CPD 2011 - Sharing good practice workshop
Literacy and Oracy in GCSE Art & Design
During our 2011 CPD events we asked groups of teachers and tutors to identify strategies that had been
particularly successful in encouraging written and oral critical responses from all types of learners in the
classroom. The shared responses are collated below.
1.
The use of writing frames or prompts as early on in KS3 as possible can help to establish and
familiarise pupils with the tools to effectively and critically respond to artists and their own works.
2.
Prompt the analysis of objects and artists’ works that really connect with the candidate’s theme and in
particular, their Final Idea.
3.
Use PowerPoint to help consolidate and communicate ideas – as a teacher to highlight a successful
example; and in the case of candidates, to utilise the format to effectively present and communicate
their thoughts, analysis and findings to their peers and to the audience/moderator. The candidates can
include a visual record of their progression through the unit/project in the presentation, with annotation
connecting their work to the artist’s, linking developments and ideas, etc.
4.
Group critiques, peer reviews / peer assessment sessions - working through the assessment criteria and
communicating ambitions, intentions, developments, contextualisation, refinements and also, strengths
and areas for development within each assessment objective. This helps to share ‘the big picture’ and
acquaints candidates with the explanation of process.
5.
‘2 Stars and a Wish’ is an effective evaluation device that can be adopted in KS3 as preparation for
more sophisticated evaluation frameworks at KS4, especially when key words, art terms and vocabulary
are encouraged. Pupils can work in paired evaluation groups or self-evaluate, stating 2 elements that
are successful within the work discussed and one area that could be improved.
6.
Turning things around can engage and appeal to different learners and intelligences. For example
providing answers and asking candidates to write corresponding questions.
7.
.
Encourage candidates to work through the Formal or Visual Elements in initial short writing tasks, which
can then be evolved into extended writing. Develop and keep a bank of resources that generate
effective questioning and prompt learning and higher order thinking - e.g. Blooms Taxonomy.
8.
A ‘Senses’ approach can be highly effective with all types of learners. Candidates analyse images or
artefacts and respond to questions such as: ‘What can you see? What can you Smell, Hear, and Feel?
Imaginative and Creative writing tasks such as this are common practice in other subjects such as
English and History too, so candidates can transfer skills into Art.
9.
Candidates or teachers can scribe verbal discussion of works. The use of sentence starters and
glossaries can support reticent speakers and writers.
10. Facilitate ‘Think, Pair and Share’ sessions. Teachers guide discussions through use of key words.
Groupings can and should be organised to support or challenge different types of learners.
11. Make the written work personal with use of the ‘I’ word. ‘I think, I like …’
12. Factor in documentation of process throughout and at the end of projects in order to effectively evaluate
and preclude inadequate inexplicit annotation.
13. Use laminated sheets with questions so that candidates can choose the questions that they are most
comfortable answering and to support personalised responses.
14. PowerPoint presentations, word walls, worksheets or other resources to introduce (at beginning) and
recap (at end) on key words and terms. Learners need to see, hear and use subject specific language.
15. Set extended writing tasks using Rod Taylor’s ‘Form, Process, Content, Mood’ model. Initially discuss
the artist’s work and then expand documented points into a written format. This can also be linked to the
Level 2 Welsh Baccalaureate Communication unit.
16. Ros Wilson’s ‘VCOP’ model – ‘vocabulary, connectives, openers and punctuation’ can help to ‘power up’
written work to higher levels. For example, vocabulary can be improved sequentially from ‘picture’ to
‘image’, and finally to ‘representation’. Learners can be further engaged by adopting roles and voices or
accents, such as that of a ‘posh’ Art critic, etc.
17. Make the written work visually interesting and memorable by using colour keys, different fonts and font
sizes, underlining, speech bubbles, arrows, symbols, overlays, fold-outs, pockets, etc.
18. Adapt the extendable online ‘Intentions’ form and target writing into three sections to cover: ‘start’;
‘midpoint’ and ‘finally’ so that initial ambitions/ideas can be proposed, then reviewed mid-way and upon
conclusion of the unit.
