master Teacher (Art), STAR x x
Critical Inquiry in Art Education is a culmination of an eight-month long critical inquiry (CI) journey embarked on by eleven art teachers, from inspiration and ideas, to data collection and analysis, to presentation and publication of findings. The CI journey was no easy feat as the art teachers had to juggle their multi-faceted professional roles as educators, artists, collaborators as well as researchers.
The CI journey comprised two part. The first part was designed to inspire learning through a week-long study trip to New York City in March 2017 led by STAR. The eleven art teacher-delegation attended a three-day art education conference hosted by the National Arts Education Association, which offered over 1,000 participatory workshops, presentations, panel discussions, and keynote addresses. The teacher-delegation also visited public and private schools, and went on learning journeys to art museums. The learning from fellow art teachers, researchers in the field of art and museum education, and museum educators fueled their imagination and broadened their pedagogical repertoire. Every day, they reflected on their teaching practice and engaged in generative discourse, exploring ideas and possibilities for application of learning in the art classroom and at the art museum back in Singapore.
Part two of the CI journey actively engaged the art teachers to apply their learning by conducting independent CI projects focused on a scope of interest or an area of curiosity in their teaching practice. Three of the art teachers were interested in finding out what choice-based education and self-directed learning looked like in a class size of forty. In that process, they became more thoughtful in offering students choices in terms of materials, processes, and outcomes. They were also more deliberate in structuring time and designing classroom spaces that empowered students to learn independently and collaboratively. Another group of three art teachers zoomed in on ways to heighten students’ awareness of the creative process through
reflective process. They designed and facilitated reflection-in-action activities such as writing artist’s statements, guided reflective journaling and visual journaling. Two primary school art teachers chose to investigate how interaction with artworks in the school setting might impact students’ ability to talk about art and make art while another two secondary school art teachers focused on the impact of museum-based learning on their students’ creativity, confidence, and overall interest in art. With the recent launch of the Singapore Teaching Practice (STP), it was timely for one of the art teachers to conduct an ethnographic inquiry into how STP might foster a reflective culture among the team of 4 art teachers at his school by mapping their teaching actions in the art classroom.
This CI journey played a critical role in weaving the threads of practice and research, and strengthening the theory-practice nexus. In that process, the group of eleven art teachers not only built their professional capacity as researchers reflective of their own practice, they also enhanced their professional capability as they addressed authentic teaching problems through thoughtful analysis of evidencebased data collected. The continual refinement of instructional practice enhanced the educational experiences and learning outcomes of students, impacting the art learning environment in schools and communities in the long run.
By embracing the new paradigm of teacher as researcher and developing the capacities for self-reflexivity and agency, art teachers who immerse themselves in tinkering, creating, learning and growing will have the potential for future pedagogical innovations. We encourage you to start small, to begin with an area you are interested in or a wonderment you are curious to find out in your own art classroom. We look forward to sharing future CI journeys with you.
07 What choices can my students make in the art classroom?
Lim Xiao Ting Nanyang Primary School
15 In a self-directed learning environment, what can we learn about how students use their time?
Lee Choong Yuan Lorraine National Junior College
23 A self-directed journey: Embracing common technology in the art classroom
Faizal Bin Abdul Aziz
Shuqun Secondary School
29 Developing students to be reflective practitioners of art
Tan Ee Peng
St. Hilda’s Primary School
37 Developing students’ awareness in their creative experience through reflective practice
Chia Keh Ling Joyce West Spring Secondary School
53
61
Bring the gallery to our art classroom! Deepening students’ evaluations with talk-about-art strategies in gallery walk
Ler Jia Yi Fuhua Primary School
Art around us! Do first-hand experiences with artworks lead to better art making?
Tang Hui Jing Catholic High School (Primary)
67
75
Does a one-time museum lesson enhance students’ overall interest in art?
Ong Yan Min Prunella Seng Kang Secondary School
How might imaginative learning pedagogies enhance creativity and confidence through museum-based learning?
Ho Kien Kok Marcus Yusof Ishak Secondary School 45
An inquiry into primary school students’ evolving practice of journalling as a visual metaphor for understanding
Rafidah Bte Muhammad Dahri
St Joseph’s Institution Junior
81
A study of the teaching & learning of art in Victoria School with the taxonomy of the 24 Teaching Areas of the Singapore Teaching Practice
Heng Swee Kiang Victoria School
90 Find Out More
WHAT CHOICES CAN MY STUDENTS MAKE IN THE ART CLASSROOM?
LIM XIAO TING
SUBJECT HEAD, ART
NANYANG PRIMARY SCHOOL
If the child is the artist
• When do we intervene as art teachers?
• How much do we intervene?
• Do we need to intervene in the first place?
Choice-based art education regards students as artists and offers them real choices for responding to their own ideas and interests through making of art just like how artists make choices about their art.
According to Katherine M. Douglas and Diana B. Jaquith, authors of Engaging Learners through Artmaking: Choice-based Art Education in the Classroom (2009), it is necessary to allow students autonomy to follow their ideas, take risks and ownership of their artmaking processes in order to develop artistic behaviors. This idea is shown below in the continuum of choice-based teaching and learning.
Explicit Curriculum Teacher-Directed
Teacher assigns content and media
METHODOLOGY
PARTICIPANTS
I reflected on my teaching practice and realised it was predominantly teacher-directed with limited choices for my students to explore, develop and create original works. Further, the large class sizes was intimidating to offer choices as it would be challenging to manage the process and monitor the progress of my 40 students. Douglas & Jaquith got me thinking:
What will choicebased approach to teaching and learning look like in my art classroom of 40 students?
What do I have to do differently during my art lessons to empower students to make meaningful choices?
My Ideal Art Classroom vs In Reality
IDEAL
In a 1.5 hour art lesson:
Demonstration (10 min)
Studio Time (50 min)
Cleanup (10 min)
Sharing and reflection (20 min)
REALITY
In a 1 hour art lesson:
Settling down (10 min)
Instruction/
Demonstration (15 min)
Studio Time (20 min)
Cleanup (10 min)
Reflection (5 min)
Time to observe each child’s exploration and breakthrough was limited
OVERVIEW OF 4-WEEK LESSON WITH THE P4 CLASS
Teacher chooses content, student chooses media or vice versa
Teacher is flexible with curriculum in response to student interests and needs
40 students from a primary 4 class DATA COLLECTED 1. Artworks 2.
Emergent Curriculum Student-Directed
Students are problem finders and problem solvers
Student select content and media all of the time
Students have full ownership of process, direction, outcomes
4 lessons to explore different drawing media of students’ choice
Art teacher’s reflection based on collated exit tickets
What do you like to draw?
ENGAGING STUDENTS’ INTERESTS
EXPLORING WITH DRAWING MEDIA
What are the different drawing media you can use to make marks on papers?
How can you use materials differently to make art?
PLAYING WITH MATERIALS - EXPLORING NON TRADITIONAL DRAWING TOOLS
FINDING INSPIRATION
What inspires you to draw?
Lesson 1
Findings
WHAT CHOICES DID THE STUDENTS MAKE?
SUBJECT MATTER
WHAT WERE THEY INCLINED TO CREATE OVER THE WEEKS?
