Tuesday, June 16, 2009
A priviledge and a pleasure
Just a short note to record the work of two young men. Both are 6th form students. One at The Royal Latin, the other at the Misbourne. Their art work was extraordinary in its self confident maturity.What was particularly moving was the obvious and compelling logic of their next steps one to architecture, the other to stage design. Everything they had made showed a natural mastery, fascination and precocious talent within their chosen fields. Their choice of career seemed absolutely inevitable in view of their inherent talent. It was inspiring to have a glimpse of such natural talent at the begining of their careers. At such times it is good to be an art teacher.
Chemical or Digital?
More schools are offering photography at A level this year. It's not just the easy access to digital camera's and Photoshop either as many offer both chemical as well as digital processing: although the sheer ubiquity of digital photography must have something to do with it. It is curious that, although it could be done digitally, teachers are prepared to fight for the dedicated darkroom space, cost of equipment, chemicals and cameras that are required for 'real' photography.
Superficially it seems perverse and talking to teachers, there is often only a rather vague assertion, that in some ways digital is good for you, to justify the extra effort. But, on reflection I cannot recall taking a good photograph with any digital camera - although I used to be quite good with my old SLR. Talking to teachers tonight (at the Amersham school 'A' level exhibition) I begin to see the point. It is not so much in illustrating the original meaning of cropping and dodging and, to be frank, the magic of chemical developing is only a transient pleasure. But what was apparent in the photographs of these students was a practice which used a camera and viewfinder to search, frame and capture a particular, unique and transitory event - I guess it may be the only legitimate use of the awful phrase 'moment in time'. These photographs were simply different to the point and click, scatter gun, approach of most digital photographs. Images had been thoughtfully pursued and captured, not opportunistically grabbed and processed after the event.
Whether it is worth the full paraphernalia of the darkroom is still a moot point but I recognise that I really do need to buy a digital SLR.
Superficially it seems perverse and talking to teachers, there is often only a rather vague assertion, that in some ways digital is good for you, to justify the extra effort. But, on reflection I cannot recall taking a good photograph with any digital camera - although I used to be quite good with my old SLR. Talking to teachers tonight (at the Amersham school 'A' level exhibition) I begin to see the point. It is not so much in illustrating the original meaning of cropping and dodging and, to be frank, the magic of chemical developing is only a transient pleasure. But what was apparent in the photographs of these students was a practice which used a camera and viewfinder to search, frame and capture a particular, unique and transitory event - I guess it may be the only legitimate use of the awful phrase 'moment in time'. These photographs were simply different to the point and click, scatter gun, approach of most digital photographs. Images had been thoughtfully pursued and captured, not opportunistically grabbed and processed after the event.
Whether it is worth the full paraphernalia of the darkroom is still a moot point but I recognise that I really do need to buy a digital SLR.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Arts Mark
Just a note about Artsmark as we ran some training this afternoon. Information about the next round (round 10) will be published on the Artsmark website at the end of July. As usual there will be some slight changes but it makes sense to use this year's materials for an initial rough audit this term. This should enable schools to begin to build any changes into next year's programme. It would be sensible to ensure that the school has an 'Arts Policy' this term. It would allow time for it to be approved by governors. It would also get 'buy in' from colleagues, SLT and governors - without this it will be an uphill task.
It is worth noting that rumour has it that the Arts Mark criteria may well change in response to the new curriculum models in both secondary and primary phases. This is clearly appropriate. It may also be that a radical rethink of the programme might take place - it is increasingly expensive to administer with increasing numbers of schools applying. The Arts Council are making no guarrantees about the future of Arts Mark beyond this next round.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Every Child is begining to Matter
It has been a curious week working across the whole educational spectrum from infant schools to university courses. I am an external examiner for art on the BA Hons Primary Education offered by Birmingham University and today I attended a briefing meeting for external examiners across the brand new Faculty of Education, Law and Social Sciences. We were told of the synergy between these recently introduced bedfellows on the Perry Bar campus - so look out for courses in criminology and early years.
