Visual Presentation
We are always expecting children to present - but are we truly enabling them to succeed?
When Year 6 Exhibition time was upon us, we found that the finished displays did not adequately reflect the process and all the work that had gone before. As teachers, we were expecting the students to display their work to a certain standard and were frustrated when the results didn’t really meet our aspirations. We had missed out a crucial element from our teaching and were unfairly expecting the students to ‘create’ a visually impressive display through ‘osmosis’. We were expecting the children to visually communicate the process of their inquiry through their display but they actually weren’t equipped with the necessary skills to be able to accomplish this effectively.
Of course, we needed to explicitly teach the children the skills. A simple solution but one that we had overlooked. We had been full of good intention but it was always something that we never actually got round to doing in the busy schedule of our working day.
So, In term 2 we committed to delivering a series of short snappy workshops to teach and practice these skills. We taught skills in mounting work, using borders, how to use colour to maximum effect, the rule of three, effective use of space, choice of fonts for various purposes, creating visual impact, the power of the visual image etc . These practical workshops were delivered was just prior to a ‘mini science exhibition’ so that it was authentic and had relevance and purpose.
The children really did need a lot of scaffolding in these sessions. and it really made us realise how we had made assumptions of the level of their skills in this area in the past.
When Year 6 Exhibition time was upon us, we found that the finished displays did not adequately reflect the process and all the work that had gone before. As teachers, we were expecting the students to display their work to a certain standard and were frustrated when the results didn’t really meet our aspirations. We had missed out a crucial element from our teaching and were unfairly expecting the students to ‘create’ a visually impressive display through ‘osmosis’. We were expecting the children to visually communicate the process of their inquiry through their display but they actually weren’t equipped with the necessary skills to be able to accomplish this effectively.
Of course, we needed to explicitly teach the children the skills. A simple solution but one that we had overlooked. We had been full of good intention but it was always something that we never actually got round to doing in the busy schedule of our working day.
So, In term 2 we committed to delivering a series of short snappy workshops to teach and practice these skills. We taught skills in mounting work, using borders, how to use colour to maximum effect, the rule of three, effective use of space, choice of fonts for various purposes, creating visual impact, the power of the visual image etc . These practical workshops were delivered was just prior to a ‘mini science exhibition’ so that it was authentic and had relevance and purpose.
The children really did need a lot of scaffolding in these sessions. and it really made us realise how we had made assumptions of the level of their skills in this area in the past.
Science Fair - term 2
The students presented their science inquiry to parents and students . They were able to put the skills they had learned into practise in an authentic way, as a lead up to the Year 6 exhibition in Term 3
Year 6 Exhibition - term 3
When it came round to the preparation for Exhibition the children in general were much more confident and had a clear idea in their mind as to how they were going to plan out and prepare their exhibition display. They had a clear understanding of what they wanted to achieve and how they were going to achieve it.
On reflection, what I would do next year is to schedule a quick reminder session ahead of time, immediately prior to the exhibition just to 'tune them in' again. (I managed to remind them of the skills they had learned in just in time this year amidst the excitement and flurry of 'getting everything ready.'... a bit more 'ad hoc' that I would have liked)
Nevertheless, they did manage really well and would say that most of the groups were really pleased with their achievements and their displays did reflect their learning process and acted not only as a visual resource for our viewers but also as a visual 'prompt and reminder' for the student presenters.
On reflection, what I would do next year is to schedule a quick reminder session ahead of time, immediately prior to the exhibition just to 'tune them in' again. (I managed to remind them of the skills they had learned in just in time this year amidst the excitement and flurry of 'getting everything ready.'... a bit more 'ad hoc' that I would have liked)
Nevertheless, they did manage really well and would say that most of the groups were really pleased with their achievements and their displays did reflect their learning process and acted not only as a visual resource for our viewers but also as a visual 'prompt and reminder' for the student presenters.
What impact has this had?
We were able to measure the impact best during the actual exhibition. We found that during the preparation time for this years' exhibition the children were generally more able to plan and visualise how they wanted their display boards to look. They took the ‘viewer’ into consideration more, they paid closer attention to colour choice, use of space, and had more developed and confident skills in presenting and displaying their work to maximum effect.
Parents , visitors and other members of staff commented on the quality of their displays and the pride that the children took in presenting their work.
Mentors also noticed a positive difference in previous years . They commented on the improved level of vision, planning and preparation for the presentation side of their exhibition.
More importantly, the children seemed to have a real sense of pride in their results in contrast to previous years when there seemed a level of frustration when the children weren’t able to produce what they had envisaged.
Parents , visitors and other members of staff commented on the quality of their displays and the pride that the children took in presenting their work.
Mentors also noticed a positive difference in previous years . They commented on the improved level of vision, planning and preparation for the presentation side of their exhibition.
More importantly, the children seemed to have a real sense of pride in their results in contrast to previous years when there seemed a level of frustration when the children weren’t able to produce what they had envisaged.
What next?The skills in presenting work will be come an integral part of our visual arts scope and sequence . There will be a component in all year levels.
If we want our children to be successful in this area we must devote quality time to it . Having seen the positive impact it has had on the children we will definitely implement this as part of our visual arts curriculum. |