Foreword
Mdm Ang Hwee Loo
Deputy Director (Art) STAR
A timeless truth is that change is the only constant in life; we must not stop learning.
Teaching and learning practices are constantly evolving. We need to unlearn the skills that are no longer relevant and re-learn the much needed knowledge and competencies to prepare our students for the future. Learning has become an essential part of us. As art educators, it is also pertinent to ask ourselves what would be the future roles of a teacher and how might we prepare ourselves to embrace these new roles?
I would like to encourage all of us to adopt a growth mindset as art educators and role-models for our peers and students. In this issue of STAR-Post, friends and colleagues share their perspectives as learners as well as how they equip students towards self-directed learning and discovery. Writers discuss ideas to motivate students and share examples on Differentiated Instruction in the primary and secondary art classrooms. I’m heartened and inspired by our art teachers’ passion as I read their collective insights and reflections on the obstacles they faced to upskill themselves and stay relevant for their students.
Thank you, teachers, for taking the lead. Let us continue to support one another in this lifelong journey of learning, leading and growing together as one fraternity and family!
Motivating Students to Learn Art
Mdm Chun Wee San MTT/Art
Asexpressed in the Singapore Curriculum Philosophy, we believe that all students want to and can learn. Students who are motivated tend to be more engaged in their learning, they put in more effort into their work, and are open to embracing new challenges. Understanding student motivation is thus pertinent for teachers as we play a key role in nurturing the intrinsic motivation of our students, so as to enable them to experience the joy in learning and see learning as a lifelong journey.
Academy of Singapore Teachers organised a webinar on ‘Motivating Students to Learn’ on 14 April 2021. The guest speaker, Professor John Wang from the National Institute of Education, presented perspectives from the Self-Determination Theory (a broad framework for understanding motivation) and discussed ways to apply its principles to classroom practice. According to this motivational theory, students are capable of motivating themselves. Professor Wang also introduced the AutonomySupportive Motivating Style, which teachers could adopt to create the conditions within which students will motivate themselves. Referencing his presentation, this article seeks to discuss what Autonomy-Supportive Motivating Style might look like in the art classrooms.
How can teachers become more autonomy-supportive towards students?
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Nurture inner motivational resources
Teachers could vitalise and nurture students’ inner motivational resources by designing and facilitating learning experiences that satisfy the basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness.
Needs for Autonomy Needs for Competence Needs for Relatedness
the desire to feel one has control to choose tasks and activities that align with one’s interests and preferences.
the desire to feel competent, the desire to understand ‘how to do’ and have control over desired outcomes.
Source: STP Knowledge Bases Chapter 7
the desire to feel socially connected to others and experience warm and genuine social relationships.
Needs for Autonomy
⮑ To promote students’ autonomy, teachers could incorporate students’ interests into the curriculum and plan learning activities that support student choice and voice (such as in what and how they learn, how they demonstrate their understanding); in doing so, students are empowered to take ownership of their learning. Essentially, the aim is to make learning personally meaningful and relevant to engender students’ intrinsic motivation to learn.
Needs for Competence
⮑ To support students’ sense of competence, teachers could design tasks that are appropriately challenging, present content in multiple ways to reach diverse learners, and provide feedback to move learning forward; this helps students feel more equipped and confident about their abilities to learn and achieve. It is also important to celebrate progress, as small successes along the way help build competence.
Needs for Relatedness
⮑ To establish a sense of relatedness, teachers could organise collaborative learning experiences to enhance social interactions and foster meaningful peer relationships, so students feel connected to and supported by their peers.
Provide explanatory rationales
Teachers will ask students to follow procedures, comply with rules and requests, or engage in different learning activities. While teachers have the best of intentions, students may perceive some of these tasks to be uninteresting or unappealing. For instance, students may wonder why they have to come up with many ideas for an art task, when they will eventually focus on only a few of them. By explaining the rationale, teachers could help students understand why idea generation – from the students’ perspective – is useful and worth doing. Teachers could also use real-world examples to highlight the importance of idea generation and discuss ways to apply idea generation strategies in everyday life. Students are more likely to value the learning when they can see how it connects to their lives in meaningful ways. 2
Use informational, non-controlling
language
Teachers could use informational, non-controlling language in their communication with students. For instance, when teachers notice that students are experiencing problems in learning, instead of telling them “You have to …, you must …, you got to …” to direct them towards specific predetermined outcomes, teachers could encourage students to take ownership of their learning. Teachers could say, “I noticed that the progress of your art project has slowed down recently, do you know what the reasons might be?” or “What do you need to do next to develop your ideas further?” to prompt students to think for themselves, rather than passively relying on the teachers’ directions. This also conveys the teachers’ belief in students’ abilities and helps them feel capable of achieving.
