 |  |
| www.dg.dial.pipex.com | 150 readers since 17 March 2008 |
| |
| www.dg.dial.pipex.com | 150 readers since 17 March 2008 |
Waddell (1978) Notes on the text Part I Preliminary pages Contents, Membership
Part II Preliminary pages Contents, Membership Report of the Education Study Group (ESG) Glossary, Introduction
Report of the Cost Study Group (CSG) Chapter 1 Introduction
|
The Waddell Report (1978)
School examinations Report of the Steering Committee established to consider proposals for replacing the General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level and Certificate of Secondary Education examinations by a common system of examining Chairman: Sir James Waddell CB Presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State for Education and Science and the Secretary of State for Wales by Command of Her Majesty July 1978 London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office 1978
Part I: Cmnd 7281-I
Part II - ESG Report Chapter 16 Art
Introduction 233. Art is concerned with visual and tactile education, and in schools entails observation of, and work in, one or more of many materials or techniques - for example, painting, drawing, printmaking, ceramics, textiles, constructions or photography. All the activities involved require pupils to make visual, tactile and intellectual judgements, as well as sensory and emotional responses. To do so pupils have to come to a heightened awareness of shape, colour, texture and all those elements which form a visual vocabulary; and they do so for the most part not theoretically but through the manipulation of materials. 234. Practical examinations in art require little recall of factual information but rather a personal response to an experience or stimulus involving the use of materials. Time is an important factor because different processes require different amounts and patterns of time. Moreover, a simple piece of work can rarely be fully understood and appreciated in isolation, and is better seen as part of the artistic development of the pupil over a period, and as part of a sequence showing the development of visual ideas. Manual skill in the use of tools and materials is relatively easy to assess, and teachers often complain that a formal examination places too great an emphasis on this aspect of the work and gives little attention to personal interpretation and visual statement. Examinations in the history of art call for knowledge acquired through study of original works of art, architecture and designs, supported by reproductions of good quality and the work of art historians. The evidence 235. Two examinations form the basis of the evidence: no pupils' work was seen. This chapter relies on the experience of the examining boards, schools and HM Inspectors. Discussions were held with the two consortia and with subject interests. Further reference is made by number. The ability range 236. The examinations 1 and 2 appear to be designed for the full range of ability currently catered for by CSE and GCE O Level examinations, and the candidates during the feasibility trial seemed to represent this range. The alternative written paper on appreciation in 1 appears to be for candidates of high ability, although no candidates have taken this alternative yet. 237. The new syllabus of 1 is said to be based on the existing CSE syllabus, find also appears to be closely related to the O Level examination. All sections cover tried and tested aspects of the subject. The syllabus has sufficient breadth and requires attention to observation and drawing skills, without restricting the adventurous. The appreciation section outlines a demanding and varied programme of study with a sensible range of choice for pupil and teacher, but as no candidate has yet opted for this section a paper has yet to be produced. Information for candidates seems sparse and it is not clear whether during the course candidates have, or are intended to have, a clear idea of the aims, objectives and criteria of the course, and of the relationship of course work to a final practical test. 238. The range of 2 is clearly described and the comprehensive list of objectives is appropriate. A great deal of freedom is offered to school and pupil for individual interpretation, and there is much potential in such a programme; some teachers, however, could find the lack of detailed guidance confusing. The approach to appreciation/history of art as a suggested area of study offers an important extra dimension. 239. Schemes 1 and 2 are very different but equally valid, and reflect existing differences between boards in both O Level and CSE examinations. Both offer an appropriate framework for work in art for the entire group of pupils for whom the common system of examining is designed. The syllabus and examination 240. In 1 the requirement for course work to be submitted and assessed is a significant development, but this appears to be seen and assessed in isolation from the practical test and solely by the teacher and external moderator. There is no indication of concern to involve candidates in presentation and display of work, but candidates appear to have freedom to submit course work from various syllabus sub-sections. On the formally set out test paper some significant concessions are made, eg prior notice and extra time at the head teacher's discretion. The system of examination adopted has given rise to no serious problems. 241. It is stated in the general principles underlying the system of examination of 2 that 'the examination should allow of a wider range of activity on the part of the pupil'. Eighteen areas of study are listed which appear satisfactorily wide, but much depends on choice and development of subjects by candidates and teachers; for example, 'composition in any medium, 2 or 3D plus illustration' could become a narrow and restrictive study or could provide opportunities for appropriate breadth and depth of study. 242. The suggestion that the period of unaided work be as long as eight weeks is unusual. Some teachers and moderators find this period too long for pupils to be without specialist help (the period might, counting holidays, start in January) and it demands much of pupils during a time of general pressure. Other teachers have observed increased motivation, development of initiative and of purposeful individual working. In the report on the 1974 examination based on information from 60 schools, it is stated that nearly three times as many schools wished to retain this element as wished to change it. Nevertheless, there must remain doubt as to the wisdom of allowing such a long period of unaided work in the programme of some 16 year old pupils. Marking and grading 243. There appear to have been no insoluble problems in carrying out examination procedures efficiently and fairly. Course work assessment plays an important part in all the studies and this is both welcomed by teachers and seen to be effective in giving 'an accurate reflection of the pupils' capabilities. The pattern of assessment of course work developed in 1 appears to operate well, with the teacher working with two visiting assessors. Conclusion 244. The feasibility of a common examination has been shown by both examinations. The methods of organisation and examination have been shown to be very satisfactory, and the difficulties and problems which have been raised reflect problems in any examination in this field of study. The inclusion of course work assessment in a common system of examining has implications for the need to train more teachers in the techniques of assessment. 
|