It was interesting to hear of recent innovations in the university to improve the learning experience for students by listening to students in seminars and consultations to review the experience from the student's perspective. Curious that the previous evening I had been with a primary school's governing body looking at the process of appointing a new headteacher and we noted how many adverts included quotes from infant children saying what they wanted in their new headteacher. Is ECM genuinely changing from an ernest slogan into an all embracing new mind set in which the children's (student's) voice is actually begining to change practice in all phases of education?
Another intriguing, and new idea for the university, was the notion that if students fail a module, rather than engage in a sequence of resits, they should be invited to agree and sign a 'learning contract'. This would define expectations of what they should do like; attend lectures, write essays, read books and also what the university would do like provide guidance etc. The curious thing for me was that they were going to do it after the student had failed. In schools we are now doing this before students fail in ordwer to prevent them from failing. But there are again very clear parallels with the developing culture in schools. A few days earlier I had been working with a group of secondary schools dicussing how interventions, coaching, mentoring and picking students up from home to get them into the exam on time is making a difference. These schools no longer acknowledged student failure and provided CPD to do better next year but they took personal and responsibility for intervening with every student at risk of failing and took action this week and next week and every other week if necessary. Again every child is really begining to matter.
It was interesting to hear of recent innovations in the university to improve the learning experience for students by listening to students in seminars and consultations to review the experience from the student's perspective. Curious that the previous evening I had been with a primary school's governing body looking at the process of appointing a new headteacher and we noted how many adverts included quotes from infant children saying what they wanted in their new headteacher. Is ECM genuinely changing from an ernest slogan into an all embracing new mind set in which the children's (student's) voice is actually begining to change practice in all phases of education?
Another intriguing, and new idea for the university, was the notion that if students fail a module, rather than engage in a sequence of resits, they should be invited to agree and sign a 'learning contract'. This would define expectations of what they should do like; attend lectures, write essays, read books and also what the university would do like provide guidance etc. The curious thing for me was that they were going to do it after the student had failed. In schools we are now doing this before students fail in ordwer to prevent them from failing. But there are again very clear parallels with the developing culture in schools. A few days earlier I had been working with a group of secondary schools dicussing how interventions, coaching, mentoring and picking students up from home to get them into the exam on time is making a difference. These schools no longer acknowledged student failure and provided CPD to do better next year but they took personal and responsibility for intervening with every student at risk of failing and took action this week and next week and every other week if necessary. Again every child is really begining to matter.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
FFT, Myths and Reality
There are many misconceptions about FFT data. The most prevalent myth is that somehow FFT takes performance in English Maths and Science and through some obscure psychometric testing uses this to predict aptitude in Art. In fact this is not true. FFT only uses SATs data to identify pupils with similar starting points and then produces a profile of how this group performed in their art exams. Having identified the performance of the group it then estimates the probability of children with the same starting point achieving different grades. Essentially its a sum, an estimate, a statistical possibility. Its not a target or a prediction.
A few advisers have been developing a working paper to try to explain the nature and role of FFT in target setting in art. This can be found at www.FFTart.wikispaces.com This provides explanation and some recommendations that may be helpful.
A few advisers have been developing a working paper to try to explain the nature and role of FFT in target setting in art. This can be found at www.FFTart.wikispaces.com This provides explanation and some recommendations that may be helpful.
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
New Media New Ideas
I spent a day with artists and KS3 students at Chalfonts Community College recently. This was during their regular off-timetable creativity/enrichment days. A key feature of the event was that these artists were mainly working in new media. There were filmakers, sound engineers, flash software animators, artists using digital images and even some using traditional crafts. This was an intensive two day experience. At the end of the day work was shared and most children had completed the task - made and edited the film, created the animation, recorded the radio jingle.
Some of these were full of the natural and naive humour of youth, others were more predictable. However, the main point is that the children and teachers were all gaining first hand and intensive experience of using new media: making and editing film and sound. These are new experiences and skills. It will be interesting to see how they will be developed in the next few years. Perhaps in three years time the geography homework will be to make a radio broadcast about traffic in the town centre rather than conduct the survey and write it up.
In addition to drawing down expereince of new media into the heart of Key Stage 3 and begining to develop a critical mass of users - both students and teachers - there is another model being developed here.