Display patience for self-paced learning
Learning takes time and students learn at different paces. Allowing students to work at their own pace is especially important when they are learning something new, working on complex tasks, or engaging in art activities that require them to explore and experiment. Teachers who display patience will: take time to observe and listen; avoid rushing to tell students what to do; give them the chance to figure things out for themselves; offer hints or provide scaffolding when needed; encourage effort; and praise students’ progress. In the art classrooms, teachers could give wait time for students to formulate a response or ask questions; use videos to augment classroom teaching and allow students to control the pace at which they consume the video content; match pace to students’ needs as some students may require a slower pace to learn a skill or dig deeper into a topic, while others need to accelerate and move on to more advanced material.
Acknowledge and accept expressions of negative affect
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Students may respond to classroom rules, requests and activities with negative affect (such as resistance, complaints, off-task behaviours). Instead of disregarding students’ negativity, students’ negativity, teachers could acknowledge their resistance as potentially valid and seek to understand their perspectives and emotions. Teachers could acknowledge by saying “I can see that you are not very interested in this activity. Would you like to tell me why? Any suggestions on how we might do this differently?” When teachers listen to and consider students’ perspectives, they invite students to play an active role in shaping their learning experiences.
At the webinar, Professor Wang also highlighted that students’ motivation to learn is closely associated with teachers’ motivation to teach. He encouraged us to maintain our passion for teaching and learning, continue to grow professionally, and strive to positively impact students through our enthusiasm for the subject. Motivated teachers motivate students!
To find out more about motivation, please refer to the STP Pedagogical Practices: Chapter 5 Empowering Learners, Chapter 7 Considering Learners’ Profiles, Chapter 15 Encouraging Learner Engagement; and STP Knowledge Bases: Chapter 7 and Chapter 9 Motivation to Learn.
Do also check out the following Professional Learning Modules:
⮑ STP Blended PLM Motivating Students to Learn Primary Art (Online workshop, Course Code: 21997 on OPAL2.0 )
⮑ STP PLM: Motivating Students to Learn (Micro-learning unit on OPAL2.0 )– You can also watch the ‘Motivating Students to Learn’ webinar in this microlearning unit.
Reference
Motivation in Educational Research Laboratory. (n.d.). Practical tips for nurturing motivation (for teachers in class). [Webpage]. https://merl.nie. edu.sg/res_practicaltips_teachers.html
Reeve, J. (2009). Why teachers adopt a controlling motivating style toward students and how they can become more autonomy supportive. Educational Psychologist, 44(3), 159–175.
Reeve, J. (2016). Autonomy-supportive teaching: What it is, how to do In W. C. Liu, J. C. K. Wang, & R. M. Ryan (Eds.). Building Autonomous Learners. Springer: Singapore.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55, 68–78.
Wang, J. C. K. (2021, 14 April). Motivating students to learn. [Webinar]. Academy of Singapore Teachers.
9 Things To Know About Growth Mindset
Mr Lim Kok Boon MTT/Art
Having a growth mindset is about positive thinking, and believing effort and perseverance can lead to success.
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People with fixed and growth mindset respond differently when met with challenges. The table below shows what they might say respectively.
FIXED MINDSET GROWTH MINDSET
We’re either talented or we’re not
I give up I can’t
I can’t take criticism
I’m intimidated by successful peers
I can learn anything I set my mind to I persist
I’ll try and do my best to succeed
I can use constructive feedback to learn and do better I am motivated and inspired by successful peers
The brain is an organ that grows, changes, and learns (Center, n.d.). The brain grows, changes, and adapts to its environment through infancy, childhood, and adolescence. It continues to be malleable in adulthood. Connections within the brain are strengthened by strong experiences and ‘weak connections’ are pruned.
References
Burgoyne, A. P., Hambrick, D. Z., & Macnamara, B. N. (2020). How firm are the foundations of Mind-Set Theory? The claims appear stronger than the evidence. Psychological Science, 31(3), 258–267. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797619897588
Center on the Developing Child (n.d.) Brain architecture. (Webpage). Harvard University, accessed from https:// developingchild.harvard.edu/science/key-concepts/brain-architecture/ Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success, Ballantine books.
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But impact studies of growth mindset interventions have mixed results. Not all forms of growth mindset interventions can be expected to increase grades. Dweck’s empirical studies revealed that growth mindset has positive effects on student motivation and academic performance (Ng, 2018). Yet in a UK study, advocating a growth mindset alone was found not to impact student achievement (EEF, 2021). In another US study, other achievement-motivation constructs, such as self-efficacy and high expectations, have been found to correlate much more strongly with academic achievement (Burgoyne, Hambrick & Macnamara, 2020).
Improved academic results aside, there is research evidence suggesting growth mindset interventions have mental health benefits for youths (Schleider, Abel & Weisz, 2015). Youths with growth mindsets have been found to be less aggressive, with higher self-esteem and fewer symptoms associated with depression and anxiety.
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Developing growth mindset among our learners must go beyond merely mentioning it in class. Evidencebased practices such as: high expectations, quality feedback, deliberate practice and reflective discussions with students about how they perceive themselves, are often used for greater success in affecting the quality of student’s learning and performance.