Landscape
Random marks, doodles
Animals, insects, sea creatures
People
Symbols
Cartoon
MEDIA WHAT WERE THEY INCLINED TO USE IN THEIR ART MAKING?
Still life Soft pastels
Charcoal Ink
Markers
Different types of paper
Different materials for mark making such as string, stick, pebble, cotton bud
HOW DID STUDENTS EXERCISE CHOICE IN THEIR ART MAKING?
77.5% of the students explored more than 2 subject matter of their choice throughout the 4 lessons
100% of the students used more than 2 media of their choice throughout the 4 lessons
36.4% of the students drew what they saw 27.2% of the students drew what they imagined
36.4% of the students drew what they remembered
92.5% of the students preferred to be given a choice to decide what they could draw during art lessons.
INSPIRATION WHAT WERE THEY INSPIRED BY IN THEIR ART MAKING?
What they see What they imagine What they remember
This student was eager to get started and spontaneously created different marks and effects on paper with soft pastels.
A student created marks on paper with ink and folded the paper into half to create a print.
The opportunity to make choices and play with materials at own pace are necessary for generation of ideas and divergent thinking.
Students were thrilled by the different and new ways they discovered they could make marks, and delighted by the materials they could choose from to explore and create artworks of their choice.
An empowering experience as students were given the space to explore materials of their choice and discovering new ideas about art making that amazed them.
This student was delighted with his discovery when he created a series of curve lines using string and ink on paper.
Students enjoyed the freedom to pursue their ideas, and make choices and decisions about their work.
They were more invested in their art making because they were intrinsically motivated to create artworks that mattered to them, and therefore willing to take ownership of their learning.
This student was often excited about having the freedom to create artworks of his own choice. He was personally invested in every piece of work and was very engaged in his art making. He tried soft pastels over the weeks and created artworks that mattered to him.
!Some students reflected that they started to draw better after exploring with the same medium of their choice over the 4 weeks.
They constructed deeper understanding of the medium, which they revisited over the weeks through trial and error. They began to develop their own style and make meaning of their artmaking.
student started to develop her own style after exploration with ink and pastels.
This student explored a series of portraits over the week, a subject matter that she revisited over the weeks and refined her styles as she explored with different media and tools.
WhatI learned
about empowering students with choices in the art classroom
Offering choices in the art classroom is both empowering and meaningful. It allows students to understand that art comes from within themselves and not from the art teacher. Students are able to discover at their own pace and not at the pace dictated by the art teacher.
It is important to give creativity the time it deserves by intentionally setting aside time for play and exploration that empower our students to make choices and take risks in their learning.
A
Insights & Possibilities
In a selfdirected learning environment, what can we learn about how students use their time?
Lee Choong Yuan Lorraine SUBJECT HEAD, ART ELECTIVE PROGRAMME NATIONAL JUNIOR COLLEGE
Inspiration
A presentation by experienced art educator Dr Sarah Ackermann at the NAEA National Convention on cultivating a Makerspace and curriculum for creativity piqued my interest in self-directed learning.
A visit to the Rita Gold Early Childhood Centre at Teachers College, Columbia University in New York City, which showed how teachers implemented choice-based education at the early childhood level, reframed my thinking about providing choices for my 13-18 year old students.
A suggestion from a colleague in my school to set up a Makerspace to engage our students in independent creative tinkering got me thinking about the possibilities.
A book review of Engaging learners through artmaking: Choice-based art education in the classroom (2009) by Katherine M. Douglas and Diane B. Jaquith expanded my perspectives on practices that valued authentic learning processes and fostered intrinsic motivation.
My CI project examined how students utilized their time within a choice-based learning environment. I was curious to find out:
1 How students chose to utilize their time over 10 weeks?
What actions and activities students most performed and least performed in terms of time spent?
How students use of time co-related to their assessed performance on the project? 2 3
METHODOLOGY
PARTICIPANTS
15 Junior High 3 students, all girls
PROCEDURE
The art classroom was re-designed to:
Re-present the learning environment by restructuring materials and resources, and room layout
Re-structure studio time to include demonstrations, studio, cleanup, sharing and reflection, and setting routines
The thoughtful re-designing sought to empower students to make personal choices regarding their artworks by providing access to multiple choices, and setting purposeful explorations as the norm within the art classroom.
1. Modified the art classroom layout and accessibility to art materials
2. Modified class practical time (about 1.5 hours) to incorporate in-class museum visits, demonstration by teacher, studio art making time, clean-up of classroom, group sharing and independent reflection time
3. Issued survey forms to students at the end of every lesson to self-report on how they utilised time before and during class for artmaking
4. Collected completed survey forms the following week
DATA COLLECTED
1. Students weekly self-reporting responses on survey forms
Sample of completed survey form by a student
CHANGES MADE TO THE ART CLASSROOM TO FOSTER CHOICE-BASED LEARNING (BASED ON THE LITERATURE)
MODIFICATION TO THE STUDIO LAYOUT AND ACCESSIBILITY TO MATERIALS
Before --
Lack of clear
designated use of space invited mess to accumulate
Opaque boxes obscured content and limited users’ access to materials and equipment
All boxes with materials and equipment for free access were kept open and inviting
All demonstrations started with the teacher showing where to retrieve the materials and end with how to store them back after use
USE OF BOARDS TO DISPLAY STUDENTS’ MOST RECENT WORKS TO ENCOURAGE SHARING OF IDEAS AND DISCOVERIES
USE OF BOARDS AS A MUSEUM OF ARTISTS’ WORKS, TEACHERS’ WORKS, AND SENIORS’ WORKS TO FACILITATE THE INTRODUCTION OF NEW METHODS
MODIFICATIONS TO CLASS TIME TO ESTABLISH STUDIO ROUTINES
Selected demonstrations were optional
Studio time was given as much time as possible
Clean up time was promptly kept
Findings
Finding references from other artists work
Finding references for own work (own photos/drawings)
Clean up
Learning a method
Sharing and reflection were allocated fixed slots
Looking at others’ work
Evaluating with a teacher/peer
actions were identified based on self-reported amount of time spent
Planning (documenting, sorting, preparing ideas)
Preparing materials e.g. cut plate, gather materials
Working on a plate referring to the creation of the plate Printing a plate (including the inking)
Evaluating as an individual
Top 3 most performed actions before and during class
Next 3 most performed actions before class
Next 3 most performed actions during class
Overall, students’ self-reported data revealed that the top 3 most performed actions before and during class were the same. The next 3 most performed actions before class and during class overlapped slightly.
Learning a method
Finding references from other artists work
Finding references for own work (own photos/drawings)
Looking at others’ work
Evaluating with a teacher/peer
Planning (documenting, sorting, preparing ideas)
Preparing materials e.g. cut plate, gather materials
What I learned
about how students utilized their time in a self-directed learning environment
Students perceived their participation in certain activities to be significant and to be noted.
Class time was spent on some actions that contributed to production of artwork, but less on other actions that showed awareness of learning. Teachers might consider deliberately promoting student awareness of certain actions more, such as that of learning from their environment and from each other. actions were identified based on self-reported amount of time spent
Working on a plate referring to the creation of the plate Printing a plate (including the inking)
Evaluating as an individual
2 least performed actions before and during class
Students’ self-reported data also showed that least performed actions before and after class were the same.
