AES Department Programme
P6 Exhibition Module
Art lends itself naturally to exhibition and publication, which serves as the final communicative stage and is an important part of the student artist learning cycle. Aligning with the MOE art syllabus, the exhibition core module is implemented on our curriculum, whereby our Primary 6 students' artistic creations are showcased in a school wide platform and not limited to the classroom. The aim is to provide all students an authentic artistic learning experience as both an artist and an audience.
Primary 6 students will embark on an introspective art making process- exploration of art mediums, theme development and art critique using the MTV routines, across 2 terms to create an artwork they envisioned. This learning platform projects all voices from our Primary 6 students through their creative expressions where they are exposed to various art processes and practices that go beyond conventional art forms.
Through this simulated environment of a museum space surrounded by authentic artworks, it aims to heighten students' curiosity and engagement with the world they live in. This access to the art exhibition space ensures maximum participation by students from all levels to build on their cognitive, social, artistic and creative thinking skills when they engage with the artworks through meaningful MTV art discussions.
With the final curated art exhibition space, all students and staff in Horizon Primary have the opportunity to experience Horizon’s inaugural art exhibition first-hand to appreciate the artistic development and creative expressions of our Primary 6 students.
e-ART Publication
Like every exhibition in a museum/ gallery, a catalogue is made available to bring over the visual content and nature of the subject of the exhibition. An artwork exhibited is not going to be a permanent display unlike an authentic published catalogue- a permanent possession proof of the artwork being captured and recognised in print.
Our e-art publication aims to feature not only the final artworks showcased in the exhibition, but also the process that demonstrates the students’ creative thinking and exploration leading up to their final artworks. Not only will it serve as a momento to celebrate the students’ creativity and a platform of recognition, it also serves as a learning resource for the students to discover the many various ways that their peers have thought and explored in the art making process.
P4 Museum Based Learning
As part of a refreshed art education syllabus aimed at making learning more authentic and for exposure to Singaporean art, students will have the opportunity to visit museums (e.g. the National Gallery Singapore). In addition, a recommended list of artworks by local and international artists has also been included in the new art syllabus so that pupils can develop an awareness of Singaporean art. Through these authentic learning opportunities, students get to familiarise themselves with the artworks that depict different themes such as landscapes, portraits and history.
Making Thinking Visible (MTV) In Aesthetics Lessons
“Making students thinking visible serves a broader educational goal as well. When we demystify the thinking and learning process, we provide models for students of what it means to engage with ideas, to think, and to learn.” Ron Ritchhart
MTV routines encourage our students to think further than what they see, be curious by posing critical questions, respect different points of views and gain new insights. MTV routines are well-infused in our art and music lessons to engage the students’ minds to encourage critical thinking and active thought processing in order to deepen their content knowledge. Some examples of MTV routines are, “What makes you say that?”, “Compare and Contrast”, Connect, Extend, Challenge” and “Think, Puzzle, Explore”. These simple routines are well ingrained in our students, such that they begin to use the language without prompting. They start to notice something unfamiliar and wonder about it. They make their thinking visible which makes it available for exploration, reflection and growth.
Music Lessons
Music making is an enjoyable experience for all our students. During music lessons, the students experience different music making through music exploration, music composition and creativity. To make our students’ music making visible, we use MTV routines to allow students to be creative and expressive while allowing multiple interpretations and connections to develop their thinking.
Art Lessons
Apart from art making, our students learn about the context of artists and art history through observation of artworks in order to engage them in meaningful learning. Students are presented with artworks for them to analyse by picking visual clues from the artworks. After that, they interpret the artworks by applying the knowledge they have learnt. They discuss with their peers and share various perspectives. With the use of MTV routines in art lessons, it creates a comprehensive and enriching art learning experience for the students.
Playing The Ukelele
The ukulele is a very versatile and portable instrument that has grown in popularity over the past few years. It is a great choice for our P3 and P4 students to pick up this simple instrument with only four strings. They start off with the basics of understanding the instrument which includes knowing its different parts, playing posture, fingering on the strings and more. By learning a variety of playing techniques, it will allow the students to play songs of different genres, whether solo or as an ensemble. Students learn how to sing and play on the ukulele by focusing on the coordination between their playing and singing. We hope that this provides our students with the opportunity to further their musical interests and enjoyment in future.