Keep Your Ideas To Yourself?
Session Description
Researching and analysing a variety of politically based art works to understand why they were made. Then we will use that information to discuss and debate points of view and perspectives.
Type of Session: Hobsonville Point Secondary School Learning Module (see a cross curricular, team teaching in action)
Instead of going to the political debate which was on at this time, I decided to go and do a lesson observation. I choose this class: Keep Your Ideas to Yourself which was awesome! Today's lesson was broken into a few components - listening to a speech, learning about the Solo Rubric in relation to oral presentations, having a group discussion about a piece of art through the use of role play, and then scoring themselves against the solo rubric.
At the beginning of the lesson, I was also fortunate enough to be shown through the artspace by Kylee, the art teacher who was one half of today's teaching duo. Very cool use of space with an open wet area, a locked off wood and metal area, a mac suite and open spaces for graphics, fabrics, and dry art. It was interesting listening to Kylee and to another art teacher from another school as they dissected the use of the space from differing perspectives. There was dialogue about the safety and security of the open space. As I listened to the conversation, I couldn't help but feel the open spaces would be safe because the way the culture is being set. As HPSS establishes its footprint with this group of year 9s, the next group of year 9s will look at the year 10s and see 'this is how we do things here' and follow the examples. So on and so forth until the school is years 9 - 13.
When we returned back to the lesson, Megan, the English Teacher was teaching about Oral Presentation techniques, and going through the solo rubric to show the students what she expected. I really liked seeing where everyone was around the room. Megan was on an ottoman, students were on swivel chairs, beanbags, ottomans, or at tables. It didn't really matter where they were - and I wouldn't be surprised if being on a beanbag allowed for higher student engagement for the children who chose to be there instead of on a chair at a desk.
Megan explained the speaking task - which was a pretty cool task that I'm going to take back and find a way to use in my classes. The students have been studying art theory (awesome!) and so today, they were put into groups of 6, and given a set of cards. Each card had a role of a person the student had to pretend to be - Artist, Art Critic, Mayor of Auckland, Tourist, Police Man, and Building Owner. The students had to speak about a piece of street art from the perspective of the person on their card. The topic: Street Art is Flash Graffiti.
The groups went off, and I joined in with one of them. Couldn't keep this art historian away!! Art Theory? Yes please!!
The group I followed chose their cards, and then decided that starting with the artist's perspective on their art would be the most logical. They then followed around the circle, ending with the art critic. I have to say, the artist role and the art critic role were my favourite! The artist wasn't sure what to say, so I was able to guide her through techniques, purposes, artist intention, pulling the info from her. The Art Critic wondered if she had to criticise the art, not aware that an art critic critiques a piece of work. I had great fun critiquing an image on the wall for her so she could see what an art critic does.
If I wasn't already hanging out to help construct the art history course at school...
Well, it's a fire that's never gone out really. It was really cool to see how Art and English worked seamlessly and has definitely got the wheels churning for next term and creating an art-based unit for my juniors for after exams. The English curriculum lends itself brilliantly to that kind of cross-curricular contact. Oh, be still my beating heart.
Thanks HPSS for giving me the freedom to join in with your lesson!
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