ECA731 Arts Education Curriculum Inquiry
Assessment 2: Portfolio (Visual Arts)

Pedagogical Statement/Rationale 

This teaching and learning portfolio has been designed for students undertaking a Year 10 Visual Arts semester-based elective. The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) achievement standards for students in the 9 and 10 band describe that; 

“By the end of Year 10, students evaluate how representations communicate artistic intentions in artworks they make and view. They evaluate artworks and displays from different cultures, times and places. They analyse connections between visual conventions, practices and viewpoints that represent their own and others’ ideas. Students manipulate materials, techniques and processes to develop and refine techniques and processes to represent ideas and subject matter in their artworks. (n.d)

This Visual Arts course aims to provide students with the skills to fulfill the curriculum standards and maximise opportunities for them to find agency in their voices as young creatives. Each task in the course inherently relies on the funds of knowledge established by students in their previous years of visual arts learning, whilst extending on those skills to broaden their cultural understanding and creative competency. For Victorian teachers, this approach reflections Action 3.2 in the third Practice Principle from the Victorian Government's Amplify Policy which states “teachers co-design opportunities for students to exercise authentic agency in their own learning” (2019, p.13) Students will explore movements throughout art history in juxtaposition to contemporary discourses and methodologies to gain an understanding of how “to view the world through various lenses and contexts… and recognise the significance of visual arts histories, theories and practices” (ACARA, n.d). The cultural contexts and creative disciplines that students will be immersed in aim to broaden their familiarity with traditional and experimental practices that develop their individual artistic intentions and contextualise them within historical and contemporary fields.The intention being, as Rogoff describes “that learning occurs as people participate in shared endeavours with others, with all playing active but often asymmetrical roles in sociocultural activity” (1994). The sociocultural activity in this case being the creation of artworks through informed contexts and authentic methodologies.  

The learning experiences outlined below provide students with skills and knowledge relating to the areas of painting, ceramics and sculpture, digital photography, collage and digital imaging and printmaking methods; intaglio, relief and transfer. Each unit is informed by a range of artists and artworks from different contexts. Students will “research and analyse the characteristics, qualities, properties and constraints of materials, technologies and processes across a range of forms, styles, practices and viewpoints” (n.d). Green highlights the significance of curating learning opportunities that assist students in forming a rigorous understanding of the world as they experience it. She describes that teachers “need to recognise the potency of threshold concepts that provide perspective and enable learners to process and organise their thoughts and experiences” (2021, p.37). Each unit of work in the course requires students to document their critical thinking as they explore media, analyse artworks and annotate their works in progress. Students are asked to reflect upon their place in the world as global citizens when approaching each new work and consider the personal, cultural and structural factors relevant to each discipline and discourse. This aims to imbue sociocultural significance in their work and studio habits as they navigate becoming co-critics and creators in the shared endeavour of art and meaning making. This targets the Australian Curriculum aims which identify that students develop competencies in “critical and creative thinking, using visual arts languages, theories and practices to apply aesthetic judgement” (ACARA, n.d). It also aims to foster a sense of responsibility in students; as cultural contributors and investors who care about the preservation and celebration of creative practices. 

2. Curriculum-aligned learning sequence

The following plan denotes a breakdown of the areas of study (units) in the course and time allotments according to an 18 week semester structure with classes occurring 3 times a week for 80 minutes each. 

Unit 1: Exploring Art Elements and Principles (4 Weeks)

• Responding to Historical & Contemporary Art

• Still life Painting and Research Task 

• Creative Practice Documentation: how to keep a folio

• Authentic Artist Research: where to search, what to record
  

Unit 2: Ceramics and the Functional Art Object (4 Weeks)

• Ceramic traditions and experimental practices

• Firing and clay origins technical theory

• History of Objet D’art theory task

• Creative Practice Documentation: annotation as reflection and evaluation
  

Unit 3: Photography and the image (4 weeks)

