In Finland children start school the year they turn seven and compulsory education lasts for 9 years - until the age of 16 (The Finnish National Board of Education, Basic Education). In the distribution to lesson hours in basic education that is in use currently is said that there must be 4 weekly lessons per year of arts for first 4 school years and another 4 weekly lessons per year for last 5 school years (Distribution to lesson hours in basic education, 2001). In this complicated system where each town can choose how to use those hours practically it may look like this: 1 hour of arts per week for the first 6 years and 2 hours per week in the 7th grade which means that there is no arts at all in grades 8 and 9. In the most of the schools in Finland pupils can choose 3 hours of arts per week for the last two school years. There has been made a proposition of renewed division into hours but it is waiting for confirmation currently – this update would add 4 annual hours per week to use in arts/crafts/physical education. Those hours would set mainly on the years 3-6. (Peruskoulun uusi tuntijako, 2012).
In the National Core Curriculum for Basic Education 2004 (chapter 7.16) Learning Objectives of Visual Arts for the grades 1-4 is said that "The pupils will - - gain a knowledge of materials", and the Core Contents includes visual expression and thinking: "visual techniques, ways of expression, and materials: painting, drawing, graphics, design, and building". It also includes an section of environmental aesthetics, architecture and design: "examining, designing, and making objects; three dimensional construction, making environmental plans and miniature models". For the grades 5-9 Core Contents includes following sections: "Visual expression and thinking: - - ceramics, sculpture, spatial art, and art in the environment; deepening of visual thinking" "Environmental aesthetics, architecture, and design: examining the interaction of nature and the built environment, studying the building heritage, and examining and evaluating various environments from the aesthetic, ethical, ecological, and planning perspectives; introduction to the means of expression, stylistic features, and traditions of architecture and design; observation, planning, and construction of a space; introduction to the design process; examination of the connection between material and intended use".
As it is this clearly said, there should be room in timetables to teach 3D arts a lot in basic education. In this module (3D Studies and Primary Art Educator) we got introduced to many new materials and ways to do 3D art in primary school. We realized there shouldn't be any issues of resources, teacher's skills or lack of time. There are so many ways to do it that there should be found a comfortable ways and techniques for every teacher. Just to list few of the materials that could be used, there are for example
- recycled materials
- food and flowers
- metal
- plasticine
- rubber
- bricks + concrete
- mud
- glass
- wood
- stones/rock
- wax and soap
- jelly
- ice
- snow and sand
- clay
- building blocks
- household objects
- wool+soap+water (3D felting)
- plaster
- paper
- pack of cards
- wire and pipe cleaners
- cardboard
- oasis and styrofoam
- match sticks and lollipop sticks
In this reflection I will concentrate on the materials and techniques (and how would I use them in primary school) we tried on the module lectures and workshops: willow, clay, and different mold making methods.
Willow
In the National Curriculum there are aims of environmental art and ecological values. Willow as a material itself supports these aims as it is free material - you can go out with children to get them and integrate it with geography and physical education for example.There are several ways to work with willow, but in the beginning it is important to let children to have a play with new material (twist, bend, cut, link with wire and masking tape), maybe give them more open task first and once they are familiar with the material, ask them to make something special in a limited area. Willow can be used at least for practicing constructions, shaping, and maybe carving too. Working with willow itself can be a lot across curricula at least in environmental studies, music (make a traditional willow flute), biology and geography.
Clay
Firstly, as with any new materials, ask children to have a play with clay. Gice them a ball, ask them to warm it by hitting and rolling in their hands, press a thumb inside it and make a bowl of it (how much you can do it without losing the structure?). When starting to construct clay roll it out, cut, criss-cross the linking surfaces with a sharp tool, use slip for attaching, secure attachments with a tool and 'clay sausages'). When thinking of across curricula task when working with clay, I'd ask them to make a shaker 'friend' of it for example for integrating it into music. It is easy to make even with little children - make two same size bowls, make small clay pearls and put them in a bowl wrapped in paper, attach bowls together to make it a sphere and make a hole somewhere to let air get inside the sphere. The sphere can be decorated by carving, adding clay on the surface, painting and glazing, and once it is fired, it can be used as shaker.Making molds
This is cheap way to make 3D art too when used household materials: cling film and tape. It leaves a lot room for using one's imagination, but has to be worked with volunteers and a human mold made in parts in primary school level, however it could be a good experience to get the whole body made at once with older children. This way of working can be done across curricula as any of these: you can write on finished mold, you can save poems inside it or it can be used for learning body parts in new language. There is a great chance to build a powerful exhibition of real sized body molds.Art should be taken till the end with children. I don't think it is only teacher's job to build exhibitions - transporting and setting pieces of art in display is an important part of the process. The objects are made by children and they should be able to have their voice seen in the exhibition setting as well. Why not to raise children into the world of art exhibitions - an opening ceremony can be prepared in other lessons: other performing arts: music, drama, dance, poetry etc.
In the end I want to share an experience, one of the most powerful memories of my 3D art lessons from upper secondary school. It was a rainy gray Wednesday morning in October, and we had new art teachers. They took us for 'a silent walk' in the woods. We were allowed to dance, laugh, paint, scetch, play or anything else but talk. I had red wellies and a bright yellow raincoat. It smelled wet and autumny in the woods and all the trees were in their bright red and orange and yellow autumn dresses. We were not asked to do anything special, it was just to get an experience. I had done it hundreds of times before, even in the same woods, but that one was something special as it was with my arts class, and we were just supposed to enjoy. Next lesson we continued our ceramics, junk sculptures and plastercasts. We were not asked to use the walk as our inspiration, but all of us did. All of us loved it and talked about it a lot.
With sharing this experience I want to
explain how important it can be for pupils just to get a freedom to
enjoy and forget the pressure to finish something. Making art is a
lot more than making something aestethically pleasing. It is all
about the process from the inspiration (or trying to find it) to the
point when you have finished and you can see how it continues its
life. Not always the piece of art live long after finishing.
Sometimes it is just art of the moment, sometimes it changes back to
nothing as the willow spheres we made could be.
Links to the references
Distribution to lesson hours in basic education, 2001
National Core Curriculum for Basic Education 2004, Part IV: Chapters 7.10-7.21
Peruskoulun uusi tuntijako, 2012 (Distribution to lesson hours in basic education, the proposition 2012 - available only in Finnish)
The Finnish National Board of Education, Basic Education
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