Woodland Art

Cotswold Forest School

Embracing learning through nature

Willow Art for Special Artists – Paternoster School.

On-site Workshop - October 2006

"All children, regardless of their ability, have the right to experience creating art. Art is just as relevant to students with disabilities as it is to students without disabilities. Art is primarily about self expression and the pleasure that comes from creating. It is pleasing to others but it is primarily about creating something that is pleasing to the self”. Colin Smith 2006

Colin runs the art program at Noble Park Special Developmental School in Victoria, Australia.

The importance of art and design to pupils at Paternoster School

Willow Art and design stimulates creativity and imagination. It provides visual, tactile and sensory experiences, and is a unique way to understand and respond to the world, and to communicate with others. Pupils learn about the place and role of art, craft and design in life today, as well as in different times and cultures.

In particular, art and design offers pupils at Paternoster School opportunities to:

experience, experiment with and use colour, form, shape, space, texture, and pattern
explore different materials and processes
respond to and communicate what they see, feel and think, on their own or working with others
value and assess their own and others' achievements.

In response to these opportunities, pupils can make progress in willow art and design by:

moving from responding to familiar ideas and themes when they start their work, to exploring ideas for different reasons, and selecting and using relevant information to help them develop their ideas
sensory exploration and the use of a variety of materials and processes (to make images and artefacts), investigating and combining materials and processes, organising visual and tactile qualities and matching these to ideas and intentions
being aware of their own and others' work, describing what they think and feel about their own work, and the work of artists, craftspeople and designers.

Differentiating the art and design programmes of study
The statutory inclusion statement of the National Curriculum requires staff to modify the programmes of study to give all pupils relevant and appropriately challenging work at each key stage. Staff should teach knowledge, skills and understanding in ways that match and challenge their pupils' abilities.
Staff can modify the art and design programmes of study for pupils with learning difficulties by:

choosing material from earlier key stages
maintaining, reinforcing, consolidating and generalising previous learning as well as introducing new knowledge, skills and understanding
focusing on one aspect or a limited number of aspects in depth or in outline of the age-related programmes of study.

Exploring and developing ideas using willow

Exploring and developing ideas begins with sensory experiences and the world of the imagination. Pupils may experience different materials and ways of developing ideas by using colour, shape, space, pattern and texture. Teaching this aspect across key stages can help pupils to:

record their observations of the world around them, for example, by looking at objects more closely and from different angles

select starting points for their work by making simple choices

respond to starting points in different ways, for example, feelings, moods, facial expressions.

Investigating and making art, craft and design with willow
Investigating and making art, craft and design begins by pupils experimenting with different materials and processes to communicate ideas, feelings, moods and preferences in two and three dimensions, and on different scales. Teaching this aspect across key stages can help pupils to:

use and then combine materials to make textures, patterns and different visual effects

choose suitable tools, materials and techniques

represent observations, ideas and feelings and make images and artefacts.

Ragged Hedge Art workshop – August 2006

Evaluating and developing work
Evaluating and developing work begins by pupils developing communication and interaction skills (including appropriate vocabularies) and working with others. Teaching this aspect across key stages can help pupils to:

focus on, and then recall, what they and others have done and recognise similarities and differences, for example, look, follow and examine certain parts of their own and others' work

communicate what they like and dislike about their own work, and the work of different artists, craftspeople and designers

be aware of what they have done in their current work and recognise how they could make changes.

Knowledge and understanding
Investigating and making begins by pupils exploring and developing ideas, then evaluating and extending them. Knowledge and understanding supports this process. Teaching this aspect across key stages can help pupils to:

identify natural and made materials and objects through sensory investigation
explore and use materials, processes and techniques
identify and use visual and tactile elements, for example, colour, texture, pattern, shape and form to create different effects
observe and respond to the work of artists, craftspeople and designers from different times and cultures.

using materials and resources that pupils can experience and understand through touch, sight, sound or smell

Improving access to the art and design curriculum
Staff can make art and design more accessible by focusing on the senses. They can improve access by:

organising different activities to make up for a lack of first-hand experiences, for example, multi-cultural and multi-sensory experiences which may relate to work across the curriculum on festivals, carnivals and celebration

giving pupils first-hand experience of current and past influences by investigating artefacts and how they have changed over time

helping pupils to observe and understand natural and made materials and objects in places where, because of visual or multi-sensory impairment or mobility difficulties, pupils are unable to experience incidental learning of the wider world

providing direct art and design experiences through visits to museums, galleries, sites and other places where sound waves and visual images are used, for example, sound-beams or lighting effects.

Willow Art and design can also be made more accessible through:

using visual and other materials to increase pupils' knowledge of their personal surroundings and the wider world
giving pupils experience of contemporary art and design which combines media in multi-sensory works, such as installations, and uses the viewer's sense of touch, hearing and movement through space
using specialist aids and equipment
encouraging support from adults or other pupils, but giving pupils space and freedom to do things for themselves, and allowing time to respond
using alternative activities to make it easier to use tools, equipment or materials
being aware of the pace at which pupils work and of the physical effort needed
balancing consistency and challenge, according to individual needs
using partnerships with other professionals, for example, artists in residence, and young people
including experiences that let pupils at early stages of learning gain knowledge, skills and understanding of art and design in the context of everyday activities
letting pupils experience art and design for themselves, at first, for example, by exploring the forms of natural and made objects, and by giving them contact with the work of artists, craftspeople and designers.

Teaching and experiencing Willow Design can help pupils develop their broader communication and literacy skills through encouraging interaction with other pupils as well as staff. With some pupils, communication and literacy skills will develop as they use a range of visual, written and tactile materials, for example, large print, symbols and symbol text. These skills will also develop as pupils use ICT and other technological aids. Other pupils' skills develop as they use alternative and augmentative communication, for example, body movements, eye gaze, facial expressions and gestures including pointing and signing.

Willow Art for Special Artists.

Aims and Objectives.

During the three day willow art workshops, the pupils attending Paternoster School will have the opportunity to actively participate in a varied range of activities.

The overall aim of the workshops is for the youngsters to participate in the re-creation of the existing willow area. The focus being on space, organic design, texture, pattern and form. The latter elements highlighted with bursts of vibrant colour.

Our objectives are to offer the youngsters attending Paternoster School the following:

To Experience and experiment with and use colour, form, shape, space, texture and pattern.To Explore different materials and processes.To Respond to and communicate what they see, feel and think, either on their own or working with others.

To value and assess their own and others achievements.

To aim to support the youngsters Individual Education Plans through sensory stimulating experiences.