Teachers can model a growth mindset for their students and colleagues by what they say and do. One way to show our belief that people can learn and improve is to shift from praising learners’ ability or using non-descriptive praises to feedback about learners’ effort, strategy and results that show their hard work.
2 SIMPLE WAYS TO USE THESE POSTERS
Growth Mindset Poster (2021)
1. Display and talk about these posters in class.
⮑ Introduce growth mindset and neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to change and adapt as a result of experience.
⮑ Refer to the Studio Habits of Mind poster to prompt students to get better at thinking about art-making.
2. Use them as teaching aids and learning resources (help resources) for students to
⮑ reflect on their own art-making, ⮑ as a basis for peer feedback on a ‘work-in-progress’, and ⮑ improve their metacognitive skills.
Softcopies of these two posters can be found in OPAL2.0. Click on the posters above for the link to the e-versions on OPAL 2.0. Login and password required for access.
References
EEF (2021). Changing mindsets (re-grant), project summary. Education Endowment Foundation
Limeri, L.B., Carter, N.T., Choe, J. et al. (2020). Growing a growth mindset: characterizing how and why undergraduate students’ mindsets change. International Journal of STEM Education 7(35). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-020-00227-2
Mueller, C. M., & Dweck, C. S. (1998). Praise for intelligence can undermine children’s motivation and performance. Journal of personality and social psychology, 75(1), 33–52. https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.75.1.33
Ng B. (2018). The neuroscience of growth mindset and intrinsic motivation. Brain sciences, 8(2), 20. https://doi.org/10.3390/ brainsci8020020
Schleider,J. L., Abel, M. R. & Weisz, J. R. (2015). Implicit theories and youth mental health problems: A random-effects meta-analysis, Clinical Psychology Review, 35, 1-9, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2014.11.001.
Yeager, D.S., Hanselman, P., Walton, G.M. et al. (2019). A national experiment reveals where a growth mindset improves achievement. Nature, 573, 364–369. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1466-y
Studio Habits of Mind Poster (2021)
My Story Behind The Canvas.
What’s Yours?
Erman Abu Bakar Head of Department, Technology for Learning & Communication
Pei Hwa Presbyterian Primary School
After a decade of teaching secondary school students, Erman Abu Bakar embarked on a Masters in Fine Arts at Lasalle College of the Arts, conferred by Goldsmiths, University of London and will be returning to teaching this year - this time to a primary school. He shares about his professional journey, lessons from graduate school, and his decision to be cross-level deployed.
“Our whole life is an Education — we are ‘everlearning,’ every moment of time, everywhere, under all circumstances something is being added to the stock of our previous attainments.”
- Edwin Paxton Hood, 1852
Asan artist and an art educator, I have always been interested in visually narrating our human experience- the interactions and structures embedded in our daily lives– after all, my undergraduate major was in Sociology – but I had never before considered integrating my studies in Sociology with my passion for Art, not until my years in National Institute of Education (NIE). It was in NIE that I discovered an array of artists who deconstructed society to render evocative works, artists including Nam June Paik, Damien Hirst, Ai Wei Wei and Cornelia Parker. Inspired, I ventured into my first visual narration through an art installation: Happiness - the Cage is My Home. The work, comprising a single individual dancing in a bird-cage, was my interpretation of Singapore’s diminishing bird-fighting community – kept alive by a declining generation of elderly locals. That project made stronger my desire to amalgamate Sociology and Visual Art in my future work, where possible.
Happiness - the Cage is My Home
Digital Prints
Installation 2008
When I first started my teaching journey in a secondary school, my quest had been to encourage my art learners to keenly explore the past and present through the familiar –objects, images etc., as the starting point of art. Together, we pondered the realistic, judged the meaningfulness in the artistic, and appreciated art in its pure form.The curriculum that I presented in every classroom was always intended to make learning relevant to life.
Art is entwined with culture and current affairs of the world, and I wanted to help my art learners discover who they were, and in expressing their own ideas, become caring and active members of society.
In 2015, I explored this notion of self-discovery on a bigger scale with students and teachers from the West Cluster schools. We explored the ideals of youth- using planetary space as the symbolic container. Coming from a place of wanting to inspire young minds, this experience proved fascinating to me when I saw how imaginations were sparked within, and some were inspired to continue the exploration of metaphor on their own. Our project birthed a hanging galaxy sculpture, installed in the Jurong Regional Public Library lobby. What is the result of this exploration, you ask? Beyond the final product, which is static in nature, the process that we undertook was an invaluable learning experience, and the outcomes of that learning are organic and ever-evolving in each of our lives.
I wanted more. I wanted to tell more evocative and inspiring stories of life, and to do so at a deeper level. I was beginning to really see the commonalities of the fields of Sociology and Visual Arts, and fuelled by my goal to help every child create a positive impact and lead through the arts, I decided to go to graduate school in Fine Arts.
An installation by 5 secondary schools; Hillgrove Secondary School, Kranji Secondary School, Jurongville Secondary School, Swiss Cottage Secondary School, and Yusof Ishak Secondary School. Exhibited at Jurong Regional Library.
