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TRANSCRIPT
A REVIEW OF
PHOTOGRAPHY EDUCATION
WITHIN VICTORIAN SECONDARY SCHOOLS
Jen Brown B.App.Sci. (Photo)
A thesis submitted in fulfilment for the Bachelor of Applied Science (Photography), Honours Degree at The Royal Melbourne Institute of
Technology, November 2004
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
i. INDEX OF FIGURES..................................................................................3
ii. INDEX OF TABLES ...................................................................................3
iii. INDEX OF GRAPHS .................................................................................3
1. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.........................................................................................4
2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.........................................................................................5
3. INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................8
4. BACKGROUND ....................................................................................................11
5. METHODOLOGY..................................................................................................15
6. DISCUSSION........................................................................................................19
6.1. THE PROFILE.....................................................................................20
6.1.1. THE SCHOOL .......................................................................21
6.1.2. THE TEACHER .....................................................................24
6.1.3. THE STUDENT .....................................................................28
6.2. THE INFRASTRUCTURE ...................................................................34
6.2.1. BUDGET, EQUIPMENT AND HEALTH & SAFETY ..............35
6.2.2. THE CLASS STRUCTURE ...................................................40
6.2.3. PHOTOGRAPHIC STANDARDS & GUIDELINES ................45
6.2.4. COURSE DIFFICULTY .........................................................48
6.3. THE COURSE CONTENT...................................................................50
6.3.1. PHOTOGRAPHIC SKILLS ....................................................51
6.3.2. PHOTOGRAPHIC PROCESSES ..........................................54
6.3.3. PHOTOGRAPHIC THEORY .................................................62
6.3.4. COURSE ASSESSMENT......................................................67
6.3.5. FURTHER EDUCATION .......................................................68
6.4. THE RESOURCES..............................................................................71
6.4.1. TEXT BOOKS AND PRINTED MATERIAL ...........................73
6.4.2. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ......................................75
6.4.3. ELECTRONIC DELIVERY AND RESOURCES ....................81
6.4.4. INDUSTRY SUPPORT..........................................................86
7. CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................91
8. RECOMMENDATIONS.........................................................................................93
9. BIBLIOGRAPHY...................................................................................................95
10. GLOSSARY ........................................................................................................97
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11. APPENDICES .....................................................................................................98
APPENDIX 1A.............................................................................................99
APPENDIX 1B...........................................................................................102
APPENDIX 1C...........................................................................................104
APPENDIX 1D...........................................................................................105
APPENDIX 2A...........................................................................................108
APPENDIX 2B...........................................................................................112
APPENDIX 3 .............................................................................................116
APPENDIX 4 .............................................................................................118
APPENDIX 5 .............................................................................................119
APPENDIX 6 .............................................................................................120
APPENDIX 7 .............................................................................................121
i. INDEX OF FIGURES FIGURE 1: Flow Chart. ...........................................................................................10
FIGURE 2: Stakeholders...........................................................................................15
FIGURE 3: Venn Diagram.........................................................................................21
ii. INDEX OF TABLES TABLE 1: VCE Course Schedule ..............................................................................13
TABLE 2: Data Collection Methods ...........................................................................16
TABLE 3: School Respondents .................................................................................21
TABLE 4: Teacher Respondents...............................................................................24
TABLE 5: Relationship Between Teacher Background and Desired Skills................26
TABLE 6: Student Respondents................................................................................28
TABLE 7: VCAA Study Score Compared with VTAC Scaled Score in 2003 .............32
TABLE 8: Recommendations ~ External Factors ......................................................93
TABLE 9: Recommendations ~ Internal Factors .......................................................94
iii. INDEX OF GRAPHS GRAPH 1: Desired Skills ...........................................................................................51
GRAPH 2: Photographic Careers Awareness ...........................................................63
GRAPH 3: Resources ...............................................................................................72
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1. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to thank my mother and family for their assistance in this project and their
tolerance over the 2 years of the study.
Imre Hollosy, Senior Secondary Curriculum Manager, VCAA.
Marjorie Courtis, Director, Hitech Marketing Services.
All the teachers, students, lecturers and professionals that responded to this
research, especially those who participated in the focus groups – for without their
input and co-operation this study would not have been possible.
Lecturers and students at the Photographic Imaging College, the Victorian College of
the Arts (Photography), the RMIT Bachelor of Arts (Photography) and the Applied
Science (Photography) courses.
My supervisor, Associate Professor Gale Spring, RMIT Applied Science
(Photography).
Jen Brown can be contacted at
0408 536 697
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2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
2.1. INTRODUCTION
The Applied Science Photography department at the Royal Melbourne Institute of
Technology (RMIT), wanted to investigate the photography program within Victorian
Secondary Schools.
The results from this research will be used to assist the Applied Science Photography
program, other photography institutions and secondary schools, photographic organisations
and governmental education departments within Victoria.
2.2. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
The research objectives are to ascertain within the Victorian secondary school photography
program:
1. The profiles of secondary school photography teachers and their students.
2. What respondents think about the current photography curriculum.
3. What photographic skills are taught.
4. What photographic skills are needed.
5. What resources are used by school teachers and students.
6. What resources are required by school teachers and students
2.3. METHODOLOGY
One-on-one discussion, questionnaires and focus groups were conducted with the
stakeholders to investigate the research objectives concerning photography within Victorian
Secondary Schools.
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The stakeholders for this research are:
• Secondary schools that teach or want to teach photography.
• Secondary school teachers and students.
• Tertiary institutions that teach photography.
• Lecturers and students at tertiary photography institutions.
• The Curriculum and Assessment Authority and other Government Education
Authorities.
• Photographic organisations, associations and clubs.
The research was undertaken in 2003 and 2004.
2.4. RESULTS
There were 906 respondents from 70 secondary schools.
2.5. CONCLUSION
An increasing number of secondary students are choosing to study photography and this trend
will continue with the increase in consumer products based on digital technology.
While most photography teachers aspired to excellence in teaching, many were limited by the
lack of formal training in the discipline. This lack of photographic knowledge was considered
the main limiting factor, within the photography program taught within secondary schools, by
past and present students and lecturers at photographic institutions.
Both secondary school teachers and students felt that there could be improvements made
within the current photography curriculum. While there were advantages to the teachers in
running a separate photography only class, there was also a downside in the loss in flexibility
and possible increased cost. It would assist photography educators if there was a standard
reference manual to provide a curriculum benchmark.
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Respondents would like to see more career education and awareness (other than art based
careers) and learn more about alternative photographic applications and processes
(commercial briefs, scientific illustrations and photographic manipulation). Students and
teachers wanted a higher content of digital photography compared with the wet process, while
teachers were unsure if they should eliminate the wet process. The comparative costs, safety
issues and demand are deciding factors in this decision.
Teachers would like to see an increase in resources and assistance available to them. Both
teachers and students wanted a website that related to the photography curriculum within
Victorian secondary schools. Teachers expressed a need for an organisation for photography
educators. Workshops with photographers and photographic institutions were encouraged by
teachers and students alike. Teachers and students are looking for more co-operative support
from photographic institutions.
2.6. RECOMMENDATIONS
It is recommended that…
• Increase of resources available to photography teachers to enable them to increase
their photographic knowledge and skills.
• The current photography curriculum should be reassessed to incorporate a broader
understanding of photography (not solely artistic).
• More information should be made available to teachers and students about digital and
black & white photography.
• Photographic institutions should make their presence better known to secondary
school teachers and students.
• A website that specifically relates to the Victorian secondary school photography
curricula be set up.
• An organisation for photography teachers be set up.
• Workshops with photographers or photographic institutions be run at schools.
• Increase in budget for department resources.
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3. INTRODUCTION
The Applied Science Photography program at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
University (RMIT) recruits students largely from Victorian secondary schools. The
department is keen to select applicants who will benefit most from the tertiary training, who
will complete the course requirements and who will apply their skills in their chosen
vocations.
The entry requirements are very loosely defined. Students are chosen on the basis of a folio
presentation and interview with no formal assessment of their prior training and very little
emphasis on their final schooling results. Instead, the department looks at the student’s work,
their motivation and passion for photography.
The department wants to gain an understanding of the current photography curricula taught
within the Victorian secondary schools. By doing so, it hopes to be more effective in
selecting the most appropriate applicants and also assist schools in preparing students who
may wish to study photography.
A research project was constructed to assess the satisfaction levels and future requirements of
stakeholders surrounding a number of aspects within the Victorian secondary school
photography environment. The results could be used to assess the suitability of the curricula
in relation to higher education in photography and vocational requirements.
This report also contains information that is applicable and relevant to other tertiary
photography courses, secondary schools, photographic organisations and the Victorian
Education Department and will be made available to these bodies.
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The goal of any educational institution is to produce knowledgeable practitioners of its
discipline. In this case, RMIT Applied Science Photography wants to produce graduates who
are skilled photographers
This honours thesis will contribute to improving the calibre of graduates by helping to
identify critical issues surrounding why and how students undertake photography training
within secondary schools.
The research objectives of this thesis are to ascertain within the Victorian secondary school
photography environment:
1. The profiles of secondary school photography teachers and their students.
2. What respondents think about the current photography curriculum.
3. What photographic skills are taught.
4. What photographic skills are needed.
5. What resources are used by school teachers and students.
6. What resources are required by school teachers and students
The information obtained from this research could be used to assist the following
stakeholders:
• Secondary schools that teach or want to teach photography.
• Secondary school teachers and students.
• Tertiary institutions that teach photography.
• Lecturers and students at tertiary photography institutions.
• The Curriculum and Assessment Authority and other Government Education
Authorities.
• Photographic organisations, associations and clubs.
The following flow chart shows how this report can contribute to increase the profile of
photography and the quality of its practitioners.
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FIGURE 1:
Flow Chart.
Higher quality of photographic education
BETTER PHOTOGRAPHERS SKILLED TEACHERS
HIGHER STATUS OF PROFESSION
More/Better students studying photography
School/Institution recognition
More funding
PROPOSAL
IMPLEMENTATION
SECONDARY SCHOOLS TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS
RESEARCH
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4. BACKGROUND
The Arts’ Curriculum and Standards Framework (CSF) published by the Victorian
Curriculum Assessment Authority (VCAA), details what students should learn about Art from
Kindergarten to year 10. The Arts include Visual Arts, Art, Media, Visual Communication,
Performing Arts, Dance, Drama and Music. The framework states the curriculum focus and
learning outcomes that should be achieved in each of these disciplines at particular year
levels. At kindergarten, students are taught to have an awareness of art and to “explore a
range of art forms such as… photography.” 1 From year 7 “students use art forms
including… photography” to “develop art works.” 2
The Arts CSF states; “(This report) outline(s) the major content to be covered and describe(s)
appropriate contexts for the course development. These statements do not constitute a
syllabus and do not prescribe specific teaching methods or the details of actual courses.”
And that “Teachers will design and implement courses in many different ways…”3
Hence, there is no specific photography curriculum written or recommended by the VCAA
for photography from Kindergarten to year 10. Each teacher writes their own curriculum to
achieve the Frameworks focus and outcomes, resulting in different teaching emphases and
outcomes from teacher to teacher and from school to school. Photography is often taught as
an elective in semester blocks or used as an extra medium in art class to allow students to
express ideas in an alternate material.
During years 11 and 12, and even as early as year 10, students complete their final major
areas of study at secondary school. This is called the Victorian Certificate of Education
(VCE). Instead of the CSF, the VCAA requires Study Designs be used for the VCE years.
These Study Designs relate to particular subjects, and outline the required ‘Areas of Study’
and ‘Outcomes’ that are to be achieved by the student. Photography at VCE can be studied
under the following Study Designs: Studio Arts, Art, Media or Visual Communication and
Design (refer to Appendix 1A, B, C & D for Study Design summaries).
1 http://csf.vcaa.vic.edu.au/home.htm 2 http://csf.vcaa.vic.edu.au/home.htm 3 http://csf.vcaa.vic.edu.au/home.htm
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The Studio Arts rationale states that it “…provides a framework for the establishment of
effective art practices through an understanding and application of the process of design…
Students generate a range of directions and potential solutions and analyse and evaluate
them before producing artworks.”4 Students are also required to have an understanding and
appreciation of the working methods of artists, knowledge of professional art practices and art
industry issues.
The Art rationale states that it “…encourages students to explore ideas and to demonstrate
effective working methods and a range of technical skills through personal and independent
investigation and experimentation (of art forms). It emphasises the progressive development
of personal concepts and the refinement of skills.”5 Students are also required to explore art
and to learn how it relates to society and to themselves.
The Media Study Design rationale states that its goal is“…to enable students to develop an
understanding of the relationship between the representation and technology of media in the
Australian media industry, to comprehend the narrative, production and processes
surrounding media so as to participate in a form of media production.”6 Students should
also develop an awareness of social values portrayed through the media and the influences of
media on society.