Students spent more time on their artwork as the deadline loomed; “Get down to working” actions took precedence over “Planning” actions.
Time management would still be key for students in projectbased assignments and choicebased projects.
&
A SELF-DIRECTED JOURNEY: EMBRACING COMMON TECHNOLOGY IN THE ART CLASSROOM
FAIZAL BIN ABDUL AZIZ SUBJECT HEAD, AESTHETICS
SHUQUN SECONDARY SCHOOL
Inspiration
A presentation by art educators Karly Kulpa and Christina Hamer from Edmonton, Canada, at the 2017 NAEA convention titled “Distorted SelfPortraits: Embracing Filter Apps in the Art Studio” piqued my curiosity in using image manipulation applications (apps) on mobile devices in the art classroom. Kulpa and Hamer believed that with the advent of technology and the thriving use of social media, it would only be natural for our students to use these readily available and oftentimes free image processing or editing
apps on mobile devices to create artworks. They challenged art teachers to embrace the mobile app technology in the teaching and learning of art. Used thoughtfully, it could be a powerful tool in engaging students to tell their stories through art.
Having heard from the two art educators, my belief in introducing digital technologies in my art classroom was reinforced. I was eager to find out how common technology that students already used in their everyday lives could be a creative stepping stone to self-expression in art making.
METHODOLOGY
PARTICIPANTS
39 students from 2 Secondary 1 Express Classes
19 students from Class 1A and 20 students from Class 1B DURATION
ABOUT THE ART TASK
Students in both classes were asked to create expressionist self-portraits. They were encouraged to use the Elements of Art to enhance emotional quality in describing themselves visually.
*Interestingly, about 70% of the students from both classes preferred not to draw themselves because they believed they neither had the ability nor the talent to create a realistic version of themselves. A few of them continued to grumble and complain even when I reassured them that the focus was on expressionistic qualities and less on realism.
CLASS 1A
PHASE 1 Discussion on “What is a self-portrait?”
CLASS 1B
Learned about 20th century art movement “Expressionism”
Created 2 pencil sketches of self-portraits, one using traditional observation approaches and the other using ideas and techniques learned from Expressionism
PHASE 2
Created black-and-white portrait photography focused on expression and composition
From the portrait photography, created expressionistic self-portrait focused on using expressive lines
4 2-hour sessions per class
DATA COLLECTED
1. Students’ artworks
2. Observation notes
Further explored ideas for selfportraits through traditional media manipulation approaches such as distortion of image and overlay of materials
Further explored ideas for selfportraits using image manipulation applications (apps) available free on mobile devices.
Encouraged to search for and share other image manipulation apps with the class
OBSERVATIONS
In the teacher-directed group, students were observed to be more dependant on the teacher for instructions. They were also more apprehensive to take risks in terms of the use of lines, colours and composition. As such, the self-portraits appeared similar and typical.
As for the self-directed group who were asked to use image manipulation apps, students were more willing and confident to explore and experiment, doing above and beyond what was expected of them. There was also more excitement and engagement during phase 3 and 4 as students found new ideas and approaches for composition, use of lines and application of colours for their self-portraits.
What I learned
about embracing common technology in the art classroom
Since the CI project, I have gone on to encourage more students across levels to use image manipulation apps on mobile devices to generate ideas in their art making process. Experimentation and risk-taking were no longer high stakes as manipulation effects could be easily undone in the digital format. Instead of focusing on visual accuracy, students began to look at creative processes and value personal expression. They worked in a selfdirected manner, finding new apps and discovering solutions to better express themselves in visual forms.
Insights & Possibilities
Developing Students To Be Reflective Practitioners Of Art
Learners not only receive information at the time it is given; they also absorb information in many different ways, often through reflection. Zemelman, Daniels, and Hyde (1993) believe that the most powerful learning happens when students self-monitor or reflect.
TAN EE PENG SENIOR TEACHER, ART ST HILDA’S PRIMARY SCHOOL
Inspiration
I was inspired to explore this topic on developing students to be reflective practitioner after attending a presentation by Leslie Flowers at the 2017 NAEA National Convention. Titled “Inquiry & Reflections that Heightens Student Ownership and Quality of Work”, Flowers shared about learning multiple strategies for embedding inquiry and reflection throughout the design/creating process that could heighten student engagement and quality of work.
Flowers believed in using inquiry and reflection to heighten her middle school students’ (ages 11-14) ownership and quality of artworks. The key questions she asked were how to:
MOTIVATE students to investigate and create their initial idea INQUIRE throughout their creative process CHALLENGE themselves when presenting their work
Flowers proposed to include these 6 steps in an inquiry-based art lesson so as to encourage students to explore and respond to their own questions about the art making process.
IMAGINE
Flowers also shared how she included 2 components for formative assessment:
1. PLANNING - promote innovation and critical thinking.
e.g. students brainstorm and develop multiple possibilities for a sculpture based on popular culture, giving considerations to everyone’s ideas. Students create detailed sketch of sculpture design and placement.
2. CREATING - encourage critical thinking e.g. students carefully measure and adapt those measurements to a variety of materials, exploring several possibilities for the sculpture’s construction and surface.
METHODOLOGY
PARTICIPANTS
20 P4 students from 2 different classes working on Collagraph Printing - 10 from GEP & 10 from Mainstream class
DURATION
1. Administer pre-study questionnaire. Collect and analyse data
2. Conduct 8-week lesson unit on Collagraph Printing
3. Design and facilitate reflection-in-action activities
4. Administer post-study questionnaire. Collect and analyse data
5. Conduct 1-to-1 interview with 4 students
DATA COLLECTED
1. Responses to pre- and poststudy questionnaire
2. Interview transcripts with 2 students from GEP class and 2 students from Mainstream class
Collagraph Printing Unit over 8 weeks
Explore materials and textures used to create collagraphs
Look at artworks by American artist Jasper Johns for ideas and inspiration, and create designs for collagraph using numbers, letters and symbols that express personal meaning
1. Sketch design and prepare collagraph print plate
2. Prepare printing papers
2.
Learn to title artwork and write artist statement
Gallery Walk using TAG
T – Talk about something you like about the artwork
A – Ask a question
G – Give a positive suggestion/ comment
Findings
PRE-QUESTIONNAIRE RESULTS
95% of students appreciate comments and responses given by classmates and teachers during Art Critique sessions, they felt that they were able to see their weaknesses and make improvements.
95% of students know how to make use of suitable Art terms during Art Critique sessions in response to the artworks they see.
40% of students indicated they were not comfortable with giving their ideas or answering questions verbally in the classroom setting; some preferred to write their comments on post-its.
POST-QUESTIONNAIRE RESULTS
Data remained unchanged
Data remained unchanged
55% of students indicated they were not comfortable with giving their ideas or answering questions verbally in the classroom setting. This was a 15% increase. This got me thinking about reasons for students feeling uncomfortable about speaking up in class.
I think art discussions, checklists are useful to me. Or when teacher shows sample works or assess an artwork by modelling, it is also helpful. In this way, I can better understand art concepts and the success criteria.
