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Reflective Portfolio - 18482198

Moore (2015) describes the arts as having an overall positive aspect on learning in multiple cross disciplinary forms from social and personal development to literacy and numeracy benefits. Media arts is the specific subject, chosen as one of my methods of teaching within the arts domain of the curriculum. A passion for this subject has been built from the wide range of beneficial aspects that contribute to student learning and growth as individuals and twenty-first century learners. This reflective portfolio will discuss the beneficial aspects that make up the contents of the media arts subject within the Victorian curriculum. These aspects will consist of the philosophy and pedagogy of the subject, the assessment and curriculum aspects and a critical discussion on my own personal development of pedagogy through this method subject. This portfolio aims to detail the reason I chose to become a media arts teacher and the components that underpin the subject.

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The arts have gained a greater meaning and responsibility in the curriculum over time and is being understood as a beneficial subject to each individual learner that undertakes any of the various subjects within the arts domain. The modules for this subject gave an insightful history and background on the philosophy and pedagogy of the arts and specifically media arts. Elliot W. Eisner for example, discusses the hierarchy of educational studies and how previously in history, the arts as a subject was at the bottom of the chain and no one cared too much about the status of the arts in schools (Vanderbilt University, 2009). Essentially, the arts were not “considered necessary in education” (Vanderbilt University, 2009).  Noticeably now, this has turned around and the education system encourages and enforces the arts to be completed and taken seriously within the curriculum. The arts have evolved over time due to the positive influence they have over student learning and character. “The structure of education is shifting beneath our feet" (Robinson, 2006). For the arts, this shift in structure will continue to have a positive effect on the growing importance and recognition of the arts’ subjects. Robinson speaks up on the necessity to have the arts recognised for its valuable teaching and learning content when he states, "Creativity in education is important as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status" (Robinson, 2006).

 Moving along to discuss media arts specifically, the subject addresses content that students can use as sustainable learning and knowledge which they can take with them into the world after their educational journey has concluded. This knowledge is provided from the practical technology aspects and the theory components for the subject. For example, when completing the previous two assignments and having to determine the VCE key knowledge and skills that would arise from completing the tasks, it was evident that this knowledge and skills can be used for cross curricula and sustainable life purposes. To be specific, the following key skill “Operate technical equipment, use applications and apply media processes to develop skills” (VCAA, 2013. P.22), is a beneficial skill for students to learn as it can be applied to their everyday demanding life habits in the twenty-first century of using technology. The skill that students would obtain from this learning in media specifically could also be used within another subject, say a humanities subject when using computers to learn content. The stance that one can have on these cross curricula learning techniques is that it is beneficial to incorporate and promote to students, that learning new ways to use different technology can be a sustainable skill to have in the future. Another cross-curriculum aspect that media arts is using and depending on, is a huge variety of the English subject’s modes and techniques. This can be seen through all three modes of the English subject: “reading and viewing, writing and speaking and listening”. Beneficially for students, using these modes and techniques throughout the learning activities completed in the media arts means they can refine and practice these skills without even being aware that they are doing so.

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Assessment within the curriculum is the ongoing process that measures learning and provides insightful data on how to enhance and develop on student progression. Assessment is a resourceful process to use so “learning can be monitored and improved" (Brady and Kennedy, 2012. P.). Within the media arts subject the learning outcomes for VCE interlink with one another and create a flow between the first outcome/assessment to the last outcome/assessment in the unit. This continuum between assessments is an excellent way to teach, learn and assess the curriculum content and knowledge progression within a unit. Speaking from experience, when undertaking a placement within an English class, students were confused when the assessment they had done previously did not link or draw a connection to the new assessment they were beginning, that was in the same unit. This therefore arose confusion in the students and diminished the purpose of that assessment. Although this could have been the teachers neglect to inform the students on a connection or whether it was poor planning, the following quote relates to this scenario and where the teacher could have made a mistake: “your approach to assessment practices can have a significant effect on how your students choose to participate in your lessons” (Webster and Ryan, 2014. P.191). This quote is specific and details a mistake that can occur when attention to planning and detail of lessons and the curriculum content one incorporates in to these lessons is not carefully considered. The VCE study design for media arts therefore was easy to follow and was appreciated when I was reading it for understanding, due to the meaningful connections it creates with the content. "In the arts ends may follow means" (Eisner, 2002. P.). This quote reflects the positivity of the structure of units within media arts and how the flowing nature of the structure does not have an end as such, it just has the purpose to aid progression of learning. This type of structuring to a unit ensures that there is purpose to each assessment individually and together.