Great Expectation
Series: All of the Below
3D Prints
The programme offered an ideal inter-disciplinary environment where I could develop strategies for decoding symbolism in Singapore society while honing my artistic discipline. I believed it would not only expand my repertoire in art making but also provide me with the foundation necessary to be a competent maker, expressing myself authentically to society. My postgraduate research looked primarily at schoolgoing teenagers in Singapore and how objects contextualised in the environment of youths are patterned along with social stratification of the Singapore society. Spatial analysis was conducted using the data obtained from a daily conversation of emotions and challenges with 10 youths that took place over three months.
This is followed by a topology study of objects found in 55 households that had youths. Subsequently, the research investigated the iconic visual of exam tables in the youths’ relation to school settings. The visual data culminated from the research study aims to uncover the patterns of aspirations among youths from different social backgrounds while delving deeper into how these aspirations are perceived. The research explored their psyche and aspirations against Singaporean notions of meritocracy, social mobility and the realities of family affluence (or lack of).
My research stemmed from the belief that every child is our future. Along the way, I discovered alignment with so many other passionate individuals who affirmed and shaped my research focus, which brought me much professional and personal joy. Together, we determined that beyond academic achievement and career goals, our youth have aspirations in life, and the diversity of their aspirations was at the heart of my research. It became clear to me that the work we do as educators to enhance quality in education matters.
At this time, I began to have conversations with another educator, and this unknowingly opened another door– a door to a critique of self. Our conversations inspired my decision to be cross-deployed at this middle-stage of my career. Her belief was that every classroom presents a unique community of learners - and therefore unique opportunities and challenges - to an educator.
I was urged to re-examine my journey as an art educator. As I collected my thoughts of my personal artistic practice, it became more and more apparent that the study of art, when made accessible to a child’s developmental years, can become vital milestones in their lives. My belief is that art is a leveller available to every child, no matter who they are and where they come from - and I can be a part of that. My role as an art educator is to give learners the tools to nurture their own gardens of knowledge. As each child blossoms and grows, these tools become foundational, instilling in them the ability to believe in themselves, to love themselves.
Teaching as a vocation will always provide an opportunity for continual learning and growth.
As educators, our very own way of living can become the canvas to inspire the love of learning in the people around us.
Let us all stay compassionate, strong and dedicated individuals who are excited for the young minds we work with. Each and every child should be given the opportunities and the support they need to fulfil their full potential.
#WhyPD?
Ms Waheedah Muhammad Khaliq Art Teacher
Holy Innocents’ High School
Ihave been teaching art since 2010. Going through different experiences as a contract, beginning, and experienced teacher has made me realize the importance of being adaptable to changes, especially in the use of technology to enhance student’s learning. Students are more than capable of finding and sharing knowledge - I found myself not only teaching, but also learning together with my students, and that makes it more enriching.
What PD programs do you look out for?
Since I attend PD to pick up new skills in T&L as well as challenge myself to explore new techniques in art-making, I usually look out for a balance of both hands-on workshops as well as content-related ones, which are practical to what I am teaching or planning to explore with my students.
What is a memorable experience you’ve had from PD?
The opportunity to work with invited artists in hands-on art-making, such as the recent one with wire art. The sessions allowed me the time and space to explore my creativity as I brainstormed and created a 3D form based on text. I enjoyed the process - from the sharing of personal text or quotes to the final outcome of each work done by the teachers.
I’ve also attended PD on Differentiated Instruction in the art classroom this year. The consultation sessions guided me to think further and modify current lessons to engage my students in learning. I would say that all the PD that I have attended have generously given practical and helpful resources for teachers that I otherwise may not have known of.
Any advice for busy teachers who wish to attend PD?
My advice is to always plan ahead for dates to attend PD, especially if you have a few different workshops to attend. As teachers, we hardly have the time and space to create and share. Thus, my most important advice is to enjoy the sessions and be open to different ideas and suggestions.
Mr Alan Huang
Han Hui
Art Teacher
Methodist Girls’ School (Secondary)
Istarted teaching art in 2005. The schools that I have taught were St. Francis Methodist School, Commonwealth Secondary and ITE central college. I am currently teaching at Methodist Girls’ School.
Why do you attend PD?
I believe it is a crucial lifelong process to assess one’s skills while maximising one’s potential. Through PD, one is able to gain new knowledge. PD enables me to continually build confidence and set life goals that can enhance my employability.
It also enables me to guide and impart more updated art-making techniques to my students. During PD sessions, colleagues from different schools share knowledge and views about the subject and pedagogy. It is also an opportunity to network with fellow educators for future collaborations. There are always great learning points, takeaways and new approaches from all PD sessions too.
What factors are important to you when choosing a PD program to attend?
I always seek PD programmes that align with the vision and mission of my school and the skills required for my job. These areas include:
1. Strengthening students’ skills in art-making and imparting visual literacy.
2. Cultivating students’ passion for visual art and allowing students to develop great values beyond art education.
3. Pedagogy on students’ mental health and social-emotional learning.
4. ICT art-related courses that nurture future-ready students.
How has PD impacted your teaching?
