Briefing Note December 2010

Dear Colleagues,

Just a brief note to wish everyone well and to hope you have a good Christmas break after what seems to be an interminably long and fraught term. It seems that next year will herald change on a variety of fronts although it is still difficult to tell where it will all end up. I have been very busy this term and have not really had time to write much about art education and the changes - perhaps I will catch up over the break. But the possible demise of 'Specialism' as a force for good and the pursuit of the English Baccalaureate which does not include art is perhaps a concern. 

I have not had time to read it, so cannot endorse it, but I know that John Steers of the National Society for Education in Art and Design has published a critique of the White Paper. If you are interested the link is http://www.nsead.org/downloads/White_Paper_commentary.pdf

But the good news is that there will continue to be good schools with good teachers working hard in the best interests of their pupils. As always the system works on their good, professional common sense.

Best wishes

Dan

PS I did publish some stuff on assessment earlier, which I think is important earlier this term and this is having an impact in some schools (https://sites.google.com/site/assessmentpapers/)

NSEAD Facebook Forum

Just a quick post to note the NSEAD forum on Facebook. It is an open online forum and is regularly serviced by officers of NSEAD so it really does get up to the minute news, references and comments about art education. It is probably worth opening a 'professional' facebook identity to access this as it is a good thing to distinguish between personal and professional facebook profiles. NSEAD is the National Society for Education in Art and Design.

 

 

Assessment Papers and Practice

Last year QCDA developed exemplar materials to support the assessment of national curriculum levels in KS3 for all foundation subjects. These materials were published in July 2010. They are really helpful on a variety of levels. They provide a much richer illustration of both standards and the nature of the evidence teachers should use to assess their students. Perhaps more importantly these materials illustrate good assessment practice. They clearly move away from the practice of 'levelling' students every month: that is, making constant summative judgements based on limited and incomplete evidence.

The materials were deliberately developed to improve assessment practice and to align practice in foundation subjects with the principles of APP (Assessing Pupil Progress) that were already becoming accepted in core subject assessment. These principles involve breaking down broad summative judgements (levels) into clearly focussed formative assessment of the different aspects of learning that will help students improve. The materials illustrate how teachers should look at distinct aspects of performance and consider the nature of the evidence that shows students' achievement in that aspect. In doing so the materials support that formative assessment dialogue between teacher and student that is at the heart of teaching and learning: good 'Assessment for Learning' in effect.

However, the new adminsistration at the DfE has decided not to publish the guidance and assessment frameworks upon which the exemplar materials were based, despite the fact that both were completed at the same time. This is unfortunate as the one complements and informs the other. Together they provided a very good model of assessment in all the foundation subjects. However, these draft papers can be found here Assessment Papers. and are worth looking at and sharing amongst foundation subject teachers. The site also contains papers to support the use of FFT estimates in target setting - which are again relevant to all foundation subject teachers.

Specialist Schools and Networks

Michael Gove has announced changes to the Specialist Schools programme. It seems that schools will no longer need to be designated as a specialist school and that specialism funding will simply be reabsorbed into the overall funding package. Funding for SSAT to support designation will also cease.

While not announcing the abandonment of the principle it is hard to see how 'specialism' can remain as a significant feature of the educational landscape. For instance, a headteacher has told me that it is unlikely that the funding to support the 'family' of other schools will be sustainable. I would also imagine schools will wish to channel resources towards the less successful subject areas rather than the most successful.

It is true that, in many schools, specialist status has led to really significant improvement in the quality of teaching and learning in the subject. This did raise the bar and provided new exemplars, expectations and models of practice. This did spread to other schools - almost virally. However, expectations that specialist schools  would become the hub of significant, locally based, subject networks dedicated to innovate and improve have not often been realised. It may be that specialist schools formed regional networks with other specialist schools. But these seemed to be inward looking in the main.

