Teaching Primary Art

Jean Edwards

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2014
• ISBN:
  9781317863564
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Pedagogía
• Subtopic: Educación general

Teaching Primary Art is an introductory textbook for those training to teach and support learning in art inthe primary school. The book first explores the underpinning philosophy and pedagogy of teaching and learning art, including why we teach it; planning and assessment; and teaching and support strategies. Then it covers thepractical aspects of teaching art, including a list of useful vocabulary to encourage talk around art and links tocross-curricular learning.

Chapter 1

An introduction to art in the primary school

Introduction

Art makes a unique contribution to our lives and it is vital that when we are preparing to work in schools we are ready to give children the positive and inspiring learning opportunities they need to engage and enthuse them. This chapter will encourage you to think more deeply about your own experience of art and the particular contribution of art to learning. In this chapter the following areas will be explored:

● Your experience of art so far

● What is art in school?

● Why do we teach art in school?

● The role of adults

As someone planning to or already working in a primary school you must be prepared to teach all the subjects that are part of the curriculum. Whilst it is a challenge to maintain a genuine personal interest in all of these subjects it is important that you have the appropriate subject knowledge to support your planning and teaching, as well as the understanding of teaching strategies to support learning in art. You will probably find that your enthusiasm for teaching and seeing children learn will inspire you to enjoy and value some of the subjects you found less exciting as a child yourself. Often when we begin to explore a subject from the perspective of teaching it to a class of children we perceive it differently and understand more fully its potential for learning.

Your experience of art so far

Your own feelings and approach to art in education will be informed by the experiences you have had as a pupil and as an adult. It is important for you to reflect on these, considering their implications, so that you can support and teach children effectively. As your role in school develops in relation to teaching across the curriculum and teaching specific subjects your subject knowledge and pedagogical understanding will support you as a teacher of art. You will develop your understanding of the particular significance of the role of the adult in relation to the art curriculum and the teaching of art.

Your education

Your own art education will vary depending on when and where you went to school and how far you pursued art as a subject in school and beyond. It is important that you reflect on it so that you understand how it relates to your current understanding.

Practical task

Your own art education

Learning objective:

● to explore the impact your own art education has had on you.

You will need:

● the below pro forma (available online).

What to do:

● consider the questions listed below.

● make some notes about each one.

Questions	Your thoughts
Your education
As a child did you like art?
Did you make art or craft outside school?
What was your art education at primary school like?
What was your art education at secondary school like?
Did you go on to gain any qualifications in art at secondary school and beyond?

Guidance notes

• Your interest in art at home: You may have enjoyed art, making things and drawing at home regardless of what was happening in art lessons at school. This may have been related to your family's attitudes and interests and your own personal enthusiasm and motivation. Children often engage in art activities at home entirely without relating it to what they are learning at school – this is something to consider in relation to the children you teach.

• Your primary education: Your experience of art in the primary years may have influenced your subsequent interest and enthusiasm for art. It may be that in some areas of art you feel that your own learning has progressed little beyond this stage and perhaps the teaching you experienced left you at the early stages with no clear idea how to develop. This may have led you to put your enthusiasm and commitment into other areas of learning in the curriculum until now, when as part of your work in school you are supporting or leading learning in art lessons. If your own experience at primary school was positive and inspiring you will understand how important it is to ensure that the children you work with also have this experience. If your own experience in primary school was indifferent or negative your aspiration will be to make sure that you do not replicate this for the children whose education you are now responsible for.

• Your secondary education: At the secondary stage you might have been given opportunities to use unfamiliar media and use new techniques – I remember, from my own art education, learning photography and screen-printing. You will have been taught by specialists in the subject and have had the opportunity to work on longer and more personal projects to develop your own art. Your experience of art beyond primary school will perhaps be the point at which you gave up study of art in school. If this is the case it will be vital that you develop your understanding and knowledge of art with a focus on how to teach and support of children primary age.

• Your qualifications: If you went further with your education in art you may have worked on GCSE, A level, NVQ or even a degree in art or an art related subject. If this is the case your experience of further study will be a valuable resource to draw upon in your role as a student and subsequently teacher or as a teaching assistant in a primary school. It may later lead you into becoming art co-ordinator and supporting other staff.