The Visual Communication and Design Study Design rationale states that it “…assist students
in the understanding, production and interpretation of a range of visual communications,
through the vocabulary and grammar of visual communication, which includes… drawing
and drawing conventions, design elements, principles and design process in visual
communication.”7 Students should also develop an informed, critical and discriminating
approach to visual communications encountered in everyday life.
Having four Study Designs available for photography, provides students flexibility in the
learning structure. The photographic style taught to each student can depend on which Study
Design they follow, as well as the individual teacher’s ability and the schools’ resources, i.e. a
4 VCAA, (2003), Study Design Summary: Studio Arts (2004-2007). VCAA, East Melbourne. 5 VCAA, (2003), Study Design Summary: Art (2004-2007). VCAA, East Melbourne. 6 VCAA, (1999), Study Design Summary: Media (2000-2004). VCAA, East Melbourne. 7 VCAA, (2003), Study Design Summary: Visual Communication and Design (2004-2007). VCAA, East Melbourne.
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student studying photography through Media may have a more journalistic approach to
photography compared with a Studio Arts photography student, who may have a more artistic
approach.
Although photography can be studied in these four Study Designs, the most commonly
chosen is: Studio Arts, then followed by Art and Media, and least often, Visual
Communication and Design. For the purposes of this study, Studio Arts is the Study Design
most referred to within this report, with occasional references to the other Study Designs.
These Study Designs are broken into 4 units, with each unit running for one semester. In
total, students select a minium of 16 units to study for their VCE. The Table 1 shows the
possible unit schedules. The only prerequisite for students entering these courses is for the
completion of Unit 3 before entering Unit 4. Option 1 is the most common.
TABLE 1: VCE Course Schedule
YEAR 10 YEAR 11 YEAR 12 Semester 1 Semester 2 Semester 1 Semester 2 Semester 1 Semester 2
Option 1 Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3 Unit 4 Option 2 Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3 Unit 4 Option 3 Unit 3 Unit 4 Option 4 Unit 3 Unit 4
Teachers are required to use the assessment tasks provided in the Study Design while teaching
students in a way that suits the school’s individual circumstances (budget, location, access to
equipment…). Again, teachers are required to write and work to their own curriculum.
Studio Arts, Art, Media and Visual Communication and Design do not teach only
photography – but encompass other visual art forms (painting, sculpture, wood working,
drawing, metal work, film, video, printed material, animation, design etc.) A Studio Arts
teacher may have a class of 20 students with 5 students doing woodwork, 3 doing painting, 4
doing photography and the rest using mixed media. It is the teacher’s job to be able to
balance and juggle the Study Designs’ requirements to suit each student and their chosen
field. In larger schools where more students have selected a common art form, it is possible
to have a homogeneous class.
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The VCAA awards students with a S (Satisfactory completed) or N (Not Satisfactory
completed) result at the completion of their study unit. An S achieved in all their study areas,
indicates that the student has successfully completed VCE. Each Study Scores is also marked
out of 50.
Another score is given to the student at the completion of their VCE studies. This is the
Equivalent National Tertiary Entrance Rank (ENTER). The ENTER is calculated by the
Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) from the Study Scores supplied by the VCAA,
and is used to assist tertiary institutions with the selection of applicants. The ENTER is a
score out of 99.95, which enables VCE students to be ranked against each other. A student
with a score of 95 has achieved better grades than a student with a score of 60, and is
therefore ranked above this student.
Many tertiary courses use the ENTER as the main selection criteria for accepting students.
Courses that are considered more difficult than others have a higher ENTER requirement. A
course that has a greater demand for places than supply, will also tend to have a higher
ENTER requirement. For example, the Finance/Law degree at Australian National University
in 2003 had an ENTER prerequisite of at least 95.00, while the Information Systems
(Computing) Degree at Deakin University in 2003 had an ENTER prerequisite of at least
59.808. However, other courses, such as most tertiary photography or fine Arts courses, do
not require ENTER scores as an application requirement, but may use an interview and folio
assessment as basis for course entry.
8 VTAC, (2003). VTAC Guide 2004: A Guide to University and TAFE Courses.
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5. METHODOLOGY
This study analysed quantitative and qualitative data collected from questionnaires, one-on-
one discussions, and focus groups from a number of stakeholders. The research was
undertaken during the years 2003 and 2004, with the majority of quantitative data collected
during September to November of 2003. Qualitative information was gathered during 2003
and 2004.
5.1. STAKEHOLDERS
Figure 2 shows the stakeholders that were targeted for this research.
FIGURE 2:
Stakeholders
Secondary Schools Photographic Tertiary Institutions
Photographers Government Education
Students
Photography
Students (who have studied photography in a Victorian secondary school)
Teachers
Government Education Authorities
Photography Students
Photography Teachers
Victoria
The foundation of the Victorian secondary school database used in this research was obtained
through the education department at RMIT. It was augmented with schools known to be
relevant to the study.
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The preliminary list contained 367 secondary schools in Victoria. As only those schools with
photography programs were of interest to the research, the list was reduced by selecting
schools that:
• Were known to run photographic programs (known through phone calls to
schools and personal knowledge),
• Were more inclined to run photographic programs (based upon an assumption of
the type of school),
• Had more than 100 students that completed a VCE subject in 2002 (in the belief
that a larger school was more inclined to run a photography program).
After screening, 217 schools remained.
All known tertiary institutions that run photographic courses or degrees within Victoria were
invited to participate in this research. There were a total of 27 institutions included.
Two photographers were interviewed for this research.
The Senior Secondary Curriculum Manager from the VCAA was interviewed for this
research.
5.2. DATA COLLECTION
Table 2 show the total number of participants and the methods of data collection.
TABLE 2: Data Collection Methods
Stakeholder Total One-on-One Discussions
Questionnaires Focus Group Follow up Questionnaires
Secondary School Teachers 70 YES YES YES YES Secondary School Students 860 YES YES YES YES Tertiary Teachers 4 YES NO NO NO Tertiary Students 15 YES NO NO NO Photographers 2 YES NO NO NO Government 1 YES NO NO NO
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5.3. ONE-ON-ONE DISCUSSIONS
Prior to conducting the questionnaires, recorded discussions were undertaken with one
representative from each stakeholder group. The information was used to identify ideas and
issues to be probed in the questionnaires and focus groups.
After analysing the results obtained from the questionnaires, additional one-on-one
discussions were held to obtain more details about specific issues.
In all, 18 interviews were held with respondents from 11 different education or photography
bodies
5.4. QUESTIONNAIRES
Questionnaires were given to teachers and students at secondary schools to obtain quantitative
data. Each group received a different questionnaire. Questionnaires were sent to the
‘Photography/Art Teacher’. On completing the teacher questionnaire, the teacher was given
the choice to request questionnaires for their students.
In total, there were 906 questionnaires completed from 70 schools
Each questionnaire consisted of two parts. Part A consisted of personal information. Part B
covered the photography curriculum, photographic skills and photography related resources.
While Part A asked questions that were stakeholder specific (and hence different for each
stakeholder group), Part B remained consistent throughout all questionnaires.
Follow up questionnaires were sent to schools that did not respond to the first posting.
Refer to Appendix 2A and 2B for the questionnaires
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5.5. FOCUS GROUPS
Focus groups were conducted with secondary school teachers, secondary school students
(with or without a teacher) and tertiary photography students to obtain qualitative data about
particular issues arising from the questionnaires
In total, 8 focus groups were held, involving 56 respondents from 14 different education
bodies.
5.6. DATA ANALYSIS
The data from the questionnaires was summarised and analysed as a whole (all respondents
within Victoria), by particular stakeholder groups (School Teachers only, and School Students
only) and in relevant classifications (male only respondents, country only respondents, etc).
(See Appendix 7 for results).
Means and percentages were calculated for each parameter. Qualitative material that was
gleaned from the one-on-one discussions, the questionnaires and focus groups was used to
complement and explain quantitative results.
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6. DISCUSSION
Respondents were asked to comment on photography education in secondary
schools. Information from schools, teachers and students was reviewed in the
following categories:
• The Profile
• The Infrastructure
• The Course Content
• The Resources
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6.1. THE PROFILE
This section examines characteristics of the school, the teacher and the students that
are part of secondary school photography programs. In particular it considers:
• The attitudes the school has towards photography.
• How the school delivers photography education.
• Photographic qualifications of the teachers.
• How teachers are supported by the school in delivering photographic
education.
• The reasons that motivate the student to study and continue to study
photography at school.
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6.1.1. THE SCHOOL
Table 3 shows the breakdown of the responding schools from the questionnaires. There were
67 schools represented by teachers, and 30 schools represented by students. Of the 30 schools
represented by the students, 27 of these schools also had teachers respond on their behalf.
TABLE 3: School Respondents
All Schools 70 100% Country 17 24% School
Location City 53 76% Private 34 49% School
System State 36 51% Boys 4 6% Girls 14 20% Single-Sex 18 26%
School Gender
Co-Ed 52 74%
Of the above schools, 57 taught photography within the VCE Study Designs Studio Arts, Art
or Media, the remainder did not teach photography at VCE. The Venn Diagram in Figure 3
shows the percentages of the Study Designs taught at these schools, ie, 5% of schools taught
photography in Studio Arts, Art, and Media.
FIGURE 3:
Venn Diagram
STUDIO ARTS 53% 7% 12% 5% MEDIA ART 0% 11% 12%
Our students can choose to study photography through VCE Media or VCE Studio Arts. Teacher
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The Art CSF recommends that students should have an awareness of photography from
Kindergarten and can be taught photography from Year 7. Therefore the entire school
population should have an awareness of photography. Of the responding schools, most taught
photography only during years 9 to 12. Not teaching photography to the lower year levels
was most often due to timetabling constraints, lack of teachers, tight budgets and health and
safety issues.
The subject most used within the middle years (Years 7-10) to deliver photography was the
photography elective or class (61%). 3% of the schools taught photography in a science class.
During VCE, the Studio Arts Study Design was the Study Design most used to teach
photography, with Arts next and Media last.
We run a semester course as an elective at Year 10 and offer the darkroom to Year 11/12 students when they decide they want to specialise in it. Teacher We currently run Media - Video at Year 9, Media - Photography at Year 10 and then Studio Arts Unit 1-4. Teacher
If a school had facilities for photography, then it was common for photography to be taught
though more than one faculty.
As we already have the photography department set up, and we like to maximise our options, we let the facilities be used by other departments. So we don’t only teach photography to the Arts students but also to the Media students. Teacher
The attitude of the school and the community towards the Arts, including photography, is
highly relevant to the status of photography within a school.
The belief that art is not a serious or professional subject, and you will never be able to make
a living from it, has a negative effect on student participation.
Our school doesn’t hold the Arts in very high esteem. We haven’t been given a very good budget, and so cannot improve our equipment. Our school doesn’t care about exhibiting student work – the subject isn’t taken seriously. Teacher We’re the lowest of the low when compared to other subjects, yet during open days our student displays are always boasted about, and used to show how good we are. Teacher
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Studio Arts is not considered a serious subject - which I believe it is. Student We have a very good relationship with our Principal. He believes that the Arts balance a student and enables them to have a rounded education. We get appropriate funding and equipment allowances because of the positive attitudes toward the Arts. Teacher
Pressures on the timetable and from competing subjects also discourage students from
enrolling into photography classes. In particular, there are often timetabling clashes between
Science subjects and Arts subjects which force students to choose between these disciplines.
As photography is nearly always taught through the Arts faculty, Science students have
difficulty including photography as a subject.
Over the years, the course has become shorter due to curriculum constraints. The very good students quite often don't continue as they can't fit it amongst their chosen subjects for VCE. Teacher Students can pick it as an elective at Year 9 or 10 (not both) for one semester only. Photography is also not offered at any junior levels (7 & 8) due to timetabling constraints. Teacher We have the computers and the software – but there are subject clashes (with Vis Com and other computer classes), so we don’t get as much time as we would like. Teacher
This schism, Arts versus Science, is reinforced by the portrayal of photography as an Arts
subject. Students with a scientific interest in photography (chemical, light, optics…) may be
unaware of the scientific component to photography.
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6.1.2. THE TEACHER
Table 4 shows the breakdown of the teachers who responded to the questionnaire. Two
teachers responded from the same school, hence only 67 secondary schools had participated.
TABLE 4:
Teacher Respondents
All Teachers 68 100% Male 25 37% Teacher
Sex Female 43 63% Country 18 26% School
Location City 50 74% Private 34 50% School
System State 34 50% Boys 4 6% Girls 14 21% Single-Sex 18 26%
School Gender
Co-Ed 50 74%
As photography can be taught under a number of VCE Study Designs, not every photography
teacher has the same teaching background. Although most of these teachers studied Art or a
particular art form during their Bachelor or Postgraduate Diploma teaching degree, 53% of
these teachers taught themselves photography.
