CQUniversity Unit Profile.

It is essential to develop and apply an understanding of foundational arts knowledge and skills in the Arts discipline areas from the Australian Curriculum to become a confident teacher of the Arts in Early Childhood and/or Primary education. To support your understanding of the processes involved in each of the Arts disciplines, you must personally experience making and responding across the Arts and critically reflect on your learning about authentic arts education in the Australian Curriculum. Authentic experience with creative arts praxis will form an essential foundation as you move toward the development of an integrated digital teaching resource as a teacher of the Arts in Assessment Task 2.

ARTS PRAXIS – MAKING AND RESPONDING 50%

Your task involves developing your arts learning across three (3) of the five (5) Arts subjects (Visual Arts/Media Arts/Drama/Music/Dance) by selecting and implementing an Arts challenge from the list below. Rather than the Arts subjects being considered distinct, this task allows you to connect the set of experiences contextually and conceptually. Completing weekly Moodle learning activities across the arts areas (Moodle learning materials) is essential, as these are designed to inform, support, and directly feed into your assessment. The knowledgeable application of techniques, processes, and curriculum (ACARA, v9.0) should be evident in your response.

All elements of the task will be recorded in a Padlet blog (Stream). You are expected to engage with the online tutorials to help you design your blog space.

PART A – ARTS PRAXIS

Praxis is a term that evokes action and the idea that learning is achieved by 'doing' and is represented by the artworks created. The outcome is not pre-known but emerges within the process of making or 'doing' (Bernstein, 2011; Gauntlett, 2011; in Dinham, 2023. p. 32).

1. Select a theme from the list below to address in your practical responses to a selected challenge.

    Shadows     Patterns     Dreams     Fire     Animals     Lost     Fantasy     Fragile     Graffiti     Insects     Mirrors     Reflections     Change     People Places     Self     Difference     Joy     Machines     Flight     Celebration     Growth     Wind     Flowers    Daydreams    

2. Select ONLY ONE (1) task from the following options to inspire cross-disciplinary outcomes that thematically connect your creative responses across the three included Arts areas. 

1. Media Arts / Drama / Music – Write a 6-word story responding to your selected theme. Use your six words to inspire the creation of 2D sets/props/characters to tell the tale symbolically in an animated sequence. Compose and add an original atmospheric soundscape layered with a dramatic voice-over to heighten an audience's experience of the story.
2. Visual Arts / Drama / Dance – Identify a problem suggested by your selected theme and use this to create a pretext – an image, artwork, illustrated poem/letter, etc. Develop a character, filming yourself introducing the problem as ‘teacher in role’. Support your character portrayal by devising and performing an expressive movement sequence to heighten an audience's response to the character.
3. Media Arts / Drama / Music – Create a 10-image photo story responding to your selected theme. Script and rehearse a monologue and an original multi-layered sound composition to add tension/emotion to the images. Record these and create a video (slideshow or animation) to bring the images and sound together in a dramatic telling of the story.
4. Visual Arts / Music / Dance – Create a multi-layered graphic notation sequence inspired by your selected theme. Use this to compose an original layered rhythmic composition. Respond to the recorded sound by creating a dance map to plan a movement sequence, performing and recording this to express your theme.
5. Visual Arts / Media Arts / Dance – use recycled objects to create an original, imaginary 3D character inspired by your selected theme. Create a character profile and develop a short story and storyboard utilising a series of digital stills of the character’s journey through a changing environment.  Bring the story to life in a movement sequence that suggests a connection between the character and place.

3. MAKING

Create the work, building your skills and understanding through weekly tutorial interaction and unit materials. Use your blog to document your processes and learning through the planning and processual phases of creation. You must include evidence of your engagement with the practical learning experiences associated with the selected challenge (processual images, videos, screenshots, etc) and each of the Arts areas.

4. RESPONDING 

Critically reflect on your engagement with the challenge, identifying the skills and knowledge you have learned and/or applied. Identify the ongoing professional learning you would need to confidently implement a similar task with children in the classroom. (Use an acclaimed model/framework from those provided to reflect on your work, e.g. Schön/Kolb/Gibbs, acknowledging this in references).