• Laws of composition and lighting through portraiture: digital photography

• Digital imaging task: collage/montage

• Research Task: Cartier-Bresson - Patrick Pound

• Photo Collage after David Rosetzky/Zoe Croggön
  

Unit 4: Print Studio: production and process through print  (5 weeks)

• Exploration of relationship between print and photography

• Etching, relief and solvent transfers: reproducing the image 

• German expressionism - film noir - the ghost
  

Revision & Exam Preparation: (1 Week)

The following lesson plans have been designed to start Unit 3 of the course; Photography and the image. These learning experiences introduce students to the laws of composition and lighting through digital photography, immerse them in experimenting with the interaction of light on the human subject through portraiture and gain a historical and contemporary understanding of the way the role of the image in visual culture has changed. 

Lesson Plan 1: A brief account of the image in historical and contemporary art

Learning Intentions

To learn about the way artists have created, used and manipulated images throughout history.

To learn about traditional and experimental image making practices.

Success Criteria 

I can conduct authentic artists research to inform my cultural understanding 

I can document, analyse and reflect upon artworks that I research in my visual diary

Learning Activities (Include Time Allotment)

1. Do Now: Drawing/Brainstorming - 5 mins
   Students practice drawing skills or conduct divergent thinking strategies

2. Guided Practice: Introduction to photography - 25 mins
   Students watch a presentation of artworks exploring the lineage of the image in art, photography and visual culture. Students gain an understanding of how the role of the image has shifted in relation to its use in technology and media.

3. Independent Practice: Art Research Task - 40 mins
   Students undertake a research task to explore different image making practices through a range of historical and contemporary artists. Students select 2 artists to begin planning a comparative essay analysing the work of two artists in the field of photography/collage/image-based print practices from two different contexts.

4. Leave Pass: Debrief  -  5 mins
   What did you learn? What will you do next time?
   
   

Lesson Plan 2: Introduction to composition and lighting

Learning Intentions

To learn about the laws of composition through digital photography

To learn how to create emphasis and high contrast through studio lighting.

Success Criteria 

I can use the school cameras safely and responsibly.

I can use the camera to capture a series of portraits that demonstrate different compositional lighting techniques. 

Learning Activities (Include Time Allotment)

1. Do Now: Observational Drawing - 5 mins
   Students practice observational drawing skills

2. Guided Practice: Introduction to composition and lighting - 30 mins
   Students watch a presentation and demonstration of how to use a digital camera, adjust exposure settings (aperture, ISO and shutter speed). Students learn about compositional techniques that create emphasis.

3. Independent Practice: The practice shoot - 35 mins
   Students work in small groups to capture a series of photographs that demonstrate an understanding of different lighting and composition techniques.l 

4. Leave Pass: Upload, Pack up  - 10 mins
   Students upload files from camera to class drive and return equipment 

Lesson Plan 3: Proofing and Printing

Learning Intentions

To learn about the methods of producing and presenting photographic artworks

To learn how to use a digital inkjet printer to print contact sheets, photo proofs and finals.

Success Criteria 

I can use the art printer responsibly and safely

I can format my files according to the printers formatting guide

Learning Activities (Include Time Allotment)

1. Do Now: Photo Formatting - 10 mins
   Students practice observational drawing skills (silent

2. Guided Practice: Demonstration: Proof and Print - 20 mins
   Students watch a demonstration of how to prepare their photo files for printing using school resources.
   Students learn about different paper patinas and printer output results. 

3. Independent Practice: Proof and Print - 40 mins
   Students print their photo files, document different output qualities and organise their folio of images according to the task requirements.