26% of teachers only studied photography during their Bachelor of Education or on the job
while teaching. 18% have studied photography at a Bachelor degree level, 16% for a
Diploma and 4% through the photography industry, training or placement. 19% of teachers
have studied photography through short courses. As it is recommended for a teacher to have
the skills of the discipline they teach9, it is amazing that 12% of the photography teachers
included in this research had no photographic training whatsoever.
More country based teacher were self taught (67%) compared with city based teachers (48%).
I was thrown into the deep end when I came to this school, and I learnt pretty much everything on the job and from my fellow photography teacher. Teacher
9 www.teaching.vic.gov.au
24
I have taken over from a teacher who had minimal photographic skills as she was not trained in photography. This school employed me with the intention of improving photographic skills and knowledge in the middle school which would lead to better skills at the senior. Teacher
Most of these teachers do realise that the lack of photographic expertise can be a problem.
At our school we have a team of 5 teachers who teach photography with a range of skills and tend to PD each other. Generally the skill level of our teachers is very good. Teacher I am aware that I lack certain photographic knowledge, especially on the scientific side. Teacher As I learnt everything about photography ‘on the job’, I would like to broaden my photographic knowledge so I could teach my students new things. Teacher Some of my students know more things than I do – especially about Photoshop and computers. I’m not afraid to ask them to show me how to do something, because I can then pass it onto the other students. But I think some teachers might be embarrassed to look like they don’t know as much as some of their students. Teacher
For the teachers their lack of photographic skills and knowledge isn’t a major concern. They
believe that the main issues limiting their abilities to teach are the lack of equipment, an
inadequate budget and health and safety issues.
Our biggest problem with photography is space and safety in the darkrooms for traditional black & white. Teacher Equipment costs are probably the only limiting factor. Teacher
This is different to the view held by most secondary students and tertiary students and
teachers. None of these groups mentioned the problems small budgets had on their education,
and only a few secondary students mentioned the lack of equipment (mostly to do with digital
or colour printing equipment). The respondents felt that the lack of passion, skills and
knowledge of their teachers was the main limiting factor to restricting the students’ learning
outcomes.
The teachers are the most limiting factor - it would be preferable if they had actually done 'photography' as their major. All my photography teachers had majors in Art (such as sculpture and painting etc) and didn't really know that much about photography. University Student
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When looking at prospective students work during the interviews, you can tell which students went to the same school and had the same teachers. The quality of work reflects as much the teacher’s photographic ability as it does the students. Many teachers appear to have had no training or experience in photography. TAFE Lecturer I don’t understand how and why schools allow students to take photography when they don’t have skilled teachers to teach them! University Lecturer
My teachers didn't show much passion towards photography. This could have been helpful. University Student Many teachers seem to have little passion for photography and I believe this is the single most important factor. TAFE Lecturer
Of the teachers that did have a photographic background, 72% had an artistic background,
35% used photography as a hobby and 19% used photography for commercial and/or
journalism usage. No teacher had a scientific photography background.
60% of male teachers have an artistic background compared with 79% of female teachers.
The lack of photographic knowledge or background shown by the teachers is highlighted in
Table 5. This table shows comparisons between the results obtained from the teacher’s
background and the desire for more of these skills to be taught within the curriculum. For
example, only 13% of teachers have a commercial background, yet 43% of teachers would
like to increase the amount of commercial skills taught within the curriculum.
TABLE 5: Relationship Between Teacher Background and Desired Skills
Background Skills Commercial
13% 43% Scientific
0% 57% Journalism/Documentary
16% 70%
These comparisons show that if a teacher feels they personally lack a skill, it is probable that
they are not teaching it at all or, if they are, they do not feel confident about their skill level.
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It is encouraging that teachers can recognise this weakness and wish to improve their skills
and knowledge.
Of the responding teachers, two thirds taught more than one subject. The majority of teachers
(71%) taught photography through an art based study, while 21% taught it through a media
based study. Some other subjects, taught concurrently by photography teachers, were Maths
& Science (4%), technology (3%) and English (4%). One teacher taught Studio Arts,
Photography, Maths, Biology and Science.
A majority of teachers only teach photography at a particular year level.
I had 3 different photography teachers at school. One teacher for year 9, one for year 10 and one for years 11 & 12. I found this really confusing, as each teacher would teach differently. Often ideas and processes taught by each teacher would conflict. TAFE Student
It was suggested by students that it would be more beneficial and easier if there was one
dedicated photography teachers that taught all year levels. This would enable consistency of
teaching through the levels and allow students to become accustomed to a particular teacher
and their teaching methods and expectations.
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6.1.3. THE STUDENT Table 6 shows the breakdown of the students who responded to the questionnaire. The
students were from 30 secondary schools.
TABLE 6: Student Respondents10
All Students 838 Valid Total11 795 94%
Year 12 30 4% Year 11 265 33% Year 10 370 46% Year 9 109 14%
Student Year Level
Year 8 21 3% VCE (Yr 11&12) 295 37%
VCE or CSF CSF (Yr 8,9&10) 500 63% Male 227 29%
Student Sex Female 546 69% Unknown 22 2%
Country 171 22% School Location City 624 78%
Private 328 41% School System State 467 59%
Boys 27 3% Girls 177 22% Single Sex 204 25%
School Gender
Co-Ed 591 75%
The teachers were asked to approximate how many students studied photography at their
school in 2002 and 2003. From the 67 teachers that responded on behalf of their school, they
estimated more than 7300 students in 2003 and over 8100 students in 2004. Year levels with
the most students were year 9 (27%) and 10 (40%).
We have an overwhelming amount of Year 8, 9 & 10 students taking photography electives, however these numbers are not continuing into the senior years. It is our hope that in 2005 we will have a VCE Studio Arts photography unit up and running for Year 10 & 11 students. Teacher
10 Calculations are based on the Valid Total. 11 Valid Total refers to the number of questionnaires that were considered valid for the use of analysis. The questionnaires considered invalid were not filled in correctly.
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There are a number of reasons why a student chooses to study photography. During pre-VCE
years, years 7-10, schools often require students to partake in a number of elective subjects.
These electives mainly run for one semester, and are often considered as ‘extra-curricular’
topics. These subjects enable students to learn skills that are not part of the normal
curriculum and create an awareness and basic skill level of some of the subjects available to
them at VCE.
Art subjects such as photography are mostly offered to students in this elective form during
years 7-10. Because it is often compulsory for a student to select an elective each semester,
students who study photography during these years do so in two ways. These are:
1. They actively select it.
2. They passively select it.
The students that actively selects photography do so because they think it will be a fun,
interesting and creative subject or because they want to learn or improve their photographic
skills. Frequently these students mention that a friend or relative had done photography
before, and they wanted to try it for themselves. These students tend to be self-motived, show
initiative and curiosity, and embrace their photographic studies.
All I know is that I like photography and I dig it. Student I studied it last year as an elective and really enjoyed it. My dad is really into photography too, so he was happy for me to take it this year. Student It was something I hadn't done before and was interested in trying it. I had been told by other students it was fun. Student I chose it because it sounded cool and interesting. Student I like having a subject that I enjoy and isn't too stressful. Student I enjoyed it and needed it as a balance from my other subjects and as an outlet for my creativity. Student
Sometimes photography is chosen ahead of other Arts’ subjects because the student can’t
paint or draw. To them, doing any type of art that doesn’t involve drawing is an easier subject
than the alternative.
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I can’t draw or paint or do any of that stuff – so photography is a good art alternative for me! Student
The students that passively select photography do so because they may not like any of the
other electives on offer, or because it’s the only elective that will fit into their timetable.
These students tended to be more difficult to teach and less interested in their photographic
studies.
Because you have free time outside. Student I didn't want to do maths and I didn't even really know that it was photography. I was under the impression it was interactive media. I was wrong. Now I regret it. Student Well I didn't choose it my dad did. Student Because I had no other choice and I didn't like any of the other subjects on the list. Student
Cultural differences, student backgrounds, peer pressure from fellow class mates and parental
influence also influence the decision to study photography.
There are noticeable differences between the motivation levels of the students that I currently teach at this outer suburban public school and the students I used to teach at a city based private school. My current students don’t seem to care about photography and are not inspired about visual concepts at all, whereas my previous students would do photography during their lunchtime and initiate excursions to photographic exhibitions themselves. Teacher By allowing students to display their work in school exhibitions, other students can see their work and be inspired to join the course. There is also a benefit to the community. Teacher I didn't choose to study photography; my dad did. Student My brother and sister said it was a good class, so I did it. Student
Regardless of the reason for students to take up photography, 41% of year 9 students said they
would consider studying photography in year 10 and 21% of year 10 students said they would
consider studying photography in year 11. Female students were more interested in
continuing their secondary school photography education than male students. More country
students wanted to continue their studies in photography compared with city students. 15% of
country students wanted to continue studying up to year 11 compared with only 5% of city
students
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Fortunately, once the student had selected their chosen Study Designs for VCE, there were
few students that had chosen photography due to default. But there was a significant drop in
students studying photography in VCE compared with the other year levels. In 2003 only
17% of photography students studied a photographic Study Design in year 11 and only 11%
in year 1212. Almost half the country students wanted to study VCE Units 3&4 compared
with only a third of city students.
Interestingly, if a student was already studying photography through VCE Units 1&2, two
thirds were planing to continue their studies into VCE units 3&4. Almost half of year 12
students said that they were considering studying a photography degree and almost a third
were considering making it a profession.
To understand this drop in photographic participants during the VCE years, it is necessary to
understand what a student wants to achieve from the VCE. Some students select VCE
subjects that they enjoy, while others select subjects that will help them achieve a high
ENTER or the required prerequisites for their tertiary studies.
During the VTAC process of creating an ENTER for each student, a scaling system is used to
adjust the VCAA Study Scores to ‘allow for any variation in the strength of competition13’
amongst all students completing their VCE that year. This a complex process that results in
the VCAA Study Score achieved in a particular Study Design getting scaled ‘down’, ‘up’ or
‘not at all’ by VTAC.
Table 7 demonstrates the scaling applied by VTAC to particular Study Designs with a VCAA
Study Score of 35 in 200314. Note that the scaling is not linear.
12 Result from the estimated number of students studying photography in 2003 by the responding teachers. 13 VTAC (July 2002). ENTER into Tertiary Study: A Guide to the Equivalent National Tertiary Entrance Rank. 14 Refer to Appendix 3 for full list of Study Designs and their equivalent scaled score.
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TABLE 7:
VCAA Study Score Compared with VTAC Scaled Score in 200315
Study Design VCAA Study Score VTAC Scaled Score
Mathematical Methods 35 41
LOTE Hebrew 35 49
Australian History 35 35
Studio Arts 35 30
Art 35 26
Media 35 31
Visual Communication & Design 35 31
If a particular ENTER score is needed to apply for a tertiary course, the student is motivated
to achieve this score as failure to match this ENTER will result in the student being in eligible
for course entry. Often this requires the appropriate selection of Study Designs to maximise
the chances of achieving the required ENTER.
Many students believe that if they chose a Study Design that gets ‘scaled down’, then they
may not achieve the highest ENTER score possible, (compared with if they had chosen a
Study Design that gets ‘scaled up’), or they have to achieve a higher score in the first place (as
given by VCAA) to obtain a high ENTER score.
For example, if a student was to put the same amount of effort and dedication into their
chosen Study Designs, LOTE Hebrew and Studio Arts, and achieve a VCAA Study Score of
35 for both, VTAC would actually award the student 49 for their LOTE Hebrew score while
only 30 for their Studio Arts score. Therefore, some students are motivated to select the
Study Designs that will award them with a higher score, rather than a lower score, for just as
much effort. A student might think: “To get a score of 49 from VTAC through LOTE
Hebrew, I only have to achieve a score of 35 from VCAA, but to get a 49 in Studio Arts from
VTAC, I’d have to get about a 49 from VCAA, therefore, I will chose LOTE Hebrew rather
than photography!”
15 VTAC, (2003). Scaling Report. VTAC.
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As all four Study Designs in which photography in taught get ‘scaled down’, students who are
purely motivated to achieve a high ENTER score, may not chose to study one of these Study
Designs, unless they believe they believe they’ll do well enough in the study to achieve a high
ENTER without the assistance of being ‘scaled up’.
On the other hand, students that do chose to study Studio Arts, Art, Media or Visual
Communication and Design, and chose to apply for a photography tertiary degree, do not
have to achieve a high ENTER score, as most of these tertiary courses do not base the entry
requirements around a high ENTER score, let alone any ENTER score. Consequently, it is
the students that have a strong passion for photography, and wish to continue with some
aspects of it after school that most often choose it for VCE.
