Bringing Art into the Classroom

Bringing Art into the Classroom

18th May, 2016

Kristen gives some helpful hints about how to easily incorporate art in the classroom

I’ve been volunteering for the last couple of years at an art class for primary school aged children. It is run by a qualified art teacher, who has worked teaching art in schools for a number of years as well as pursuing her own dreams as an artist. These days, she has a studio at her house where she teaches specialised art classes to children from age 3 to grade 6.

The catch is that she’s going to be away tomorrow and has asked me to run the class… HELP! I’m not an art teacher!!

I thought I could share some helpful hints that I’ve learnt along the way from the classes, and hopefully they can inspire you to bring some arty creativity into the classroom!

#1 - allow kids to enter the creative space in their own way - starting with sketchbooks allows children to calm themselves and get their creative minds working

#2 - inspiration page - have a page of 5 or 6 pictures or drawings of a particular object/animal/thing (a quick google search will do) to inspire children… This is also good if you’re suffering from artists block (like writers block but arty)… Look around the room and find something interesting to draw.

#3 - draw with them! It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece - but if you’re modelling drawing at the front, while they’re at their tables, they will do their best to follow along. Although you’re all drawing the same thing, the variations that occur are unique and incredible!

#4 - gallery walks - pause students and ask them to do a ‘gallery walk’ and see all the other students artworks so far - it may inspire or encourage them to do something different. Ask students to offer their peers some ‘warm’ feedback.

#5 - read a picture story book about a famous artist and then make some of their artwork. There are heaps of books out there on artists like Matisse, Picasso and Van Gogh. Matisse (shown above) is a really good one to use in the classroom - particularly his later work with cut outs. All you need is some coloured paper and you’re good to go! Below is a snapshot of some students work from the art class.

So I'm going to keep these things in mind as I go to prepare my art lesson for tomorrow... 

I hope they're helpful in your classroom art endeavours!

-Kristen

Image above is from Moma.

The New Digital Technology Curriculum

The New Digital Technology Curriculum

11th May, 2016

Alex explores the new digital technology curriculum beginning in Victoria next year and some resources that may be of help

A curriculum is a dynamic and multifaceted concept that, while guiding the education profession, is prone to sway with the political agenda of the time. So it isn’t surprising that over my four year university degree I have explored three primary curriculums; AusVELS, the Australian Curriculum, and the soon to be introduced Victorian Curriculum. As of December 2016, the AusVELS website is to be archived (see the AusVELS homepage) and the Victorian Curriculum will become compulsory in government schools. A recently introduced aspect of the Victorian Curriculum, which is causing some concern, is the inclusion of digital technologies.

I have never completed a compulsory unit at university regarding the teaching of digital technologies, and I imagine many pre-service teachers would be in a similarly daunting situation. It also helps to bear in mind that many graduate and expert teachers will have little to no knowledge of what best practice teaching digital technologies looks like – putting pre-service teachers and qualified teachers on an unlikely level playing field. I thought this might be an opportune moment to explore the new digital technologies curriculum, unpack some its concepts, and suggest some resources and methods to go about teaching it.

What does the curriculum say?

The curriculum is split into three bands for primary education (F – 2, 3 – 4, 5 – 6) and there are three strands to the digital technology curriculum (VCAA, 2016);

Digital systems

“Focuses on the hardware, software and network components of digital systems”

Data and information

“Focuses on the properties of data, how they are collected and represented, and how they are interpreted in context to produce information”

Creating digital solutions

“Explores the interrelated processes and associated skills by which students create digital solutions”

A basic scan through the actual content of the curriculum reveals that the F – 2 band engages in mostly exploration of different digital concepts, hardware and ideas. As the curriculum progresses to the higher years, the content becomes more directed to action and the use of digital technologies to solve problems.

 How will I teach it?

After listening to various different talks regarding the teaching of digital technologies and how best to approach this challenging task, I thought it would be best to provide some resources that can be used to assist you in the process.

Little Bits

LittleBits are very simple programming blocks and digital tools that are designed to be used by children. They are colour coded and magnetically attach, allowing for independent exploration and play, without the need for constant supervision. The website offers packs for educators and overall I believe this resource could be used to explore the Digital Systems and Creating Digital Solutions strands.

Scratch

Scratch is a simple coding platform that many pre-service teachers would have heard of. It allows students to explore coding in a way that is accessible, while still providing the technology concepts needed. It will be useful in addressing all the digital technology standards.

VCAA

The Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority has this specific advice for curriculum page regarding digital technologies, which is fantastic. It has resources on assessment, progression, external resources and links to sites such as the Digital Learning and Teaching Victoria (DLTV) – which offers free membership to PSTs! Definitely check this site out.

I hope I have been able to provide a basic overview to both pre-service and qualified teachers about what the digital technologies curriculum is asking and some resources for how to meet the task of teaching it. I truly believe that the digital curriculum is going to be a focus point in the future and, if we can get on top of it, a fundamental part of primary education.

-Alex 

Hmm, how am I going to get this job?

Hmm, how am I going to get this job? 

5th May, 2016

Aaron explores the weird and often confronting concept of self-promotion when applying for jobs post-university.

In my position at my place of employment I spend a good chunk of my time looking through job applications for potential childcare workers, and also take part in the interview process for new hires. I’ve been working for the same company now for quite a while, in the industry for a little over 10 years, and haven’t really needed a good job application or display of my previous work recently as I’ve just moved between different companies to get to where I am. In light of this, some recent assessment tasks we have been set with at University have required a lot of creative thinking on my behalf to build up my portfolio for the future if I intend on getting into the field of teaching and learning how to promote myself as an effective teacher – without sounding like a total jerk.

One thing I’ve found is the need to set aside the judgments we all unconsciously place on ourselves, and look at our work output and personal perspective from an objective standpoint. This doesn’t mean to take your personality out of what you are creating, but more to allow yourself to look at your application/portfolio/resume as someone who is looking to employ people at their place of work.  Now, I should also add, I am not a school Principal, I don’t have a perfect sense of what each individual will think when looking at my work, but as someone who has sifted through quite a lot of job applications in recent years, I can say there are some definite things to keep in mind.

I could write a big list of things to write or to leave out, but I think what’s more pertinent here is the approach you take to what is being written. Look at your efforts during your time at University, what are you proud of? What helped you develop a greater understanding of the world you are studying? What will prove that you have developed as a person during your time spent sitting in lecture theatres and staring at computer screens late at night? We can all remember the things that we place value on, so use that, even if it doesn’t sound like the perfect quip for a job, it is your honest reflection on your achievements, and being confident and proud of what you recognize as a strength will show in your chosen written format for job acquisition, and will show in your explanation and reasoning in your formal interview.

We’ve all heard stories of people who have lied their way into jobs, and heard stories of people who have been caught out on those lies. Don’t start off on the wrong path, or let self-doubt get in the way. Self-confidence isn’t something that comes naturally to everyone; so using the objective eye is a great way to move past that. If you were looking at this application and this portfolio of achievements, would you be impressed? Is this believable, and does it show growth and merit in the field you’re applying to work in? If you think ‘YES!’ then you’re on the right track. Believe in yourself, c’mon, just try it.

- Aaron Osborne