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Summaries of the A level specifications available in the subject
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Guidance on effective practice in A level Art and Design
The introduction of Curriculum 2000 (C2K) gave schools and colleges the opportunity to reconsider their choice of specification and rethink the aims, organisation and character of the art and design they offer. The advice which follows draws on the experience of schools and colleges to provide some general points of guidance about managing and implementing effective teaching and learning within art and design. These are illustrated by some case studies of good practice on this website.
Planning and managing the course
Forward planning and careful management are essential to the development of good practice in the teaching and learning of art and design. In particular, the art and design department should:
- share a vision about the purpose of teaching art and design and its contribution to the aims of the school as a whole, ensuring that this vision is shared throughout the school and made apparent through, for example, exhibitions, open evenings, parental involvement
- consider the full range of AS/A2 art and design specifications offered by the awarding bodies. Selection should suit the vision and ethos of the department, as well as resources available, and provide challenge and motivation for students. It should include a consideration of the history of art and critical and contextual studies options
- take ownership and turn the specification into a curriculum, using the specification aims, informed by the departmental aims, as the starting point for designing a long term course plan (one or two year), medium term plans/schemes of work for units or topics and shorter term lesson plans
- ensure that the art and design curriculum makes best use of the capabilities and interests of staff and students, the location and facilities of the school/college and the opportunities for visits and community links
- support students in the transition from GCSE to AS and from AS to A2. In some schools/colleges, the AS course begins with a foundation unit to develop new skills and consider alternative ways of thinking and working. At A2 some schools and colleges offer an introduction to the A2 programme in June, after the AS controlled test has been completed to help to ensure coherence and continuity and to inject a freshness of approach, or new stimuli, to retain or rejuvenate students’ motivation
- offer information and guidance to students about the nature of the course, assessment deadlines, and specific help or resources. This should include a scheme of work covering the types of activities involved in the course; a course year plan to highlight the dates, timescales and deadlines of coursework projects; and the controlled test to assist in the overall planning of students’ time
- generate a supportive learning environment for students, in particular addressing their diverse needs and different learning styles. Formative assessment and regular progress reviews can play an important part in this process. Project briefs can be developed that demonstrate links with the assessment objectives and include progressive stages or short-term targets; they can also provide opportunities for independent exploration and development to encourage students to take ownership of their own learning programme
- create adequate support structures to manage all stages of assessment, including the final exam, allowing for planning time and the necessary space
- provide focused enrichment opportunities that extend or develop particular aspects of the course content or skills, or build on students’ personal experiences and enjoyment of art and design (for example visiting speakers and artists-in-residence, involvement in local projects and galleries, links with local foundation courses and university departments)
- ensure that information and guidance are available about further educational and career opportunities and about progression into these spheres
- present opportunities for the professional development of art and design staff – including updating and refreshment in the subject itself, exchanges with other schools and colleges and training or development in management and pedagogical matters.
Teaching the course
Effective teaching and learning are most likely to take place when teachers feel confident about the purpose and character of art and design teaching in school. Each teacher should develop a certain amount of flexibility and professional freedom, but some common principles are that teachers should:
- work towards a shared awareness of the various methodologies and styles of teaching and learning to be developed. The AS/A2 level specifications, regardless of endorsement, are all underpinned by a common framework and focus on the development and assessment of the students’ knowledge, understanding and skills although the nature of the units will vary between and within specifications. Each teacher, or department, will need to identify these and to select and develop their own approach
- provide early opportunities for exploration and experimentation with different media and materials to extend the students’ range of options and to combat the fear of taking risks and making mistakes. At the start of the AS course, a structured teaching programme with a diagnostic element can be considered to ensure that students have sufficient knowledge and understanding to demonstrate a response to the full range of assessment objectives
- ensure that their students are offered a range of opportunities across the learning continuum, from teacher-directed to more open-ended student-directed work. There should be opportunities for independent learning to be gradually introduced as the students’ confidence in their research and practical skills increase and they become more equipped to follow their own lines of enquiry in greater depth and to undertake more self-directed study
- create opportunities for students to extend and develop their ICT skills appropriately to their specific art and design needs and encourage considered use of the extensive range of resources on the worldwide web
- give clear guidance to students on research methods – for example, how to select and analyse relevant examples of the work of others, or of the interrelationship of art, craft and design
- promote teaching and learning activities which help students to develop skills and critical thinking – for example, by focusing on thinking skills, on critical evaluation of sources and by reflecting on their own and others’ work
- plan visits or out-of-school activities as an essential and integral component of the art and design curriculum. Such activities enrich students’ learning and add insights from real-world experience
- offer open access to studios, whenever possible, to help to create an environment that encourages independent learning
- develop the students’ ability to select and organise their units of work to help ensure that assessment is manageable and their workload is realistic.
Developing staff
- The art and design department should present opportunities for the professional development of art and design staff – including updating and refreshment in the subject itself, exchanges with other schools and colleges and training or development in management and pedagogical matters.
- Attending awarding body standardisation meetings will provide teachers with:
- advice on how to apply the appropriate standard when assessing students’ work
- insights into placing the quality of the work produced at their centres within the larger context of national achievement
- an opportunity to network with colleagues from other establishments.
Regular attendance at standardisation meetings is essential for all members of the department as part of their continuing professional development.
See also
> Case studies
> A level performance descriptions: art and design
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Page updated: Tuesday, August 10, 2004