Case Study 1, Reflection of Current Practice

The purpose of this case study is to reflect on my current practice as an Art teacher of all Key stages at the Sir Bernard Lovell School, Bristol. SBL is a mixed secondary Outstanding school with a current below average pass rate in core subject areas. The creative arts are highly popular courses in KS4 and 5 with student numbers increasing year on year, however a consistent fall in course completion is evident. Creative courses running are Photography AS & A2, Fine Art AS & A2, BTEC level 2 Art and Diploma Level 2 Art. Currently the department hosts 5 teaching staff and 1 technician. As a second year teacher moving into a fulltime position, I have been able to extend my practice beyond medium term goals. This has allowed me to entertain the prospect of more rigorous projects that link to the previous years, thus establishing consistency and strengthened student knowledge.

Current use of drawing in Art

Drawing in the Art department at SBL is used in a variety of different ways depending on the year group and teacher. Some teachers utilise drawing as an aid to the main activity, others use it as the main content with rigorous drawing activities and others use it as an extension or for homework. Through discussions with staff it appears that there is an expectation that students should have some drawing ability when they join in year 7. And that drawing is an accessible-for-all activity that does not require a specific outcome. My ethos follows a path of habitual learning where students are expected to demonstrate a range of skills on completing their first year in secondary school. This provides a foundation to work on in the coming years. Students will also experience a broad range of materials to work with. The emphasis is on not the ability to draw an accurate representation of something but to take part in the experience. The product is not the important aspect. As a department, we encourage students to think about why they are participating in a particular activity. With this thought process students can be seen to actively consider the potential of their work in relation to other subject areas. This thought process is included in my lessons where students are directed to link their artwork to processes and to discuss them as part of a plenary or starting activity. The aim here is to encourage knowledge transference from one lesson, and subject area, to the next. Students appear to be proud of their efforts and demonstrate their understanding in other subject areas where drawing is used: My graph is the best because I have used shading. Other people didnt. They just coloured.

What is the Value of Drawing?

It would be easy for me to declare that the value of drawing from the perspective of an artist is, well, invaluable. As an artist, drawing is the foundation of where I am now in terms of my technical ability. Having been asked the question how did you become really good at Art? I often refer to my experiences as a child

(mainly drawing on my parents walls). Students often respond positively to hearing about how I developed and will engage enthusiastically in the given task. I often use this as a tool whilst teaching. In terms of its educational value, drawing remains a priority, which can be seen in my schemes of work. I use it initially to stimulate thoughts and ideas: students investigate an artists work and try to replicate their style; secondly to develop a technical skill: students demonstrate observational drawing, shading & tonal exercises, create designs etc. The value of drawing can be seen through student knowledge and the way in which teachers deliver their schemes of work. The content of which is always driven on the basis of a drawn element. Through online audits teachers have stated that students can identify and transfer knowledge of drawing skills from one project to the next. Students also continue their drawing practice outside of school for pleasure often bringing in their product to show. Given these statements it makes sense to assume that students value their drawing skills and can take ownership of its development.

How did teachers teach?

The way in which I deliver drawing is through exploration, understanding, reflection and creation. The lesson structure starts with objectives, outline of task then an example. This precedes the practical element. When delivering the example, I produce my own version and explain what I am doing to the students. I disclose my top tips for producing the work and encourage the use of artistic terminology. The results are often good but there is always a few that still exclaim that they cant draw. In my opinion this is one of the hardest aspects of the job; teaching a student who believes they cannot draw despite my observations of their capability. However, this does prove that students are concerned that the quality of their work should be good as drawing could be seen as fundamental to their artistic progression. In essence, students value drawing. Teachers in the department have established their own styles, which hone in on their specialisms. Most teachers provide opportunity for drawing at the start of each project leading into a 3D outcome. Very few at this stage are using drawing continually throughout their projects. In key stage 3, teachers provide a general approach to the basic elements in drawing skills such as applying ellipses to perspective, control when shading and constructing shape. These provide a backbone to the main content of a project. In a similar format to my methodology, teachers also lead by working on an example of work.

How did Students Learn?

Students learn through a variety of different processes: observation, critique, practice, investigation and exploration, reflection and independent study. Knowledge building is a key element to schemes of work whereby students are encouraged to share thought and comment on the work of professional artists. A common problem is that some students do not like theoretic and can apply practical skills well, whereas others seem to have the ability to conduct the

practical but fail to deliver the theoretic. Currently there is nothing in place to combat this issue other than patience and encouraging those less engaged students to apply themselves more. Behaviour has been a problem in the past but the most remarkable things I have seen always involve drawing. Such an example is a student that was an issue for all other subject areas was able to take control and apply a broad range of drawing skills to an Africa themed project. In the 7 months he remained with SBL he was able to produce some incredible artwork. His talent often rivaled that of the more statistically brighter students. The project he was working on happens to be one of the more successful ones I set towards the end of the school year. The age group for this project is year 7. Students are expected to produce an extended piece of homework in connection with the theme. Students research, design and make an African inspired musical instrument that is to be decorated with tribal pattern. The main content of the school-based project is an investigation into a different culture, exploration of various patterns, designing a shield with pattern decorating the surface and working within a group. The outcome is a large shield with a range of different surface designs applied that exemplify symmetry. Students respond well to this project because of the simplicity in being able to produce something that looks good.

Summary
There is a lack of consistency across the department regarding the value of drawing. Some appear to value its contribution to the start of a project, others tend to use it as a warm-up, but it is currently not being deployed as the main content. Students lack confidence in applying pencil to paper, probably because they value the process. Behaviour can be affected, positively, by drawing. Students have a broad range of skills at their disposal but lack some confidence in applying them. Students can transfer knowledge to other subject areas. The foundation of student ability stems from drawing. Students enjoy being able to produce something that looks good. Students are taught a broad range of useable skills. Students are divided in ability, theoretic and practical.