-Max
…reflections help me learn what I have done well and what I can improve on.
-Ryan
Gallery Walk! I can critique others’ work and at the same time, receive feedback from other people.
-Ryan
Gallery walk… can help us learn and understand our classmates’ work.
-Ziwei
I am not comfortable in sharing my opinions to the entire class, because I am conscious of the kinds of response I will get from my classmates. If their responses are negative ones, I will feel embarrassed. I prefer to write my ideas/ comments on paper/post-its instead, if possible, remain anonymous.
-Max
I’m very shy and I don’t like to speak up in class. I don’t mind sharing in a small group though, it is not so intimidating. I also prefer to write down my comments rather than voice them out in front of the class.
-Ziwei
I’m nervous about receiving negative responses from my classmates, for example, ‘bad comments’ like “your work is horrible”.
-Ted
No [bad comments], because we were told by you to give only positive suggestions, so I did not receive any ‘bad’ comments. The comments I received were ok, I am more at ease now.
-Ted
What I learned
about developing students to be reflective practitioners of art
I believe reflective thinking is an important attribute to develop in our students as the society becomes more complex, with information being more readily available and yet rapidly changing. Reflective thinking helps students become life-long independent learners as they constantly rethink, consider alternatives, and adapt problem-solving strategies.
Through reflections, students can better understand their areas of strengths and weaknesses in art making
Thoughtful reflections can take place by carrying out various activities such as art discussions and art critique sessions, and using different formats such as self and peer reflections, and checklists.
Consider giving students choice for verbal or written feedback for their peers
Prepare an environment for positive interactions during art critique sessions where students communicate with care and respect
An ideal reflective lesson should provide:
Lesson components that prompt inquiry and curiosity.
Resources and hands-on activities to prompt exploration.
Reflective thinking activities that prompt students to think about what they have worked on, what they learned, and what they still need to do.
Reflection activity worksheets for each lesson plan to prompt students to think about what they know, what they learned, and what they need to know as they progress through their exploration.
& Possibilities
DEVELOPING STUDENTS’ AWARENESS IN THEIR CREATIVE EXPERIENCE THROUGH REFLECTIVE
PRACTICE
CHIA KEH LING joyce SUBJECT HEAD, AESTHETICS
WEST SPRING SECONDARY SCHOOL
Inspiration
Art students in secondary schools are given ample opportunities to explore new materials, techniques and processes in their art practices. Potentially, every project they undertake will mean they are going to go through a period of exploration. Trying things differently, taking risks and allowing for surprises is key to successful creative solutions and artistic practices. Art students will need to understand that they have to explore widely in order for their ideas to mature and make their art learning a meaningful journey.
As an experienced art teacher, I have come to realise that my students often find difficulty in making critical decisions about which creative exploration will work the best for their artworks. They frequently lack sufficient and tangible understanding of the artistic processes. Without being able to reflect on their processes, it is difficult for them to move forward. This is likely because there are no right and wrong answers in art, and making artistic decisions depend upon so many variables. Solutions rarely appear instantly; more often than not, they depend on a wealth of experiences that allow creative practitioners to compare, contrast, evaluate and plan.
For art teachers, it can be frustrating to see students opt for the obvious, easy directions or pass up on deeper explorations that they overlook. Ideally, there will be a way of teaching students how to make the “best” decisions, but that can result in students producing artworks that look the same with little originality. My aim will be to help students practice the critical reflection process so that it becomes an inherent part of their artistic process.
METHODOLOGY
PARTICIPANTS
8 Secondary 3 Express Art students who opted for the subject. They are generally motivated and still exploring various media for their art practices.
DURATION
10 sessions of art-making process of 1 hour 20 minutes per session.
DATA COLLECTED
1. Photographs of art-making processes
2. Reflective Journals with guiding questions
My CI project was about how students experienced creativity in their artistic process through the evidence of their descriptions and reflections in creating the ME BOX.
ME BOX is a 10-session self-portrait project:
Create a self-portrait, depicting your unique style, personality, and life.
Explore who you are, what is unique about yourself, your personality and your characteristics.
The box will tell everyone who you are based on what you are willing to reveal.
GUIDING QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTIVE JOURNAL
1. What have I done today?
2. What are the 3 things I am happy and satisfied about my work today?
3. What are the 2 things that I do not like about my work today?
4. Am I going to change the things I do not like or should I just leave it?
(Please elaborate)
EXCERPTS FROM STUDENTS’ REFLECTIVE JOURNALS
I learnt that I am the type of person who needs to think for quite a while before making a decision.
Are there any changes in my ideas since the last session?
(If yes, explain what they are. If no, explain why)
5. Are there any new plans or new inspirations?
6. Is there anything I want to improve now?
7. What are the challenges I face today?
8. What is 1 thing I am going to work on for the next session?
When I first started…, I did not have a proper plan on what to do for the ME BOX hence I just took any materials that could possibly help me in making my ME BOX. … Along the way, I came to realise that this project would help me a lot in future as I would know my strengths and weaknesses, and I would be knowledgeable of what areas to improve on.
... I did not know much about myself before embarking in this project as I never pay attention to what I am like as a person…
“ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “
It is as if I am looking into a mirror and describing what I see, and what I feel.
It is like getting to know myself all over again.
…. [The project] trained me to be more patient when I’m doing things that require more effort and time.…
Findings
BECOMING MORE AWARE OF SELF:
• Careful thoughts, considerations for multiple interpretations, and meaning-making of the self were evident in the journal entries and final artworks.
• Students instinctively reflected on life situations and began to raise questions on ‘How did that happen?’, ‘Why did it happen that way?’ and ‘Could I have done it differently?’
REFLECTIVE PRACTICE DEEPENED STUDENTS’ LEARNING:
• The act of reflecting enabled students to make sense of what they have learned, why they learned it, and how each increment of learning took place.
• Students were increasingly more motivated in their learning, where decision-making, choice and voice, reflection and metacognition, exploration, risk-taking and inquiry would empower them to live their learning meaningfully.
REFLECTION BECAME INCREASINGLY CENTRAL TO STUDENTS’ ART PRACTICE:
• Students took ownership of their reflective practice over time.
• Reflective practice encouraged a cycle of re-evaluation in the creative experience by connecting thoughts and feelings to responses and actions in art making.
What I learned
about developing students to be reflective practitioners of art
There are many ways to embed reflection in our art lessons that can encourage students to be more thoughtful and evaluative about their choices:
Tutorial
Critique
Presentation
Discussion
Peer group discussion
Written evaluation
Reflective annotation
Provide guiding questions or prompts to help focus students’ attention regardless of approach.
Each approach has its own merits and students will have their own preferences as well.
As students learn to be reflective about their art making, they also feel empowered and become more independent in making choices.
Insights & Possibilities AN INQUIRY INTO PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ EVOLVING PRACTICE OF JOURNALLING
AS A VISUAL METAPHOR FOR UNDERSTANDING
RAFIDAH BTE MUHAMMAD DAHRI ART TEACHER ST. JOSEPH’S INSTITUTION JUNIOR
Inspiration
My CI project was inspired by 2 speakers I heard from at the 2017 National Arts Education Association (NAEA) convention.
