New Address

I have transferred the content and updated this blog in order to use 'Wordpress'. . Here is the new link

Because the barbarians are coming today.

This afternoon, while grazing lessons across a school recently judged to be 'Outstanding' I came across a Yr 7 English class where students were reciting, or declaiming, the poem by C. P. Cavafy 'Waiting for the Barbarians'.  They knew the words and the rythmns and responses were confidently passed from side to side across the room. I saw much else that was inspiring but this will remain with me longest because of the quiet assured confidence of the teaching and the easy seriousness of these young students.

Well done Highcrest and I did look up and read the poem again: so thanks for that.

Contributing to the new curriculum debate

The National Curriculum Review is up and running. It should be an interesting ride, especially for art teachers. The good news is that all those on the 'Experts Group' have spoken publicly about the need for a broad and balanced curriculum.
If you would like to contribute to the evidence which will be used to inform the review you can do this on the Department for Education website. I think you should.

Teaching is...

I spent the morning looking at and discussing assessment and APP with colleagues. I heard a wonderful quote from Christine which she remembered hearing years ago from an experienced headteacher. 'Teaching is just about finding out what children don't know - and then teaching it.' In a nutshell?

A 'virtual gallery' to support art and other things

Last year I was involved in an advisory capacity with a new publication for art and design teachers in Key Stages 1 and 2. I think this is an excellent resource containing programmes of study for each year and covering all the major disciplines including drawing and IT. I would recoemmend it for all art subject co-ordinators as it contains practical carefully sequenced programmes which illuminate skills and good practice in the subject.

The publication includes a CD with really good resources for teachers including a large number of visual images and references that can be used to support the work. But I really like the software to create a virtual gallery that is also included, almost as an afterthought. It allows teachers and children to create a virtual gallery using their own pictures. The programme allows you to walk round the gallery and it also has a feature that enables a catalogue to be printed. This means that children (classes) can curate and share their galleries. It gets even more interesting when you stop thinking of it as an art gallery and start to think how it can be used in other contexts where children can construct a learning environment for themselves or other children.

The publication is called Art Express and details are here www.acblack/artexpress.com. I have been playing about with the gallery and here is an example of what it looks like.