Intention |
Implementation |
In our department, we aim to create an engaging and challenging curriculum for students aged 4-18 that develops their practical making skills and subject knowledge by exploring a wide and rich variety of art and design sources, grappling with some of the big ideas and key movement, and building creative habits of mind and a passion for the visual arts. Our subject covers a wide range of disciplines within the domain of fine art, craft, design and technology with multiple opportunities for students to learn about routes into the creative industries or vocational pathways such as hospitality and catering.
Beyond building a strong understanding of the subject and ways of working, there should also be a particular focus on fostering independence, encouraging empathy and self-awareness, personal expression and the confidence to respond imaginatively to the world around them. In essence, we want our subject to contribute to all aspects of the child's development meeting the school's vision to develop the head, hand and heart. Above: The Creativity Wheel was developed by Guy Claxton and Bill Lucas, who seeks to create a model for assessing the creative process. Although a complicated model to fully implement, we believe that these core attributes are essential for any creative practitioner are a good basis for building a curriculum that allows for such habits of mind. Thomas Tallis School in Greenwich has developed a whole school approach to demonstrating these attributes that is also worth referencing.
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At the heart of our subject lies the creative process, which is implemented through a project-based curriculum in which students learn through a series of stages designed to help them identify areas of interest, research and analyse sources, generate ideas, experiment with materials and processes, refine and redraft work towards a final resolution. Depending on the starting point, we may choose a more design-led brief challenging students to solve a specific problem or set students a more personal starting point based around a theme or process that is more aligned towards the fine arts or crafts.
Within this structure, we employ a variety of different pedagogies from multiple drafting punctuated by critique points when students reflect on their work and use their feedback to develop their work. Developing oracy is an important aspect of our crits by getting students to talk through their ideas, give feedback and make presentations. Where possible, we like to build partnerships with artists, designers and organisations to give students exposure to professional ways of working. We ask students to record their story of learning through e-portfolios and sketchbooks and exhibition of their work to a public audience and give presentations about their work. |