Another option for a student aiming for a high ENTER, is to do more than 4 VCE 3&4 Units
(more than four studies). As 10% of the students fifth and sixth best studies are included into
the ENTER, a student could select to study a photographic Study Design, and use these extra
10% to boost their final score.
The belief that it will be easier to achieve a higher ENTER score by choosing subjects purely
based upon them being scaled up, can be misleading. The VTAC uses the scaling system to
rank each Study Design against each other. VTAC determines the level of difficulty of each
Study Design, so that a study that gets scaled up (such as Mathematical Methods), is
considered a more difficult study than a Study Design that gets scaled down (such as Studio
Arts). Therefore, a student that solely chooses Study Designs that get scaled up to achieve a
high ENTER, is in fact choosing the more difficult Study Designs, and may not achieve the
best score due to the difficulty of the subject.
Another outcome of the scaling system is the attitude it implies about each Study Design.
Study Designs that get scaled up are considered to be ‘difficult’ subjects compared to those
that get scaled down. Therefore, the Study Designs that offer photography, (of which all get
scaled down) are considered to be ‘easy’ subjects, which inturn can create a negative or
inferior attitude towards photography.
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6.2. THE INFRASTRUCTURE
This section assesses the suitability of the current photography course structure and
guidelines taught within Victorian secondary schools.
Teachers and students were asked how satisfied they were with a number of areas
within the infrastructure of their photography department. These areas were:
• Budget
• Equipment
• Occupational Health and Safety
• Class structure
• Standards and guidelines
• Course difficulty
Overall, teachers and students would welcome a number of improvements and
changes made within the course infrastructure.
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6.2.1. BUDGET, EQUIPMENT AND HEALTH & SAFETY
Photography was recognized as a high cost subject. The budget allocated to photography and
the method of levying the funds varied widely between schools. One public school teacher
said she was given a $4000 budget, as well as charging her students $7 a semester, which
covered all costs (film, paper, chemicals), but that she had to ‘pull teeth’ to get that much.
Another public school teacher said that his school charges $25 a semester for Year 10 students
and $60 for VCE students, again to cover the main costs. At another private school, the
students have to pay for all their own materials. One private school budget allows students to
spend $800 per annum on consumables. For years 7-10, at another private school, their budget
was covered by the Key Learning Area budget while at VCE, the students had to pay for their
own requirements.
Parents are reluctant to allow their child to study photography or media because of the perceived cost involved. We have to reassure our parents that the course isn’t going to cost them an ‘arm and a leg’. Teacher Because photography is an expensive subject, when things get tough, we’re often the first department to be considered to be closed down, even though we’re the most sought after art subject at this school. Teacher
The cost and equipment associated with maintaining a darkroom and analogue photography is
impacting on the direction of photography education. Many schools have started to remove
the darkroom and replace them with computer laboratories as it is considered cheaper and
more cost effective to run a computer laboratory that can be used by a number of class types,
rather than a darkroom that is only used by photography students.
The cost of the chemicals, paper and water costs associated with our darkroom is often criticized by the school council. In truth, we are very conservative with our spending compared with what we could spend in a photography subject. It’s just that our bill is much larger than other Arts subjects, and so we are deemed to be spending too much. Teacher As 90% of the students prefer to use the digital equipment, it’s not economical to keep the darkroom going for the remaining students. We will therefore be closing down the darkroom. Teacher Equipment costs are probably the only limiting factor. At least half my course would be digital if I had access to more funding. Teacher
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Our facilities are limited (i.e. A darkroom with 1 B&W enlarger) so we can not offer photography or media as a stand alone subject. Teacher
Not only is photography an expensive subject to run, it is also an expensive subject to set up.
A school that is currently looking at the possibilities of implementing a photography subject
felt that putting in a darkroom was considered financially unattainable.
I believe that black and white printing is very beneficial to students for learning about photography, but the set up costs for a darkroom exceed $20,000. I believe that we would do better by putting that money into digital cameras and a computer lab that could benefit other subjects as well. Teacher
If a teacher complained about not having enough money within the department, it would often
translate to not having sufficient equipment for the course. The main problems concerning
equipment were:
1. The ratio between available equipment and class size
2. The lack of equipment
3. Equipment maintenance
There is often a shortage of equipment available for the number of students taking the class.
Often students are placed into groups of 2 - 4 to share cameras and film, due to the lack of
equipment. Class sizes often exceed darkroom capacity, therefore teachers often have to split
the class into two groups to maximise equipment usage.
Difficulty with facilities: Small Darkroom, 2 enlargers and 25 students taking the class! Very frustrating! Limited resources: No digital cameras. Computer labs with scanners and printer, but classes 'blocked' on with Graphics/Media/other art classes who all need to use the lab. Teacher I find that our class is too large and our darkroom too small. Student As our class is broken into two halves, when people are developing in the darkroom we are doing nothing outside. Student
Most teachers and students are frustrated by the lack of equipment available. The majority of
respondents would like more equipment relating to digital photography and larger printing
rooms.
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We need to use newer, more up to date cameras. Student We don't have any computers in our photography room, and we need a bigger darkroom. Student
The maintaining of equipment was also seen as time-consuming and difficult.
The maintenance of equipment is very onerous. Teacher A lot of our budget goes towards fixing and maintaining equipment and chemicals. Our film cameras often break and our enlargers often need fixing. The school doesn’t have the money to employ a specialist to fix it, hence we usually have to send it away, or throw it out. There are less maintenance issues with digital. The school already has a computer technician due to the amount of computers in the school and their importance. The digital side of photography is much cheaper and easier to maintain than the film side. Teacher
Teachers say they refrain from teaching specific photography techniques due to the lack of
equipment. For example, a teacher may not teach lighting techniques to their students
because the department doesn’t have any flashes or photographic lights. When black & white
film is being used, it doesn’t matter what colour temperature the lights are. Therefore if the
only lights, a teacher has access to, are 2 desk lamps, 1 fluorescent light and a window – then
portraiture can still be achieved with the right teaching. If a student wants to create a soft box
effect, but the school can’t afford one, then a white bed sheet or tracing paper would suffice.
A light box propped up on its side could even be used.
We had to retire some enlargers because the safety filter broke off and we had to spend money to replace 3 electronic enlarger timers because students would drop them and break them. Teacher
Teachers need to be aware of equipment alternatives or other solutions to reduce costs
associated with broken or unavailable equipment. In the above case, the following equipment
modifications could be implemented: The enlarger could still be used, but the student would
need to align the photograph and paper by using a printing easel or masking tape (if an even
cheaper alternative is needed). Instead of replacing multiple timers, an audible beeping
system that beeped for every second, by which all students could manually count, could be
installed in the darkroom.
It is important to note that a Study Design does not dictate what photographic tools a school
must use. They do not say “Use manual cameras rather than automatic”, or “Use digital
cameras instead of film cameras”, or “Only use flashes when teaching lighting techniques”.
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Being non-specific enables the Study Designs to allow all schools, no matter what equipment
or how big their budgets, to teach students photography and complete the requirements. In
fact, a student could use a pinhole camera if they so desired. Although the school doesn’t
need expensive or top-of-the-line equipment to run photography, it does need appropriate and
sufficient equipment to teach their students the best techniques.
Although the cost in running a darkroom for most schools is high, it is the safety issues
involved with the wet process that count most significantly in the move to digital. Handling
chemicals was a worry, especially concerning spillages and vapours. Dealing with
cumbersome holding tanks was considered tricky. Teachers were often uncertain if their
chemical storage facilities and air ventilation systems matched the appropriate standards
required by Occupational Health and Safety.
I usually try to scare my students by saying the chemicals will make their skin peel and flake off if they touch it. This usually works! Teacher Sometimes I have issues with chemical splashing onto clothing, or ties falling into the chemicals. Teacher My concern is to get the students to properly drip their prints when moving to other trays and to use a drip tray when transporting wet prints. Otherwise chemicals get stomped all though the classroom. Teacher We’ve had health and safety inspectors come though our darkroom – but I’m still worried about how effective our exhaust system is, and how safe our chemical storage is. Teacher
Appropriate clothing for the darkroom was raised. One school supplied aprons, goggles and
gloves in an attempt to minimise accidents, yet the students often forgot to wear these. At
other schools, photography students were required to wear shoes that covered the whole foot
and to wear clothing that covered their legs.
Large class sizes were a concern, especially when most school darkrooms can only hold
between 2 and 10 students at a time. Some teachers commented that although there was
generally a couple of highly motivated, interested and capable students they often had a group,
maybe a third, of disinterested students who had only taken the subject because they saw it as
an easy option or because there was nothing else they could do. These students were
particularly of concern with safety issues.
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Legally I’m supposed to be in the same room as my students at all times, and I’m supposed to see them at all times. This is impossible with a darkroom. Our darkroom can only take about 8 students at a time, which leave the remaining 15 students outside. I can’t be in two places at once. Teacher The students who enjoy photography can usually be trusted. It’s the students who don’t want to be there, that are the ones to watch. Teacher I’ve had some cases of bullying in the darkroom being an issue. Sometimes I get photos of bottoms and other things because the students feel they can muck around because I can’t see them. Teacher
Safety was a high priority and of universal concern, the general conclusion was that there has
to be a rigorous procedure in place to ensure that students develops safe practices and that
teachers are promptly and regularly advised on the latest safety standards and requirements.
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6.2.2. THE CLASS STRUCTURE
As described, photography is taught within a number of subjects – Art and Media in the lower
year levels, and Studio Arts, Art, Media and Visual Communication and Design at VCE. The
question was raised if it would be more appropriate to run a stand alone photography subject.
Some teachers and students felt that photography was a large enough study already and that
more could be achieved if it had its own Study Design. Others felt that if it was separated,
then the ability to mix mediums and retain flexibility would be reduced.
There are two types of class structures for teaching photography. Type one has a separate
dedicated class in photography. In this class, only students learning photography are present.
Type two has students studying all the Art or Media forms together (painting, photography,
sculpture, woodwork, film, television, animation…).
Class type one usually occurs when there is a large enough group of students studying a
particular medium that can create a homogenous class. These classes use one Study Design
and base all their teaching around photography and are seen more in larger schools. Class
type two usually occurs when there is a smaller group of students studying art which cannot
be broken up into separate classes (or the school can not afford specialised teachers). These
classes would also use one Study Design, but each student will focus their research &
exploration around one type of art form, for example photography. In this project, 24% of
responding schools taught photography through more than one Study Design.
Teachers have commented on the difficulty in teaching mixed classes, as they have to be able
to balance every students’ art needs and write a curriculum that discusses every type of art
form. Teachers of committed photography classes find that it is easier to base the curriculum
content around just photography and photographers. Teachers also felt that students from
dedicated photography only classes were usually able to go further in their chosen art subject
because of the teacher’s dedication towards the subject and that the students were able to
focus totally on photography.
At my previous school I taught a mixed art class. It was very demanding on me as I had to be up to date on all art types, be able to inspire all my students about all art types (even if they weren’t interested in learning any other art form than the one that they were
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majoring in), and be non biased towards any art subject. At my new school, I am only teaching a photography subject. I find it much easier teaching this type of class because all I have to do is concentrate on photography. Teacher It should be separate so to be taken seriously as a subject in its own right. Student I have been continually frustrated at finding enough time to devote to photography within the Art curriculum. It definitely needs to be a separate subject in year 11 in order to prepare students for a photographic folio in year 12. But I could not feasibly run a full photography subject here unless the facilities are enlarged. Teacher
Because a secondary school’s aim is to prepare students for further education or employment
after school and to provide the student with future life skills, it was felt by some respondents
that the current CSF and Study Designs available for photography may limit the student’s
knowledge of photographic applications to mostly art applications. It was argued that applied
photography doesn’t solely consist of artistic practices, but rather consists of a broader
spectrum of commercial (journalism, wedding, advertising…), industrial (medical, forensic,
research) and entertainment (sport, film) photography. It was suggested that a curriculum that
encompassed these attributes, and not solely artistic qualities, may be beneficial to students.
It was therefore suggested by respondents that:
1. The current Art/Media based Study Designs be altered to encompass these
broader concepts.
2. A Study Design that solely deals with photography be created.
It was suggested that these two options could involve the above concepts and teach students
more about photography as a commercial project rather than as an artistic outpouring. For
example, assignments could be based around clients, whereby students must demonstrate their
ability to produce an image that successfully fulfils the clients brief as well as demonstrates
particular technical and creative photographic skills. The exam could ask questions about
photography related topics, such as f-stops and film, rather than an artistic analysis of an art
piece. Most students thought that it would be beneficial to extend the training in this practical
way, but did not necessarily want to reduce the amount of artistic development currently in
the program. Extricating photography from under an Arts umbrella and placing it within its
own department, would allow photography to be positioned closer to science or business
disciplines.
