Post
Primary Placement
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'When one teaches, two learn'
- Robert Heinlein
Scoil Ui Mhuiri
Dunleer, Co.Louth
Situated in the heart of Dunleer's countryside, Scoil ui Mhuiri is a mixed gender DIES ETB school, and I had the pleasure of being taken on for my final school placement from September - December 2020. The school offered me many learning and teaching experiences such as taking on a handful of resource classes, working with SEN students in their unit and I left having made some wonderful life long friendships.
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Below are 3 examples of units I undertook / planned.
6th year
Art History
European Art
Learning Outcomes:
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RESEARCH
1.1. Looking
1.1.1
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recognise an art style and identify relevant features
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use critical and visual language to describe an artwork
1.4. Contextual enquiries
1.4.1
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explain how context and period influence artistic thinking
1.5. Process
1.5.1
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use a selection of visual responses that are relevant to their area of study
CREATE
1.2. Contextual enquiries
2.2.1
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Translate their experience of Visual Studies into their practical work
2.3. Process
2.3.1
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illustrate sources of information
RESPOND
3.1. Analysis
3.1.1
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Discuss examples from Visual Studies
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question established and new ideas and work
Aim of Unit:
'Students will be introduced to the art of mid to late 1900’s parisian movement ‘impressionism’, following the order of artists in “Appreciating Art’ by Aiden O’Sullivan. students will explore a range of techniques used by the impressionists and consider the urbanisation and developments of Paris that influenced this movement. Significant AEDP explored include Line, Colour, Space and Texture.'
Reflection:
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Teaching an exam year was a first in my teacher training, and we as a class of 12 explored the many corners that complete the time period of mid 1800's Paris, working our way from the foundations built by the Impressionists and leaving off at Post impressionism
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I found this class a challenge to teach as there was not a lot of time remaining for teachers to fit in practical tasks to support the learning content, and a little bit under pressure against the clock with only a 40 minute class each time, but each learning intention was met in each class and it was an overall enjoyable experience, and the content felt like second nature to teaching, as it is a personal favourite of mine.
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I believe that the learning content I had prepared for this unit was appealing tot he needs of kinaesthetic, visual and auditory learners, and I differentiated well in order to accommodate those with dyslexia, or challenges in literacy or oracy.
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The opportunity to teach 6th year has granted me a lot of confidence to teach exam years in future and I believe my delivery of content and the effectiveness of my planning of art history lessons has improved greatly since.
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2nd Year
Clay unit
Learning Outcomes:
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Critical Visual Language
2.3: Craft
reflect on their own or that of another’s craftwork through the use of critical and visual language
Drawing
1.4 Art
Demonstrate how they use drawing to observe, record and analyse the human figure and the world around them
3.6 Design
Design a final work based on their drawings
Visual Culture and Appreciation
2.8 Crafft
Interpret the narrative, symbols and functions used in a craftwork from their own and other worlds cultures.
AEDP
1.10 Art
Identify the use of Art Elements and Design Principles within an artwork
Media
2.13 Craft
Identify the role of media in the development of craftwork
Aim of Unit:
Through portraiture sketching, design processes and research, students will produce an earthenware clay bust of themselves portraying an emotion represented through monochrome painting of the form. AEDP explored include Form, Colour, Texture and Shape.
Reflection:
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This unit allowed for success in both art and craft and for students to excel in either/or 3D or 2D work.
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This unit was stretched over a 3 week period, and was based quite often in a regular classroom setting which brought upon a little bit of challenge planning for a clay unit, but it worked out very well, as students were asked to independently prepare a design brief to work from when producing 3D work, allowing them to managing visual information and develop their creative thinking skills.
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This unit also prepared students for their oncoming CBA, exercising their skills in self evaluation and thinking critically.
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5th Year
Collage Unit
Learning Outcomes:
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RESEARCH
1.1 Looking
1.1.1 recognise an art style and identify relevant features
1.2 Recording and Documenting
1.2.1
record visual information through a variety of media and techniques
CREATE
2.1 Making
2.1.1
Develop concepts in imaginative and creative ways
apply appropriate skills, knowledge and techniques
2.3 Process
2.3.1
describe their motivation/area of enquiry
illustrate sources of information
2.3 Process
2.3.1 Experiment and Edit their work
RESPOND
3.1 Analysis
3.1.1 recognise the artistic thinking and elements in their own work and that of others
3.4 Critical and Personal Reflection
3.4.1 discuss the development of ideas and work from conception to realisation
3.5 Process
3.5.1
describe their motivation/area of enquiry
interpret sources of information
respond to a selection of drawings, studies and realised work
Aim of Unit:
Students will create an a3 collage based on themselves and psychological concepts of identity and personality including the ID, the ego and superego, exploring and experimenting with materials and collage methods such as photo montage and AEDP such as pattern, shape and colour, responding to the work of collage x embroidery visual artist Annegret Soltau
Refection:
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This unit focused malignly on psychology and AEDP as a learning layer: each week a new AEDP would be introduced and students would be asked to consider this element in their work, with reference to the collage
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The use of the key learning layer: Sigmund Freud's Personality theory, was an excellent method of including advanced topics and meaning to the work: the work was no longer a purposeless scrap of art but rather an artwork with something to say
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I think my learning intentions were relevant and realistic, but If I were to to do this again, more emphasis on evaluation and wellbeing based peer learning could have been useful, as well as more thought with regards to formative assessment.