The Ethical Use of Photographs in the School Classroom

Dr Susan Paterson The documentation of children’s work in the school classroom plays an important role in the development of positive identity for the child and their peers. Photographing children at work and the learning outcomes of that work has increasingly played a part in early childhood and primary school classrooms around the world. The use of photographs as a bridge to oral […]

Belonging: Possum Skin Cloak Project, Heatherhill Primary School

Maree Clarke In 2012, through the Artists in Schools Project, Heatherhill Primary School created a beautiful artefact, a Possum Skin Cloak, under the guidance of Aboriginal artist, Maree Clarke. ‘Belonging’ was a project that looked at how we all belong in Australia. The artist worked with many students from diverse cultural backgrounds. With the artist […]

Sustainability, Culture and the Arts: How do they work together?

Jen Buchanan “This is my culture and I want to learn more about where I am from… Ini budaya saya dan saya mau tahu lebih banyak tentang Bali” – Made Kosala (Year 9)   One way that Green School is helping develop its connection with local communities is through our Visual Arts curriculum. The arts […]

Victoria’s Amazing Art Vans

Jo Briscomb When people ask me what I do I say I have the best job in the world! I travel through beautiful valleys and across rolling hills to small schools where I am welcomed with smiles and enthusiasm by students and teachers alike. As I unload my van full of art materials and activities, […]

Bell Biennale 2015

Chelsea Kneale Every two years Bell Primary School puts on a school production. It has always been a huge success, but with two problems: it was primarily teacher driven, with the children in the leading roles becoming the stars of the show, whilst the others faded into a sea of faces in the chorus. This […]

My Mona Lisa

Nicole Wassell Grades 3 – 6 Arts Dimensions: Exploring and responding; and creating and making Learning focus: Creativity: ways to develop original ideas Art Elements: Awareness of making choices with colour, texture, tone, tints and shapes to make their own version of the Mona Lisa Processes and techniques: Collage: cutting, tearing, pasting Materials required: Stimulus […]

I Can’t Draw: Abstract Portraiture

Julie Oldenburger Using continuous line drawing techniques with colour knowledge to introduce abstraction and ensure a sense of success “I can’t draw” – the comment all art teachers have heard in their classrooms. This activity is my response to this statement. I first read about ‘blind contour drawing’ while I was studying to be a […]

Sunflowers (Level 2)

Julie Oldenburger Using Vincent van Gogh’s sunflowers to inspire the exploration of different qualities of two and three-dimensional materials for our new Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden. Lesson One: Drawing The children were introduced to a variety of van Gogh’s sunflower paintings via the interactive whiteboard. I encouraged discussion through questioning; “What colours did the artist […]

Crossing Boundaries: The Journey from Teacher to Teaching Artist

Purnima Ruanglertbutr and Wesley Imms Newly qualified art educators explore the realities of being both an artist and a teacher. AEV, Art Education Australia (AEA) and the Melbourne Graduate School of Education (MGSE) together are undertaking some exciting research that addresses an issue close to the heart of many Visual Art teachers. What happens to our […]

Bendigo students inspired by Visual Arts opportunities

Helen Attrill In announcing a $100,000 Visual Arts Specialisation grant for Bendigo Senior Secondary College (BSSC) in December last year, the Minister for Education, the Hon Martin Dixon said, ‘’The benefits of school specialisation include exciting and motivating students, expert teachers and specialist equipment, creating partnerships with business and providing students with more opportunities for […]