19. Share best practice with other departments.
20. Use a selection process of key words and sentences for candidates who are unable to speak or write.
Words on stickers can be selected and stuck around the work.
21. Use video or audio media to record critical responses and/or narration for candidates who are unable to
write.
22. Attach images to key words to aid understanding. E.g. ‘pattern’ next to an image of a pattern.
23. Introduce ‘feely’ boxes so that learners can translate tactile experiences using cards or stickers with key
descriptive words and images.
24. Use the POSTCARD approach. Reproduce an artwork on one side and write to someone about the
work on the other side.
25. Use sorting games such as the ‘jigsaw’ grouping activity to promote understanding. Members of the
class are given different sections from artist, art movement or thematic reproductions. The aim is for
them to group together to assemble the jigsaw. They need to consider and talk about colour, line, style,
shapes, etc. in order to find the rest of the jigsaw pieces and to assemble the picture. The groups can
then discuss the artworks and feedback comments.
26. Hot seating is another fun learning activity involving the learner acting out the role of an artist or
designer and answering questions about that artist and their work which are posed by a group of peers.
This activity inspires in-depth research in preparation for the hot seating and questioning roles.
27. ‘Pass the object’ is an effective icebreaker that makes descriptive language non-threatening and fun.
Learners sit in groups and pass an artefact or object between them. The initial holder makes a comment
such as ‘This is a small sculpture’ then passes the object onto the next person in the group. That learner
will add his or her comment; ‘This is a small sculpture. It is made of soft, ochre coloured stone’……. And
so on.
28. Place the work into an exciting, relevant and contemporary context that 21stC learners can relate by
setting tasks such as, ‘Create a Facebook profile for ………’ or ‘Write an online magazine article about
the ……..exhibition at …….’ Or ‘write a blog on …….’
29. Adapt Bloom’s Taxonomy prompts into a dice format and this can be rolled by learners to stimulate
questions or sentence starters.
30. Compare and contrast the works of a historical and contemporary artist, perhaps relating to a common
theme or technique, and play ‘spot the difference’, listing similarities and differences in a Venn diagram
with influences of the historical on the contemporary artist noted along with similarities in the middle
section.
31. Ensure candidates are aware of the Assessment Objectives and how to develop their work in
accordance with the criteria. Provide questionnaires in relation to the Assessment Objectives and their
own work. Show them what success looks like at each Assessment Objective via discussion of archived
units.
32. Traffic light system or other codes in classroom and/or sketchbooks so that teachers are aware of what
learners struggle with and which elements they fully enjoy and understand.
33. Use the ‘Alien worksheet’ as a plenary exercise. An alien has landed in the classroom and the learners
need to explain to him/her what they have learnt during the lesson.
34. Bidding or voting for favourite images can support debating and presentation skills.
35. Post-it! The teacher projects an image/artist’s work on screen. Candidates are provided with key words,
terms or vocabulary on sticky notes. They place their sticky note onto the area of the image that best
reflects or illustrates the word. For example ‘Ben Day dots’ or ‘complementary contrast’ would be placed
on certain sections of a Lichtenstein or a Hundertwasser image.
36. Differentiate learning with different question or prompt frameworks for different learning types and
abilities
37. Liaise with the library and / or IT to assure that a good range of books or web based resources are
available to learners relating to their topics or themes. Appropriate research resources are essential to
success, particularly at AO1.
38. Keep a bank of reviews in different formats such as on Twitter, Facebook, newspaper articles and blogs
to different styles and approaches adopted by critics and viewers.
39. Explain the purpose of written/verbal critical responses in GCSE to the candidates so that they
understand how this content can strengthen their work and maximise marks across the Assessment
Objectives; not just in terms of contextualising the work of others but in documenting, explaining and
reviewing their own working processes and outcomes.
40. Photographing stages and working processes and linking to the Assessment Objectives can help to
explain the development of ideas and techniques and support the learners’ understanding of the criteria.
41. Complete starter warm-ups such as ‘Describe this sculpture in 3 or 5 words’ to set the pace of the
lesson and promote critical thinking.