Educative Assessment for Visual Arts Students - Assignment Example

Assessment tasks TASK NO In this assessment task, will investigate Impressionist painting using the lessons of art critique they have been taught. Students will demonstrate their abilities by answering a set of questions that will require them to read an article on Georgia O’Kefffe and then compare one of her paintings with that of Mary Cassatt, in order to identify and understand the features of Impressionist art. This test is a composite collection of six different mini tests. In the first part of the test, the students are required to remember and write down the names of three Impressionist Painters. Then, the teacher will distribute copies of an article by Jack Cowart on Georgia O’Keefe1 and the students have a time frame of twenty minutes to read the article carefully and then summarize it in their own words, before submitting it to the teacher. During the next stage, the students will be shown the painting “Horses skull and pink rose” by Georgia O’Keefe2 and they must apply what they have learnt about the features of Impressionist Art in order to determine whether this painting would suit this category. They will be required to list two features from the painting that either supports their conclusion that it is Impressionist or list two aspects of Impressionist art that are missing from the painting. The next stage is to critically compare this painting to one by Mary Cassatt titled “Mother about to wash her sleepy child.” The students will be required to identify two differences between the two paintings, drawing on the unit material they have covered on the Impressionist style. They will be informed that the objective of this assessment is to identify how much they have learnt about the Impressionist style and their skills in observation and identification. Therefore, firstly, they must focus on identifying the most important differences, then they must examine these differences in the context of Impressionist art to show how one is characteristic of, or different from the Impressionist style. The students will be informed that greater weight will be accorded to the knowledge of technical or artistic features they can identify rather than purely subjective evaluation of differences. In the next test, they will examine Cassatt’s painting carefully, just as they examined O’Keefe’s painting before. They will be asked to list one aspect they like and one aspect they dislike about the painting. They will be provided guidance on the requirements, they will be told that they must provide solid reliable reasons to support what they like or dislike about the painting. What they state must be relevant and applicable in terms of what they have learnt in the Unit3. However, since this aspect of the test is largely subjective, the main objective is to draw out the student’s ability to appreciate art and relate to it and there will be a greater degree of flexibility allowed to the students to come up with intelligent approbation or criticism. The last part of the test will examine how much the students have learnt about the Impressionist artist Edgar Degas. During the course of the Unit, they would have examined the characteristics of his ballerina paintings in particular, the techniques he used, etc and this is the knowledge that they must apply in examining Cassatt’s painting and suggesting what could be done to enhance the painting. They make into consideration Degas’ techniques in terms of impression of mobility, luminosity or other related aspects. This composite test has been designed to conform to Bloom’s taxonomy as illustrated below, through the grid: GRID NO: 1: BLOOMS TAXONOMY APPLICATION FOR TASK ONE KNOWLEDGE List the names of three important Impressionists COMPREHENSION Read the article extract provided on Georgia OKeefe and summarize in your own words, the main points raised in the article (See Appendix 1) APPLICATION Is George Keeffe an Impressionist artist? List two reasons To support your position ANALYSIS Compare the painting "“Horses skull and pink rose” by Georgia O’Keefe and "Mother about to wash her sleepy child" by Mary Cassatt. Identify two differences between the two paintings. (See Appendix 2) SYNTHESIS Mention one aspect you like and one you dislike about Cassatts painting. EVALUATION Does Mary Cassatts painting represent the Impressionist movement? Recommend one technique that could be used to make the painting more like Degas work Part B: In designing this test, special attention has been given to aligning the tasks in accordance with the six different stages of Bloom’s taxonomy4, so that each aspect of Task One assesses one level on Bloom’s taxonomy. This test aims to evaluate not just the lower levels of learning which require recall of information and principles, but also interpretation and application of those principles. The recall of information or knowledge is tested in the first test, at the second level is Comprehension – the ability of the students to read and understand the article on O’Keffee and then re-state it in their own words. The third test requires application from the students of their knowledge of O’Keffee gleaned from the article to the problem of whether it fits the