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 ART EDUCATION AUSTRALIA |
NATIONAL EDUCATION NEWSOn September 28 the Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs (MCEECDYA) outlined the purpose, roles, activities, governance arrangements and budget for a new national education body whose activities will be framed around standards and professional learning. The new body is to be called the Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership.
Teaching Australia Network Forum 2009
CAMPAIGN TO INCLUDE THE ARTS IN THE NEW NATIONAL CURRICULUMLearning in a Visual Age: The critical importance of Visual Arts Education.www.arteducators.org/olc/pub/NAEA/learning/learning_page_5.html - published by the US professional association of art educators, NAEA. Images from InSEA 32 World CongressMarian Strong recently returned from the InSEA 32 World Congress, Osaka, Japan, held in August 2008. View some of the photos she took while at the congress. A way forward for National Curriculum?AEA is an active member of the National Education Forum (NEF). Through this membership AEA participates in debates, issues and developments at the national level on behalf of AEA members. A National Curriculum Professional teacher association representatives reviewed version one of the paper at our mid-year meeting. Read the final revised version here. The group has agreed to continue in 2008 in order to continue influencing debate on this topic. The NEF Executive commend the paper to you, and members of your association to use as a foundational document to guide your discussions about national Curriculum especially in the light of the new Federal Governments proposed Education Revolution and the statements made already about National Curriculum. We would urge you to distribute this electronic version to your State/Territory colleagues, and to the grass-roots of the profession to inform this important debate that is about to re-emerge.
Saturday, August 11, 2007Letter the editorAs representatives of art educators in Australia, we are horrified at the ‘back to basics’ plan for schools proposed by the Australian Primary Principals Association (The Age, Thursday August 2nd, pg 1) Whilst we acknowledge the primary curriculum needs to be ‘uncluttered’, and the proposed core areas of English, Maths, History and Science are important, some key questions must be asked. Is this an ideal model for education for the 21st century? It would appear that we are trying to travel back in time, rather than provide a curriculum that is forward looking. What sort of students are we trying to develop? The creative and dynamic curriculum offered in Visual Art and Music prepares young people for the 21st century. Speaking at a business lunch last week, ANZ bank’s Chief Economist Saul Eslake said employers should look to the arts rather than other fields, for potential employees who have ‘the skills and attributes required for contemporary business’. He said that businesses that wanted their managers to be critical thinkers, innovative, challenge conventional wisdom and have the capacity to look at familiar themes from new angles, should look to role models from the arts.’ (The Herald Sun, Tuesday July 31st 2007, pg 28) If, as Mr Eslake states, creative people give businesses the edge, then why are the primary principals ignoring this key area of the curriculum? Creativity is one of the major focus areas of discourse at present and we must not ignore the very subjects that embrace creativity as a foundation principle. Schools must embrace the notion of creativity, and the primary principals must also. The most effective way of doing this is to ensure that every school, both primary and secondary provides a means for all students to study both art and music. Tania Tickyj and Marian Strong Art Education Australia is the nation's lead art education professional development body. Art Education Australia Media ReleaseFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Lead art education body slams proposed ‘back to basics’ plan for schoolsAustralia’s lead art education professional association, Art Education Australia, today slammed the ‘back to basics plan for schools’ as myopic and backwards. The plan, published in the Age on Thursday August 2nd and drafted by the Australian Primary Principals Association, proposed a new charter for key curriculum areas, with the focus on core areas such as English, Math, History and Science, leaving the other ‘non-core’ curriculum areas to the discretion of individual schools. Art Education Australia President Tania Tickyj, said “whilst we acknowledge the primary curriculum needs to be ‘uncluttered’, and the proposed core areas are important, it would appear that we are trying to travel back in time, rather than provide a curriculum that is forward looking”. “The so called ‘non-core’ curriculum areas such as the creative arts are essential, not only to a student’s individual development but to society as a whole”. Ms Tickyj, the Curriculum Director of Mentone Girls Secondary College referred to a speech given at a business lunch last week by the ANZ bank’s Chief economist Saul Eslake who said employers should look to the arts rather than other fields, for potential employees who have ‘the skills and attributes required for contemporary businesses’. “Mr Eslake told the lunch that businesses that wanted their managers to be critical thinkers, innovative, challenge conventional wisdom and have the capacity to look at familiar themes from new angles should look to role models from the arts.” “Schools must embrace the notion of creativity, the primary principals must also. The most effective way of doing this is to ensure that every school, primary and secondary provides a means for all students to study both art and music. “The creative and dynamic curriculum offered in Visual art and Music prepares young people for the 21st century. If as Mr Eslake states, creative people give businesses the edge why are the primary principals ignoring this Key area of the curriculum?” For all media enquires please contact AEA’s Honorary Secretary Marian Strong |