Case Study & Targeted Teaching Plan

Becoming a Clinical Practitioner, Semester 3 - May 2021 

Class: Year 9 Visual Art
Construct: Critical analysis of an artwork
Domain: Arts, Visual Arts, Levels 9 & 10
Strands: 

  • Explore and Express Ideas: Explore how artists manipulate materials, techniques, technologies and processes to develop and express their intentions in art works (VCAVAE041)

  • Respond and Interpret: Analyse and interpret artworks to explore the different forms of expression, intentions and viewpoints of artists and how they are viewed by audiences (VCAVAR045)

LEVEL DESCRIPTION

Level 5

Students at this level are devoted to learning and independently transform their extensive knowledge and understanding of the artwork into a personal response. Students are able to evaluate relationships between the aesthetic and functional qualities and how they contribute to the viewers understanding, while hypothesising and substantiating the symbolic or metaphorical meaning using relevant evidence from the artwork and correct use of visual arts language and terminology. Students assume different roles and responsibilities to accomplish tasks and help other students accomplish the task.

Level 4

Students at this level independently display a comprehensive understanding of the artwork by discussing the relationship between aesthetic or functional qualities, and justifies the symbolic or metaphorical meaning using evidence and correct use of visual arts language and terminology. Students are open to feedback and take on a variety of roles to accomplish the task.

Level 3

Students at this level need little to no guidance to demonstrate an emerging understanding of the artwork through considerable description. Students are able draw upon evidence to present their personal judgement through visual arts language and terminology. Students work cooperatively to accomplish tasks.

Level 2

Students at this level need guidance to identify and recognise key elements of the artwork, including both subject matter and aesthetic or functional qualities. Students can identify the literal meaning of the artwork with occasional use of visual arts language and terminology. Students are able to partially complete tasks independently.

Level 1

Students at this level need considerable guidance and prompting to stay on task and identify features and/or objects in the artwork, and express their personal liking using emerging visual arts language and terminology. Students prefer working alone and sticking to their own plan.

TEACHING STRATEGIES AND SUITABILITY

In order for students to understand and complete the task of critically analysing an artwork, the teacher can demonstrate the steps involved through worked examples. This involves the teacher presenting an artwork in front of the class and explaining the procedure needed in order to critically analyse it, therefore demonstrating success and the goal for student learning. Decades of research has demonstrated that studying worked examples improve students’ ability to problem solve in contexts similar to those presented (Trafton & Reiser, 1993), as well as more difficult contexts (Catrambone, 1996). By scaffolding student knowledge and skill acquisition, students reduce their cognitive load as they focus on the process of getting to an answer, rather than the answer itself (DET, 2017). Students can then draw upon this by following the steps demonstrated when independently analysing an artwork. Worked examples, however, need to be used in conjunction with other strategies in order for students to fully understand the skill. Spaced and massed practice / multiple exposures to these worked examples, a strategy endorsed by leading education researchers John Hattie (2008) and Robert Marzano (2009), will also allow students to see the steps applied in a range of different contexts and artworks, therefore acquiring a better understanding of the skill. Research has shown that it takes three to four experiences involving relevant information for new knowledge to form in the working memory before moving to the long-term memory (Nuthall, 2000). Therefore, by frequencing the opportunities rather than spending more time on one develops deeper learning. Students with lower ZPDs who may need additional scaffolding would benefit from multiple exposures. By differentiating the content discussed and providing more opportunities for practice, the teacher can refine foundational steps with those who need it, while encouraging others to extend themselves deeper into the curriculum (DET, 2019). However, practice must be used in conjunction with feedback and correction, so that students do not internalise their mistakes through multiple exposures. To support the transition from guided competence to independent confidence, the teacher may gradually reduce their explanation in later worked examples, calling upon students to explain the steps and provide answers or interpretations. This allows students to develop their metacognitive skills, as they think about their own thinking and develop an awareness of their own learning. These strategies used in conjunction with each other will allow students to see and understand the skill needed to critically analyse an artwork, and be guided to gain the confidence to do so independently. 

DESCRIPTION OF LESSON AND POTENTIAL CHALLENGING BEHAVIOURS

The lesson will begin with the whole class together as the teacher presents a worked example of a critical artwork analysis. The teacher will work the class through the process of analysis, prompting the students to speak up at different stages. 

  • Arriving late: Lateness is a rude and disruptive behaviour as it distracts other students and disrupts the lesson. It is an expectation that students are responsible and manage their time, and not doing so affects their teachers and peers.

  • Disruptive talking: When the teacher is presenting a worked example and calling upon students for answers, students may feel obliged to call out things that are off topic.

  • Distracted: Students may not listen to the teacher’s worked example due to doing something else, such as drawing, looking at their phones or talking to the person next to them. Students will then miss the information being provided and be unsure of the next steps.

Students will be broken into table groups and each given a different artwork and a series of questions to help their discussion and remind them of the process. Students will then repeat the analysis process together as a group, drawing upon the worked example presented by the teacher. 

  • Clowning: By dividing the class into groups based on who they are sitting with, students are more likely to sit with their friends and therefore play around when the teacher is not attending to their group. 

  • Avoiding work: Group tasks do not allow the teacher to pay attention to everyone at the same time, so students may take advantage of this to avoid doing the task. 

  • Rowdiness: Similarly, when the teacher is not in control of everyone, students may become distracted by yelling, throwing things or harassing other classmates, therefore causing a distractive working environment for other students.

  • Electronic devices: If students are using laptops to look up the artwork given or take notes, some may access other websites that are off topic and either become distracted or purposefully avoid work.

  • Non-participation: Some students may not participate in group tasks and prefer to observe, due to shyness or anxiety. This means students are not practicing their own skills and knowledge.

