Curriculum Planning Strategies

Teachers are encouraged to consider adopting the following strategies to enhance learning

and teaching when planning their school-based curriculum.

3.4.1 Integrating art learning strands into unit design

Integrating visual arts appreciation and criticism in context and visual arts making into thematically or conceptually related units helps students to play the dual roles of audience and creator and make better connections in art learning. Themes provide a broad and helpful focus for learning and engage students in interdisciplinary and in-depth study of events, issues, concepts, attitudes, values and so forth. Unit design based on themes related to students’ personal experiences or daily-life events can also make it easier to link classroom learning to real-life experience, and so make learning more meaningful. Students, in consultation with teachers, may select their theme(s) for exploration, especially in developing their portfolios for School-based Assessment (SBA). An example of a thematic unit design is provided in Figure 3.2 for reference.

Figure 3.2 An Example of Thematic Unit Design

Lesson Hours

Theme and Topic (A focus for art making, and art appreciation and

criticism)

Learning Objectives

Appreciation and Criticism

+ Context

Making Presentation

+ Theme

Production + Selection of Media, Materials,

Skills and Techniques Theme 1 / Topic 1

Theme 1 / Topic 2 Theme 1 / Topic 3

Theme 2 / Topic 1 Theme 2 / Topic 2

3.4.2 Moving towards self-directed learning

To achieve the goal of lifelong learning, students are encouraged to move towards autonomy and independence. Teachers should regard self-access learning as an integral part of students’ learning experience. At an early stage of the senior secondary course, teachers may develop more structured or pre-designed thematic units to help students to acquire learning skills and broaden their art learning experience. As students become more competent in art learning, teachers should support students in engaging in more independent and individualised art learning activities. (Please refer to Paragraph 3.3 for recommendation on how to assist students to move to self-directed learning.) It is important to help students to understand their learning needs and enable them to make decisions on what, when and

how to learn, and through this to develop knowledge, skills and positive attitudes for lifelong learning.

3.4.3 Catering for learner diversity

Students differ in their abilities, interests, learning styles, social and economic backgrounds, and such differences give rise to learner diversity. To cater for students’ diverse learning needs, schools should design suitable learning, teaching and assessment activities. The curriculum should provide for both students who have exceptional abilities and those who are less motivated and less able in the study of art. For example, teachers can extend able students’ studies beyond the basic requirements of the course or focus more on areas of their special concerns, such as an art genre, a style of presentation, or art of a particular cultural context. More importantly, students should have ample opportunity to make choices among artwork/art phenomena, media, materials, techniques and themes/topics, so that they can learn and perform better.

3.4.4 Maximising learning opportunities

Learning takes place anytime and anywhere. To maximise learning, schools should engage students in life-wide learning, which takes place outside and inside the classroom. Life-wide learning offers real contexts and wider exposure to students. Learning experiences gained in different environments, such as the classroom, school, home and community, complement each other. For example, students may visit an art exhibition or participate in a community art event in a group for interactive art appreciation leading to informed discussion and art making. Students may also choose to study man-made objects such as design products found in their living environment for individual portfolio development.

3.4.5 Integrating conceptual learning across the arts and other KLAs

Students should be provided with opportunities to integrate concepts and experiences acquired in learning activities in the arts and other KLAs into their Visual Arts learning. For example, students can investigate the cultural and historical contexts of a piece of artwork for an interpretation of it. Teachers might expose students to a variety of learning environments and provide them with opportunities to associate their arts experiences such as rhythm in music and dance, time in films and music, and light in theatre to enrich their emotions, perceptions and conceptual understanding of the visual arts.

3.4.6 Integrating assessment and learning

Assessment is an integral part of the curriculum. In planning the school-based Visual Arts curriculum, assessment should be designed in line with learning objectives, learning activities, tasks and projects, and pedagogy, to ensure coherence and to promote assessment for learning. The SBA should ensure a meaningful connection between learning and assessment. Furthermore, assessment directions, modes (formative and summative) and criteria should be discussed, agreed and made explicit to students so as to help them to learn better.

3.4.7 Using learning time effectively

To use learning time effectively, schools need to be flexible and creative in timetabling formal lesson time. For instance, schools might have longer periods or a combination of long and short periods to allow ample time for students’ learning, reflection and evaluation.

Teachers can make effective use of lesson time for whole-class teaching, supporting independent learning, and providing individual guidance on developing portfolios for the SBA. Students should also be encouraged to learn beyond lesson time through individual investigation, to enrich their personal, aesthetic and art experience.