This activity was used with children in key stage 2, years 5 and 6.

Context

This project followed an international teacher placement to South Africa. The placement provided teachers with an opportunity to enrich their own learning, share experience of a culturally different teaching environment and rethink classroom possibilities for teaching and learning through creative subjects such as design and technology (D&T), art and design, and the performing arts.

Aims

• To appreciate artistic and cultural products of a different culture.
• To design an assignment using a range of materials.

Activity objectives

• To encourage critical analysis of artistic and cultural products.
• To create a design using work by South African artists or craftspeople as a stimulus.
• To create a three-dimensional mask and/or batik piece using brush batik. (This activity involved hot wax and so was closely supervised by the teacher.)

Activity description

The children were given a design-and-make assignment (DMA): to create a three-dimensional mask and/or batik piece based on South African design.

The teacher helped the children become familiar with South Africa through discussions and presentations of photographs, maps and video clips. To stimulate the children creatively, the teacher set up a display of South African artworks (including tribal masks, figures, instruments, woven mats, bracelets and necklaces, printed and batik textile pieces), as well as photographs and posters of these, and distributed research materials and samples of batik pieces.

The teacher discussed with the children how to plan their work, and they did a series of focused practical tasks (FPTs) before embarking on their DMAs.

The FPTs included:

• for the mask, building up features on their mask in a variety of ways (using card, Mod Roc, florist wire, paper and turned paper balls for the mask-making process);
• for the batik piece, producing small test pieces.

Evaluation of the children's work included pupils annotating their drawings and answering specific questions.

Commentary

The teacher encouraged positive attitudes towards different cultures by:

• giving the children precise details about South Africa rather than generalising;
• explaining photographs and providing details of products;
• using the term 'different' cultures rather than 'other' cultures;
• avoiding the terms 'low-tech' or 'high-tech' when describing particular techniques.

The teacher introduced all the artworks at one time and set up discussions to allow the children to discuss their feelings and opinions. The children were encouraged to be open and positive about their work and the work of others, including the artists’ work that had been used as a stimulus. The teacher led discussions away from anything negative or derogatory, addressing issues that were raised in a positive way.

Points to note

This was a three-week cross-curricular project that involved D&T and art and design. As this was a year 6 class containing four year 5 pupils, no follow-up was planned during the summer term. However, the theme of South Africa will remain part of the school’s D&T curriculum and become part of the scheme of work for year 6 pupils. It will also be linked to the 'localities and themes' section of the geography curriculum.

Resources

Materials needed: African batiks, African masks, pencils, A3 paper (for design work), Acrobatik, batik pot, wax, brushes, Brushodye, Mod Roc, card, florist wire, feathers, sequins, beads, turned paper balls.