At the end of the group task, a member of each group will present their artwork to the class with a short summary of their analytical discussion.

  • Disruptive talking: While students are presenting, their friends may call out to try to distract them or get them off topic.

UNIVERSAL STRATEGIES FOR BEHAVIOUR

Using a School Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) framework sees students as learners of behaviours, and that the role of the teacher is to explicitly teach appropriate behaviours and set behaviour expectations. SWPBS sees the development of a Behaviour Matrix, which outlines the expected behaviours in positive language which then becomes the curriculum. This matrix describes key values, such as respect and responsibility, and outlines what they look like at a whole school level, learning area level and individual level. This outline for explicit teaching of behaviours sees teachers discussing and practicing what good behaviour looks like as opposed to using negative language to focus on what students should not do. Additionally, teachers use positive reinforcements. Positive reinforcement is one of multiple types of operant conditioning according to B.F. Skinner (McLeod, 2018). Research has shown that punishment in the absense of positive rewards is ineffective (Amaro, 2016). Therefore, by rewarding positive behaviour to further encourage it, rather than disciplining negative behaviour, students are more likely to repeat it. Using these universal strategies in this given lesson would see the teacher explicitly teaching and demonstrating the expected behaviours at the beginning of the lesson, and again when students begin the group task, while not engaging with negative behaviours exhbited by students trying to access attention. When used effectively, these stratergies would allow for increased respect, improved socio-emotional wellbeing, positive relationships and a safer learning environment (PAL, 2021).

INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOURAL LEARNING PLAN

Student Name: Kasey

Strengths: Kasey is very artistic and enjoys art, and she always applies herself in practical tasks.

Potential Difficulties: Kasey is very shy and has trouble interacting with her peers.

Challenging Behaviour: Kasey withdraws and does not participate in group tasks, and instead draws in her notebook in order to avoid attention from her peers.

Alternate Behaviour

Kasey is trying to avoid attention from her peers due to her shyness or an underlying issue. An alternate behaviour that would allow Kasey to avoid attention from her peers would be to allow her to complete the task independently or in a smaller group with peers she feels more comfortable with. Differentiating the task in order to change behaviour has shown to eliminate possibilities for challenging behaviours (Zirab, 2015), as it allows for every student to have equal access to the curriculum without barriers (State Government of Victoria, 2021). In this situation, Kasey’s barrier to the curriculum is her shyness / inability to interact with others. Similarly to the model of disability (Oliver, 1983), this is only a barrier if the environment is not suitable to her. By changing the environment and situation presented, this barrier will be removed, therefore allowing Kasey to engage with the task and practice the relevant skills while still avoiding peer attention.

Behavioural Goal

A behavioural goal for Kasey would be to learn how to manage her social skills so that it no longer impacts her learning or social interactions at school. 

School / Classroom Strategy

An initial strategy to help Kasey would be using a Student Risk Screening Scale (SRSS; Drummond, 1994) to assess her internalising behaviours. Following this, Kasey may be referred to the school’s psychologist or counsellor. Kasey’s behaviour is not dominant in the classroom, and thus many students like her may fly under the radar. There may be an underlying function to her behaviour that can be assessed. The teacher and school counsellor can work together to develop and implement a behavioural, social, emotional and individual learning plan (SWBS, 2013), while providing Kasey with a safe and welcoming place to work through her problems.


Kasey would also benefit from a social skills intervention group that could be implemented in the school through the SWPBS framework. Due to her shyness or a possible underlying function such as anxiety or Autism Spectrum Disorder, Kasey may likely have inadequate social skills. Evidence shows that these intervention groups positively manage and support behaviour (Verdyn, Lord & Forrest, 1990). Social skills intervention groups help develop students non-verbal social skills (eg. eye contact) and verbal skills such as questioning, talking in groups and ending discussions (Jupp & Griffiths, 1990). While explicitly teaching these skills is a part of the universal tier for behaviour management, social skills intervention groups at a tier 2 level provide supplementary lessons that allow more opportunities for practice and provide specific positive feedback (MO SW PBS, 2018). If Kasey has already acquired these skills and is choosing not to utilise them, she may still benefit from the promotion of congruence between the use of behaviours and seeing herself as a user of those behaviours. 

EVIDENCE COLLECTION

In order to monitor Kasey’s progress in developing her social skills, a Daily Progress Report (DPR) will need to be filled out by the teacher. This DPR would be created by the teacher or counsellor running the social skills intervention group, and will list skills and related steps that are being learned and practiced. Not only does this allow the teacher to monitor Kasey’s social skills, but also serves as a reminder of the skills the teacher should prompt and reinforce (MO SW PBS, 2018). Kasey will then be provided with feedback both at the end of the lesson and during relevant times should they come up in order to maximise effect.

To interpret the data collected through the DPR, it will be shared with the counsellor and entered into a spreadsheet in order to be reviewed reguarly (i.e. weekly, fortnightly). Data can be converted into a graph. This graph will include Kasey’s level of performance in relation to the skills acquired and practiced, her desired level of performance (her behavioural goal), and a trend line to represent Kasey’s rate and level of progress. 

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Drummond, T. (1994). The Student Risk Screening Scale (SRSS). Grants Pass, OR: Josephine County Mental Health Program.

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State of Victoria Department of Education and Training (DET). (2019). High Impact Teaching Strategies in Action: Differentiated Teaching. https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/classrooms/Pages/approacheshitsdifferentiation.aspx

State of Victoria Department of Education and Training Policy and Advisory Library (PAL) (2021). School-Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) Framework. https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/behaviour-students/guidance/5-school-wide-positive-behaviour-support-swpbs-framework

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