Impressionist style. The comparison of the two paintings will require the students to exercise their powers of analysis in identifying similarities and differences, while the sixth test which is more subjective will also call into play their ability towards Synthesis, where the students will analyze and extract one favorable and one unfavorable aspect of the artwork. Lastly, the evaluation stage requires them to make a judgment about how a work of art can be restructured from a given perspective, in this instance, using techniques which Degas may have used. According to Howard Gardner. “Assessment of learning is crucial in the arts. The success of an arts program cannot be asserted or taken on faith.”4 One of the things that Gardner has emphasized in art assessment is the student’s ability to perceive and visualize forms and to be able to discriminate and to see the connections between works of beauty5. Therefore by getting the students to compare works of art, it enables effective grading of the student’s ability to perceive and discriminate between those works, offering a means to evaluate a student’s degree of perception, observation and learning. Art assessment TASK 1 therefore helps to assess some of the multiple intelligences identified by Gardner. It not only helps to assesses spatial, bodily kinesthetic and intra personal intelligences6, but it also helps to assess cognition, comprehension and linguistic and expressive skills7 through the views of the students on the paintings and by summarizing the article. According to the VELS Standards for level 6, the objective of are education is to enable the students to engage in critical and creative thinking.8 By designing a composite test such as the one above, there is also some flexibility the students will have in including their subjective impressions of art, even as they learn about form and design. Grading rubric for Art Task I: TASK I ART CRITICISM Question 1 (80-100%) 2 (60-80%) 3 (Below 60%) COMPREHENSION: Summary of Article * All Points accurately identified. * Essay written with good grammar * Writing style is clear and cogent, * Uses crisp sentences. * Able to identify that Georgia Keefe is not an Impressionist painter * Some points correctly identified * Some grammar mistakes * Writing style is either long winded or to abrupt * Somewhat clear in linguistic expression * Indicates Keffee is not Impressionist * One or less point correctly identified * Grammar is generally poor * Writing lacks clarity * Poor sentence construction * Does not demonstrate good understanding of article contents * Unable to identify that Keffee is not Impressionist APPLICATION (Identification of Impressionist features) * Correctly identifies any two features , i.e, block application of paint, no optical illusions * One feature correctly identified * Identifies Keffee as an Impressionist painter ANALYSIS (Comparing works to derive features of Impressionism) Cassatt’s painting: use of bright hues and optical illusions, Is able to identify only one or two features correctly None of the identified features are correct SYNTHESIS Creating, constructing and developing) * Offers intelligent criticism for liked and disliked aspect * criticism of liked and disliked aspect unrelated * Answers demonstrating no knowledge about Impressionism or art EVALUATION: * Identification of techniques notable in Degas’ work * identification of art principles to transform or improve work * Answer reveals ignorance of Degas’ work KNOWLEDGE: Names of Three Impressionists All three names correctly identified One or two identified No correct identification The grading rubric is designed to allow some flexibility in grading by a teacher so that students are broadly classed into three groups based on their grading outcomes.9 This will help the teacher to identify those students who are very good and could be sent up to higher levels early, and those who need extra attention because they are below average, so that they can catch up with the others. Schirrmacher has emphasized the need for authentic assessment as a valuable tool in art, which offers a “much more natural, sensitive and realistic look at development than any set of tests.”10 This art test has utilized more than one task in order to assess not only spatial and kinesthetic skills but also to evaluate linguistic and logical skills, through the student’s own assessment of works of art. An analysis of non Impressionist work provides a higher order question and answer framework for the exercise of intrapersonal intelligence11. Moreover, the assessment also evaluates emotional intelligence because it enables the use of personal emotion in judging artwork.12 TASK NO: 2: The second art based task is meant to assess learning by evaluation of a portfolio of work that has been completed throughout the school year. Two separate classes will be conducted in which students will have to work together in groups of three to paint on a canvas, from a live model in two different ballet poses. They are to complete as much as they can during one class, by working together as a group. During the last ten minutes of the class, they will be asked to provide a caption for their picture and to write a short summary of what the picture represents. A