Every PD session allows me to revisit and reflect on why I wanted to be an educator, and motivates me to be a better art teacher. It equips me with knowledge, attitudes, skills, relationships and behaviours that can be utilised in and outside the classroom.
Any advice for teachers who wish to enrich their learning through PD?
My sincere advice to all educators is to have a student’s mindset even when it is challenging to keep abreast of the latest pedagogical trends. It is useful and enlightening to build friendships and connections with fellow colleagues to create a quilt of best practices and mentorship during PD sessions. This is essential for lifelong learning.
Ms Vernice Soh
Bee Peng
Year Head (Middle Primary) Sembawang Primary School
My training in NIE was in EL/ MA/Art. However, due to schools’ needs, I never had the opportunity to teach Art until 2021. I finally managed to convince my Principal to allow me to brush up on my skills and enrol in the ATPP. In preparation for teaching Art, I am taking as many Art courses as I can to refresh and learn new techniques.
What PD programs do you look out for?
I am looking forward to courses that can allow me to learn basic art techniques, from 2D (painting, drawing, sketching, print-making etc) to 3D (diorama, ceramics, paper architecture etc). I would most definitely love to attend f2f sessions as I feel that authentic interactions can certainly help in the learning process.
What is a memorable experience you’ve had from PD?
Wow..many... I love the ‘failures’ from print-making as I get to learn what not to do and how I can then impart the learning experience to the young charges. I also love the tutors’ patience and professionalism in guiding me through the sessions. When immersed in the environment with many experienced Art teachers, I am truly a novice, but I feel safe in this supportive learning environment.
How has PD enriched you beyond teaching?
It has definitely sharpened my saw and made me more adventurous in applying the techniques I’ve learnt. Hopefully, I can soon fill my newlypainted walls with my own artwork!
Any advice for busy teachers who wish to attend PD?
I have attended many “must-attends” during which we sometimes doze off or multitask. To truly benefit from PD courses, we must first really want to attend them, believe we can learn and apply what we glean from the sessions and be 100% present at all times. We must adopt a growth mindset and aim to enrich our professional and personal self by the end of the courses, then we can sincerely enjoy what we are learning.
Mdm Norisah Binte
Md Ismail
Senior Teacher and Art Coordinator
Chongzheng Primary School
I’m very passionate about teaching Art and English both in Primary and Secondary school. I started teaching English Language and Art at St Patricks School in 2002 and was crosslevel deployed to teach Art in Chongzheng Primary School in 2016, where I am currently serving as a Senior Teacher and Art Coordinator. PD roles I’m involved in include STAR Art Champs, E3 Cluster Art Champs, and Core Team Drawing NLC.
Why do you attend PD?
PD allows me to be rejuvenated, engaged, brush up on my skills and meet others with the same interest. PD makes me feel more confident in delivering and sharing my knowledge with both my colleagues and pupils effectively.
What are some things you value from PD?
I value the rich sharing of resources. The comments and critique by group facilitators and peers help to shed new light on a particular topic of interest. I also value the group camaraderie - the peers and friends we meet during PD are invaluable. We keep in touch via whatsapp and emails which expands our circle of friends in the art community. These new friends are there for us to bounce off ideas and share our lessons with, and are always there when we need advice or help.
How has PD impacted your teaching?
I apply what my facilitators do in my PD programme - inform us of the Learning Objectives and the Success Criterias and evaluate them at the end of the session. I am more conscious of differentiating my lessons, and very mindful of aligning my LOs with my SCs, including my mid - point checks and Peer Assessment.
Not only have I benefited in terms of pedagogy, I am also more aware of andragogy: teaching adult learners. This helps me in relating with my peers and colleagues when I do sharings and lead a team of teachers in school.
Any advice for teachers who wish to enrich their learning through PD?
Learning never ends. There is always something for us to pick up or polish further. Sometimes, PD acts as a catalyst that renews our passion and conviction in what we do.
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Norisah (in yellow) with the Drawing NLC teachers in March 2021
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Norisah (in Pink) speaking to the Drawing NLC teachers in April 2021.
Making Art Together as well as For Others
Ms Jessica Cheng
Art Teacher
Mr Michael Ee
Art Teacher
St. Joseph’s Institution
“In the light of faith you see things quite differently.”
— St John Baptist de La Salle
The above is just one of the many writings by our founder made when he meditated on his life and journey as an educator. Even though it has been 169 years since St. Joseph’s Institution was founded in Singapore, the traditions and ethos of nurturing Men and Women of Service and for Others remains a constant. Our programmes that cater to Secondary 1 to Junior College 2 students offer students opportunities to, as La Salle writes, see the world differently. A well-developed art programme led by Mrs Vivian Tan and Mrs Pennie Ong flourishes with activities that are scaffolded across the different levels, allowing students to explore, experiment and present art projects that hone talent and skills, and also asks students to consider what their role as an artistic creator is in relation to the world that we live in.
