PEDAGOGICAL STATEMENT
The “Photography Fundamentals” is a Media Arts learning sequence designed to engage students of the 9-10 level in the context of the Victorian Curriculum (Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority, 2015). This learning sequence targets students’ ability to develop practical skills and knowledge of digital photography and image manipulation while equipping them with skills to analyse and critique their own work and the works of photographers and artists from both historical and contemporary contexts, developing critical thinking skills and visual literacy (Cordell, 2015). This teaching and learning sequence is designed to assist the busy teacher with navigating photography as a unit of study and should be used as a teacher-facing resource. This sequence is aligned with the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority’s (VCAA) Media Arts curriculum level 9-10 content descriptors (VCAMAE040, VCAMAM042, VCAMAM043 and VCAMAR045). The focus is on encouraging students to experiment with ideas and narratives by manipulating media elements. This helps them develop and refine their production skills, as they learn to plan, structure and design various media artworks. Additionally, students analyse and evaluate how technical and symbolic elements are used in media artworks (VCAA, 2015). Considering the context of learners engaging with this sequence, this learning sequence is designed to equip students with the skills to navigate the ever-changing media landscape, providing them with critical thinking, digital and visual literacy skills (Cordell, 2015). Additionally, through analysing and examining how media shapes and is shaped throughout historical and contemporary contexts students are equipped with key capabilities such as critical and creative thinking, ethical, intercultural, personal and social capabilities (VCAA, 2015).
LEARNING DESIGN THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
This learning sequence is grounded in Buckingham’s (2006) ‘Media Literacy Framework,’ helping students think critically and independently by encouraging self-reflection and analysis of how media texts are constructed and interpreted across both historical and contemporary contexts. Students are guided throughout the learning with the learning sequence introducing students to the theoretical and technical skills required for photography, transitioning into analytical studies, drawing on this prior knowledge to apply to their own practical media production and finishing with student critique of peer work and self-assessment of their production output.
When teaching this unit, it is critical that Vygotsky’s (1978) social constructivist principles are guiding teachers’ facilitation of social learning through peer feedback and reflection during both practical and theoretical pre-production activities, production activities and post-production activities in the digital and physical learning environments. Moreover, teachers should understand and draw upon the diverse ‘virtual schoolbags’ (Moll et al., 1992) brought into the learning environment by all students and the impact of their past experiences on their understanding of media and the impacts on media literacy skills.
Critically, this learning sequence is designed for teachers to integrate and heavily engage in High Impact Teaching Strategies (HITS) such as explicit teaching, worked examples, collaborative learning and metacognitive strategies as outlined by the Department of Education (2020). Engaging in explicit teaching throughout the practical and technical workshops, worked examples of analysis and production final pieces, collaborative learning during analysis and practical learning tasks and using the flipped learning environment to develop and encourage student metacognitive strategies works towards the development of the delivery of an engaging and effective learning sequence. These evidence-based approaches and strategies are embedded in this learning sequence to ultimately promote and foster engagement, inclusion and learning outcomes of students within the diverse 21st-century classroom.
SCAFFOLDING LEARNING AND DIFFERENTIATION
Throughout this learning sequence, students are provided with multiple entry points to access learning at different levels, allowing students from different performance levels to feel engaged, supported and successful in their learning (Lindner et al., 2020; DET, 2021). Students are provided with visual and written supports, worked examples, hands-on practical learning and collaborative learning opportunities, moving away from the ‘one-size-fits-all’ education model.
Furthermore, students are provided with scaffolded learning activities sequenced in a step-by -step tasks-based progression through the unit of learning. This encourages students to command their own learning, promoting student voice and agency throughout the learning sequence. The learning sequence is built upon the engagement of The Australian Education Research Organisation’s (2024) Scaffold Practice guide, of enabling, planning, instruction and gradual release.
ASSESSMENT APPROACH
Learning intentions and success criteria are positioned as critical components of both formative and summative teacher and student self-assessment at all stages of each lesson (AITSL, n.d.; Wiliam, 2011). Learning intentions ensure all students understand what they are going to be learning and where their learning is heading, along with providing learners with a structured criteria towards success. Furthermore, it is useful in providing students and teachers in tracking and assessing progress throughout this learning sequence. In addition, this learning sequence utilises formative assessment such as work-sheets, collaborative class discussion and peer-feedback allowing for effective and responsive teacher support for learners at all levels.
The summative assessment present throughout this learning sequence, include annotative documentation of work, concept work presentation and critical reflection align with Churchill’s (2022) outline of authentic and contextual pedagogy mirroring the practical aspects of the media workforce to create contextual and engaging practices.
MULTIMODAL LEARNING
This learning sequence is designed to be employed as a multimodal blended learning resource. Combining in-class theoretical and practical activities along with student-accessible digital resources accessible by students through Compass (online student management and learning platform), where students can access camera and editing technique videos along with a range of relevant visual resources to guide their learning. It is critical, as a teacher in the 21st-century education context, to engage with the digital and physical learning environment as a tool to combine different learning experiences and developing an accessible and inclusive learning community for all students (Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership, 2016). Although students have access to instructional resources and supporting content prior to lessons through the flipped learning model, it is important to consider how many students’ access and engage in the content outside of class time. Furthermore, it is critical to consider the diverse learning needs of all students, with this learning sequence leaning supporting the use of flipped learning as a tool for specific tasks only, with ongoing in-class explicit instruction (Ölmefors & Scheffel, 2023; DET, 2020). Through the utilisation of Compass, this provides the teacher real-time progress tracking with ongoing online submission dates promoting student accountability and allowing for targeted support and feedback. The physical learning contexts should include the traditional classroom space for group learning activities, analytical activities, practical exercises or any technical workshops.
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