PART B THE CLASSROOM

1. Select a focus year level, preferably one that you have experienced on a professional placement. Provide a brief outline (maximum 300 words) of how you would adapt the challenge for implementation in this classroom.
2. Include relevant curriculum information (band level, strands – making and/or responding, content descriptors, elaborations, knowledge and skills, opportunities for formative assessment), clearly outlining how your adaptation addresses these.

SUBMISSION

Each blog post should use clear communication, in-text referencing, and a reference list for sourced material.

Length: Blog posts – Approx. 1500 words + visual outcomes of praxis and curriculum mapping.

Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence agents (Gen AI)
Within this assessment, the use of Microsoft Copilot, Chat GPT or other Gen AI agents is as follows: 
•  Gen AI content can be used to generate ideas and edit content, but must be acknowledged.

• Completion of the Arts Challenge (including reflections on learning and teaching)
• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of the value of the arts in education, drawing on relevant readings that are appropriately referenced
• Reflections on learning and teaching with specific reference to the curriculum (ACARA and EYLF where applicable)
• Creation, selection, and reflection on artworks including your own and others, with appropriate analysis
• Demonstrated application of appropriate Arts elements in the creation and presentation of the blog
• Concise and coherent communication and presentation of ideas and outcomes of challenges

This task involves applying, reflecting on, and evaluating your arts learning across both the Visual (Visual Arts/ Media Arts) and Performing Arts (Dance/Drama/Music) through planning a sequence of authentic, integrated arts experiences for a specific year level. A culminating consideration of your learning and development as a teacher of the arts will be presented.

INTEGRATED ARTS ACTIVITY SEQUENCE 50%

PART A – DIGITAL TEACHING RESOURCE (2000 words + images/resources/curriculum information)

Apply your learning from AT1 by selecting a unique context/theme as a starting point for integrated Arts learning. The context should be drawn from prior professional practice in a school (where possible) and related to learning in a curriculum learning area other than The Arts. Refer to previous placements to select a context for teaching and learning. If no placement has yet been undertaken, refer to the FAQs for advice.

You are to:

1. Select a focus year level, preferably one that you have experienced on professional placement.
2. Create an integrated activity sequence, presenting this as a digital resource for teachers. The sequence must communicate how it can be integrated into an actual unit of study in a learning area outside of the Arts (preferably encountered in professional practice). Include:

• a brief overview of the selected unit (approx. 200 words);
• three (3) Arts activities that enhance learning in the other learning area/s (approx. 600 words each + curriculum);
• a mix of both visual and performing arts;
• links to a specific band of the Arts Curriculum;
• links to other curriculum learning areas
• relevant resources for teaching and learning.

PART B – REFLECTIVE ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION (1000 words)

Complete a written reflection and evaluation of your planning and learning, as well as a justification of the resource as authentic arts learning.

Ensure that you:

• justify the activities as authentic arts learning;
• evaluate the effectiveness of the selected arts teaching strategies used in the activity sequence;
• reflect on your arts learning as a result of the planning and implementation aspects of this task;
• identify the professional understandings you have developed throughout this Arts unit, referring to appropriate literature – how does this resource demonstrate your knowledge and future aspirations for be(com)ing a successful teacher of authentic arts learning? What do you still need to learn? How can you continue to develop your knowledge and skills to be(come) an effective teacher of the Arts?

* CRITICAL REFLECTION – Use an acclaimed model/framework for critical reflection on your work (e.g. Schön; Kolb; Gibbs), acknowledging this in references.

SUBMISSION

Submit PART A and PART B as separate PORTFOLIO items. These may be submitted as:

• PDF/WORD Docs or
• within Padlet or another negotiated online platform. Online files must be made public to ensure marker accessibility.
• Refer to the instructions provided on Moodle and in tutorials.

Word count
Approx. 3000 words

Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence agents (Gen AI)
Within this assessment, the use of Microsoft Copilot, Chat GPT or other Gen AI agents is as follows: 
•  Gen AI content can be used to generate ideas and edit content but must be acknowledged.

• Application of learning to the planning of arts teaching and learning
• Structure and development of integrated arts learning experiences with appropriate selection of content and strategies for targeted audience
• Demonstrated Arts knowledge to engage learners and communicate meaningfully
• Creation and presentation of supporting documentation that clearly links to appropriate arts and other curriculum areas with relevant learning
• Demonstrated evaluation and reflection skills through written communications
• Acknowledged reference to appropriate readings