STATEMENT OF INTENTION
This portfolio of information and resources provides anyone teaching Unit 3 and 4 VCE Visual Communication Design with a platform to structure and design learning opportunities that address the outcomes for each area of study.
The planner I have developed reflects my context as an emerging teacher; it frequently references the exemplar provided on the Unit Site to shape the way Key Knowledge and Key Skill should be addressed and unfold throughout the year. I have supplemented the delivery of content with activities or prompts that guide teachers on how to create connections through applied and reflective learning. For example; to explore the key skills and evidence of Area of Study (AOS) 3: Design process, defining problems and developing ideas and “address both design needs in the process of ideation”, I have listed a series of activities from “timed, focused, quick sketches, to a collaborative exquisite corpse drawing task” that aim to stimulate creative ideation. By placing practical tasks ahead of reflective praxis, I aim to extend the range of developmental possibilities that students produce in the discover and develop phases, creating greater opportunity for designs to progress beyond their expectations. Encouraging a broad range of experimental, developmental drawings and iterations also addresses key knowledge for Unit 3 Outcome 1: Professional Design Practice and Unit 4 Outcome 1: Design Process: refining and resolving design concepts; “manual and digital methods, media, materials and conventions used to create design concepts” (VCAA, 2024 p.39).
The professional learning tab outlines goals and expectations that Unit 3 and 4 teachers must be aware of and work toward. It identifies the importance of the HITS Worked Example as a tool in demonstrating visual thinking, documentation, design development and technical proficiency. In order to teach Visual Communication Design, understanding the design process is essential; undertaking a personal project or devising a case study that you develop as a co-learner/teacher will make your ability to adapt to the needs of your students more innate. The links/resources tab is designed to supplement teaching and learning by contextualising aspects of the curriculum including outcome content, technical conventions and video demonstrations that teachers should adapt when re-distributing to students.
The composition of the planner reflects my personal philosophy that keeping things simple and organised is fundamental, not optional. As someone who struggles with extended exposure to blue light and screens, a document that can be easily read, magnified and printed is essential. Colour coding the days is intended to track how many classes will be dedicated to achieving each learning task, ensuring the course progresses steadily, with room for catch-up/additional learning time. As my teaching practice unfolds I also become increasingly aware of the way a teacher’s intentions and plans can be misdirected, or completely derailed by disruptions due to absences, school events and public holidays. For VCE students, these can be detrimental to the face to face time they are given to learn independently, one-on-one and collaboratively.
Sik Utem (Sleeping bed)
also known as Peimpeim Sik, or the Dreaming bed, was made using a common joinery technique called post and rail, found also in traditional Meriam bamboo construction. The rope lashing around each joint of the design’s frame is based on a traditional method of vine fastening used to secure prongs on fishing spears and in the construction of bamboo houses, turtle fences and wind breaks.
https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/exhibition/wurrdha-marra/