Issue Sixteen

8/6/2019 Issue Sixteen

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4 August 2011 VADEA E-BULLETIN Vol. 16

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Key findings from Consultation

Essentially the key findings of the consultation for the Draft Shape Paper for the Arts as outlined by Rob Randall were:

An acknowledgement of the need for discrete subject forms within the Arts curriculum

There should be entitlement to all five art forms for students over the course of the curriculum. However, itwould seem that for secondary students in Years 7 and 8, that there may only be study of one of the five formsmandated.

There was a strong rejection of the strands from NSW, in particular, but also from responses from other states.There was a strong recognition of the need for subject specificity.

There was a need for connections between school and industry. This comment may have been in response toconcerns that the voices of industry representatives have at times overshadowed those of art educators.

There was acknowledgement of the role of the state body for curriculum implementation. It was confirmed thatstate bodies such as the NSW Board of Studies would be responsible for more specific curriculum documents

such as syllabuses and for delivery of those documents. Jay McPherson confirmed that writing teams wouldwork with the final framework and develop these curriculum documents.

Some further issues and questions

Solutions for the Strands It was still unclear how this might be resolved and how other alternative proposals such as those presented in

the VADEA consultation response might be taken up.

Articulation from K-12

It is not yet clear how the cognitive development of students will be differentiated and articulated across thestages so that it moves from the current sweep from Yr 3 -8

Curriculum mapping and indicative hours

There was acknowledgement that there has been some consideration of how the Arts subjects might fit withother subject offerings across the curriculum in terms of indicative hours but this still remains somewhat unclearon a National level. Given that the mandated hours for Visual Arts and Music are part of the NSW EducationAct, Jay McPherson indicated changes to current legislation would be required if hours were to be altered.

Issues around geography and merit The issue of reconciling different points of view across the country was raised as a ongoing challenge for

ACARA by Rob Randall. He also noted that consideration of all ideas and proposals of merit were to be givenconsideration irrespective of the size of the group or the state of origin. The processes for the assessment ofthese ideas of merit were not clear but it would seem likely that the new ACARA writing teams and otherrepresentative forums convened by ACARA would be the mechanism for these processes.

Research basis for the curriculum

The flawed and outdated basis for the curriculum remains unacknowledged. Challenges to issues surroundingthese kinds of questions have, at times, been deemed uncharitable. It was also suggested that VADEA andNSW teachers may have mis -understood the role of the Shape Paper, mistaking it for a curriculum. Thehistory of curriculum development in NSW, particularly with the last model of development for the HSCsyllabuses introduced in 2000 with writing briefs used prior to syllabus development makes NSW teachersmore likely to be aware of the role of the Draft Shape Paper for the Arts as providing a blueprint orfoundational structure for the final curriculum documents or syllabuses

Processes and participation for revision and review

The structure of review panels and the processes and timelines for the consideration of the findings of theConsultation reports and the development of curriculum documents is still unclear.

Karen King,

Creative Arts Coordinator, Caroline Chisholm College, Glenmore ParkLecturer, ACU and VADEA Executive 2011 member

SECONDARY PERSPECTIVES: VISUAL ARTS IN THE AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM


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THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 18 July 2011Old Ways Curb YoungThe national curriculum is in danger of clinging toshort-sighted methods, writes Dan Haesler.

http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/old-ways-curb-young-minds-20110717-1hjz0.html#ixzz1SR40FoEK

Extracts

After years of debate, the pressure is on to finish the

first stage of the new national curriculum. In October,

education ministers will be asked to sign off on the

curriculum for English, maths, history and science. But

amid the rush to the finish line, have all the questions

been answered?Or is Australia about to be locked

into a model based on yesterday, when what we

need is one that will be flexible enough for

tomorrow's learners to thrive?

The relevance of the curriculum was questioned lastyear when the headmaster of St Andrew's Cathedral

School, Dr John Collier, wrote a letter on behalf of the

Association of Heads of Independent Schools of

Australia to the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and

Reporting Authority (ACARA) in which he said, ''[the]

current national curriculum plans a 20th-, not a 21st-

century curriculum'' and ''the documents are

essentially lists of content, rather than a focus on

thinking skills''.


THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 9 July 2011

NSW Fears New Curriculum Wont Make GradeTHE NSW government has warned it will notapprove the national curriculum in October if it isinferior to the curriculum now used in the state'sschools, writes Andrew Stevenson

http://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw-fears-new-curriculum-wont-make-grade-20110708-1h6ub.html

Extracts

The state Education Minister, Adrian Piccoli, issued the

warning - echoing the position of the ousted Labor

government - after the Ministerial Council for Education,Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs met in

Melbourne yesterday.