There have been some very good examples of cross-phase working, especially where time was taken to establish personal partnerships between teachers based upon mutual respect. However, sometimes primary teachers have complained of being patronised and ignored. So 'specialism' as a concept has made a difference but may not yet have fulfilled all the potential for system wide improvement.

The announcement that 'specialism' is to be absorbed (and probably abandoned) does make it harder to see how subject communities will be supported. How the next generations of champions will be able to develop and share new ideas and practice is uncertain. This is a shame, especially at a time when nationally prescribed models of practice are being abandoned and teachers will be free to develop their own practice. This should not be done in isolation.

How FFT works (video)

The other day I was going to speak about assessment at a conference. However, arrangements became confused and I was unable to get there. So I recorded and uploaded a quick version of part of the presentation to YouTube. It is a short, quick, unpolished recording about the use of FFT data.But it might be useful in conjunction with the assessment paper (Working Paper 1) on the same subject.

True Stories

A really interesting day.  Most of it was spent with the Latvian Minister for Education. She was in the country for a short visit to explore the work of Creative Partnerships. We visited Chalfont’s Community College and Ashmead School in Aylesbury. Ashmead is a special place it is in the middle of an area social deprivation and provides an island of mystery and imagination for the pupils who go there.

Learning is literally an adventure as children arrive in school to find a car overturned on the field. Later they discover metal objects all over the school: hanging from the ceiling is a drum from a washing machine, for instance. Over the next few days clues are found pieces of paper fall out of the register which when studied can be made into a map. Children begin to discuss and explore these phenomena. They contact the police to report the incident of the car – and the police attend. Gradually the children discover that all this is the work of the Iron Man and they then find and work from the book. I say work but, of course, that is not how the children perceive it. It’s just school and it’s always like this. This term they are discovering junk and rubbish all over the place every morning. They are making dens with it. But I cannot say more because they don’t yet know what is going to happen next.

This is a wonderful example of learning through first hand experience and discovery. These are real investigations for the children and, although  carefully managed by teachers, the children can take the story in the direction they want to. Often the story is supplemented by role play and visits by adults in character. So Tinkerbelle and a couple of 'lost boys' (ex pupis) visited last year when they were exploring the story of Peter Pan.

There was also the time when all the children were 'evacuated' while exploring the 2nd World War. But thats another story made real by the teachers at Ashmead School.

Space to learn, Stowe School

Today I was priviledged to attend the opening of the new Art School At Stowe. Designed by Rick Mather Associates who have also designed, among others, the new Ashmolean (Oxford), The Dulwich Picture Gallery (London), The Towner Gallery (Eastbourne). This is probably the most extra-ordinary art studio and gallery space to be found in any school.The original 1930s Bauhaus building has been rediscovered and revived creating an interior of articulated white spaces that open up dramatically revealing glimpses through the building and beyond. Students' work is displayed everywhere and in these differently articulated, blindingly white spaces, looks extraordinarily vibrant and exciting. The core of the building opens into a double storey gallery flooded with north light. The natural light is supplemented with state of the art gallery lighting with controlled ceiling light boxes such as that found in the other contemporary, world class, galleries developed by Rick Mather.

In the newly created open space facing the new building stands a major Lynn Chadwick bronze - looks stunning. The building features a new gallery that currently holds a wonderful exhibition of Lynn Chadwick sculptures, studies and photographs: made possible through the family connection with Stowe.

It is true that Stowe is not short of extra-ordinary, world class architecture for teaching in, but for an art teacher (me) this was a good day.


PS Throughout the day staff at Stowe were very keen to make the point that they valued opportunities to work with, and share practice, with other schools and teachers. It will be good to follow this up and I am grateful to Brian (Johnson) for his, invariably hospitable, welcome. In the meantime the Lynn Chadwick Exhibition is on until 11 December of Mondays to Saturdays from 2pm - 6pm by appointment only. Contact Kathy Campbell (Marketing Manager) 0n 01280 818355 or email kcampbell@stowe.co.uk to arrange a viewing.