SPEAKERS
SPEAKER 1:
Brent Wilson, 2017 NAEA Eisner Lifetime Achievement Award recipient and Professor Emeritus in the School of Visual Arts at Pennsylvania State University
TITLE OF LECTURE: The Journals of an Art Addict
SPEAKER 2:
Dr Julia Marshall, 2017 Lowenfeld Award recipient and Professor in School of the Art at San Francisco State University
TITLE OF LECTURE: Follow the Metaphor: Learning from Art-Based Research
METHODOLOGY
PARTICIPANTS
3 classes of Primary 2 students
PROCEDURE
Reflected on evolving changes in implementation of visual jounalling focus curriculum.
Observed students’ art making processes
Administered student surveys
Analysed and coded data
Identified common themes and drew conclusions
DATA COLLECTED
1. Sketchbooks/Journals from 2016 and 2017
2. Student surveys
3. Observation notes and photo documentation
Student responding to the survey.
Journalling Trolley for easy collection.
Sample of survey responses from a student.
Findings
Journalling means creative mindset and it is very fun.
I think this is for art.
I think visual journalling is to help you remember.
Understanding your experience.
To me, journalling can help me recall my past. It means having fun.
It means visual art text.
I think it means I have to put them into the journal.
Drawing Journalling means that you can draw your thoughts.
It means 2D/3D drawing and writing.
I think it means drawing what you are going to do in your journal visualising it.
I think it means that you make something realistic.
Visual journalling means you discover something new.
Reflect Writing notes
To make a plan you will use in the future.
It means that you have to do a survey about yourself.
To store something important. Noting down things.
I think it is to write all the things we have done.
It means that you can see what you jot down. ART
DRAW
RESPONSES FROM STUDENTS ON WHAT VISUAL JOURNALING MEANS.
Terms used in Art lessons
Similar to Brent Wilson’s and my idea about the purpose of visual journaling.
A storage of my ideas.
It means we all think of something. What we think. We create artworks. It means you have to do by yourself.
It means that you have to do a survey about yourself.
I think visual journalling means recapping everything you had learn! BRAIN JAM
What I learned
about students’ evolving practice of journalling as a visual metaphor for understanding
1 2 3
Classes with less-established art classroom routines were more dependent on the how-tos of journalling and art making. Classes with wellestablished art classroom routines seemed more expressive in their journaling, either in the form of words or pictorial symbols. As such, routines and discipline in the art classroom could in fact give students the time and space to explore, and the freedom to be expressive in their journaling and art making.
When students were given choices on how to visualise and/or express their thoughts and ideas, the art teacher would be able to identify what went on in the students’ minds, their level of language acquisition as well as visual literacy.
The visual journal entries could be considered as ‘snapshots’ of the students’ working minds, revealing their art learning experiences. However, to completely understand each student’s journal entry, the art teacher would need to be an observant, listening, facilitative and guiding figure.
Insights & Possibilities
BRING THE GALLERY TO OUR ART CLASSROOM!
DEEPENING
STUDENTS’ EVALUATIONS WITH TALK-ABOUT-ART
STRATEGIES IN GALLERY WALK
LER JIA YI
SENIOR TEACHER, art FUHUA PRIMARY SCHOOL
Inspiration
I brought the idea of the Gallery Walk into the art classroom to explore the possibility of utilizing the space for sharing of artistic inquiries among students. I allocated time at specific junctures in the art unit for students to display their artworks and talk about each other’s artworks. By asking students to take on different roles in this inquiry process, it could sensitize them to different aspects of the artistic process and product, and deepen their art learning
METHODOLOGY
DATA COLLECTED
1. Observation notes of students’ dispositions at 4 Gallery Walks
2. Students’ written responses in 2 evaluation strategies
3. Student perception surveys on Gallery Walks.
4. Student perception surveys on 2 evaluation strategies.
Gallery Walk 1 using Evaluation Strategy 1
Gallery Walk 2 using Evaluation Strategy 1
Administer student perception surveys on gallery walk
Gallery Walk 3 using Evaluation Strategy 2
Adapted from the evaluation strategy of “Two Stars and a Wish”, this evaluation strategy guided students to identify 2 positive aspects of an artwork created by a peer, and then provide 1 suggestion for improvement.
This aimed to provide guidance and build confidence in providing peer feedback, developing a positive mind-set for learning and improvement.
Gallery Walk 4 using Evaluation Strategy 2
Administer student perception surveys on evaluation strategies
Adopted from Feldman’s Model of Art Criticism (1970), this was another strategy introduced to scaffold students ability to provide comments and evaluations in a cognitive progressive manner, moving from descriptive to analytical, then interpretative to judgemental. This strategy aimed to guide students’ evaluative processes towards critical thinking and deeper learning.
Sample responses from 2 students using 2 Hearts & 1 Light Bulb evaluation strategy
Very interesting, very spacy feeling, may decorate the side more and give a moon
Good use of materials, great design, try to make the stationery suspended
Sample responses from 2 students using 2 Hearts & 1 Light Bulb evaluation strategy
Good interpretation of work, nice imagination of present! Could have added more details to the durian like spikes
Great realistic work, I like the ice cubes! Very neat and presentable! Could darken the outline of the present
GALLERY WALK
WALK 3
Sample response from a student using Bloom Bloom evaluation strategy
DESCRIPTION: I can see you have used personification and it makes the items look cuter. Your idea is creative as the basket and wine glass are floating in a fruit ocean.
ANALYSIS: All the colours were lightly coloured, not too clashing with other colours. Will be better if you use more shading method for colouring and the fruits will look livelier.
INTERPRETATION: I think the drawing is showing pirates wanting to save the fruits. It is creative of you to make the fruits animal-like. Did you get the idea from Noah’s Ark?
JUDGEMENT: I think this is a nice poster as there are lots of interesting details on the fruits. I would add more details and make the colours more obvious. Sample response from a student using Bloom Bloom evaluation strategy
DESCRIPTION: I see a basket full of fruits and water around the basket. The artist likes to use patterns to simplify the drawing. The basket and some fruits have patterns.
ANALYSIS: The art work is very bright and colourful. There are lots of patterns used to make it looked more interesting.
WALK 4
INTERPRETATION: I think this piece is about fruits in a basket floating on the river of wine.
JUDGEMENT: I think people would see this as a very colourful and creative one especially the fruits are having fun sailing on the river of wine. I would add some eyes or mouths to the fruits to personify them though.
GALLERY
GALLERY
GALLERY WALK
Findings
QUESTION: DO YOU LIKE 2 HEARTS & 1 LIGHT BULB? QUESTION: DO YOU LIKE BLOOM BLOOM?
We can describe less which will not
I can give my ideas but not very detailed ones.
It is very easy to use and I can write whatever I want which is related to the artwork.
It
It helps me elaborate my comments and gives me an idea on what to write rather than just go in blindly and randomly write.
The guiding questions help me to elaborate my comments.
QUESTION: WHICH STRATEGY DO YOU PREFER? QUESTION: WHICH STRATEGY/STRATEGIES HELPED YOU TO GIVE MORE CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK AND COMMENTS TO YOUR PEERS?