In the task above you began to consider your own education and its implications for your role as a student, teacher or teaching assistant. In addition to this you may have had experience since leaving education that contributes to your understanding and view of art. Perhaps you now participate in making in areas that could be considered art, design or craft if a media or process has caught your attention and interest since leaving formal education. It could be an activity that you pursue as a break from studying or work, or that has developed from your life. If you are a parent, playing with your own children and supporting them in their own education may have led you to an interest in art and craft.

Your current awareness of art

Although your own experience prior to training to become or being employed as a teacher is significant, you are nevertheless likely to be planning and teaching art in the primary school regardless of it. A minority of schools may have a specialist teacher for art; some schools may have informal arrangements between staff to share out the teaching of some subjects in order to use strengths and interests; but in most schools you must be prepared to teach art to your class.

As an adult you might not be involved in art or craft at all, or perhaps you have a personal interest in it. Perhaps you belong to a group or class in your chosen art or craft activity or have attended a class or workshop as one off either yourself or alongside your own children. Increasingly, making things and using recyclable materials is a popular interest and can lead into art-related activity. Any enthusiasm that you have in art or art-related areas will be something you can draw on to support children's learning in your role in schools. Many galleries, museums and country parks put on workshops and classes that you can join in order to broaden your knowledge and experience, and these are often free or quite inexpensive.

Another aspect of our experience of art is that of looking at the work of artists, craftspeople and designers. This also important in relation to learning and teaching in the primary art curriculum.

Practical task

Viewing art

Learning objective:

● to explore your awareness of art and artists as a viewer.

You will need:

● the pro forma below.

What to do:

Annotate the headings with the names of artists, craftspeople or designers or their work that you are familiar with.

Art, craft or design in my home/garden

Exhibitions I have visited/heard about

Me as a viewer of art

TV programmes about art/artists that

I have watched

My favourite artists/pieces of art I can name

Art I've noticed in my locality

Guidance notes

• Art, craft and design in your home/garden: If you look around your home and garden you might be able to identify pieces of art, craft and design that you have chosen or been given and that hold a personal meaning for you. You might have a painting or print on the wall, a woven basket or clay pot on a shelf or table; a particular fabric design on your curtains and cushions. There may be items that have not considered to be art but were made or designed by artists, craftspeople or designers or by your own children in art lessons at school.

• Visiting exhibitions/art in the locality: We are surrounded by examples of art and exhibitions of the work of artists locally, regionally and nationally. Many are free to visit, both temporary and permanent. Even if you don't actively seek them out you may well come across sculptures in the local park or town square or exhibitions in your local gallery or museum. Start making a more conscious effort to look at these when you encounter them.

• TV programmes about art/artists: As well as encountering art in the locality there are many television programmes about art or that share art-related stories. When a big national exhibition opens there may be news stories, small items on magazine programmes and whole programmes about the artist and the exhibition. All of these serve to alert you to exhibitions of significance that could be worth seeking out to follow your own interest or broaden your knowledge and understanding as well as giving you ideas for teaching and learning.

• Favourite artists/artists/works of art I can name: You were probably able to name some artists as you read this because they have a high profile in the media if they have a current exhibition. You might also have been able to list some artists that you remember learning about at school. If you identified some art that you have in your home you might know who made it and might even seek their work out and collect it. In later chapters developing this aspect your subject knowledge will be considered more fully.

In the practical task above you were encouraged to consider your awareness of art and artists around you at the moment. Whilst being able to name or list artists and their work is no test of your interest or knowledge, your general awareness of the range of artists and people working in art, craft and design has implications for the children that you teach. If your knowled...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Preface
• Guided tour
• Publisher’s Acknowledgements
• 1 An introduction to art in the primary school
• 2 The art curriculum in primary schools
• 3 Artists and art galleries
• 4 Planning and assessment
• 5 Teaching and supporting learning
• 6 Drawing
• 7 Painting
• 8 Printmaking
• 9 Collage
• 10 Working in three dimensions
• 11 Threads, fabrics and textiles
• Going further
• Appendx 1
• Appendix 2
• Index