Gina Fairley Visual Arts, National Editor ArtsHub
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"As an experienced teacher, at first, I was not sure how to integrate this into my program. I started with the build-up activities and followed the initial advise from the training: keep drafts small & rough, and get students working fast! I used music to stop the students when the recommended activity time elapsed. Working fast is really successful, keeps them motivated and brings out their creativity (and they've learnt to listen to my voice). Now that they can work fast, it is possible for me to shift to a student-led approach, which the project framework in the guides scaffolds. I quite like it."
Kate Langridge, Art Teacher, The Hutchins School
"Good Afternoon, just a quick email to say how much we are enjoying implementing the Visual Diary Guides with our Year 7 and 8 cohorts.
Feedback has been soundly positive and the activities have been well received by staff and students."
Kellie Muller, Visual Arts Specialist Leader/Teacher, Mount Ridley College
"The books have been amazing and I am getting far more out of the students in terms of filling their visual diaries than I did before! It is totally awesome!!"
Laura Morley, Head of Art, Lilydale Heights College
"It took a little to get used to, but after using the guides for a year, I see it really helps students to observe. It provides a positive air around the art subjects, which is wonderful to see."
Stacey Coralde, Head of Art, Northpine Christian College
"There is a lot happening in each book and the layout helps to create a sense of fast-paced thinking, then deeper thought, followed by connection of ideas, resolution then reflection. I really like the way that the language and focus changes with each year level. Particularly with the emphasis on creativity being shifted from a personal expression standpoint to being presented as an advantageous trait in future careers. This addresses the issue of students frequently under-appreciating the value of creativity and failing to realise the vast number of employment opportunities in creative industries. Top stuff!"
Michael Kowal, Head of Art and Technology, Sirius College
"This is having a massive effect at our school. Students are settling quickly and are able to get into the 'zone' for art. We first started using the activities in Year 7 and now use them across both Year 7 and 8. I just wanted to let you know."
Rae Boykett, Head of Art and Technology, Eaglehawk Secondary College
“Thank you for the preview of the new Visual Diary Guide. My initial reaction is that it is much improved in the 2nd edition and helps the teacher to line up more with what the curriculum is asking. I really like the layout also.”
Vinny Doherty, Art Teacher, Marymede Christian College
“I think that having the idea of a Visual Diary discussed and introduced like this from junior classes is very valuable. I especially liked the idea that you can use your Visual Diary to gain ideas – something that I do with my students. The structure used is far more detailed than other resources I have used in the past. It introduces concepts and practical applications in a more direct way.”
Heather Landman, Head of Art, St. Margaret’s School
“The books are well researched and easy to read with very little jargon. There is a great range of student activities, which are fun, short, open-ended, achievable by all and can be randomly selected. Given that students often overlook the process and rush to make their final piece, it is great to see an emphasis on the process, which has been broken down into accessible sections. It provides me some good material to work with my students. It encourages students to work over school breaks reinforcing that the artistic process is not limited to class time – hard to get seniors motivated if you don’t start these skills earlier.”
Nerida Morrish, Year 9 Arts Coordinator, Ouyen P-12 College
“A very valuable and relevant resource for students including senior students as a supplement for a folio subject. Introduction to the Frameworks are relevant. Chapter headings are great and the layout of the process is very good. Excellent chapter on annotations and glossary for building vocabulary.”
Stella Greig, Senior VCE ART teacher, Year 11 Student Development Leader, Killester College
Feedback from Nationwide Workshops
These workshops has been run between 2014 & 2017 to road test the Visual Diary Guide method with teachers by putting them in the shoes of students.
- Thanks, I enjoyed the range of activities and not just sitting and listening - Greg
- Great, lots of new stuff - Susan
- The activities were fast and effective - Chris
- I thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon. I think you are doing wonderful things for Art Education - Stephanie
- Concept of Visual Diary to document life is excellent! - Deb
- Student Workbook with activities? Good idea - Adriana
- It would be great to have the workbook for each teacher and student. We need to focus on the Visual Diary as being a "journey" - Veronica
- The PD was very supportive in terms of "motivation". Quick activities to get creativity development was really effective - Tayla
- Loved the pace and the emphasis on experimentation - Fiona
- Booklisting the workbook would be fantastic. Everyone needs to "get on board" :) - Karen
- A good way of using the diary to develop student styles. Also a relaxed and constructive approach to using the Visual Diary - Deborah
- Great ideas, development and inspirational for students and teachers. Covered overall aspects in such a small amount of time. Would like to attend another workshop like this - Rina
- Really liked the quick activities to get the ideas out - Kimberly
- A simple but effective approach with the potential to improve students creativity and willingness to experiment when creating art - Marion
- I found this PD extremely useful for Year 7 & 8 to improve their Visual Diary use and their creativity/drawing skills. Hilary was very knowledgeable and was able to answer questions - Rae
- I enjoyed consolidating the ideas from last year and seeing how to better implement it in my school - Rachel
- I really enjoyed it and found it inspiring - Allison
- Enjoyed the Workshop. Idea of iteration really stood out - Jodie
- Thanks Hilary - it was awesome! - Rebecca