It holds a lot more suggestions and descriptions so that you can look out for more things after you read it.
It is the easiest to use and also the simplest.
It is more organized and comprehensive.
It takes lesser time so you can comment on more artworks than Bloom
It is very
to understand and make comments on people. Overall, they both enable the receiver to understand the writer and how to improve.
Writing with more categories makes the feedback more constructive.
QUESTION: IN YOUR OWN WORDS, DESCRIBE GALLERY WALK
““
It is a time when we can see our friends’ works and comment on them. We can also improve our work by reading the comments given by our friends.
“
It is a time where we can get to see other students’ works and give comments on it to help others improve their work.
“
It is an activity where everyone walks around to take a look at other's work and write for the improvements or something good (opinions) about that person's artwork.
“
89% of students liked Gallery Walk 1
Only 4 out of 37 students surveyed did not like Gallery Walk. They were either insecure about the quality of their artworks or expressed concern about receiving negative comments from peers. 2 3
What I learned
about deepening students’ ability to talk about art in Gallery Walk
From the observations and findings, it was evident that students enjoyed talking about their peers’ artworks, and responded to the artworks positively as well as critically. The analysis of written responses also showed that comments made by students about the artworks deepened over time, and when given more opportunities with appropriate support and guidance, could be further refined.
Students’ responses on their understanding of Gallery Walk showed that they saw it as time that allowed them to be actively engaged in sharing of ideas and learning from one another.
Between Gallery Walk 1 to 4, average word count for written responses (based on 4 students) increased from 11 to 147.
Percentage of art vocabulary used to describe the artworks also increased from 5.5% to 27.5% of total word count. 4
Inspiration
“ “
First-hand experiences are necessary if children are to learn, think and construct knowledge
Piaget & Inhelder, 1969
Children learn best from first-hand experiences. Real life experiences with people and things in their immediate and peripheral environment can provide them with stimulations for learning, and contribute to the shaping of their learning attitudes, and perception of the world.
This CI project sought to find out if first-hand experiences with artworks in the school environment might lead to better art making skills among students.
METHODOLOGY
PARTICIPANTS
38 students from a Primary 4 class
DURATION
4 lessons
X 50 minutes per lesson
DATA COLLECTED
1. Written responses for sculpture walk
2. Images of students’ artworks
3. Peer feedback on art making
4. Personal reflection on art making
5. Voice recordings of the 4 lessons
LESSON 1 Brief introduction to sculpture as an art form. (5 min)
Introduce 3 sculptures in the school to students using various thinking routines. Sculpture walk for half the class while the other half look at reproductions in the classroom. (45min)
Students did a Beginning, Middle, End activity at this sculpture.
Students worked in pairs for a Compare & Contrast activity.
Students observing 3rd sculpture and recording observations using See, Think, Wonder routine.
Half the students in the class got to look closely at 3 artworks on a Sculpture Walk around the school. The other half looked at images of the same 3 sculptures in the classroom. 1
2
Recap sculpture walk experience and use of thinking routine to help us look at an artwork. (10min)
Respond to image of Ng Eng Teng’s Freedom Child (1978) using See, Think, Wonder routine. (15min)
Attempt to recreate Freedom Child based on image using modelling clay. (20min)
Allow time for peer feedback on the attempt to remake. (5min)
Recreating Ng Eng Teng’s spherical sculpture Freedom Child (1978)
Most students even struggled with creating the basic spherical form.
Peer feedback was nonetheless objective and constructive.
LESSON 2
LESSON 3
Original Lesson Plan
• Students interpret the theme Freedom Child in their personal context.
• What do they associate freedom with? If they were to create their own version of Freedom Child, what will it look like?
• Brainstorm, sketch, make plans, peer feedback.
Revised Lesson Plan
• Recap previous lesson. (5min)
• Intervention to provide scaffolding for modelling sculptural forms.
• Practise a series of exercises transforming 2-dimensional shapes to into 3-dimensional forms. (35min)
• Relooked at image of Freedom Child and discussed breakdown of the sculpture using image and maquette. (10min)
Revised lesson plan provided step-bystep illustration and demonstration, and even a marquette of Ng’s sculpture. 3 4 (after 2-week break)
Original Lesson Plan
• Students create their sculptural interpretation of Freedom Child.
LESSON 4
• Personal reflection on how successful their peers have been at representing their Freedom Child.
Revised Lesson Plan
• Recap lessons 1 to 3. (10min)
• Recreate Freedom Child using modelling clay. Image and maquette of Freedom Child provided as reference. (30min)
• Individual reflection comparing the 2 models recorded. (10min)
2nd attempt at recreating Ng’s sculpture.
Findings
Over the course of the 4 lessons, students showed increasing independence in generating observations and understanding of an artwork through the application of thinking routines.
Students attempted to translate their observations to their art making. However, the results were less than ideal which was likely due to the lack of basic sculpting skills.
More deliberate scaffolding was needed, which included practising how to mould basic forms, class discussion to highlight the different parts of the original sculpture using images and a maquette. These scaffoldings were needed to better translate earlier observations to their art making.
WhatI learned
about how first-hand experiences with artworks might lead to better art making
Evidence shows that first-hand experiences with artworks do, to a certain extent, lead to better art making among the students. Improvement takes time and requires more than looking at actual artworks. Besides sensitising the learner to close looking using routine observation exercises, the introduction of appropriate skill sets, new information, and prototypes at timely moments are critical to this improvement.
As art teachers, we need to consider students’ schema carefully prior to designing art tasks. It is also critical for art teachers to provide students the time and space to explore and investigate the materials before they work on an assigned art task, which may otherwise be beyond their capacity.
Insights & Possibilities DOES A ONETIME MUSEUM LESSON ENHANCE STUDENTS’
OVERALL INTEREST IN ART?
ONG YAN MIN PRUNELLA SUBJECT COORDINATOR, ART
SENG KANG SECONDARY SCHOOL
Inspiration
When I was a beginning teacher, I brought students to the museums on 2 occasions and both experiences were unpleasant for me and my students. On the first occasion, the group size was not ideal and my lecture-based approach to teaching about unfamiliar artworks did little to engage the students. However, I was undeterred and brought students to the museum again. This time, the group size was ideal but the museum volunteer who led the guided tour had little rapport with my students. The students felt demoralised at the end of the tour as they were not able to comprehend the deep information shared by the museum volunteer about the art and artists.
After attending a museum-based learning course at STAR in 2016, I became acquainted with
various student-centric strategies to facilitate learning at the museum. I brought students to museums again, this time on self-guided visits conducted by me and found a stark difference in students’ engagement level. I later learned that some students began visiting museums and art exhibitions on their own, either during term time or school break.
My belief in the importance of museum-based learning was further validated during the 2017 study trip to New York City. We visited 4 museums on that trip, and learned about the ways museum educators have been engaging students and teachers. I began to wonder what might a successful museum visit look like, and how might such a visit impact overall interest in art learning and motivate students further in creating artworks?