few lines also have to be added on the aspects of Degas’ work that become apparent in the painting. Students are allowed to discuss this among themselves throughout the class and brainstorm the best ideas. They are also expected to participate in the work on a cooperative basis and every member of the group must actively participate with the other members of the group in successfully working n the painting. The teacher will also observe the students during the class to arrive at her grading. The students will be informed beforehand that the objective of this test is to examine not only the extent of formal knowledge that they have acquired during the Unit, but also to test how well they are able to work together in groups, how well they are able to equitably allocate the given tasks among themselves so that the best talents in the group can be harnessed for appropriate activities. The teacher will clearly indicate that there will be greater weightage allotted to the degree of participation and cooperative effort that they are able to demonstrate during the class. This is a task where they will have to apply their knowledge of the art principles they have learnt to actually execute a painting task in practice by pooling their resources, time and skills. Every member of the group is to get a chance to paint and the teacher will inform students in advance that she will be observing how well tasks are distributed, the absence of rancor and the degree of efficiency they bring to their work and this spirit of cooperation will be ranked on a higher basis than actually completing the work. This task conforms to Gardner’s multiple intelligences model, in testing multiple levels of intelligence and various kinds of intelligence, as illustrated through the Grid that has been prepared follows: GRID NO: 2: INTELLIGENCE TABLE AND TASKS Category Description of Task Linguistic Writing caption and summary for each painting Logical-Mathematical Correct replication of angles of form, motion Visual-Spatial Reproducing from a live image Musical intelligence Ability to appreciate poetry in motion Body-Kinesthetic Ability to draw and paint Interpersonal Cooperation among group members Intra-personal Ability to reflect intelligently on Degas Naturalist intelligence Ability to present different poses of paintings realistically Grading rubric for Task 2 CATEGORY DETAILS 80-100(1) (Good) 60-80 (2) (Average) Below 60 (3) (Needs Work) FORM Proportion of figure Curves 3-D representation Position of figure Utilization of space DESIGN Colors-contrasts Luminosity of form Tones and shades approximation to reality Even paint application Unity of the piece COMPLETION Completed WELL Included all elements CREATIVITY Novel shades Color mixing Innovative touch EFFORT Degree of perseverance Patience Concentration PARTICIPATION Active inputs Discussions Good team work Show good planning COURTESY Do not interrupt each other Listen attentively Good planning PART B: This task is mainly geared towards the assessment of the students’ spatial and kinesthetic skills, and their ability to apply their knowledge of angles, motion and balance to reproduce a live model. However, in painting from live figures, students will have to also exercise their cognitive and interpersonal skills, because they are working in groups. The VELS standards for art at Level 6 also include opportunities to students for personal expression and communication13. Visual arts must include both two dimensional and three dimensional forms. This task provides an opportunity for students to explore three dimensional art and to use the principles of form and design that they have been taught in the course. By allowing the students the opportunity to actually paint live figures, it provides them the opportunity for personal expression, while also communicating with their team members to achieve the desired results in the shortest possible time and in the most effective manner by pooling together the skills of all the members. This task also provides an opportunity for students who are not so good at art to work with more skilled team mates and learn from them, so that their composite grades for both the tasks can improve. The task formulated above is also specifically geared towards testing student knowledge about the Impressionist era, where painting was done directly by observing the subject. According to Wiggins the best rubrics are based upon an analysis of many work samples, therefore this assignment tests not only the student’s skill at reproducing a live form on paper but also examines individual student perceptions and the ability to note form, design and other technical aspects of art which contribute towards appreciation14. Dorn has also stated that assessment for art must not be limited to multiple choice forms of testing but must also “focus on evaluating the individual and the process of expressive enquiry.”15. By including questions that make the student question the process of creation of piece of art based upon his/her own experience, it provides the opportunity for reflective thinking about the art process itself. This assessment consists of two different painting tasks, so that it adheres to the assessment of many work samples as advocated by