In this article, Ms Jessica Cheng and Mr Michael Ee share candidly and vividly about their experiences guiding two art-based community projects where students experienced self-directed learning and discovery.
Venturing into the Unknown
Have you tried catching Pokemon or used quirky filters with your phone’s camera on Tik Tok in recent years? That is augmented reality (AR), and it has transformed the way we experience our world, especially since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic worldwide. At the start of 2020, a thought led to an initiative to transform the school corridors into a living museum with students in our in-house special arts programme, Josephian Arts Programme (JAP1): “How can we honour our alumni artworks? How can the school transform into a living museum to share the everyday narratives from students who walk these corridors?”
15 Secondary Two JAP students sprung into conversation and explored a few local exhibitions. Unsurprisingly, given their experiences with new age digital games, the idea of using AR emerged. The potential combination of new narratives with artworks of alumnus through the use of AR was an exciting yet intimidating venture. Firstly, there were few local art museums which modelled the use of AR then. Secondly, most AR tools were inaccessible due to their complexity; most were designed for professional use. We quickly learned that we had to seek an alternative approach and learn from scratch.
1 Josephian Arts Programme (JAP) in SJI is offered to Secondary 1 and 2 students from the Integrated Programme and/or O level Programme track. Students in JAP undertake a more rigorous Art/ Music curriculum compared to the general student population with one additional hour per week.
A Secondary 2 JAP student experimenting with AR effects on an image using Artivive.
After reaching out to various AR companies for consultations on tools for the initiative, our students evaluated the AR-making tools available. Fortunately, Vienna-based company, Artivive, provided a free platform without the need for extensive coding knowledge and they dived straight into designing the AR experiences by self-learning from tutorials available on Artivive’s site. As first-time AR designers, there were many failed attempts when the AR effects could not align or animate. However, they remained resilient and resolved the glitches independently through trial and error as well as finding solutions from online forums. In this process, I witnessed rich peer-to-peer mentoring and authentic learning emerged as they exchanged ideas and tips with one another freely.
Motivated by some success in their AR designs, they then suggested turning these artworks into a treasure hunt. They considered what visitors to the school would be curious about and curated routes within the campus; through careful sequencing of the selected artworks, they told the story of school life that they wished to share with the community.
A pair of students carefully selecting artworks in the school to be featured in their treasure hunt.
Students prototyping the AR treasure hunt at various school locations on their mobile devices, such as the Annex where students and teachers meet regularly for consultations.
Students testing each other’s AR design by scanning the artworks along corridors.
Although the learning curve was very steep, and the initiative was halted by the Covid-19 pandemic, introducing the use of an AR tool prompted our school community and visitors to rethink the narratives of art around them and produce new possibilities for interpretation in and out of classrooms.
Through the use of AR technology, our students could generate their own interpretations about art around them, looking deeply within their personal stories and experiences to make connections to the world around them. In doing so, they were empowered to reshape experiences along their school corridors and utilize technology to tell stories and cultivate new ways of seeing and learning.
You can view our AR stories here:
JC1 students writing and doodling words of encouragement to the wider community through their art project, A Sky Full of Stars.
Giving Hearts & Hands
As part of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme, SJI students engage in Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS) experiences. The three strands allow our students to develop their skills and talents in a wide array of activities that require personal commitment and resilience. CAS groups are student-run, special interest groups that are supervised by teacher mentors. It is a choice-based and selfdirected core component of the IB curriculum. Students are expected to engage in activities that provide them growth in all three strands, and are encouraged to learn new skills as well as gain knowledge that is not commonly found in their subject combination. For instance, a student with a greater number of science subjects might challenge themselves by diving into arts-based creativity groups such as dance, film or drama.
Undeterred by the pandemic, the SJI Visual Arts CAS (VAC) students conceptualised, proposed and executed a service learning experience, A Sky Full of Stars, that included outreach to three primary schools during the second half of 2020.
Led by the school’s mission to be Men and Women for Others, the VAC Executive Committee led by Reuben Fong (President) and Colin Chiam (Vice-President) mobilised 63 JC1 students to prepare painted laser cut stars and art making materials.
These were then distributed to three affiliated Lasallian primary schools, packed with instructional videos and printed materials to enable the teachers to facilitate art making sessions during their end of year activities. The primary school teachers and students wrote words and doodled symbols of encouragement and motivation as part of an art making activity during an end of year programme.
(Left) Using the four fraternity colours to paint the laser cut stars as well as to paste stickers of different sizes.
(Right)
Instructional poster prepared by Gillian Tan (VAC member) that was printed and delivered together with an instructional video to help primary school teachers and students understand how to participate in the community art making project.
VAC members posing with their completed stars before the work was installed in a central location in school.
When the stars returned to school, the VAC members continued to seal the stars with varnish and planned a few different layouts for the school’s facilities team to install in a central, communal space of the school. Such bold student-driven initiatives are a reminder of how meaningful community art projects allow members of school communities to come together despite the extenuating circumstances to imagine, hope and have faith in a brighter future for tomorrow.