METHODOLOGY
PARTICIPANTS
11 upper secondary mixed ability Art students who were generally interested in the subject and motivated to learn
DATA COLLECTED
1. Paper Survey (2016)
2. Electronic Survey (2017)
3. In-person interviews with 3 students (2017)
PROCEDURE
1. Conducted museum-based learning at the Singapore Art Museum on 3 June, 2016 as part of art lesson unit
2. Administered post-museum visit paper survey on the same day
3. Administered electronic survey in March 2017 on the same group of students
4. Analysed and compared survey data collected in 2016 and 2017
5. Conducted in-person interviews with 3 selected students between May-June 2017; photos taken during museum visit in 2016 were used as prompts
6. Transcribed interviews and analysed qualitative data between July and August, 2017
2016
4
Introduced theme of “Our Environment & Us”
Engaged in discussion focused on the essential question “How has our natural environment been changing?”
Conducted mono-print activity to introduce printmaking as an art form
Conducted 1.5 hour long selfguided visit at the Singapore Art Museum at 8Q. Led discussions at 4 artworks in the exhibition Imaginarium: Over the Ocean and Under the Sea
Introduced art task, which was to create a lino print poster to raise awareness about an environmental issue of choice
Allocated time for independent research on design of the poster
Conducted introductory lesson on linocut with an Artist Mentor
LESSON 2-3
Findings
2 surveys were conducted, one in June 2016 and the follow-up in March 2017
Students learned that art is more than just drawing and painting; there was heightened awareness of other art forms (such as installation and mural) because they were exposed to an array of possibilities during the museum visit.
Students indicated that the museum visit led by the teacher encouraged them to visit museums independently, with friends and/or with family.
“It [gave] us more motivation and also a desire to succeed.
All the students strongly agreed that the museum visit increased their interest in art as a subject. When asked how the museum visit had made a difference in art learning (March 2017 survey), students written responses revealed they felt “inspired” and “motivated” by the artists’ works at the museum.
Completed linocut for printing
Presentation of artworks & artist statements to peers
of artworks
LESSON 5-6
““
When we visit a museum, we get to see how other artists use the different mediums to create their art pieces in their own ways. From there, we can get inspired and come up with our own art piece.
I feel more inspired and have more ideas for lessons.
“ “
x x x
“
For about half the students surveyed, the increased interest in art as a subject at secondary level might have translated to interest in pursuing a career in the arts.
“ “
I AM interested in pursuing a future in the arts.
“ “
It is partially true… I am considering any designing jobs in the future.
Leading a discussion in Plastic Ocean (2016), an installation by artist-illustrator Tan Zi Xi.
Sample of students’ lino
MORE FINDINGS FROM INTERVIEWS
Follow-up interviews were conducted between May-June 2017 with 3 students who went on the museum visit back in June 2016.
Students could recount in detail the artworks they encountered during the museum visit.
“ “ “ “ “ “
I remember this as well. It was in a room and then the ball was covered in charcoal; and then we, it [was] also an interactive artwork; and then we [could] push it around and play with it. … It was attached with charcoal pens, so when you pushed it around, it [would] like, draw on the walls.
2 of the 3 students visited museums on their own but they were not able to recall the museum or the exhibition they visited.
Students shared that the museum visit gave them alternative ideas that they could try out or include in their artworks.
…I remember that this trip was for us to look at [what] other artists actually did, like through their artworks; then from there, we can use it as reference for our own artworks. It’s like it’s a trip for us to explore.
[Referring to the “Environment and Us” lino print poster art project]
Yes, after visiting this art museum, I even went back home to try out [drawing] some different [species] of whales; my sister and I, using coffee powder to make whales, added some coffee powder and painted it…
What I learned
about the impact of a one-time museum lesson on students’ interest in art
A well-structured one-time museum lesson could motivate students further in the learning of art, but the experience should be thoughtfully woven into the art curriculum, and relevant to what students are already learning. To do this, a museum visit would need to be planned and conducted by the art teacher. This would require significant investment of time to research the artworks and plan the route for the museum visit.
FURTHER THOUGHTS:
Museums could consider partnering with select schools to trial collaborative ways of preparing for museum visits.
Pre- and post-visit surveys could be conducted to help art teachers better understand learning at the museum.
More research could be done on the lasting “effects” of one-time museum visit on students’ learning in art.
HOW MIGHT IMAGINATIVE LEARNING pedagogies
Ho
Kien Kok Marcus ART TEACHER YUSOF ISHAK SECONDARY SCHOOL
Inspiration
I observed that students in my classes lacked confidence and creativity in expressing themselves through the arts. I believed they needed to develop curiosity to be inquisitive about the arts. This curiosity and the ability to make connections with the world and themselves would be critical to art making, and the understanding of art. In this CI project, I explored using imaginative learning pedagogies through museum-based learning to help students make connections, and become confident in self-expression through the arts.
I situated the CI project in museum-based learning because of an indelible learning experience at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The museum educator conducted a tour incorporating multi-modal activities that activated our minds and bodies.
For example, at The Burghers of Calais (188495) by French sculptor Auguste Rodin (18401917), the museum educator asked us to do a bodily-kinesthetic re-enactment of figures in the sculpture to better help us better understand the emotional struggles . She also engaged us in discussions that revolved around art, history and culture & . The activities and discussions made our learning at the museum more engaging and interesting. I was eager to apply what I learned when I bring students to museums back in Singapore.
The Lincoln Center Education (LCE) Capacities for Imaginative Learning Framework was adopted as the pedagogy for imaginative learning for this CI project. According to LCE, this distinctive approach in engaging students would heighten perception, ignite out-of-the-box thinking and challenge preconceived notions.
The framework consisted of 10 capacities, which could be both strategies and outcomes:
NOTICE DEEPLY
How many layers of detail can you identify if you take the time? Can you go deeper?
How is this like something else? Make personal, textual, and wider connections. Bring together what you’ve thought so far. What new interpretations can you make?
Use your body to explore your ideas.
Try it out.
Can you understand how others think and feel? What are their perspectives?
What do you wonder? What if there is not just one answer? Be patient with complexity.
What will you choose to do with your ideas? Put them into practice.
Look back on what you’ve experienced. What have you learned? What’s next?
How might different details relate?
Analyze them.
METHODOLOGY
PARTICIPANTS
Students in the secondary one cohort (2 Express classes; 2 Normal Academic classes; and 1 Normal Technical) in a co-ed neighbourhood school
DATA COLLECTED
1. Pre and post-museumbased learning surveys
2. Post-museum-based learning feedback
3. Observations in the art classrooms and at the museum
PROCEDURE
Pre-trip: Students read Warm nights, Deathless days, the Life of Georgette Chen (2014) by comic illustrator Sonny Liew to learn about Chen’s works and life
During Trip: At National Gallery Singapore, students looked at works by Georgette Chen and other artists
Post-trip: Students worked on a copy painting project, using one of Georgette Chen’s still life paintings
Findings
Data collected from the pre- and post-museum-based learning surveys did not yield significant results. Students’ perception about their ability to make connections and consider alternatives, and confidence in expressing themselves through art, remained constant before and after the museum visit.
Interestingly, when asked about areas in daily lives where students felt they have been creative and imaginative, their responses expanded beyond school-based art-related work in the postmuseum-based learning openended questionnaire. More students included personal hobbies such as sewing, reading and writing as creative and/or imaginative work.