Wiggins16, so that if a student is unable to score well in one aspect, he can do so in another – if he is unable to score well in the art criticism Task no: 1, he can score better on this Task, where he will be aided by others. The student groups are also required to make judgments about the two paintings they are expected to critique, so this assessment test will help to assess the student’s ability to synthesize and analyze rather than merely recalling information and will conform to Bloom’s graduated levels of learning. This assignment will therefore assess communicative skills as well, since the students must arrive at a consensus on the critical comments that they include against their pictures and grading may be based upon the teacher’s observation of how well the individual groups get along and the absence of rancor in arguments during class. While it is possible that one member who is good at actual painting may complete most of the work, a higher grade will be assigned to those groups where the teacher notes all the team members participating actively in the task. References: * Alexander, K., & Taggart, A., 1995. Sport education in physical education programmes. Canberra: Australian Sports Commission. * Bloom, B.S. 1956. Taxonomy of educational objectives: Handbook I: Cognitive domain New York: David McKay * Dorn, C.M., 1998. The aesthetically testable object Arts Education Policy review, 99(6), pp 3-10 * Educational Psychology: Constructing Learning pp 166 * Gardner, Howard, 1993. Multiple intelligences: the theory in practice New York: basic Books * Graham, G, 1995.. Physical education through students eyes and in students voices. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 14(4), pp 364-371. * Lazear, David, 1995. Multiple intelligences: Approaches to intelligence Cheltenham: Hawker Brownlow. * Schirrmacher, R, 1998. Art and creative development for young children New York: Delmar Publishers * Victorian essential learning Standards Level 6, 2005. Victorian Curriculum and Assessment authority * Wiggins, G, 1998. Educative assessment: designing assessments to inform and improve student performance San Fransisco: Josey Bass. Appendix A Course description: This Unit of work is designed for the VELS Level 6*, the tenth grade, and the subject is Art Education. The objective of this course is to provide students with a basic overview of Impressionist art with a special focus on the artist Edgar Degas. Material covered in this Unit includes: (a) a brief introduction to the history of art before the onset of impressionism. Its origin in the 1870’s and popularity in the 1980s. (b) Basic techniques in art – attention to form, style, materials, elements of design, use of color through practice assignments in painting. (c) Major features of Impressionist art such as (i) quick visual impression (ii) painted directly from nature (iii) luminous effect by using broken color (iv) technique of painting in closely placed dots instead of using brush strokes. (d) Major Impressionist artists. (e) Edgar Degas. His life, his background, style and a study of his paintings of ballet dancers. (f) Basic aspects of art criticism. Appendix B Condensed Article on Georgia O’Keeffe http://www.artchive.com/artchive/O/okeefe.html Text from Jack Cowart, "Georgia OKeeffe, Art and Letters" "OKeeffes art refers to determinants, to those things or events that have caused her, provoked her, to create. These necessities obliged her to make art, as she tried to portray sensations, ideas, and situations that for her could be expressed no other way. She wrote to William M. Milliken in 1930, "I see no reason for painting anything that can be put into any other form as well-" To her aesthetic world she was compelled to bring her life and actual experiences, expressed through her direct phenomenological point of view. She leaves us the record of all this in her art. Rarely a strict narrative, her art allows us to remember things she had seen, experienced, or sensed, images grounded in authenticity OKeeffes imagery is concrete, but the consequence of her concise recounting shocks us to a new awareness. We quickly see her entering the vividly colored sky, becoming one with its greater forces. She does not write of the dust of the trail, the rocks on the road, the length or toil of the walk, but of an effortless, transcendent event. The same happens in her best art - as she suspends the mundane laws of reality and reason. Then she reveals new edges of vision, new attitudes of direct experience, put down in rich color with energetic line in carefully ordered brushstrokes or markings. Each work is self-sufficient, a miniature world with its own rules, bending to her own will. Contrasts of the near and far, both in time and space, distinguish OKeeffes art. She has no aerial perspective, but treats everything in focus, ignoring impressionistic values, the actual envelope of the air, or the limits of human (and even mechanical) vision. OKeeffe gives us a new world made sharp in all of its large and small parts. The strong ordering, a result of her clear optical and mental vision, can intimidate as well as inspire and challenge. Appendix C This would include the two paintings cited, by Mary Cassatt and Georgia O’Keffee Read More