In an education system increasingly dominated by targets and measured on examination results, students and teachers often find themselves preoccupied by outcomes rather than the processes which lead them there. There is a danger that passing exams and achieving good grades becomes the sole purpose of study. As a consequence, education becomes less about a love of learning and more about satisfying assessment criteria and following the syllabus. In my view this leads to an over dependence on what we might call convergent thinking: students are asked to memorise discrete knowledge, with their progress measured by their ability to replicate what they have remembered. This discourages students’ curiosity and results in an over-dependence on the teacher, whilst school becomes merely about ‘getting things done, rather than making sense of the world. I think many curious and independent young people become disillusioned with aspects of our education system as a result.
What this project has allowed me to do as a teacher is engage with my students on an equal footing, providing a creative forum where we can collectively consider the problems involved in painting and reap the rewards together: a journey that promotes interdependence, with students encouraged to consider what they can do rather than what they can be.
This model promotes learning through reflection rather than memorisation and is evidenced through understanding rather than just knowledge.
To my mind this way of teaching and learning is much more in tune with the realities of life. The great thing about art is that it is less about finding answers and more about asking questions and making connections. It requires the brain to think divergently.
This project began life in the classroom as a way of teaching students more about the conceptual processes and technical skills required to make images. I was looking for new ways of demonstrating how to conceive an image, construct a composition, mix colours and apply paint. It was important to ensure that the subject matter in this installation was relevant to my students as well as the Lapworth Museum. In my lessons, I stress that art is at its most important when it relates to society at large, engaging with key social, historical and cultural issues. The project formed the basis for many discussions around the role of artist, the art and its’ audience.
Students of all ages were able to share opinions, insights and judgements and participate in the development of ideas. A level and GCSE students worked alongside me, sharing the challenges of painting specific subject matter relevant to their own work and interests. Most importantly, the project enabled both teacher and student to engage in the process of making art at the same time, which made teaching and learning great fun. All art presupposes an audience, and now that the work is on the wall, both my students and I can explore the role art has to play when it is viewed by an unsuspecting public.
Mr Bassett
