Designing the FutureVocational Applied Learning Conference

Launceston 26-27 June 2009

Tam Paul

Professional Learning Team

Tasmanian Polytechnic

Playscapes Project

The Spiral Garden

“ Art is the vehicle through which we make connections between our inner life and the world. The world is a mystery and through the arts we engage in dialogue with the mystery. The arts give us forms that allow us to express ourselves in ways that integrate the head, heart and hands.”

Who is Involved?Boat Harbour Primary School students,

teachers and parentsStudents and teachers from Children‘s

Services, Construction and Art, Craft and Design departments of the Polytechnic

Artist in residence Anne Dunham

The Task

Make a series of playground sculptures -Playscapes – in the form of mobile picture frames that enable changing views of the landscape and environment in the Boat Harbour Primary School grounds

Create sculptures that will become part of the learning and play experiences of the students

How will it work? Anne Dunham will conduct a series of

initial workshops to explore the possibilities of materials such as metals, wood, clay, glass, enamel and mosaics

Polytechnic students will travel to the school and work on site

Parents and community members will contribute expertise and resources

Student Learning Outcomes

Execute project – from idea to exhibition

Design and create their own works for a specific purpose, ie, sculptures that interact with their environment and enhance their play spaces

Develop skills and techniques working with materials such as wood, metal and glass

Exhibit their works in the grounds of Boat Harbour Primary School to the wider community

Applied Learning(Herrington, Reeves, Oliver, 2003)

ill-defined, complex tasks, with real-world relevance

sustained over a period of time

provide different perspectives

provide the opportunity to collaborate and reflect

inter-disciplinary

integrated with the assessment

create polished products valuable in their own right

allow competing solutions and diversity of outcome

Elements of Effective Learning

relevant and interesting

active and engaging

flexible and adaptable

practical and reflective

self-directed and supported

meaningful assessment

Students are our Assets

Discover their talents and passion

Nurture their abilities

Realise their potential

Ken Robinson

“It’s education that will take us into this future we cannot grasp”

“We don’t grow into creativity, we grow out of it ... Or rather we get educated out of it”

“Creativity is the process of having original ideas that have value which comes about through inter-disciplinary ways of seeing things”

Some more inspiration…