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I have been concerned with the VCE Studio Arts Curriculum in relation to photography for many years. There is definitely too much content in relation to artistic skills which comes at the expense of technical and scientific skills. I believe that if it could be separated from the Arts subjects it could be balanced more appropriately between artistic, technical and scientific approaches. Teacher
However some teachers felt that despite the benefits of a concentrated focus, an entirely
separate photography curriculum would be too limiting and expensive to set up in a school.
Even though I have a major in photography, I would not be prepared to set up a specific course at this school due to time and budgeting constraints. Teacher A move to a photography only subject is, in my view narrowing, and best left to the tertiary sector. Teacher I like being able to play around with lots of different art forms. I probably wouldn’t pick a subject that solely taught photography, as I don’t want to do just photography, but I want to explore all types of art forms. Student
Some respondents feel that the inability to major16 in more than one art form during VCE is
another reason to change or add Study Designs.
As a VCE student keen to pursue subjects in the Arts, I feel that these subjects are not catered for properly. I have moved schools because of this situation, and am still unable to undertake more than one Arts subject. This is not only frustrating, but restricting for the students that intend to go on with a Fine Arts degree at university. In my opinion, the entire VCE program needs to be reviewed when it comes to art subjects. Student
While this student may have been unable to study more than one art form, it is possible for a
student to major in, and study more than one Art/Media form, but there are some restrictions.
As stated, a student must select a number of Study Designs to complete during VCE. If a
school only teaches one Arts/Media based Study Design, then the student can either major in
one type of art form (such as photography), or if they want to explore more than one art form
(such as photography and painting) they can major in the use of mixed media, or alternate
assignments with each art form.
16 In this context, major refers to the ability to fully concentrate solely on one art or media form throughout the full course.
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If a school teaches two Arts/Media based Study Designs, a student may undertake both Study
Designs. In one Study Design they could study photography, while in the other, they could
study video. They probably would not be able to study photography in both. Therefore, the
ability to major in more than one art form is possible if the school teaches more than one
Arts/Media based Study Design. But, the amount of ‘like skilled’ Study Designs (ie. All
Arts/Media based, or all Maths/Science based Study Designs) a student can study, can be
limited by the school and the VCAA.
A student will not be able to take a particular Study Design if it is not offered by the school17,
if there are too few students interested in selecting the study, or if there are insufficient
resources or teachers. The VCAA on the other hand, allows all students equal possibility to
study any Study Design, but it does limit the amount of ‘like skilled’ Study Designs that a
student can select. A student would not be able to select English18, Studio Art, Art and Media
Study Designs, nor could a student complete one Study Design twice (such as two lots of
Studio Arts), as these options would limit the students breadth of knowledge and future
possibilities.
While having a Study Design that is devoted to one art form sounds ideal, and may suit
photography enthusiasts, it does raise some problems. If photography was to have its own
Study Design, other mediums could also argue for their own Study Design. Therefore, Studio
Arts, Art, Media or Visual Communication and Design Study Designs may no longer be
needed, as students could choose to do their chosen art form through a specific Study Design,
such as a Photography Study Design, a Painting Study Design, a Video Study Design and so
on. This segregation of art forms, while beneficial for the single minded aficionado, would
limit the amount of mixed media experimentation currently available to students. It would
also require an increase in skilled teachers, school resources and skilled assessors. This
problem would be accentuated for schools that only run only one mixed Arts class, as the
teachers would be required to effectively teach different Study Designs in the same class. It is
believed that the current Study Designs for photography are appropriate for students to
explore their specific art passions, while being general enough to serve other mediums as
well.
17 There have been cases were students are able to enrol into a Study Design at another local school if their own school can not cater for them. 18 English, or an English alternative (such as literature) is a compulsory Study Design during VCE.
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Teachers and students thought that there should be more emphasis on photography (and other
art majors) at lower year levels. Teachers often found it difficult teaching new students to
photography in year 11 and 12 if they had never studied photography before.
We allow no specialisation at yrs 7-10, but we expect students to be skilled and be able to select VCE subjects with no prior experience. Teacher Having a mixed class of experienced and non-experienced students at years 11 and 12 is difficult and unfair to the experienced students. You need to start at scratch for the new students, which limit the amount of time you can dedicate to the experienced students. Teaching more advanced areas of photography has to be put on hold until everyone understands the basics. Teacher We only teach photography in years 10, 11 & 12. I think it would be beneficial to start teaching the students earlier, so that they are more prepared for the later years of school, and know what they want to specialise in. Teacher
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6.2.3. PHOTOGRAPHIC STANDARDS & GUIDELINES
The CSF and Study Designs state a number of achievements and outcomes that students must
demonstrate at a particular level. These are the Standards and Guidelines set by the VCAA
for secondary schooling. They state what students should be able to demonstrate and
comprehend at particular year levels. These guides are written in a manner that is nonspecific
and all-encompassing, due to there being many types of art or media forms that can be studied
under these areas.
Photography, painting, sculpture, textiles and printmaking can all be studied in Studio Arts.
Therefore, the guidelines and outcomes stated within this Study Design must be able to
encompass all these art forms while being unbiased and nondirective.
For example, the Studio Arts Study Design states that a student should “analyse and discuss
roles and methods involved in the presentation of artworks and analyse and discuss current
art industry issue(s)”19, rather than “analyse and discuss roles and methods involved in the
presentation of photographs and analyse and discuss current photographic industry issue(s)”.
Although the CSF and Study Designs are the main guidelines for teaching students, they do
not state what students should be able to technically demonstrate, in other words, the Studio
Arts Study Design does not ask more specific questions, such as “what does an F-stop or
shutter speed do in a camera?”
Respondents therefore thought that it would be beneficial to have specific standards or
guidelines that related to particular topics, such as photography. These would be used as extra
reference material along with the CSF and Study Designs. It was suggested that by using
these tailored guidelines, it would assist educators to teach more specific skills to students at
particular year levels. It also sets a standard on what is to be expected, or could be taught, at
particular year levels in relation to technical and photographic skills.
It is difficult to measure what is taught across each school at Year 10 or below. Teacher
19 The Board of Studies, (2003), Study Design Summary: Studio Arts (2004-2007).
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Overall, respondents were positive about this idea. Teachers were very enthusiastic about the
concept with 74% of teachers agreeing that it would be beneficial.
I think the photography curriculum is much too general, it would be good to have specific guidelines to help us to learn more about all aspects of photography. Student
Interestingly, country teachers felt more positive about this topic than city teachers. 89% of
country teachers agreed that this concept would be beneficial, compared with 69% for city
teachers. This could be due to country teachers feeling more isolated than city teachers, and
the difficulty of accessing a wide range of resource materials.
At the moment we only teach photography to years 10, 11 and 12. We are thinking of starting photography in year 9, so it would be helpful to have some guidelines about what year 9 students can comprehend about photography, and what particular technical skills we should teach them. This would save us time, and from stumbling in the dark. Teacher To me a guideline would be useful to confirm that what I’m teaching my students is correct, and in line with other teachers. It would be a good ‘pat on the back’. Teacher
Although most teachers felt strongly that this would be beneficial, it would in fact be difficult
to implement. Any system that delivered students with a standard level of instruction would
have to be done so as to allow all schools an equal ability to successfully reach the standard.
This would mean that the system could not be solely dependent upon equipment, budgets or
teacher’s knowledge. It could not expect students to demonstrate their skills in using a
compact flash, as some schools may not have this equipment.
It would be difficult setting up a standard, because you would have to write it to benefit every school – from the least well off, to the abundantly resourced. This would be difficult because not everyone has the same equipment or budget, and so may not be able to teach to a certain standard. You would therefore have to write it for the worst resourced school so as to be able to include every school. Teacher
Another comment made by some students, is that if there are specific guidelines or standards
that they must follow, then the freedom or flexibility possible in photography and other Arts
studies, may diminish.
I am happy with the freedom and flexibility of photography at the moment. I am able to take control of my own work and studies;
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however, I still know what is expected. Having set standards may restrict this. Student
If implemented, it would enable selectors of post secondary photography courses, to be aware
of what technical skills secondary school students should be able to demonstrate when they
apply for their course. Currently, it is difficult for the college to truly assess the student’s
photographic knowledge as there is no benchmark for comparison.
Overall, it was believed by respondents that a photographic guideline and standard would be a
useful, non-compulsory reference manual for teachers.
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6.2.4. COURSE DIFFICULTY
Respondents felt that the photography curriculum was somewhat difficult. Year 8-10 students
were impartial to this topic, while the year 11 and 12 students felt that the VCE curriculum
was difficult.
Photography mostly isn’t recognised as a subject that involves maths or science, so some
students who chose photography, believing that they only need to apply their creativity to it,
often struggle to master the more academic aspects. Understanding the relationship between
f-stops and shutter speeds, that a longer exposure creates a darker negative and hence a lighter
photograph, can easily confuse a student. These theoretical concepts often transform an
intuitive art subject into one that requires specific technical understanding.
It’s interesting to see how some of my students struggle with the idea of test strips. I can automatically tell that these students are poor at maths, and I only have to ask them, to confirm that they hate anything mathematical. Teacher You can see when a student understands a concept. When you ask them to demonstrate their knowledge of a long exposure, and they shoot a long mountain landscape at 1/200th sec, you know that they don’t understand the concept yet. Teacher
The concept that art and photography can be as simple as an Andy Warhol Campbell’s
Tomato Soup or a snap shot of Throwing 4 balls in the air to make a square by John
Baldessari, (Appendix 4), reinforces the notion that art ‘can be what ever you want it to be’.
Some students have a preconceived notion that, in photography, they can take happy snaps of
whatever they want, and the end result will be a fabulous art piece. These students are often
disillusioned when they are required to do the theoretical or repetitive tasks of the course.
I thought it would be fun but it's boring. Student Photography in year 10 doesn't extend you very much. You’re basically doing the same things all the time. Student
Because photography is a subject that allows a lot of creative freedom, a student can decided
how much to apply themselves towards an assignment. It is the student’s decision if they
want to do the bare minium or to push the boundaries. For example, take an assignment that
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asks a student to photograph a night scene; one student might choose to go outside in the back
garden at night with an automatic camera and press the button, another student might decide
to test a range of long exposures to show the movements of cars on a freeway at night. Both
students would successfully accomplish the task, but the first student would have finished
shooting in 5 minutes, while the second student would be learning about long exposures,
camera control, the pros and cons of a tripod, and that standing outside on an open overpass
for 40 minutes can be quite chilly. Notwithstanding their natural ability, what the student
learns from the course is proportional to the personal effort and attitude they have to it.
It was asked if respondents thought it easy to cheat within the VCE photography curriculum.
Both teachers and students were neutral on this topic. Year 11 students thought that it was
slightly easier to cheat then the year 12 students.
Visual diaries and technical understanding, you can't fake that!! Teacher
Although teachers and students did not see any evidence of cheating or plagiarism, university
lecturers had seen recycled portfolios from some students during the interviewing process for
a course.
We sometimes get prospective students showing us work that we have seen before. It feels like deja vu! Lecturer
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6.3. THE COURSE CONTENT
Most skills taught to each student, depend on the study they are taking, their
teacher’s photographic knowledge and their school’s economic and resource
position.
VCE photography folios depend on the context in which it is offered. In Media studies I mostly encourage Commercial and Artistic streams. Within the commercial focus, students construct advertisements and play with styles. Within Fine Art Photography I encourage experimentation - toning, collage, presentation, installation, site specific. Teacher
The following skills and subjects were discussed amongst the respondents to
ascertain if they are being taught or desired.
PHOTOGRAPHIC SKILLS
1. Artistic skills
2. Technical skills
3. Presentation skills
PHOTOGRAPHIC PROCESSES
1. Black & White
2. Digital
3. Other processes (scientific)
PHOTOGRAPHIC THEORY
1. History of photography
2. Career information and exposure
COURSE ASSESSMENT
FURTHER EDUCATION
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6.3.1. PHOTOGRAPHIC SKILLS
Graph 1 depicts the desire of the secondary school teachers and students to include more of
the mentioned photographic skills in the curriculum.
GRAPH 1:
Desired Skills
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
Artisitc
Techn
ical
Commerc
ial
Scienti
ficDigi
tal
Journ
alisim
Presen
ation
More A
ssign
ments
Histori
cal
Theory
Agr
eem
ent L
evel
studentteacher
Note that the ‘Agreement Level’ describes the desire to ‘have more’ of a particular subject.
1.0 represents a Strong level of Agreement, 2.0 represents Some Agreement, 3.0 represents
No Change and 4 represents Some Disagreement. (5 would represent Strong Disagreement).
It is interesting to note the discrepancies between the teachers’ and students’ desires when
comparing the photographic Historical and Theory content. Teachers agree that more history
and theory should be taught within photography, while students want it taught less.
