Welcome all new members of Kingston!
I’m glad you were able to visit my PYP Art Blog. My name is Mr. Gadbury and I am the Visual Arts Teacher. This is my 9th year teaching at Kingston. I have a Postgraduate Certificate in Education from The University of Sunderland and a Postgraduate Diploma in Early Childhood Education from The Hong Kong Institute of Education. I did a BA Honours Degree in the Surrey Institute of Art and Design where I studied Graphic Design. I believe that as the school art teacher, it is important to recognise the individual strengths of every student and provide opportunities for each student to flourish. Every student at Kingston is tremendously creative with a powerful imagination and the ability to produce exceptional work.
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| I also like to travel to different countries with my family and visit art galleries. This picture is from my Summer holiday in Paris. | In my own time, I like to create artwork www.behance.net/chrisgadbury |
I also write and illustrate stories related to the PYP. You can watch my video books at www.magicstorybooks.com
With the support of the school, each Visual Arts unit has been structured specifically for our Kingston Students. We the specialist teachers work together with the class teachers during the planning process where we identify ways in which we can support one another in our units of inquiry as well as language and maths.
I plan each lesson to be a continuous process of developing new skills and original ideas. I will always encourage Kingston students to believe in their own creative ideas and to help them see it through. I have always found that taking risks in art comes more naturally with younger students, as they are less concerned about controlling the outcome allowing them to enjoy the uncertainty of inquiry. As students grow older their ability to think creatively is effected by personal and outside expectations. To overcome this, I involve all my students in play-based activities such as kinetic sand and divergent thinking tasks during our Art themed play time.
In today’s world, much of the art that is created is done digitally. It is important that students understand how this process works, so that they can use what they have learned by applying it in their other school subjects. Understanding how to make art using a computer allows students to do things that they never thought possible, therefore expanding their own expectations. A PowerPoint for example, is a brilliant starting point for a student presentation, but can be far more captivating when students have inserted their own imagery, film, sound or animation. Knowing how to effectively lay out text is a skill that can make a students work stand out from the rest.
I also believe it is essential for students to work with three dimensional materials, by building with found objects as well as working with clay, wood and metal. Being involved in a wider range of creative experiences broadens the imagination and helps students to think about alternative solutions to real life problems. Painting and drawing as well as other more traditional methods are equally important, and allow students to express themselves whilst gaining the skills to form their own creative identity
Mr. Gadbury