Course Details

Course Information Package

Course Unit Title	TEACHING OF ART IN PRIMARY EDUCATION
Course Unit Code	ART103
Course Unit Details
Number of ECTS credits allocated	5
Learning Outcomes of the course unit	By the end of the course, the students should be able to: Describe, explain and assess the multiple roles that visual arts can have in the Cypriot primary school curriculum as well as in every person’s life. Outline, explain and demonstrate the contribution of artworks in developing visual literacy skills, critical thinking skills and creativity skills. Interpret artworks and investigate ways of utilizing artworks in planning and developing art lessons/ units. Review the in-depth approach for organizing art lessons and examine learning theories on which it is based. Describe and assess the stages for developing art lessons/units based on the in-depth approach. Experiment (studio work) with different visual arts concepts and different means, materials and techniques in order to select the most appropriate ones for variant learning activities. Plan, organize and apply visual arts lessons/units for primary school children that are challenging and provide opportunities for innovation. Examine, assess and explain learning outcomes of visual arts units.
Mode of Delivery	Face-to-face
Prerequisites	NONE	Co-requisites	NONE
Recommended optional program components	NONE
Course Contents	-  Visual literacy: visual literacy skills, including use of art language, visual vocabulary, and visual conventions, visual thinking, visual reasoning, critical viewing, etc. -  Art understanding: significance, contribution/roles in art lessons/ units, methodology for approaching artworks, responding and interpreting artworks, elements of history of art -  Teaching approaches: the in-depth approach, learning theories that support the in-depth approach, issues related to creativity, to the evaluation of the learner, and to the evaluation of teaching units, examples of visual arts lessons/units, and examples of children’s artworks   -  Visual arts curriculum: aims and overall philosophy of art curricula, the Cypriot visual arts curriculum, methodological approaches -  Cypriot artists: the work of selective Cypriot artists. -  Practical engagement with art concepts, means and materials for teaching purposes: the human figure (study of the human figure, proportions, two-dimensional figures, three-dimensional figures, movement in 2D and 3D figures, space and balance), book illustration (fairy tales, illustration and children), use of multiple graphic materials (e.g. pencil, colours, markers, pastels, etc.), use of print-making materials, and use of materials for 3D artworks (e.g. pipe cleaners, iron, mod-roc, scrap materials, etc.)
Recommended and/or required reading:
Textbooks	Epstein A. & Trimi, Ε. (2005). Visual arts and young children. Supporting the young artists. [In Greek] Athens: Typothito, George Dardaros. Adams, L. (2006). The messages of art [In Greek]. Athens: Diavlos.
References	Pavlou, V. (2011). The study of artworks with young children: their contribution in the development of imagination and creativity (pp. 650 – 659). In N. Stellakis & M. Efstathiadou, Proceedings of the OMEP 2011 European Conference, 6-8 May, 2011, Nicosia, Cyprus. Pavlou, V. (2011). The role of the aesthetic inquiry in helping pre-service elementary school teachers develop visual literacy. In M. Avgerinou, P. Search & S. Chandler (eds) Visual literacy in the 21st century: trends, demands and capacities. Selected Readings of the International Visual Literacy Association (pp. 109-116). Chicago: International Visual Literacy Association
Planned learning activities and teaching methods	The choice of the methodology adopted for the delivery of this course is based on the PCKg model (Pedagogical Content Knowing) for student-teacher preparation, which emphasizes the need to provide future teachers simultaneously knowledge in four areas: a) pedagogical knowledge, b) subject matter (content) knowledge, c) knowledge of the learners, and d) knowledge of the learning environment. The module operates at two levels:  -  The theoretical level that relates  to  different issues regarding teaching approaches (e.g. the in-depth approach) and theory of art (e.g. responding to artworks), and -  The practical/workshop level that deals with the familiarization in practice with different visual concepts and different techniques and ways to produce artworks. During both levels students are shown examples of art lessons/units with children in the Cypriot primary schools with emphasis on learners’ outcomes and learning preferences. The examples, as well as other lecture notes, are available to the e-learning platform.
Assessment methods and criteria	Test 25% Assignment 35% Portfolio 40%
Language of instruction	Greek
Work placement(s)	NO