PEDAGOGICAL STATEMENT
‘Branding Project – Logo Design’ is a Visual Communication
and Design learning sequence targeting students at both level 9 and 10 within
the context of the Victorian Curriculum (Victorian Curriculum and Assessment
Authority, 2015). This sequenced is designed to target and develop student’s
knowledge and practical skills surrounding the elements and principles of
design, the design process and practical drawing skills surrounding creating
branding design. Furthermore, the ‘Branding Project – Logo Design’ learning
sequence requires students to think critically, while self-reflecting,
critiquing their own artwork and providing feedback to their peers throughout
the design process. This learning sequence is aligned with the VCAA’s Visual
Communication and Design curriculum level 9-10 content descriptors (VCAVCDE006,
VCAVCDE007, VCAVCDV008 and VCAVCDR011). The focus is on empowering students to
explore and refine their visual communication skills by experimenting with
design elements, principles and manual and digital methods. Through developing and
responding to design briefs, students learn to tailor their visual solutions to
specific audiences and contexts, strengthening their ability to plan, generate and
present meaningful designs. Additionally, by analysing and evaluating visual
communication designs from diverse historical, social and cultural perspectives
students will build critical and ethical awareness. This equips them with
essential 21st-century capabilities, such as creative thinking, intercultural
understanding, and technical proficiency, preparing them to engage thoughtfully
with the evolving demands of design practice and visual culture (VCAA, 2015).
LEARNING DESIGN AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
This learning sequence is underpinned by the Department of Educations’ Victorian Teaching and Learning Model (VTLM) 2.0 (2024) adapted from the Department of Education’s (2018) ‘Pedagogical Model’. The VTLM 2.0 (DET, 2024) consists of four main elements of teaching and learning, designed to promote and scaffold student success and learning throughout the process. The elements of attention, focus and regulation, knowledge and memory, retention and recall and mastery and application are drawn upon throughout this learning sequence when understanding how students learn best. Furthermore, this learning sequence is comprised of planning of teaching and learning, enabling of learning, explicit teaching and instruction and supported application of learning (DET, 2024). Students are guided through understanding the main theoretical elements and principles of visual communications design through explicit instruction and the ‘I do, you do, we do’ system to develop their knowledge base in which will be recalled through later learning not only within this learning sequence, but in future learning throughout their education journey. Vygotsky’s (1979) Social Constructivist Theory should be heavily drawn upon by teachers when facilitating the teaching and learning of this learning sequence, both when facilitating the collaborative learning that students will engage in, along with the collaborative nature of giving and receiving feedback in a critique-style manner.
In combination with this, it is critical that teachers implement and engage with The DET’s (2020) High Impact Teaching Strategies (HITS) when delivering this teaching and learning sequence. The learning sequence is designed for teachers to lean into the HITS, with explicit instruction, structured lessons, setting goals, worked examples, collaborative learning, feedback, metacognitive strategies, questioning and differentiated teaching being critical components throughout this learning sequence.
SCAFFOLDING LEARNING AND DIFFERENTIATION
The DET (2020) outline differentiated teaching as being based upon understanding ‘student learning, readiness and learning progress’ and being critical to allowing all learners to experience challenge, success and improve their learning. Furthermore, it is critical to engage in differentiated teaching to promote student engagement and learning throughout this learning sequence. This learning sequence is designed for students to be provided with multiple entry points to the learning material, allowing access at different levels providing students with different skills, knowledge and learning needs access to the curriculum through supported teaching and learning. Linder et al. (2020) outlines the importance of providing multiple entry points throughout learning, along with frequent and attentive teacher-student feedback to continuously adapt and differentiate learning to maintain accessibility and engagement. Furthermore, through providing students worked examples, written and visual supports, formative and summative assessment tasks, collaborative practical tasks and hands-on learning encourage students to draw upon multiple skillsets when participating in the learning sequence, promoting engagement, challenge and success (DET, 2021).
Students are provided with multiple scaffolds throughout the learning sequence to assist learning at multiple points, in all key knowledge and skill areas of the tasks. This allows students to feel empowered by their own agency and allows them to command their own learning through the encouragement of student voice and agency of when and what scaffolds they require at any point throughout the sequence. Grounded in the DET’s VTLM 2.0 and the Australian Education Research Organisation’s (2024) Scaffold Practice guide, students are provided a supportive learning environment that promotes the extension and scaffolding of knowledge at all points of the learning sequence.
ASSESSMENT APPROACH
Throughout this learning intentions, students are explicated shown each lesson both the learning intention and success criteria of the individual lesson, displaying both where the student learning is headed and what success in the learning looks like. William (2011) and the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (n.d.) outline learning intentions and success criteria as critical in evaluation teaching and learning from both a formative and summative approach. Throughout the teaching and learning sequence, learning intentions and success criteria will be used as a teaching tool in tracking as assessing student progress along with formative assessment such as the elements and principles poster, providing the students critical knowledge for the second assessment task. Students will also engage in authentic pedagogy (reference) when creating their design portfolio, contextualising their learning through mirroring the practical aspects of the design industry.
MULTIMODAL LEARNING
This learning sequence is grounded in multimodal learning, both in the delivery of the content and how it is taught along with the manual and digital methods, media and materials that learners will utilise throughout the sequence. Learning will be accessible by students through the online learning platform Compass, providing access to all content relating to this unit of work, allowing students to return to prior learning or advance to latter parts of the learning at their own pace. Furthermore, this learning sequence engages in a variety of visual resources to guide student learning and provide a plethora of multimodality with written content, video content and explicit teacher instruction. As outlined by The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (2016) it is crucial that students are provided with a blended learning environment, developing the skills to engage with both digital and physical learning tools to create an engaging learning experience and promote an inclusive and engaging learning community within the classroom and in the online environment.