Keystone Magazine Learning the Keystone Way 2015-2016 EN | Page 57

V
isual Arts is an interesting subject for many reasons. It is a subject that
lets students capture what they see, and perhaps what they don’t. More
interestingly, it is a subject that often times reflects a piece of oneself.
This is also why I wanted to share a few reflections on the grade 10 unit,
‘In the City.’ The key concept in this unit is identity. How does one iden-
tify oneself in a city, especially in one that you have lived in for years?
The objective of the unit was for students to bring their own personal experiences
with city life to their work. Having experimented with a range of print-making and
mark-making techniques, as well as researching and responding to the work of
other artists, they are also required to demonstrate their knowledge and under-
standing, their ability to think creatively, develop skills, and their ability to create a
final piece of work.
I wanted to provide students with unique ways and resources to aid this learn-
ing process. Feedback is an essential part of any learning and quality feedback or
advice is how we make progress. But what we learn from each other is sometimes
more profound. Feedback and advice from peers is much more powerful than
only listening to the advice of the teacher.
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