An Roinn Oideachais agus Eolaíochta
Department
of Education and Science
Subject
Inspection of Art
REPORT
Roll number:
65180T
Date of
inspection: 22 January 2007
Date of
issue of report: 17 January 2008
Subject provision and whole school support
Summary of main findings and recommendations
Report
on the
Quality of Learning and Teaching in Art
Subject
inspection report
This report has been written following a subject
inspection in
Subject
provision and whole school support
Two fully qualified teachers operate the very well
established art department at
The members of the art department have availed of
courses and programmes in their own time, which benefit the delivery of the
subject. Among the topics covered are computer technology, digital imaging and
the production of personal work. Presently teachers are not members of the
relevant subject association, it is recommended that membership be obtained so
as to avail of the support available.
In this academic year, timetabling has ensured that
one teacher is responsible for junior cycle students while the other teacher
has responsibility for the senior cycle students. Whilst it was reported that
this situation is unusual, it is recommended that teachers have an even spread
of junior and senior cycle students every year. Students generally have a full
complement of class contact time with doubles provided when possible. The transition
year (TY) students have modules of five weeks in which they study Art; however,
due to the structure of the timetable, some class groups have longer periods of
Art than others. Timetabling for TY students can vary from one double and one
single to two single periods per class group. It is suggested that a review of
these arrangements could serve to enhance and balance the delivery of the
subject.
The numbers of students taking the subject is
generally healthy and access to the subject at both junior and senior cycle is
good. Potential first-year students have access to a display of the work
produced in the department and are shown the art facilities in the school
before they make their subject choices. It is reported that students are
allowed a degree of flexibility around subject choices in the initial months to
help students settle in and make changes if necessary. At senior cycle, the TY
programme offers Art as a compulsory module. Commendably, this allows students
who did not study Art in junior cycle to experience the subject for the first
time. It was reported that this has resulted in an increase of the number of
students taking the subject at senior cycle who have not taken the subject
before. It was also reported that the study of art history and appreciation is
considered a stumbling block by some students and discourages them from
choosing the subject for senior cycle. To directly target this problem, it is
recommended that art history and appreciation is introduced to students from
first year so that they can become familiar and confident with the area. It is
further suggested that the subject be delivered with an emphasis on
familiarising students with the widest possible diversity of work created. It
is also suggested that learning how to research the subject at the earlier
stages of junior cycle will help students to develop support studies for their
Junior Certificate projects in third year.
The department has been very fortunate in that it has
received two new purpose-built art rooms in recent months, which are in the
last stages of being furnished. These rooms have an abundance of natural light
and have room for display. The design and fitting of these rooms is well
organised and is a tribute to the work and collaboration of the art department.
The majority of fittings were in place at the time of the evaluation with the
exception of the computers and the kiln. Staff assured that plans were underway
to have these facilities installed as soon as possible.
In accordance with the provision of the new rooms, the
art department has recently received equipment and materials as set out by the
Department of Education and Science. It was reported that generally, materials
are ordered on an annual basis and specialist items are requested as necessary.
It was also reported that this system operates well and on the day of the visit
there were ample resources available. Students pay a contribution at the outset
of the year to defray costs and to add to the resources available.
Two computers, printers and a digital camera are
available to the department and at the time of the evaluation broadband was
available to one room and was about to be installed in the other. Unfortunately
the provision for information and communication technology (ICT) in the art
department does not allow for large groups of students to use the facility.
Notwithstanding this, good use is being made of the resources available by
teachers and individual students.
Additional tuition is provided to those students who
would like extra help with their projects and for students who have to complete
a portfolio for third level entry. The department considers this a very
important aspect of their work and uses time in the evenings, weekends and
holidays as appropriate to ensure that students are supported.
The art department deems extra-curricular and
co-curricular activity as very important supports to the delivery of the
subject. To date, this involvement includes designing sets and props for school
productions, making posters and banners for school events, participation in
environmental projects, design and production of pieces for local parades,
entries into local and national competitions as well as the establishment of an
Art Club for first years. This good practice is commended and seen as further
evidence of the commitment of staff to the betterment of students in the
school.
The school is to be lauded on the library of art books
collected to aid the delivery of the subject. The effort of teachers to
document students’ work outside of the classroom is also commended.
Planning
and preparation
On the day of the visit an art department plan was
presented for evaluation. This document is in the initial stage of development
and addresses a number of issues pertinent to the department. The area of
‘Curriculum Content – Long Term Planning’ deals with some of the topics to be
addressed during the year. It is recommended that this work be expanded to
include a list of skills and outcomes to be addressed for each year group and
programme. These outcomes should frame planning for individual lessons, and
outcomes should be shared with students in those lessons so that the specific
purpose of the lesson is clear to all. Plans for assessment should be also
included in this document. It is recommended that the sets of skills and
outcomes referred to above should be used as the basis of assessment criteria
and be shared with students. Students should have a clear understanding of the
purpose of any given task and be able to assess how successful they have been
and to identify the route to take for future improvement. Students especially
at junior level should only be tested on skills they have been specifically
taught, examinations should not be used to deliver new skills.
Individual teaching plans observed were interesting,
creative and generally of appropriate lengths. Commendably, history and
appreciation of art is integrated into lessons at third year, however it is
recommended that this be expanded as outlined above.
