MARCO CONCEPTUAL

The theme, “sense of awareness” identified in the literature review is reflected in the following quotations (2002: 6-7):

The aims of the syllabus are achieved through the framework of seeing, making and appreciating. The framework ensures that pupils are provided with opportunities to observe their environment, generate ideas, create artworks and value the role of art in society.

Seeing: have a lively curiosity about things, have an increased sensory awareness of nature, objects and artworks around them, gather simple visual information and organize visual information.

In other words, students are encouraged to observe from their surroundings in order to develop their sense of awareness²⁴, which enables them to generate art ideas to create their artworks. Through their observation, students also learn to plan, organise and record information and this cultivates students to be resourceful, which emulates research characteristics.

At the same time, students develop their perception skill as indicated in quotation (1992: 80):

To develop pupil‟s perceptual awareness through exposure to various local artists‟ work.

One way to develop sense of awareness is through art appreciation as quoted (2009:

4, 11):

Appreciating: In appreciating art, our students acquire skills and use appropriate art vocabulary to discuss and interpret artworks. They understand why and how artworks are made and value art in their lives and society. This heightens students‟ aesthetics and cultural awareness and raises the value of art among our students.

24 Words that are italicised means that they are the common ideas or themes.

Page 74 Art discussion engages students in the processes of observing, thinking and talking about their visual environment and artworks, through art discussion, students learn to describe, analyze, interpret and evaluate visuals in different forms.

Seeing: In seeing art, our students observe their surroundings and respond to what they see by asking questions and creating artworks. This heightens students‟ sensory awareness, arouses curiosity and encourages imagination and generation of ideas.

Art appreciation enables students to understand the various types of art terms that explain the different kinds of art forms, styles and artists‟ beliefs and values, which reflect cultural distinctiveness in the artworks, thus allowing students to develop their cultural awareness. Art appreciation engages students to communicate by interpreting what they have observed, thought, imagined, analysed, self-criticism from seeing the artworks.

As art ideas are generated from their sense of awareness, these ideas are further developed into artworks as quoted (2009: 4, 5):

Expressing: In expressing art, our students generate ideas from what they see and explore ways to communicate their ideas, feelings and experiences. Students communicate through the various art forms and media as well as orally and in written text. This cultivates students‟ spirit of innovation and experimentation.

Expressing: share ideas and experiences in artworks and through art making, explore and experiment different ways to use art materials and media.

In other words, students shall explore and experiment with different types of media to innovate new ideas to communicate their art ideas into actual artworks and such process is also known as visual communication.

Page 75 The exploratory and experimentation process also encourages students to improvise ways to create artwork as quoted (1983: 41):

Encourage children to improvise and work experimentally with the different materials and techniques.

In the process of searching for ways to create artworks, students learn to become inventive as quoted (1993: 89):

To encourage pupils to be inventive, imaginative and resourceful in the use of materials provided.

The inventive process leads students to play with ideas as quoted (1986: 5):

The pupils at these levels would require positive, continuing and sequential experience of the basic processes of perceiving, organizing, responding, manipulating and evaluating.

This means that students learn to manipulate ideas from exploring and experimenting different types of media.

The process also allows students to experience success and setback as quoted (1983: 6):

Allow children to experiment with and explore materials, to experience for themselves the joys, frustrations, problem solving processes, successes and failures of experimentation.

This challenges students to continue to find suitable solutions to create their artworks, thus developing their problem-solving skill.

Page 76 This leads them to decide the best method to make their artworks as quoted (1983:

16 and 17):

To develop imagination and creativity through research, selective decision-making.

Once the students have decided the best way to make an artwork, this is where concept would be formalized as the quotation (1986: 15) indicates:

To formulate an understanding of the concept and purpose of design.

This means that students should be able to see how their art ideas are formed and turned into actual artworks. At the end of the entire creative process, it developed character building as quoted (1983: 16 and 17) “To nurture personality development in children.”

The entire creative process displays students‟ personal/creative experience as quoted (1971: 1) and it also shows that the creative process offers a conducive art learning environment as quoted (1971: 1):

It is the responsibility of the teacher to surround the child with the atmosphere and environment which will provide him the richest possible experience; an environment which will arouse the child‟s interests and curiosity, stir his imagination and stimulate his fantasy and incite him into creative activity.

The creative process also provides positive learning experience as quoted (2002: 8):

Appreciating: enjoy and enquire positive attitude towards art activities, develop confidence in articulating about their own and others‟ artworks...

Such positive learning experience cultivates their motivation in the form of psychological enhancement.

Page 77 The creative process develops their psychomotor skill and enables students to learn to be precise and spontaneous as quoted (1992: 25), (1992: 114) and (1971: 2):

To develop dexterity and manipulative skills.

To teach pupils to be systematic and meticulous in the execution of an assignment.

To develop confidence through lively and spontaneous drawing and painting.

Teamwork and integrative art learning were themes that were identified from the MOE arts syllabuses, which were straightforward and they have clearly stated that the arts curriculum should develop group projects to encourage team spirit as well as connecting art with other subjects.

4.5.2 Interpretation of Themes: Secondary School Arts Syllabuses