As a teacher mentor of the Visual Arts CAS, I guided the students from start to finish of the project, helping them to better shape their ambitions by either encouraging them to cast their nets wider, or to provide a sense of realism by scoping timelines and budgets where it might not be feasible to do so. For example, during the brainstorming phase, the organising team struggled to find a symbol for the concept. From flames to hands, we seemed unable to come to a consensus. It was through discussion and debate that we finally settled on the symbol of the star. I shared the song “A Sky Full of Stars” by Coldplay as a trigger for them to consider how to push the imagery for a public sculpture.
Mr Michael Ee speaking with students during one of the many art making sessions. ⮑
Teacher mentors play a key role in guiding the ideation process, opening up pathways of possibility for students to make connections to the wider community, as well as ensuring that financial hurdles and administrative red tape become less of a barrier for their dreams to take flight.
From our art classroom to yours…
For educators who are keen to open up more student-led projects in your school, we invite you to have faith in the face of uncertainty and in the strength and genuinity of your students’ ideas because it is your faith as an educator that will allow you to see student-directed learning opportunities in a different light. Here are some things we learnt in our journey with our students:
1 Have clear curriculum objectives but be bold and experimental in your lesson activities.
Embrace new ideas that may venture far from traditional art forms.
Have faith that your students can take charge of their own learning and take the lead.
Assume the role of facilitators and/or collaborators instead of experts.
Give your students (and yourself) time to meet with challenges, ask questions, and find solutions.
(Left) VAC members working collaboratively to make art in the service of others.
(Right)
The completed stars after many hours of planning, communicating with and mobilising the whole community of students and teachers to make art to encourage and inspire others together.
Maximise Students’ Learning Through Tiered Challenges in the Art Classroom.
Ms Chiu Yun Ting Fiona Art Coordinator
St. Anthony’s Canossian Secondary School
As an art coordinator in one of the FSBB piloting schools, I had an opportunity to teach the first batch of mixed ability Sec 1 art classes this year. My primary goal is to create a class culture where everyone is motivated to learn without hindrance from labels or comparison.
I hope that my students can become confident 21st century learners who take charge of their learning and enjoy the process.
By catering to the different learning needs of students, students can learn based on their interest and readiness. To do so, I tried out various differentiated instruction strategies. Firstly, I created a students’ interests survey and a diagnostic drawing exercise to help me understand my students’ backgrounds. Subsequently, I designed learning activities with appropriate degrees of challenges that allows students to assess their readiness and take up the challenge that is suitable for them. For students with high readiness, I created a ‘Journal Challenge’ consisting of 15 art activities of progressive difficulty levels which gives them opportunities to learn beyond the curriculum and further engages them.
Watch this #arthacks video to understand how I used tiered assignments with three levels of challenges to motivate students to challenge themselves in their learning:
Although designing the tiered tasks takes a bit more time, It is worthwhile to see how joyfully it enables students to learn and grow together in a FSBB class. There were times when students were contemplating on what level of challenge they should take, this allows
My Experience with DILearning to be a StudentCentred Teacher
Mrs Yan Chuat Tong
HOD Aesthetics, PE & CCA
Compassvale Primary School
Differentiated Instruction (DI) refers to ‘a way of thinking about the classroom with the goals of honouring each student’s learning needs and maximising each student’s learning capacity’ (Tomlinson, 2001) In the Singapore Context, DI is a teacher’s planned and adaptive response to meet the diverse learning needs of all students in order to maximise their progress in learning.
Teacher participants of STAR’s SFEd Art DI courses learn more about DI and apply DI into art classrooms. In this article, we hear from teacher participant Yan as she shares about what she tried with her students.
reflected on my teaching in art. I wondered: Have I addressed my students’ learning needs? Have I provided them with opportunities to develop the necessary skills and aptitudes for self-directed learning? What kind of learners would I like them to be? I realised that the answer lies in making my teaching practices more studentcentric. I tried out some Differentiated Instruction (DI) strategies to engage students and to provide a learning environment that develops creative and critical thinking skills. In the following lesson example, I differentiated by product, by offering choice-based art tasks to cater to my students’ interest and abilities.
Lesson Unit Overview
The six lessons took students through a journey of visual inquiry, drawing, sculpture-making and reflection.
The objectives were for students to:
⮑ Appreciate and verbally articulate their thoughts on sculptures
⮑ Observe and draw human figures, capture motions frozen in a moment
⮑ Transform drawings into sculptures ⮑ Explore and experiment with aluminium foil
⮑ Reflect on learning
Promoting Visual Inquiry
Students took an active role in appreciating the images of Giacometti’s sculptures: ‘The Walking Man I’ and ‘Three Men Walking’. These tiered questions were posed to students:
⮑ What did you notice about them?
⮑ What words would you use to describe them?
⮑ What do they remind you of?
⮑ What do the sculptures make you wonder?