Based on observations during the museum visit and collated students’ written responses on their worksheets, it was noted that:
• Many students made connections between what they saw/experienced at the museum and what was discussed in the classroom prior to the museum visit.
• Several responses highlighted students’ ability to make connections with other aspects of their lives, such as personal experiences and other subject areas, including history and science.
What I learned
about imaginative learning in a museum setting
Sensorial and aesthetics experiences of viewing the original artworks were heightened and very impactful compared to looking at artworks in print and/or as projected images. Students could recall details about the artworks better after viewing the the actual art works.
Students shared experiences and a collective understanding when they engaged in discussions about abstract artworks. This gave them the opportunity to be expressive and room for imagination as they made meaning about the abstract works.
The experience of looking at different types of artworks created by various artists and making meaning collectively built students’ confidence in exploring art. They also saw themselves as creative individuals.
The Lincoln Center Education Capacities for Imaginative Learning framework could be adopted for interdisciplinary arts projects in school, connecting learning in visual art, music, drama and dance.
Students shared their observations about The Net (Most Definitely Singapore River) (1986) by Teo Eng Seng at National Gallery Singapore
Student worked independently on a worksheet at the museum.
Insights & Possibilities
A Study of the Teaching & Learning of Art in Victoria School with the taxonomy of the 24 Teaching Areas of the Singapore Teaching Practice
Heng swee kiang head of department/ Aesthetics & design victoria school
Inspiration
The recent launch of the Singapore Teaching Practice (STP) provided teachers with a set of comprehensive pedagogical taxonomy in the form of the 24 Teaching Areas. I wanted to find out how STP might sharpen the reflective culture of the art teacher team in Victoria School (VS). This would in turn inform the way I formulate strategies and design approaches that could enhance the quality of teaching and learning of Art in my school.
SCOPE OF CRITICAL INQUIRY PROJECT
To identify and explore Teaching Areas:
in the teaching practice of the Art teachers
relevant to the teaching and learning of Art in VS
A DESCRIPTIVE & ETHNOGRAPHIC
INQUIRY
This CI project was primarily a descriptive and ethnographic inquiry with the author adopting the participant observation research approach. Surveys, interviews, accounts, observations and document analysis were the main data collection methods for this approach. As the HOD of the Aesthetics and Design Department at the school and an integral member of this CI project, I was involved in the complete participation type of participant observation.
ACTIVITIES 1 Administer Survey Conducted online 2 Discussions in Professional Learning Team Sessions 3 times of 1 hr/mth
3 Sessions for the Planning & Evaluation of Lessons & SOWs
• 2 groups of 2 EOs in 8 times of 1 hr/wk
• 2 groups of 2 EOs in 1 time of 1 hr/term 4 Lesson Sharing 2 groups of 2 EOs in pair-teaching arrangement 5 Follow-up Interviews with Individual VS Art Teachers to seek clarification
At least 1 email, 1 text message exchange, and 1 inperson conversation per Art teacher Informal Feedback on Lessons from Art Teachers & Students • Repeat of Procedure 5 • Text message exchanges and ad-hoc in-person conversations with students
Findings
SURVEY RESULTS FREQUENCY STUDY OF 24 TEACHING AREAS AMONG PARTICIPATING ART TEACHERS PC1: Establishing Interaction and Rapport
Lesson Objectives
Considering Learners’ Profiles
and Sequencing Content
Building Trust
Empowering Learners
Sequencing Learning
Deciding on Instructional Strategies
: Deciding on Teaching Aids and Learning Resources
about the teaching and learning of art with the taxonomy of the 24 Teaching Areas of the Singapore Teaching Practice
Each teacher had his/her own unique appreciation and application of the same Teaching Area
More than one Teaching Area was activated in one particular lesson plan and lesson execution; teaching required a multi-Teaching Area activation endeavour
Art teachers should be sensitised to what and how Teaching Areas could be activated in their active roles and supporting roles, as well as in their operational roles and strategic roles
3 Teaching Areas were identified as the focus for the 2018 Professional Learning Team for VS art teachers: Building trust; exercising flexibility; and using questions to deepen learning
This study revealed the unique and dynamic sequencing and interactions in STP’s 24 Teaching Areas. An effective professional development (PD) approach should be focused on empowering individual Art teachers through:
• Providing a PD marketplace with a comprehensive range of PD programmes organized under the list inspired by the NAEA National Convention Organizational Structure.
• Managing PD with the knowledge types, knowledge processes, and knowledge sources of Art Education.
• The Skillful Teacher: Building Your Teaching Skills (2008) by Jon Saphier could be used as a supplementary resource.
Insights & Possibilities
Find Out More
Art and Cognition
Drawing as Instrument, Drawings as Evidence: Capturing Mental Processes with Pencil and Paper (2016) Article in Medical History (p.359-387) by Alicia Puglionesi
Thinking through Drawing: Practice into Knowledge (2011) Proceedings of an interdisciplinary symposium on drawing, cognition and education edited by Andrea Kantrowitz, Angela Brew & Michelle Fava
The Arts and the Creation of Mind (2002) by Elliot Eisner
The Intelligent Eye: Learning to Think by Looking at Art (1994) by David Perkins
ChoiceBased Learning
The Learner-Directed Classroom: Developing Creative Thinking Skills through Art (2012) by Diane B. Jaquith and Nan E. Hathaway
Engaging Learners through Artmaking: Choice-Based Art Education in the Classroom (2009) by Katherine M. Douglas and Diana B. Jaquith
MuseumBased Learning Art Museum Education: Facilitating Gallery Experiences (2015) by Olga Hubard
The Educational Value of Field Trip (2014)
Article in Education Next (p.78-86) by Jay P. Greene, Brain Jay & Daniel Bowen
Art Discussion and Gallery
Walk
The Portable Art Gallery: Fostering Student Ownership and Meaningful Artmaking through Exhibiting Student Artwork (2014)
Article in Art Education (p.13-17) by Jethro Gillespie
The Visual as a Thinking Tool –Developing Students’ Critical Thinking Skills through Images (2012) Research Thesis by Veronica Garcia Lazo
Inquiry and Critical Thinking in an Elementary Art Program (2013)
Article in Art Education (p.6-11) by Nancy Lampert
Developmental Theories
Implicit Theories of Intelligence Predict Achievement across an Adolescent Transition: A Longitudinal Study and an Intervention (2007)
Article in Child Development (p.246263) by Lisa S. Blackwell, Kali H. Trzesniewski & Carol Sorich Dweck
Active Experiences for Active Children: Social Studies (2nd edition, 2006) by Carol Seefeldt & Alice Galper
The Psychology of the Child (1969) by Jean Piaget & Barbel Inhelder
Reflective Practice
Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher (1995) by Stephen Brookfield
The Reflective Practitioner (1983) by Donald Schön
Reflection, Turning Experience into Learning (1985) by David Boud
Teaching and Learning Models of Learning: Tools for Teaching (3rd edition, 2010) by Bruce Joyce, Emily Calhoun and David Hopkins
The Skillful Teacher: Building Your Teaching Skills, Research for Better Teaching (2008) by Jon Saphier, Mary Ann HaleySpeca & Robert Gower
