Play/Make/Test/Show

My response to Tate Summer School 2016

After the Tate Summer School, my planning for next term has become geared around this set of words ; perhaps in a way to remake an environment where I really enjoyed the group activities that encouraged play, making and pooling /sharing ideas. Play/Make/Test/Show is my response to this and I’ll chart it through the progress of the 2016/17 academic year.

Each word is deceptively simple, each word fronts a very rich process of learning about materials, ideas and processes. It allows physical and intellectual skills to develop within our time constraints and allows a place for digital technology as well as other more simple materials.

 

 

At Tate, there was a large white board with references on that was topped up each day. Most of us took photos of the board so that we could do our research on phones later.

Student choice

Student choice at the forefront, along with open simple activities with simple materials that encourage resourcefulness. Nothing really new, but I am energised by the week’s activities and enjoyed meeting new people who are generous practitioners. I’m returning to ways of working that suit me as an artist as well as a teacher.

 

Change roles.

At Tate there were lots of people to help; technicians, observers, Tate curators and the learning team. Everyone was encouraged to record and upload onto Twitter for group sharing. In my classroom, there is usually only me. I’m thinking that perhaps there may be something in giving roles to students and asking them to be artists/ observer /recorders or if they have the skills, technicians. Recording, centrally gathered on Art Dept equipment so that students can then select and download their own recorded images of the sessions.

Keep Principles.

click there for an experimental group drawing on film by Bill Leslie.