 Within the intensives of this subject we worked closely with the study design for VCE and specifically on certain outcomes. Picking apart this study design and reading it for understanding gave an insight to the type of various assessments that can and need to be completed to satisfactorily pass a unit. These assessments include but were not limited to written responses, photography and video products and many more different styles to use as an assessing tool. The variation in different styles of assessment and learning content is another dominating reason for being passionate about the media arts subject and its criteria. Students are obviously all very different individuals with different learning styles, some students learn visually, others aurally and some even physically or verbally. Due to this differentiation, media arts as a subject caters for inclusion for the different learners as the practical component of media allows room for creativity and different ways of completing tasks. The practical tasks that can be completed include editing, photography, videoing footage and much more, which are all very different and can be used to create different materials and products. This allows the opportunity for different students to cater for their specific needs and explore ideas that develop form their creative minds. This catering reiterates the idea that media arts from the arts domain of the curriculum “is an influential subject with limitless benefits to students and their learning” (Rosen, 2014).

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"Form and content matter… in such cases are inseparable" (Eisner, 2002). This quote was too important not to contribute into my portfolio. From interpretation, this quote suggests that the way we teach and what we teach both give meaning to each other. This quote represents the idea that without quality teaching the information being taught may not be conveyed with meaning and detail. This also applies in opposition, that without meaning and detail in the content, quality teaching is almost unnecessary if students will not learn valuable knowledge and skills from lessons. Although I am yet to have taught media on my placements, I do support this idea and inspire to hold this as a value whenever I am in the position of teaching students content. Burnard insightfully suggests that “there is no right or wrong outcome or even one answer” (Burnard, 2011. P.63), which he then discusses is important to consider when teaching to ensure that we are informing students of this concept and furthermore supporting their creative thinking. This quote is important to reflect on to reassure that in a subject so creatively driven through the practical requirements, students should not be allowed to get caught up on being perfect and finding a definite response. Instead, students should be encouraged to try their best to use their creative and critical thinking to determine an answer, solution or product idea within their learning capabilities. The teaching philosophy that one has, can shape their identity as a teacher and how they practice. This is what inspires me to be a teacher that can confidently determine between meaningful and useful information to use in my lessons, with quality teaching strategies to create successful and rich learning environments.

 My pedagogical stance on media arts as a subject has only been documented briefly throughout the entire portfolio due to my lack of placement opportunities and not having taught it within a school as a practicing teacher on placement. Although, through my portfolio I have attempted to incorporate the beliefs that I have over the philosophy and pedagogy that is involved with the subject, to demonstrate the beliefs that I will take with me into my future placements when teaching media arts. Through the philosophy and pedagogy, assessment and curriculum this portfolio has attempted to detail the important aspects of the media arts subject that I have gained knowledge of, through undertaking this specific secondary method subject. This subject has provided me with modules, readings and interactive learning that has given me confidence, knowledge and understanding of the media arts subject that I will be able to use on placement and in the future as a teacher.

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References:

Brady, L., Kennedy, K. (2012). Assessment and Reporting Celebrating Student Achievement, (4th Ed). Melbourne, Victoria. Pearson Australia group Pty Ltd.

Burnard, P. Creativity, Pedagogic Partnerships, and the Improvisatory Space of Teaching. In Sawyer, R. K. (ED.) (2011). Structure and Improvisation in Creative Teaching. (Pp. 51-72). Cambridge. Cambridge University Press.

Eisner, E. W. (2002). What Can Education Learn from the Arts About the Practice of Education?. The Encyclopaedia of Informal Education. Retrieved from: http://www.infed.org/biblio/eisner_arts_and_the_practice_of_education.htm

Moore, T. (2015). Research into the Arts What the Studies Show. MTeach Arts Method.

Robinson, K. (2006). Do Schools Kill Creativity. TED. Retrieved from: https://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity

Rosen, M. (2014). How we teach the arts is as important as the fact we're doing it. The Guardian. Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/zurich-school-competition/teach-arts-michael-rosen-education-worthwhile-students#%5C

Vanderbilt University, (producer). (2009, November 4). Prof. Elliot W. Eisner: "What Do the Arts Teach?" [Video Podcast]. Retrieved from:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h12MGuhQH9E&feature=youtu.be

Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority, (VCAA). (2013). Media: Victorian Certificate of Education Study Design. Retrieved from: http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Documents/vce/media/media-sd-2012.pdf

Webster, S., Ryan, A. (2014). Understanding Curriculum, The Australian Context. Cambridge University Press.