Both teachers and students equally want to see more digital skills taught within the
curriculum.
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6.3.1.1. ARTISTIC AND TECHNICAL SKILLS
The process of creating an idea and putting it onto film, requires technical understanding of
how a camera works and how to process and print an image. Although students often found
the technical side of photography difficult, they understood the need to master the skills.
They understood that photography is more than just ‘point and shoot’ if they are to capture a
particular idea, concept or emotional situation.
I have not learnt much at all this year about techniques. I have felt like I was stumbling in the dark, and that I was left to learn by trial and error. I still don't know the elements that make a good photograph. Student I need more help in understanding technical terms and skills. Student I believe students need to understand both scientific and artistic aspects of photography, as it is truly an applied science. Teacher
Overall, respondents were neutral when considering if their curriculum was too artistic
Interestingly, there was strong positive correlation between technical and artistic skills. Those
that thought the course too technical also thought the course was too artistic.
I also feel it would be beneficial to have more focus on technical and artistic skills. Teacher
6.3.1.2. PRESENTATION
Some respondents expressed the need for more training in how to present their work.
I think that year 9 students should learn more about presentation. Student Presentation skills need to be more involved in photo classes. Student
Lecturers would like secondary students to have some knowledge on how to present
themselves and their folio at an interview.
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We sometimes get students at the interview putting a pile of bent and crinkled photographs in front of us. Sure, we’re looking at the student’s attitude and ability to become a photographer – but it would make a much better impression on us if the student took the effort to present their works nicely to us. Lecturer We get a number of students showing us their ‘alternative’ works that are printed on glass or t-shirts. These are interesting to look at, but it would also be beneficial to see that the student can present work in a normal – white mount board – manner. Lecturer
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6.3.2. PHOTOGRAPHIC PROCESSES
6.3.2.1. ANALOGUE & DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY
In the past, students would usually have their first lesson in photography by experimenting
with the enlarger and making photograms. This exploration helped students understand black
& white printing and the role of light. Students then would advance to a camera and film.
During VCE the student learns how to combine camera and printing skills to achieve artistic
and emotive pieces of work. But now digital photography is making strong inroads into the
photography curriculum, and often at the expense of the traditional wet process. Fewer
schools are teaching the film method, more are offering digital options. The majority of
teachers and students would like digital photography to play a larger roll in the secondary
school curriculum.
For teachers, the desire to teach digital photography can be reduced to a few points.
1. Schools or teachers desire to provide ‘state of the art’ technology.
2. Cost (cheaper than the wet process).
3. Health and Safety.
In the competitive market for students and fees, schools often feel compelled to provide the
latest technology in order to appear more attractive to students and parents. Sometimes it’s
the school rather than the teacher pushing towards digital photography and away from the wet
process. It is believed that a digital photography department (rather than the wet process)
makes a school appear ‘modern’ and ‘up to date’ with the current trends. Often this thinking
doesn’t match the photography teachers who see a benefit in the traditional wet process. In a
number of schools, that have undergone building construction of a new art department,
teachers have sometimes not been consulted as to the building requirements for the new
photography department. Often a darkroom has not be included in the new building plans,
even if there was a darkroom in the old department, due to a lack of communication or simply
because of the school’s own decision not to run a wet process anymore. Soon the number of
schools that don’t have darkrooms will outnumber those that do. Maybe the schools with
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darkrooms will attract students who wish to learn the traditional process rather than digital
methods.
Our school is rebuilding the art centre and considering removing the darkroom and replacing it with digital photography. This is a shocking idea. Student
Digital photography has a lot less health and safety issues and costs associated with it. Most
often schools already have access to suitable computers and all they do is purchase the
cameras, printers and software. This is generally cheaper and more cost effective than setting
up a darkroom.
Whilst darkroom processes are highly educational, they cease to be so when class sizes exceed safety and health concerns. We have moved out of the darkroom to digital for this very reason. Teacher Our students now do more digital than SLR work. The majority of students use digital cameras with Photoshop and iMovie. A smaller group still use SLR's and the darkroom but this it being used less because of supervision problems – a shame, but a reality in secondary schools these days. Teacher At this school, we are completely digital. Teacher We are thinking about removing our darkroom and adding more digital tools. A number of our students think that this is awful as they love black and white and think that it’s a beautiful art form – but these students are a minority now, as the majority of the students don’t care about black and white. It’s not cost effective to keep a darkroom running only for a small amount of students. Teacher At our school we are introducing a digital photography elective in 2004 at Year 10. We incorporate digital camera work in VCD, Media, Art and Studio Arts. Teacher
Most lecturers at tertiary photography courses do not care what photography tool (film or
digital) secondary students use. Yet some lecturers have commented on the lack of digital
knowledge and skill demonstrated by these students.
It is obvious looking at school student’s digital work that they have not been properly trained. It appears the students believe that a computer will do it all for them and their photo will turn out brilliantly. Some students do not appear to have an understanding of pixels or the proper way to print a digital image. Teacher
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For students, there are different reasons why digital photography should be used.
1. The desire to learn and use modern equipment and technology.
2. The need have comparable opportunities with students in other schools.
3. The desire to see an instant result.
4. The desire to be able to manipulate the images.
I think we should use newer cameras. We are in the 21st century, we should be using digital cameras. LIVE IN THE NOW! Who cares about the classical film and cameras. In a few more years that film is going to be obsolete. We should learn things we are going to use in the future. Student More photography computer programs would be really good. More digital equipment and techniques. Not only does it look good, but it allows students to express their creativity through altering the photos. Student More digital media and focus should be implemented into the schools. Photoshop and other software should be used in order to familiarise secondary students with programs that may be used in universities. Aside from this, a focus on mixed media is crucial in order to broaden students’ horizons. Student All my friends at other schools can use digital cameras – why can’t we? Student I feel that we should do more digital distortion. Student At our school we teach a combined digital and traditional approach, but generally students are looking for the quick solution, rather than the time consuming approach in the darkroom. Teacher
More digital work should be implemented into the curriculum. The lack of it is a detriment! Student
There are some students who do not see the need, or benefit, in being taught digital
photography at school. They believe that the only difference between the two processes is
that the images are solely digital. They do not see this as significantly different or more
amazing than scanning film into a computer to create a digital output. They see that the skills
used in taking photos are the same whether you are using a digital camera or a film camera.
These students tend to enjoy working with film and using a darkroom to produce their images.
I don't personally see digital photography as being worth doing in VCE photography, time is already limited enough. Student You can do digital photography yourself anytime as long as you have a PC. You can also learn it easier by yourself. Student
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Some respondents do not believe that film photography should be totally eliminated from
their secondary school, as they feel that the skills and discipline gained by the traditional
black & white processes equip them better in producing photographic fine art.
I enjoy using the camera, processing the film and the final outcome is generally fantastic. Student We use both digital and B&W. Students enjoy B&W and become very passionate about the subject. Teacher Most of my students, about 95%, select the 'wet' process over digital. Teacher
Unfortunately for these students, their views have become a minority within the secondary
school photography population.
Although some students think that not learning digital photography is a disadvantage, many
students that study photography initially chose it because they wanted to learn how to process
films and take black & white photos. The observation that digital photography is, or would
be, better than the wet process occurs after the student has started the course, rather than
before.
I wanted to study photography so as to have black and white photos, and have the experience of developing my own photos. Student
I decided to study photography because I thought it would be fun to learn how to develop my own photos and that it would be interesting. Student
It is interesting to note that students seem to associate photographic manipulation only with
the digital process. Most of the filters and manipulation techniques used within computer
programs are based upon applications first invented through the wet process. It is as if
students are unaware of the unlimited possibilities of manipulation through the wet process.
Polaroid Transfers, Cross-Processing, Toning, Multiple Exposures are just a few manipulation
examples that can be done through the wet process. Although these examples are relatively
inexpensive when compared with some other processes, they are still more expensive, time
consuming, unhealthy and unforgiving than sitting in front of a computer and clicking a
button.
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Students also see a benefit in the digital process as it is very easy to do the work at home as
well as at school. The family computer and printer is all you need, unlike the wet process
where you have to build a darkroom.
Many a mother has forfeited a laundry or bathroom while their child does VCE. Researcher’s mother
Some students could have a better computer and digital photography set up at home than their
school. This ability to process and print the image off campus should enable students to
complete assignments more quickly; both at school and at home, rather than just at school.
(Staying up till 11pm working on the digital images, rather than waiting for class time due to
no darkroom at home). The use of digital processes has the potential to be a more efficient
approach to teaching photography, so that more work can be covered in the curriculum.
Perhaps, as the emphasis on digital photography increases, more students will partake in
photography at school because they can see the instant result. Students will be able to safely
and cheaply play with photography and create interesting and exciting pieces of work that
they may not have been patient enough to do through the wet process or have the equipment
or budget for.
I only did it in Year 10 but it was a pain having to develop the photographs in the darkroom. I much prefer to use digital cameras and have instant access to the shots. Student
As reflected in the commercial world, it is anticipated that the trend of digital photography
will continue at the expense of the wet process. The recent closure of the Kodak film
processing facility in Coburg and the boom in digital consumer products supports this view.
This boom in consumer digital photography should flow through to the schools. Students
who in the past were disinterested in analogue photography, are being motivated with digital
imagery. Innovations such as small cheap digital cameras, telephone cameras (see appendix
6), and home theatres may inspire these students to learn more about photography. As digital
photography becomes a more ubiquitous, affordable and ‘vital accessory’; more and more
students will want to learn digital photography at school, and in response to this demand,
more schools will include digital photography into their programs.
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6.3.2.2. OTHER PHOTOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUES
To most students and teachers, the term scientific photography is an oxymoron. Not only do
many students struggle with the scientific principles of chemistry and optics, but they are
unaware of how important imaging is in scientific fields such as astronomy, forensics and
medical industries.
I don’t think that any of my students want to learn about the chemical reactions involved in making a print. Most of my students are hopeless at science, and do photography because they want to get away from it – not because they want to do more of it. Teacher I have difficulty explaining how test strips are done to some of my students – talking about photography in terms of science is beyond them. Teacher
Thankfully students can be blissfully ignorant of in-depth chemical reactions, optics and
lighting and still have fun producing an image. But it is also this ignorance of what scientific
photography can offer, that can limit the student’s curiosity in exploring other photographic
possibilities.
During discussions with students, an example of a Polaroid transfer, Polaroid emulsion
distortion and strip photography (see appendices 5A, B & C) were shown. All students said
they had never seen or heard of these processes, but that they looked fun.
Wow, they look really cool and interesting. Student That would be fun to learn. Student
The response was the same for teachers involved in the discussion groups. During talks about
scientific photography applications being used within schools, the teachers seemed to react
negatively towards the idea and reluctant to explore it further. Yet when a tour of the
university photography department was given, and examples of scientific applications were
shown to the teachers, they got excited about what they could do – especially when the
process could be easily administrated at a secondary school level. A lot of scientific
processes, such as strip photography, infrared film and star trails can be used for scientific
applications, and they can also be used to produce exciting and fun artistic pieces that can be
easily mastered at a secondary school level. Perhaps it is this ignorance of the creative
possibilities of scientific photography that makes teachers and students reluctant to try it.
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Another reason could be the belief that to create these scientific and alternative process
images, large and expensive equipment is needed. Some of these processes do require
additional teacher training or large and costly equipment and so may not be practical for a
school. But some photography equipment can easily be made. Teachers think that they have
to purchase an expensive bellows, extension tube or filters if they wish to teach their students
macrography (close up photography), but they could also use something as simple as a well
attached toilet roll between the lens and the camera to achieve a similar result.
The same with colour photography. Many students commentated on wanting to do colour
photography during class.
It would be good to have facilities so we can print in colour and not just B&W. Student I want to do colour Photography. Student
Teachers often do not allow their students to use colour film, as it can be seen as a lazy
option, given that students don’t develop or print their own film, but send the film to a
laboratory. Teachers also commented that colour photography wasn’t undertaken at their
school because of the cost involved and the lack of equipment for printing colour prints.
Although the costs, equipment required and the health and safety issued involved in colour
photography differ from black & white, the basic photographic skills gained and used with
colour film is almost the same as with black & white film. The camera works in the same
manner, you can manipulate the development of the film and the printing of the image (such
as cross-processing or push and pulling development – but you would have to ask your lab
technician very nicely to do this for you!). The main difference between colour and black &
white, is the fact that there is colour in the image. Colour itself can be manipulated to create
an interesting effect that can’t necessarily be accomplished with black & white film, such as
the placement of a red object in a green field or the use of coloured lighting to create a mood.
What matters is that the student can demonstrate that he or she understands the process
involved in obtaining the correct outcome. Ultimately when everything has gone digital, it
will all be done in colour anyway.
