During the INSET afternoon on 7th May, I invited my colleagues in St. Margaret’s Academy to ‘Unlearn Art’. The invitation meant coming to the Art and Design department for the afternoon to spend what was to become real quality time, working together to produce artworks, with no preconceptions of what the outcomes were to be, not to worry about not being able to draw or paint and just simply enjoy being creative again, which for some meant not having lifted a paint brush since S2! What a wonderful afternoon. My creative colleagues were cross curricular, including staff from Science, Maths, English, French, TLC , and of course, Art and Continue reading Health and Well-being INSET 7th May, 2013 ‘Unlearn Art’
Monthly Archives: May 2014
HWB INSET 6th May, 2014
Following on from the success of last year’s HWB INSET, staff requested if I would provide a similar CPD opportunity this session. I gladly agreed, eager to share in the same experience as last year. Staff were provided with a canvas, of various sizes, water-colours and acrylic paints then left to their own devises, to freely paint whatever was in their mind, heart, imagination or from a source as the case may be. Continue reading HWB INSET 6th May, 2014
Critical Reflection and Review
Critical Reflection and Review
In session 2013-14 I have been involved in a series of critical reflection, reviews and evaluation. These have included a whole school HMI, an Authority Thematic review with the focus on Literacy and Numeracy, two staff INSET Health and Well-being sessions, Learning Rounds and the annual PRD consultation with PTC Faculty. On a daily basis I work in an open-plan environment so adopt an ‘open-door’ policy, or is that a no door policy? Continue reading Critical Reflection and Review
Colours and Contours
Colours and Contours with Jenny Muncaster at Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh
On 26th March, 2014 I attended a fantastic Specilaist Crafts workshop called, ‘Colours and Contours’, run by Jenny Muncaster and learned for the first time about layering acrylic paint, splashing water onto the surface to change and lift the colour to reveal the colour beneath. I was advised to begin with warm, light colours as a base, dry, then cover with a darker colour, manipulate in some way then wash the paint off. A speckled, mottled effect was created. Continue reading Colours and Contours
Leaps in Learning
In S2/3 pupils are encouraged to experiment with and manipulate paper and card, using simple shapes and repetition as well as paper construction techniques such as cutting, slotting, folding and bending in order to learn skills which could lead to other areas of design such as jewellery, textiles and fashion, product design (lamps, clocks, wall hangings)or more expressive pieces such as ornamental garden furniture or sculpture. These simple yet complex paper constructions in effect provide a pathway for future development and creative expression and are in no way prescriptive. They encourage individuality and ‘thinking outside the box’. Continue reading Leaps in Learning