The ‘wonder’ question prompted many students to generate questions. Some questions that they came up with include ‘Why did the artist make the figures so skinny?’ ‘What does he want to tell us?’ ‘Where are they walking to?’ ‘Why are they so rough?’
Click here to view examples of Giacometti’s sculptures.
The art discussion surfaced ideas of starvation, war, refugees and illness. One child even contrasted these sculptures to Botero’s sculptures, which they had learnt before. Students were able to look at the sculptures from different perspectives based on their experience and prior knowledge. For example, one student said that the figure reminded him of his grandfather who became very skinny because of an illness. Another student felt that the rough figure gave the impression that he had a hard life. The discussion helped students realise that there were many possible interpretations with no fixed answers. This visual inquiry opened their minds to ideas and possibilities and promoted divergent thinking. While there were students that did not vocalise their opinions, I believe that being in that learning community was still a good experience for them. Hopefully, with more encouragement and exposure to art inquiry, every student will exhibit creative behaviours beyond the art classroom.
Students at work exploring how to form the human figure
Providing Choice-based art tasks & Scaffolding
In the initial 2 lessons, students drew poses and explored using aluminium foil to form those poses after watching my demonstration of creating a basic human form.
I then offered tiered options for an art task, based on students’ readiness levels. Students could pick an art task which matched their interest and ability.
Remarks for teachers
Option 1
Make a sculpture of a person you like in a position of action.
Option 2
Make two sculptures of two persons you like, in positions of action.
This option is an extension of practice from the previous lesson on making the basic form.
This option allowed students to explore the topic on a wider scale and to think of the connection between two human figures.
Option 3
Make a sculpture of a person you like with an animal in positions of action.
This option challenged students to explore on their own to create an animal sculpture.
Many students chose Option 1 at first. However, as they progressed in their art-making, some students reflected on their work and decided to challenge themselves by re-defining their goals for continued learning. They moved on to either Choice 2 or Choice 3 after realising that they could go further - I believe they were also inspired by classmates working on these choices. They gained confidence to try more challenging tasks and experiment with new ideas. The tiered art tasks provided fluidity for progression to the next level in art-making.
Student’s artwork response to option 1
Student’s artwork response to option 2
Student’s artwork response to option 3
Listening to their conversations and observing them making art was a joy. They evaluated their problems and solutions, gave suggestions for improvements and helped each other. I saw students suggest changing the pose of the figure so that it could balance well and holding on to the sculpture for a friend to apply glue on it.
Scaffolding was a strategy I implemented to meet students’ learning needs. Students who had forgotten the steps to make the basic human figure were taught again by me or their classmates. For students who had difficulty in visualising poses, they looked up images on the internet. With timely and appropriate scaffolding, every student was motivated to find success and joy in their learning.
Making personal connections
Before the making of the sculpture, students were instructed to think of the experiences they had with person(s) whom they like. These questions were asked to facilitate their thinking:
⮑ What do you enjoy doing with this person?
⮑ Why do you want to make a sculpture of this person or experience?
After the making of their sculpture, students wrote reflections to understand their work better. They made connections between their products and personal experiences. They considered their learning behaviours, work process and reasons, deriving meaning from the art inquiry.
My learning from this process
My students’ enthusiasm highlighted the importance of emotional engagement in nurturing learning. I was heartened to see their proactive learning attitude. I will continue to examine and adapt my pedagogical approaches to create a student-centred learning environment to engage students aesthetically, emotionally and intellectually. Clearly, there are many starting points for teachers to implement DI in class. Finding appropriate strategies to tailor learning to the needs, interests and aptitudes of learners and managing a DI classroom will always be a challenge.
What is important, I think, is to embrace DI as evolving learning experiences rather than as techniques for us to be mastered. Like our students, we are learners too.
I am keeping up with digital trends by learning to animate on Procreate through watching online tutorials and experiential learning.
To navigate a busy schedule, I am securing time to learn by learning on the go. During my commutes, I tune in to a podcast or webinar to learn more about current art exhibitions, artists and their works.
Heryanty Mohd Yahaya
Senior Academy Officer (Art)
⮑ Heryanty_Mohamed_Yahaya@ moe.gov.sg ⮑ 6664 1546
Editor
Co-Editor
Illustration & Graphic Design
I am revitalising myself with a trip to the National Gallery Singapore with my son to learn about Georgette Chen’s life through her artworks.
Chia Ying Academy Officer (Art)
⮑ Chia_Ying@moe.gov.sg
⮑ 6664 1545
Chen Xiangling Jess Academy Officer (Art)
I am picking up tips and tricks from artists as a facilitator and participant in STAR’s online studio-based programmes.
Lorraine Lee Academy Officer, STAR
Chow Huiru Studio Assistant, STAR
Roslyn Pang
Lorraine Lee Academy Officer (Art)
⮑ Chen_Xiangling@moe.gov.sg ⮑ 6664 1550
⮑ Lorraine_Lee@moe.gov.sg
⮑ 6664 1552
For general enquiries, please contact:
Tan Bee Ngoh
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