Some students know that the scope of photography is vast and they would like to experiment
with different techniques.
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It would be fantastic to offer students the opportunity for them to learn in grater depth and accuracy various photographic techniques. Teacher I would like to see different forms of photography, space photography, seeing black holes, infra-red, new technology to play with would be cool. The scientific side of photography is very interesting. Student I would like to have specialised photography electives (fashion, advertising, scientific etc). Student I would love for schools to take photography more seriously, instead of doing assignments like "take pictures of shapes”, I'd prefer teachers to let us do assignments that involve themes such as relationships racism… therefore we'd be allowed to really capture issues that occur in everyday life. To me that is genuine photography. Student
Teachers and students were asked if they thought that there were some science students that
didn’t chose photography because it was seen as an Arts subject, but if the science content
increased they would chose to learn it.
Students said that they did have friends who were not artistic and could be interested in doing
photography if it was a more scientific or technical. But the increase in scientific emphasis
would disenfranchise the core population of Arts-based students, and the overall effect would
be to reduce interest and participation in the course.
I’ve often spoken to our science teachers to try and do a combined photo/science workshop for our students. I had hoped that the Arts’ students would see the scientific connection in photography, while the science students would see a creative and artistic side to science. But we haven’t had the time to put it into practice. Teacher
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6.3.3. PHOTOGRAPHIC THEORY
Of all the photography topics, students found the theory module the most difficult to grasp.
I don't understand the theory and I forget a lot of it. Student Some students don’t really understand enough theory going into their exams. Student
Students saw benefit in learning about photography and camera theory, but (in true student
form) didn’t like doing too much of it.
Much less theory. Student There is too much theory to get through, resulting in not much time for practical work. Teacher
Most students felt that some theory should be replaced with a more practical, hands-on
experience, because they felt that this was a better way to learn.
I think that there should be a lot more prac involved as I can learn more when I’m using the equipment. Student
Students that chose photography as a relaxation subject, such as an art subject to break up a
heavy science load, or who were not considering continuing the subject, thought that learning
theory, art analysis and historical content was a waste of time.
I enjoyed photography and needed it as a balance from my other subjects and as an outlet for my creativity. I was only interested in doing it for the creative side, not the assignments. Student Why should I waste my time studying these things and doing SACs when it’s not going to help me in future years. All I’m doing photography for is to have time-out from my other subjects, to get me thinking about something else and to have a bit of fun. Student
6.3.3.1. PHOTOGRAPHIC HISTORY
Students are taught about history of photography to enrich their knowledge and understanding
of the discipline. While students would like to see no changes made to the historical content,
teachers would like to see more references to it.
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I believe that the appreciation of photographers past styles and work practices is highly practical to students. Teacher Digital obviously should grow but the photographic fundamentals and historical basis remain. Teacher
6.3.3.2. CAREER INFORMATION & EXPOSURE
Although most students do not plan to make a career in photography, there are nonetheless a
number who do see the possibility of using photography as part of their profession.
I am also considering a career in journalism, and wish to know a little about how to take photos for magazines and newspapers. Student I like photography and want to pursue a career in surfing photography and surfing journalism. Student I'm not entirely sure of what career path I may take but I am interested in Visual Communication or Advertising where photography would play a part and could be a benefit. Student
A list of photography careers was presented to the students who were asked to mark the careers
they were aware of. Graph 2 shows the career awareness of the students.
GRAPH 2: Photographic Careers Awareness
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Fashio
n
Weddin
g
Journ
alisim
Advert
ising
Artistic
Forens
ic
Animal
Nature
Portrat
ure
Underw
ater
Commerc
ial
Docum
entar
y
Archite
ctual
Aerial
Medica
l
Scienti
fic
Inves
tigati
ve
High Spe
ed
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It is interesting to note that the profession of an Artistic Photographer ranked 5th while
professions with a more business direction were better known to students. As the majority of
the students study photography through Studio Arts, an artistic discipline, it could have been
assumed that the majority of the students would have ranked the profession of an Artistic
Photographer higher.
A sixth of the students were aware of all of these professions, while an insignificant number
of the students didn’t know any. Listing the suggestions made the analysis easier but it also
overstated the awareness of career opportunities. If the student was asked to write down all
photography careers they were aware of, it is probable that they would not have written as
many as they marked. To assess what other careers the students were aware of, an
‘Other__________’ box was listed. Only 4% of students entered what they believed was a
photography career. Of these, 20% cited pornography, 40% were sporting related and 10%
were photographic applications rather than a job. Sporting photography takes up a very large
amount of the consumer market. It is interesting that only 2% of the respondents were aware
of it without prompts.
Not surprisingly, more female students were aware of fashion, portraiture, wedding and
advertising photography compared to male students, who were aware of aerial and high speed.
This was also somewhat correlated to boys’ only and girls’ only schools.
More city based students knew about architectural photography compared to country students,
yet more country students knew about underwater photography compared with city students.
Students attending Private schools had a better knowledge of career options in photography
than State school students.
Many students expressed their desire to learn more about what career possibilities existed.
Teachers also felt that career awareness was fairly limited in some students.
Students’ knowledge of photographic careers is, in my opinion, fairly limited. I would imagine that there are students who would make very capable photographers but have not considered it a viable profession. Teacher The possibilities of where photography can take you, needs to be made more aware to students, also what you need to do to have a career in photography. Student
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Studio Arts students are required to be aware of the Arts industries, but often the profession of
an Arts Collector or Dealer is not raised. These jobs combine the analysing and critiquing
skills taught within Arts courses, and should enable students to judge an art piece within a
context.
Students “research vocations and careers associated with the practice of art”20 in years 9 and
10 through the Arts CSF. Through the Studio Arts Study Design, students “develop an
understanding of professional practices and art industry issues”21. The Media and Visual
Communication and Design Study Designs also require students to have a similar
understanding, but the Art Study Design does not. It was felt by some respondents that these
Study Designs should make students more aware of photographic careers. Respondents
would like an increase in the theoretical and practical components of other, non-artistic,
photographic professions, such as commercial, journalism, forensic, medical & scientific
photography.
Some students think that it would be interesting, exciting and relevant to learn about different
photographic applications that relate to a variety of photographic professions. Others feel that
delving into these other areas is irrelevant at a secondary school level. Being told about
photographic professions is relatively easy; actually learning the relevant photographic
applications and techniques associated with these careers can be complex and time
consuming.
The course could contain things to do with other careers in photography, for example medical. Student I'd really like to explore photography professions. Student
It was suggested by students that to explore these career options further, perhaps research
assignments or photography briefs could centre on a chosen career option.
A project or research assignment based on a favoured career would be beneficial. Student My teacher gave us a page with a list of photography careers on it. As homework we had to research 3 of the careers we thought were interesting. I found this project really insightful, as before I didn’t
20 http://csf.vcaa.vic.edu.au/home.htm 21 The Board of Studies, (1999), Study Design: Studio Arts (Accreditation period ends 31 Dec 2003).
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know that there were so many photography career options available. TAFE Student They should have sub categories for VCE photography, so you can work and deal with things that you wish to do in the future either as a hobby or a profession. Student
Some photographic jobs such as underwater, high speed and forensics involve specialised
equipment, skilled professionals and specific locations that are beyond the average school or
teacher. Although teachers and students realise this, they still wanted to know what skills are
associated with which jobs. For the more unusual careers, specialists within each field could
demonstrate their skills to the students and teachers through workshops or job seminars.
However, skills that are associated with other photography jobs such as photojournalism,
fashion and sports photography can be easily taught within the secondary school environment
and can be quite relevant.
It would be handy to be able to start a career in freelance journalism, but I don't know how. Student I believe that photography should be strongly based on the commercial aspect of this particular interest. Student I feel all students should be able to write so they are able to write articles to work along with their photos. This would lead to more job options. Lecturer
Being aware of the range of careers in photography allows students to value the skills they’ve
been taught, and it also allows them to combine skills. A photographer might have to
photograph an event as well as write the article for it. These complementary skills should be
highlighted to students so they are better equipped for a wider range of jobs.
I like photography, but I’m not continuing it because I want to be a pilot. You could do aerial photography if you want. Oh yeah! I’ve never thought about that. Student I feel that a lot of photographers will combine their skills with graphic design. Lecturer
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6.3.4. COURSE ASSESSMENT You need tests for year 9. Student
When it was asked if VCE students believed that the final end of year exam was relevant to
what they had studied during school and their future photography options, most students felt
that the current exam was inappropriate.
For students studying Studio Arts, they must write an essay on the artistic styles and methods
of a chosen artist and write about the methods of caring for art, especially within a gallery.
Most students felt that it would be more appropriate if the final exam related more to the
practical aspect of photography rather than the theoretical side. Students said that it would be
more beneficial to be questioned on how they would go about photographing an object or
scene, or what they would do to fulfil a client’s brief, rather than the current exam questions.
I think it would be more beneficial if there was a question like ‘Just Jeans wants you to shoot an advertisement for their new range – they want you to show that this range is fun, good looking and comfy to wear. Explain how you, as the photographer, would do this.’ Student
This type of question enables the student to demonstrate and put into practice through words
the artistic styles and methods they’ve learnt. It enables the student to write an essay, explain
the theory and places photography within a workplace context.
Another change within the final exam that students thought would be beneficial, would be to
have a section that tests technical skills. For example, a question about how a photograph is
recorded or the relationship between aperture and shutter speed.
Of course, as Studio Arts, Art and Media encompasses a number of other art disciplines, the
above questions would need to be broad enough to cover all art forms – or specific questions
relating to each artistic medium.
One interesting point that relates back to students wanting to major in more than one
Art/Media form (see section 6.2.2), is that a student that studies photography, could in fact
complete their exam on the skills and knowledge surrounding ceramics.
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6.3.5. FURTHER EDUCATION
There are four main types of tertiary photography courses available:
• Fine Art Photography, such as Photography at the Victorian College of the Arts,
whose main focus is to produce artists.
• Commercial Photography, such as Bachelor of Arts (Photography) and Applied
Science (Photography) at RMIT, whose main aim is to produce photographers for a
commercial workforce.
• Portfolio Building, such as Photographic Imaging College, that helps students to build
their photographic folio to assist entry into other courses.
• Short Courses, such as the Council of Adult Education (CAE) or those run by
photographic organisations that provide special interest training.
As our course’s aim is to produce commercial photographers, the applying student needs to be aware of this before applying. Students need to be aware of these course differences so to not be shocked when we give briefs reflecting client requests rather than asking them to explore their childhood. Lecturer
Students usually receive information about these course options through their teacher. The
teacher receives material directly from the institutions, or from a careers counsellor.
Sometimes the relevant information is hard to access.
My son filled out your questionnaire the other day, and it has opened his eyes to photography. Can you tell us of some places where he could study photography and find out more about what is possible? A student’s mother who phoned for information as a result of this questionnaire.
Teachers and students commented on the daunting process in applying for a tertiary
photography course. Firstly, there is a limited number of entry places for a course compared
with the number of applicants. In 2004, the Applied Science Photography program at RMIT
had a 300% increase in applicants compared with the previous year22, but the amount of
available places was static at 20-25 students.
22 Farrah Tomazin, (14-1-04). Demand to push up uni entry scores. The Age.
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Some of my students are deterred from applying to photography courses because they believe that they might not be good enough. Most photography courses usually have 200 people applying with only 20 getting placements. The fear of failure is quite daunting to many students. Teacher Photography has many different possibilities if you take it up to the professional level, but you have to be good at it and stand out from the rest. Student
Secondly, photography courses can be expensive. Not only are tuition fees expensive,
particularly for full fee paying students or at private institutions, but the equipment and
consumables demanded by the course are also costly.
The cost is an important factor for career options; often students are unable to continue training past secondary school because of the cost. HECS is manageable, but privately run courses are very expensive. Teacher Why get their hopes up about the ‘wonderful world of photography’, when most of them can’t afford to continue studying it? Teacher I had a student once who really wanted to study photography – his parents ended up mortgaging their house to pay for his fees. Teacher
Although students are discouraged from applying for these courses because they believe they
are not good enough to get into the few places on offer and the high costs involved, lecturers
are not exclusively looking for a student that has won awards or accolades for their work.
We don’t just select students on the basis of their work – but also on their intellect, personality and creative ideas – it’s better for the student to show us poor work, or even no work, and tell us how passionate they are about photography. Lecturer The quality and technical achievements shown in applicants’ folios can vary significantly. This variation does not necessarily correlate to the students’ skills, but to the equipment the school possesses. We understand that a student’s true talent could be hidden by the lack of good equipment or poor teachers. We try to select students that will suit the course, and not necessarily the students with the most polished work. Lecturer
When applying for further education within photography, lecturers at TAFEs and Universities
would like students to display an awareness in the following areas.
• An understanding of the tertiary course content.