Every term the curriculum in KS3 is collapsed for one or two days and this provides an opportunity for students to work with greater intensity than normal. It also provides an opportunity to work with other professionals AOTs (adults other than teachers as they were once called). This is intriguing because it is embedded in the regular curriculum and sustainable by the AOTs because it involves focussed work for only one or two days. It is not possible to sustain this engagement by following the traditional school timetable of an hour a week. So this is a significant model.
Some of these were full of the natural and naive humour of youth, others were more predictable. However, the main point is that the children and teachers were all gaining first hand and intensive experience of using new media: making and editing film and sound. These are new experiences and skills. It will be interesting to see how they will be developed in the next few years. Perhaps in three years time the geography homework will be to make a radio broadcast about traffic in the town centre rather than conduct the survey and write it up.
In addition to drawing down expereince of new media into the heart of Key Stage 3 and begining to develop a critical mass of users - both students and teachers - there is another model being developed here.
Every term the curriculum in KS3 is collapsed for one or two days and this provides an opportunity for students to work with greater intensity than normal. It also provides an opportunity to work with other professionals AOTs (adults other than teachers as they were once called). This is intriguing because it is embedded in the regular curriculum and sustainable by the AOTs because it involves focussed work for only one or two days. It is not possible to sustain this engagement by following the traditional school timetable of an hour a week. So this is a significant model.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Virtually teaching
I am so impressed by this course from Chalfonts Community College about designing computer games. It involved children in KS3, KS4, KS5 and some teachers. It was delivered on Thursday evenings at 7.30pm and access was from home via the internet using Adobe Connect (web conferencing software - free to Bucks Schools). The course was delivered by Roxana Hadad talking from Chicago. At the sessions Roxana brought in professional games designers from different parts of the USA.
Have a look at this session with Gary Rozenweig a designer of flash games, a company director and author of books on computer games. Gary is talking from Denver and using a simple web cam.
Here is a link to another session. The guest for this session is Gregory Trefry from New York. He is a senior games designer and shares some of his work and ideas about games and games design. This includes concepts of street games.
You will see that throughout the sessions the students are using text messaging to talk to each other and the teachers on the course. So interaction on a vareity of levels across the atlantic and the USA. The course was set up by Greg Hodgson (Chalfonts CC) and Roxana mainly using Skype which was convenient and free.
There are so many significant feature of this project. It demonstrates something that Greg and I have been talking about for some years. This provides some of the answers to our questions. Is it possible and what does it mean to use the web to have teaching/learning partners who are not teachers and may be in other parts of the world? Does it work - well yes it does. Is it expensive and dependent on high levels of technology? No it isnt. Can you develop an online course and deliver it outside the confines of the school building and timetable? Yes you can. I guess these courses show that the technology is freely available and works, the issues now are really all to do with the pedagogy. Web conferencing is no longer new but what does it mean for our schools, teachers and students to make the best use of it. Many questions still to be answered but this must be a glimpse of, at least part of, the future.
Technorati Tags: education, it, innovation
Have a look at this session with Gary Rozenweig a designer of flash games, a company director and author of books on computer games. Gary is talking from Denver and using a simple web cam.
Here is a link to another session. The guest for this session is Gregory Trefry from New York. He is a senior games designer and shares some of his work and ideas about games and games design. This includes concepts of street games.
You will see that throughout the sessions the students are using text messaging to talk to each other and the teachers on the course. So interaction on a vareity of levels across the atlantic and the USA. The course was set up by Greg Hodgson (Chalfonts CC) and Roxana mainly using Skype which was convenient and free.
There are so many significant feature of this project. It demonstrates something that Greg and I have been talking about for some years. This provides some of the answers to our questions. Is it possible and what does it mean to use the web to have teaching/learning partners who are not teachers and may be in other parts of the world? Does it work - well yes it does. Is it expensive and dependent on high levels of technology? No it isnt. Can you develop an online course and deliver it outside the confines of the school building and timetable? Yes you can. I guess these courses show that the technology is freely available and works, the issues now are really all to do with the pedagogy. Web conferencing is no longer new but what does it mean for our schools, teachers and students to make the best use of it. Many questions still to be answered but this must be a glimpse of, at least part of, the future.
Technorati Tags: education, it, innovation
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