Scientific Explorations

This is a good example of how animation can be used to help explain difficult concepts using real-time footage and underlying invisible elements such as magnetic fields. In photography, we teach students about exposure by getting them to experiment with long-exposures in the darkroom and LED lights to create beautiful abstractions, but it also allows them to understand how photography is literally about 'drawing with light'. Here are some examples by students:








This shot was taken by Lydia Francis recently to capture a firework display:



In addition, we also capture scenes using a very quick shutter speed as in these examples:







Having spoken recently with Mr Wagle, the Senior Science technician, we will be setting up a lesson where my year 10 GCSE students document an experiment conducted by year 13 students. I like the idea of working with departments to teach our Photography course, however, I would imagine it working very well with an Applied Arts course or diploma for students that need more of a structure to channel their creativity.

SNAP - School Network for Art & Photography

In Photography, I have been encouraging students to share their photos on Flickr as part of an international network of students called SNAP - Schools Network for Art & Photography, which has been created specifically for students of art and photography at secondary level (11-18) but not exclusively, to showcase their work. Please promote amongst fellow flickr members.

I believe that a large part of helping students to develop their creativity is by encouraging them to share and learn from each other. By providing a platform for discussion or showcasing their work, they are far more motivated to create. The Head has recently been talking about 'Display for Learning' and it would be good if the responsibility for updating and managing areas around the school was delegated to students, possibly via tutor groups rather than just departments. In the sixth form block, I have put up individual frames for students to update with their work and they appear to like "owning a space".

Shakespeare Art and Drama Workshop

As part of the 'Drama does the Bard' cross-curricular day where departments worked on delivering lessons that involved drama as a starting point, we created a one-hour workshop in response to 'Antony & Cleopatra'. We started with a simple analysis of the plot and characters using this presentation and responding to the paintings/depictions of the story in art history:Antony and cleopatra

View more presentations from Z Hoeben.

We gave students an extract from the play that detailed a scene that could be visually interpreted. Year 7 students were asked to work in mixed groups of four and create a 'tableau' where they were photographed and then these were printed out and used as part of a collage to create a projection in the style of artist, Kara Walker:

The final results were good, albeit the whole process was incredibly rushed and would have benefited from at least being a 2-hour workshop. All the art teachers involved felt that this would make a interesting scheme of work and we will try to integrate what we have learnt into next year's programmes of study.

Here are the results:

A&c workshop outcomes

View more presentations from Z Hoeben.

UKIERI Recycling Project

'Making Do & Getting By', Richard Wentworth

As part of our UKIERI London-Delhi link, I am planning a photography project with our partner schools that looks at how objects are recycled in the environment. Students from both countries will be responding to the work of Richard Wentworth's series 'Making Do and Getting By' which documents how objects are given a second life and reused in various contexts.

The task will be for students to record photographically from first hand experience and in their local environment and consider their perception of objects as having a single function. We will use both the MLE and Flickr to store images online, which should make it easy to share and embed. I am imagining that the Indian students will document very resourceful ways in which objects are recycled but, at the same time, hoping that it will get Fortismere students observing their environment more closely and develop their visual eye.

After collecting the images, we could have an online forum discussion about the different ways in which objects might be reused and how these could be encouraged within the local/school community.