4. Leave Pass: Pack Up, Clean Up  - 10 mins
   Students reflect on their work in visual diaries and debrief on the lesson

This sequence of learning experiences incorporates high impact strategies to  engage learners in the processes of digital photography in the Fine Art practice of portraiture. The Department of Education and Training’s (DET) High Impact Teaching Strategies (HITS) outline effective methods of engaging students in the classroom. This sequence relies on “Strategy 3: Explicit Teaching and Strategy 4: The Worked Example” (2022) to demonstrate the technical and visual competencies required to achieve the outcome of the photographic task. Explicit Teaching is used during initial instruction when delivering presentation stimulus to guide the students’ understanding of task requirements and when demonstrating what to look for when looking through the camera's viewfinder. This strategy is essential to communicating unambiguous instructions and information to students as they begin to engage with new equipment and processes. Strategy 4: The Worked Example is used to provide students with a visual reference for each photo task and compositional technique. Sample images from my personal oeuvre are used in the stimulus material to help students visualise the outcome of their own photographic exploration and consider different approaches to creating emphasis, thus “reducing a learners’ cognitive load, so skill acquisition can become easier” (DET, 2022).

3. Curriculum-aligned resources and teacher support material 

The support stimulus linked below targets Lesson Plan 2 of the sequence detailed above. The slides provide a guide on how to access, control and care for camera equipment and how to manipulate light and space to create dynamic compositions. The worked example; photo reference material is all my personal oeuvre; a folio of fashion-inspired self portraits.

Support Stimulus: Introduction to Digital Photography *click link

The links below provide resources related to teaching and learning in the visual arts and can be used to supplement learning experiences and develop professional competencies for Year 7 - 10 Visual Art teachers and those teaching VCE Art Creative Practice and Art Making and Exhibiting

NGV Top Arts
https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/exhibition/top-arts-2024/ 

Burrinja: VCE CREATIVE SHOWCASE https://www.burrinja.org.au/projects/vce-creative-showcase

Zart Professional Learning
https://zartart.com.au/page/zart-education

Target Learning Theory Kit

https://targetlearning.com.au/product/art-theory-reference-kit/

AEV (Art Education Victoria)
https://aev.vic.edu.au/resources/ 

NAVA (National Association for the Visual Arts)
https://visualarts.net.au/guides/2023/how-work-first-nations-artists-classroom/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw_ZC2BhAQEiwAXSgCllUzLwhAmPS4h7ZyNGk2OcwgpjKnNLOiDmtyBbZFMA3e2wW7nNXzNxoCQHEQAvD_BwE

Australian Centre of Contemporary Art
https://acca.melbourne/education/online-programs-3/

4 Cats Education
https://4cats.com.au/product-category/books/vce-art/

Centre for Contemporary Photography
https://ccp.org.au/ 

Patrick Pound: The Great Exhibition
https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/exhibition/patrick-pound/ 

Wade Guyton
https://matthewmarks.com/artists/wade-guyton 

References

Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership. (n.d.). Australian professional standards for teachers. https://www.aitsl.edu.au/standards 

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) (n.d.). Visual Arts (Version 8.4), Australian curriculum. https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/

Churchill, R. (2021). Teaching: Making a difference, 5th edition. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated.

Department of Education and Training (DET) (2022). High impact teaching strategies (HITS).https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/practice/improve/Pages/hits.aspx.

Education Council. (2019) The Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration.


Green, B. (2021). Revisiting the conceptual domain: Educational knowledge and the visual arts. International Journal of Art & Design Education, 40(2), 436–448. https://doi.org/10.1111/jade.12355

McKenna, T. (2013). 'Arts education: do the arts really matter'. In T. McKenna, M. Cacciattolo, and M. Vicars (eds) Engaging the disengaged (pp. 73-89). South Melbourne: Cambridge University Press.

Rogoff, B. (1994). "Developing understanding of the idea of communities of learners." Mind, Culture, and Activity 1(4): 209-229.

SGNSW 2021, Aboriginal Arts and Culture Protocols, Department of Creative Industries, Tourism, Hospitality, Sport Create NSW, 

SGV (State Government of Victoria) (2019) Amplify, Department of Education and Training, Victorian Government

Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. (n.d.). The Arts, Visual Communication Design, https://victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au/the-arts/visual-communication-design/curriculum/f-10