While the federal Education Minister, Peter Garrett,

trumpeted new national professional standards for

principals and the endorsement of the first stage of a

plan for greater school autonomy, Mr Piccoli left the

federal-state meeting warning NSW would not be

rushed.

He said the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and

Reporting Authority (ACARA), the national body leading

the curriculum framing, was moving to new subjects

before the first-stage subjects - English, maths, science

and history - had been resolved.

''There's a lot of disquiet among stakeholders in NSW.

Nobody is happy with it,'' Mr Piccoli said. ''We're not

sure how much it is going to cost [to implement]. There

are a million unanswered questions.''

NSW remains concerned it will be pushed to approve a

weaker curriculum when ministers meet again in

October. Mr Piccoli said he was worried the federal

government appeared ready to begin work on the next

stage ''before they've even got this half right''. ''We've

taken a strong view that we're not going to sign off on

something that is inferior,'' Mr Piccoli said

TWO MUST READS!

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Dan Haesler is a teacher,blogger and speaker

http://danhaesler.com/

Follow him on Twitter

@danhaesler

Show your support forHon Adrian Piccolis comments,

Email:[email protected]


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Couldnt make the VADEA conference?

The next best thing is now up in the Members Sectionof the VADEA website. www.VADEA.org.au

Loaded online now are the presentations and other teaching resources presented at the 2011 conference.

These include; Research Papers, Programs, Examples of Assessment, Student Worksheets, Student learning tools


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ATTENTION VADEA MEMBERS RESOURCES NOW ONLINE

Not a 2011 Financial Member? Contact our Membership Officer Denise Perrin

Email: [email protected]

Forgot your VADEApassword?

Email:[email protected]

Use your VADEA

password to access theMEMBERS SECTION

on the VADEA site

and then click on the

RESOURCES PAGE.


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Facebook;http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=121728261192109

Website; http://vadea.org.au/wordpress/

Twitter; https://twitter.com/VADEA_NSW

Blog; http://vadea.blogspot.com/

Would you like to contribute?This E-Bulletin is aimed at providing up to date information and resources on the proposed changes to Visual

Arts in the Australian Curriculum. If you come across anything of interest in relation to the Australian Curriculum andThe Artsplease email me directly and I will add it to the bulletin.

[email protected]


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Rebecca Schofield was a volunteer at the 2011 VADEA Conference; as a fresh education graduate, she offers

her thoughts on the conference and ACARAs proposal for the Arts.

This years VADEA conference titled Critical Junctures: Tensions, Extensions and Confluence in Visual Arts and

Design Education was a culmination of well organized, highly relevant and innovative presentations that brought an

array of expertise, conceptual ingenuity and insightful findings into a Visual Arts and Design educational context. As a

new teacher beginning in Visual Arts Education, it was an outstanding conference that provided many opportunities for

the perception of new ideas and exciting ways to incorporate these into the Visual Arts classroom.

The caliber of guest speakers was exceptional. Chris Bosse, Lucy Culliton and Professor Richard Goodwin, to name

ust a few, presented brilliant notions that could be translated into any Visual Arts or Design classroom through case

studies, collaborative art making practice and conceptual development that are both relevant and highly engaging forstudents.

The ongoing discussion about the current progress of the National Curriculum was prevalent throughout the conference

and I find the future ramifications quite alarming, particularly the lack of content that was evident in the draft shape

paper. The Plenary sessions and discussions also highlighted the shortcomings of the draft shape paper, and possible

ways to address these. However, I found that Professor Neil Browns presentation provided a highly sophisticated

alternative to what is currently being proposed by ACARA in the Draft Arts Shape Paper. It clearly demonstrated that

providing a new alternative that doesnt have to compromise depth or rigor in the discipline of Visual Art Education. He

gave his recommendation in the form of a complex matrix with endless possibilities in terms of exploration in a

curriculum context.

The real implications from the proposed Draft Arts Shape Paper poses many concerns - if this curriculum model is put

nto place, how would such rich, conceptual ideas take any form for art students? Will it be worth studying at all?

Overall, the conference was outstanding in its relevance to current Visual Arts and Design education; I congratulate the

hard work of all who made such an event so successful.

Rebecca Schofield

VADEA Volunteer 2011

REFLECTIONS FROM A RECENT ART EDUCATION GRADUATE

Documents

Issue Sixteen