Out-of-school art trips are planned for all class
groups, it is suggested that this good practice is extended by using the trips
as source material for responses by students which can be in visual or written
form. The department’s endeavours to make links with outside agencies such as
art centres and the
Although TY is an optional programme, Art is a
compulsory module within the programme. A written programme was made available
for TY, which was shown to be ambitious and creative. It was reported that due
to the structure of the programme, occasionally students participate in the Art
module twice. To maximise the learning potential of this situation and to avoid
students covering the same material twice, two distinct courses of study are
available.
As part of the department’s approach to Art, there is
an emphasis on showing work to a wider audience. This can be seen in the
displays of work in the classrooms, the documented work held in the department
and the school entries in competitions and other forms of public art. On the
day of the evaluation examples of batik, pattern, puppetry, positive and
negative compositions, black and white drawings of the school, lino prints,
paintings, pastel work, imaginative compositions, observational drawings,
sculpture and life drawing were observed. In particular the quality of batik
and print work displayed was very high.
Teaching
and learning
Four class groups were visited as part of the
evaluation including one senior and two junior groups of students. In all
lessons students’ behaviour was exemplary. Students were found to be lively,
positive about the subject and confident in their ability to make statements
about their work. Affirmation was given regularly and a sense of respect for
the subject as well as for all of the individuals involved was obvious. The
pace of all lessons was appropriate to the students involved including those
who need particular help. Class management was good in all cases and students
were familiar with lesson structures and how to prepare for and tidy up after
the various tasks.
Demonstration is the main teaching methodology used
and examples of work in its various stages of production are used as visual
aids. Instruction is also used and information is given in a clear and pleasant
fashion. Group instruction is used in the majority of cases but where necessary
instruction is given to individuals.
It was noted during the evaluation that in some
disciplines such as painting that there was scope for improving the finish of
work. It is recommended that the level of skill and quality of outcome be
emphasised in each discipline, so that students are encouraged to achieve the
best finish possible. Exemplars showing high levels of skill and finish
displayed in the room should help in this regard.
Observation of the students’ work at all levels showed
some attention to developing images from drawings taken from life. It is
recommended that this best practice should be expanded, where appropriate, in
favour of working from secondary imagery and that this way of working should be
developed from first year.
During the visit a class was observed in which a
student with special educational needs was participating. The teacher involved
helped the student in a discreet, sensitive and purposeful fashion and this
approach to helping students with special needs is commended.
Assessment
Summative
and formative assessments take place at both junior and senior cycle during the
year and these include Christmas examinations. Drawing examinations are held
for first and second years at the end of every term; their work is assessed as
it progresses and also assessed upon completion. Senior cycle students are
tested on their attainment of both practical and history of art skills. ‘Mock’
history and appreciation of art examinations are held for sixth-year students
and third-year students are assessed continually on the progress they make on
the various components of the Junior Certificate project.
Parents are kept informed of student progress using
the school journal, parent-teacher meetings and reports which are issued twice
per year. Progress reports are sent to parents at Easter of students sitting
the certificate examinations.
Homework is generally practical in nature and is used
for preparation for visual work in the classroom. Students in fifth and sixth
year are expected to complete history and appreciation of art homework to deal
with this component of the syllabus. During the evaluation, formative notes
were observed on students’ work which gave direction and feedback to the
individual student. Such an approach is good practice and its use should be
extended.
Records are kept of student attendance at class and
records of assessment are also kept on each student. Comments on student
behaviour and effort are also held. It is recommended that this good practice
be built upon by holding more regular assessments for students. These
assessments should be based on the principles of assessment for learning,
an approach which encourages the student to be involved in the assessment
process and emphasises the student’s role in improving her work. Further
information on assessment for learning can be obtained at www.ncca.ie.
Students in the latter part of senior cycle would benefit from using the
criteria and marking schemes set out by the State Examinations Commission to
assess both their own work and that of their peers.
Summary of
main findings and recommendations
The following are the main strengths identified in the
evaluation:
·
Whole-school support for the subject is excellent and can be observed in
the two new art rooms recently provided to the department.
·
Teachers are dedicated and keen to ensure that students have a positive
experience of the subject.
·
There is a
whole-school awareness of the value of the subject and its unique contribution
to the life of the school.
·
A subject
department structure is in evidence and subject department planning is
underway.
·
A wide array
of extra-curricular and co-curricular activities is offered to students to
support and gain from the work conducted in the classroom including an Art Club
which is offered to first years at lunchtime.
·
Individual lesson plans are interesting and creative.
·
Student behaviour is exemplary and students are found to be interested,
confident and engaged in their work.
·
The pace, level
of challenge and classroom management observed was appropriate in all cases.
As a means of building on these strengths and to
address areas for development, the following key recommendations are made:
·
It is recommended that members of the art department join the relevant
subject teachers’ association.
·
It is recommended that teachers have an even spread of junior and senior
cycle class groups each year.
·
It is
recommended that art history and appreciation is introduced to students from
first year so that they can become familiar and confident with the area.
·
It is recommended that a list of skills and outcomes to be addressed for
each year group and programme be included in the art department plan, which
would be used to form the basis of criteria for assessment.
·
It is recommended
that the level of skill and quality of outcome be emphasised in each
discipline, so that students are encouraged to achieve the best finish
possible.
·
The practice of
working from primary sources should be developed and encouraged at all levels.
·
It is
recommended that the regularity of assessment be increased and that the
approaches used to include students in the assessment of their own work be
varied.
Post-evaluation meetings were held with the teachers
of Art and with the principal at the conclusion of the evaluation when the
draft findings and recommendations of the evaluation were presented and
discussed.