About Art and Design -Three Dimensional Design


 Art and Design Curriculum Intent: Understanding Art and Design Curriculum DREAM 

Purpose: This document sets out how Art and Design approaches Curriculum Intent at Eaton Bank Academy. 

Design  How have you designed your curriculum to be broad, balanced and ambitious? 
Our KS3 curriculum is based on the aims and attainment targets of the Art and Design National Curriculum. From KS4 onwards examination specification steers curriculum design structure. At KS3 the design focus of the curriculum has two distinct threads, two-dimensional work and three-dimensional work. Each is delivered with a clear focus on design either as part of a creative process or design achieved through more rational and sequential processes.  

 

In Year 7 and Year 8 the distinct schemes of work require ‘flex’ to accommodate specific rooming requirements. The units include experiences with traditional skills in Art and Design. Students also experience ‘new media’ with programmes such as 2D design and how CAD is used for creative or design purposes.  A range of materials including wood, acrylic and metal are used as well as paint and graphic media. Complex processes such as metal casting provide additional enriching learning opportunities for the students.  

 

In Year 9 the units of work are longer and more complex in terms of step development to provide an effective transition to KS4. At KS4, and thereafter KS5, there are several routes for specialism that students can follow. The design of KS3 caters for these options as well as providing an enriching stand-alone educational experience for those students finishing their Art and Design education at KS3. 

Rationale  What is the rationale behind your curriculum design and ordering of content over time? 
The rationale behind our programme of study is to create an educational journey that builds sequentially from Yr7 to Yr13, with core skills introduced, embedded and developed over time. Increased skill and sophistication evidenced in the manipulation of media and techniques, as well as the development of an ability to work with greater independence and confidence underpins the rationale of this journey across each Key Stage.  

 

We provide technical and theoretical learning experiences in a very broad range of media. Each scheme of work has learning which is led by media and technique. At KS3 all students have access to a range of method, media and making in two-dimensional and three-dimensional work. This exposure to traditional and new media opportunities is seen as key to the design rationale and provides the foundation for later choices at either KS4 or KS5 when students can specialise across the discreet subject areas, Art, Craft and Design, Textiles Design, Three-Dimensional Design, Graphics or Photography.   

 

Appropriate historical references and the work of associated artists, makers or designers is used to support practical experience across the whole curriculum. Contextual studies are delivered by relevance not by chronology. Contextual studies are used as a key vehicle to develop evaluative skills. Standardised learning approaches such as ‘content, process, form and mood’ are used in every Key stage to embed good practice. Common practices and the process of revisiting ‘procedural learning’ across the whole curriculum is used to build the acquisition of knowledge, skills and understanding and develop self-confidence. 

Equality  How is your curriculum accessible and purposeful for all students, including SEND, Disadvantaged and Higher Ability Learners? 
The Art and Design Curriculum is delivered in mixed ability groups with the educational journey being viewed as a shared, single experience for all. Schemes of work are designed for learners of all abilities and are adaptable to ensure the provision of the same experience for students with any specific additional need. Differentiation is inbuilt to planning through scheme of work design. Expectations are set on an individual basis at every Key Stage and there are always options for extension activities for higher ability learners. 

 

Progress is rooted in an early recognition of each individual’s own ability range and an awareness that this can change over time. This is common from KS3 to KS5. Using such a philosophy promotes inclusivity and access to success for all. There is a constant push for the best outcomes possible from each student no matter their own inherent ability level or skill competency. This ethos of constructive criticism delivered verbally and in written feedback, is applied to all students of all ability levels. All students are encouraged to engage in group feedback and open debate in a mature and sensitive manner.  

 

Students are provided with additional lesson resources to support learning needs and Knowledge Organisers where applicable, are used to frame learning goals, key concepts and linked learning across progressive schemes of work. Knowledge Organisers and Lesson PowerPoints have clear support to strengthen language and literacy accuracy. Students are provided with work spaces at every Key Stage where they can work in their own time during, or after school. There are opportunities provided to support older students in additional after school and weekend booster sessions in exam season. 

Aims, Vision & Values  What is the aim of your curriculum and how does this support the aims and values of the school? 
Our aim, through a broad and flexible programme of engaging activities is to nurture an understanding and enjoyment of Art and Design. We want to instil in our students a confidence in their own creative impulses and empower them with a critical awareness of their own work within the context of world culture. We aim to balance the rigour of work and experimentation with the spiritual satisfaction of making new and unique imagery and artefacts. We want to promote a sense of passion, purpose and pleasure in the creative process and develop the students’ intellectual, emotional, aesthetic and spiritual values, informed by a continuum of learning experiences. This vision reflects the values of the school and the importance of supporting and nurturing individuals to become successful, independent and resilient lifelong learners.  

 

Through our KS3 curriculum we hope to provide the vital and engaging experiences that nurtures an underlying appreciation of creativity. We firmly believe that Creativity is the province of all people, which is why it is at the heart of our programme of study, it is also why we actively promote creativity from multicultural sources.  We believe that creativity flourishes in any democratic and free environment. We strive to champion those rights of freedom of thought and self-expression which are also integral to our own sense of Britishness and our own national value system. 

 

We want to prepare students well for entry to GCSE learning, with the examination demands that come into play.  In the longer term we want to provide Ks5 students with the technical and interpersonal skills to continue higher level study, with specialist courses across the traditional Art and Design spectrum and the more specialised applied Art or Design based pathways.  

Misconceptions  How do you address misconceptions in your subject to support students’ learning? 
Misconceptions are addressed by first clearly establishing the practical or theoretical objectives within each scheme of work. The path to achievement is then established by explicitly framing these possible shortfalls before each task has begun, as well as explicitly framing the ways to achieve success. Some misconceptions are identified at the planning stage, such as the explanation of schema in Year 8 and how this affects our ability to draw accurately. Other misconceptions are addressed as the result of how students interpret or react to the guidance given in any given lesson.  

 

Sometimes misconceptions are ‘accepted’ in the short term as part of the learning process, such as in the delivery of the Year 7 tube shading task where students are allowed to make mistakes. These are then addressed as part of a learning process.  A spirit of openness and transparency is essential with all feedback and assessment. Procuring progress without jeopardising engagement and risk taking is key to this learning process.  

 

Misconceptions are central to our teaching process, learning to adapt and respond positively in the face of setbacks is key to developing learners imbued with a spirit of bouncebackability. Fundamental misconceptions are revisited all the time in our creative enterprise. The misconception that achievement comes from ‘inherent skill’ and not the ability to learn as in other life skills is addressed regularly at Ks3 yet gradually diminishes through Ks4 and Ks5. 

 

Art and Design -Three Dimensional Design Curriculum Map


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