• An insight into a number of photography careers.
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• An in-depth understanding of 3 or more photographers and their work.
• A wide range of works that portray more than one idea or theme.
• The ability to present and display their work in an appropriate manner.
• The ability to show commitment, dedication and passion towards photography.
• For their work and personality to display creativity, maturity and intellect.
Lecturers have also said that they would like to see interviewing students present more than
one style of work, and feel that it is the responsibility of the VCE Study Designs to ask
students to produce more than one style.
A number of students applying for our course only show us one type of work – I believe this is mostly due to students only showing us work that they have completed for VCE (who would have time to do anything else?). It appears that the VCE briefs only want students to work with one idea – even if it asks students to ‘experiment’ and present it in different ways. A course that only asks students (even if it is a secondary school course) to produce only one idea, is fairly limited and unrepresentative of the real world to me. Lecturer
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6.4. THE RESOURCES
There are many resources that are available to assist teachers and students, ranging
from books and websites, to face-to-face interaction. This section looks at current
and future requirements.
I would prefer if there was more information and support available to me as a photography teacher. Teacher
The following list of resources was looked at in depth.
1. Textbooks and Printed Material
2. Professional Development
1. Conferences and Conventions
2. Photographic Workshops
3. Electronic delivery
1. Website
2. Interactive Media Tool
4. Industry Support
1. Organisations
2. Mentoring Programs
3. Artist in Residence
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Graph 3 shows the level of benefit perceived by secondary school teachers and students for
the resources specified. The resources are ranked in order of importance, according to all
respondents.
GRAPH 3:
Resources
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
Work
shop
Websit
e
Text B
ook
Confer
ence
Intera
ctive
Med
ia
Traveli
ng W
orksh
op
Organis
ation
Agr
eem
ent L
evel
Student
Teacher
AllRespondents
Note that an agreement level of 1.0 represents Strong Benefit, 2.0 represents Some Benefit,
while 3.0 represent Unsure. (4.0 and 5.0 would represent the negative benefit).
It is interesting to note the discrepancies between the strength of the students’ and teachers’
desires for these resources.
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6.4.1. TEXT BOOKS AND PRINTED MATERIAL
There are thousands of ‘How To’ photography books and magazines available to teachers and
students. These books range from the simple ‘The Dummy’s Guide to Photography’ to more
advanced and technical books such as “The Focal Press Encyclopaedia of Photography”.
There is also a wide range of printed material of interest to the photography student –
magazines, reports, product pamphlets, catalogues. These are all excellent sources of
photographic information, but they are not all relevant to the CSF or Study Designs and can
be expensive. They are an inefficient way for teachers to source materials for the school
curriculum.
Technical books are too technical. Teacher
As a teacher must successfully incorporate the required assessment tasks outlined in the CSF
or Study Designs into their own written curriculum and also teach students all aspects of
photography, it was suggested that a specific photography workbook be written to accompany
the CSF and Study Designs. This workbook would contain information about the camera,
printing and digital information, suggested photographic techniques as well as assignments
and quizzes to test the student’s knowledge. There could be a supplementary workbook for
teachers to be used in conjunction with this standard text.
Overall, teachers and students agreed that a specific workbook would be very beneficial.
Students rated the workbook as second most beneficial resource against the other resources
suggested. Teachers felt that a workbook would be very beneficial for themselves, but not as
beneficial for students.
Some teachers used the Sandra Jane publication of “Photography Production and
Appreciation” as if it were a dedicated VCE text.
I have used the Sandra Jane Publication since it was first published and found it good. It combines good visuals, student work, photography history and photographic styles. I like the way she tied in the relevant aspects to the CSF and to the VCE Studio Art/Arts Study Design… Unfortunately, it lacks in the technical area and does not acknowledge other fields - commercial, medical, forensic, scientific fields. Teacher
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This publication is now out of print and very difficult to obtain, yet it is one of the only
photography books available that directly relates to the Victorian Photography CSF or Study
Designs.
Although most students saw the benefit of a workbook, others felt that they did not want to
follow the book slavishly as this would limit the amount of artistic freedom they currently
have in photography.
I would use the book to look at, but I wouldn’t want to have a book that I had to fill in the missing words or to complete a number of pages for homework. Student
Teachers would also like to see smaller publications such as magazines or product flyers which would be easier to pin onto walls.
I like the small publication 'Images' by Ilford - they are really making an effort to enlighten and assist others. Teacher
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6.4.2. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
6.4.2.1. CONFERENCES & CONVENTIONS
All teachers felt that conferences and conventions would be very beneficial and an excellent
resource for Professional Development (PD).
When teachers responded for their students, 75% agreed that attendance at conferences and
conventions would be beneficial. Interestingly, private school teachers felt that their students
would appreciate conferences more (85%), compared with state school teachers (67%).
The following four factors were relevant to the decision to attend a conference or convention:
Topic, Location, Cost and Date.
Teachers suggested the following topics as being of interest for an educator’s conference:
• Pros and cons of the digital and analogue systems
• Digital photography
• Setting up a computer laboratory
• Photographic computer programs, such as Photoshop
• Darkroom printing techniques and set up
• Equipment for schools
• Implementing photography into a curriculum (for new teachers or schools, setting
up photography, and for experienced teachers to confirm or refresh their ideas).
Specific curricular based information would be very useful, especially on technical aspects and darkroom techniques for black & white photography. Information on the use of software and printing options for digital imagery would also be valuable. Teacher Especially useful would be topics on equipment and materials available & uses, maintenance of equipment, and new approaches to the use of chemicals. Occupational health and safety information briefings would be great also. Teacher
The location of the conference was also a factor. Teachers weren’t prepared to travel far,
even if the other three factors were enticing. A country based teacher would be less willing to
travel to Melbourne for a 3 hour lecture than a City based teacher.
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Smaller, relatively isolated country schools such as this one do not have ready or easy access to courses, seminars, training. Teacher
They would need to be held in a variety of locations, not all in Melbourne. Teacher Regional workshops would be great for those of us who do not live near Melbourne. Teacher
Regarding the price, teachers were prepared to pay $30-$60 for a one day conference where
they just sat and listened. If the conference was more practical and provided support material,
teachers were prepared to pay double. If the teacher was doing the course as a PD, then the
school would cover the cost, in this case, the teacher would be prepared to enrol in a more
expensive course.
Attendance at conferences could be increased by reducing the expense. For example, a
financial incentive could be incorporated to cover travel costs, or a billeting option or reduced
accommodation costs for more than two day conferences. This would have added benefits of
improving teacher networking.
It was suggested that appropriate dates for such events should be either at the beginning of the
year or at the start of the second semester. These dates were less hectic and in time for new
information to be implemented into the curriculum. The actual day of the event was disputed
by the teachers. Some felt that it should only be conducted on a school day.
Professional Development days are undertaken to improve your skills and in turn the school’s position. I do PDs for work so I should go to PDs during my work time. They should therefore be run during a school day and not on a weekend or school holiday which is for my own personal time. Teacher
Other teachers felt that it would not be cost effective or productive to have these events during
school days.
It is difficult to get time release for PD in school hours. Teacher
It was considered beneficial to have a number of events a year so that if one was missed, it
would not be long before the next. On the other hand, if there was a number of events per
year, the attendance rate at each would be lower than if there were only a few a year. All
teachers preferred to be at a conference for a day, rather than a few hours. Teachers also
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commented on the difficulty of having to take more than one day off school, or their own
personal time, if the conference was a few days duration.
The factors Topic, Location, Cost and Date are also important issues for students when
considering whether to attend a conference or convention. Students thought they would be
beneficial, but uncertain if they would attend.
Students weren’t concerned about the conference topic. Most students agreed that an
interactive experience, i.e. a workshop, would be more interesting than a lecture. It would
also have to appeal and be relevant to a younger audience.
It was suggested that the traditional structure of a convention (sitting down for a long time,
listening to old people drone on) may not appeal to the middle school (years 7-10) students
(and to some extent year 11 & 12 students). If it was made interesting with practical hands on
examples, then maybe the interaction rates would be higher at these levels. In other words,
for students a conference presented in a workshop style would be more appealing.
Attendance would be increased if the event was a school activity chosen and paid for by the
school, rather than an individual choice or individual payment. Payment ranged from the
school covering the full cost for each attending student, to the student paying for everything –
the event cost as well as travel cost (public transport or hired bus). These travel costs are
higher for country based schools.
It was considered difficult for students to attend conferences held in a location away from
their school. As most students don’t drive, they are dependant on local transport or their
parents to get them there. Students would be more motivated to go to a conference if there
was less travel time involved as this would limit the time they were away from their studies or
social life. Therefore the best location for the conference would be at their school or at a local
or central location.
Most students said they would not want to pay for an event. Some students would be willing
to pay $15-$20 for a lecture, but would pay more for a practical or hands on experience.
It is difficult for a student to miss other classes to go to a photography conference or
convention, especially during the VCE years. It was felt that the most appropriate time for a
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self motivating student to attend would be during school holidays or the weekends. If the
students went as a class group, the most appropriate time would be during their class time – or
during the school day.
6.4.1.2. PHOTOGRAPHIC WORKSHOPS
Workshops with universities and or photographers rated (equal) first for both teachers and
students. Individually, students rated this resource as their favourite, while for teachers it was
their second favourite. 91% of teachers felt that this resource would be very beneficial and no
teacher thought that it would not be beneficial. 68% of students felt that this resource would
be very beneficial.
The benefit of workshops diminished through the year levels. 87% of the year 12 students
thought it would be very beneficial compared to 75% of year 11, 65% year 10, 62% year 9
and 43% year 8 students. No year 12 student felt that this resource would not be beneficial.
Interestingly, male students didn’t find this resource as beneficial as female students did; only
52% of male student thought that workshops would be very beneficial compared to 76% of
female students.
I would really like it if we had a day when a professional photographer would come into the school and tell us about their life and how they become interested in the career and why. Student Undertaking workshops with professionals would be an exciting and beneficial experience. Student Photography is a great subject. It would be nice to have a couple of workshops with photographers etc. to learn new skills with hands on approach supported by people actually in the industry. Student
Teachers and students saw this as a way of connecting with working commercial and
professional photographers and post-secondary photography institutions. It was a way of
showing students what opportunities existed in photography beyond school. Students liked
the idea of learning from a professional and finding out what actually happens if you’re a
photographer running a business, as well as taking a preview of what a TAFE or University
course would be like. Teachers saw the benefit of having workshops for themselves as it
enabled them to learn new skills and receive something back from the photographic
institutions.
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I can imagine that photographic workshops aimed at students whether outside school hours or on the holidays would be beneficial and perhaps quite popular. Teacher Instruction from experts would be invaluable. Teacher It would be fantastic if workshops and lectures could include students and if institutions could offer a range of subjects and topics that students could grasp. Teacher Victorian College of the Arts did some workshops at our school for regional staff. Latrobe University does run photographic workshops during holidays. Teacher
Again, the location where the workshops were run created some discussion. Often the only
option was for the students to go to an off-campus location (i.e., the university or photography
studio). Students and teachers liked this idea, as it gave them an insight into the workings and
layout of a professional photography area. Although going to the actual location was
beneficial, most teachers felt that the best location would be at their school – in this way the
students wouldn’t need to miss many classes nor would the school need to organise transport.
This was especially the case for country schools where it would be difficult to drive 3 hours to
a university or a photographer’s studio. Alternatively, a location that was situated within the
local vicinity would also be appropriate.
Regional workshops would be great for those of us who do not live near Melbourne. Teacher It would be nice for a photographer/university/organisation to come to our school and set up some equipment to show our students how exciting photography can be. Teacher It would be more beneficial for the workshop convenor to use our school equipment. It may be fun and exciting to see them using all wiz-bang equipment, but if my students or I can’t replicate it with our equipment, then what good is the workshop to us? Teacher
It was therefore suggested that a travelling workshop could come to the school to teach
students and teachers about photography. Teachers thought that the travelling workshop
would benefit their students more than themselves, as they rated it fourth for their students
and sixth for themselves. It is interesting to note that workshops with photographers and or
universities/TAFEs rated first for both teachers and students, yet a travelling workshop (that
could be run by these organisations) did not rate as high, even though it eliminated the factor
of travelling long distances to a workshop.
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The Travelling Workshop idea would be most welcome to me. Teacher Travelling Workshops would be really good, but at the end of the day, I think it comes down to the students and teachers. You need to have the right kinds of teachers, at the same time students have to be keen to learn. Student
By definition, a travelling workshop would have to go to 100 schools, rather than the 100
schools going to the workshop. It was suggested that a compromise position be reached,
whereby neighbouring schools would join forces to site the workshop at one central location.
This would enable a number of photography students from a local area to participate at a
workshop held at one school. Teachers and students saw a benefit in this idea, as it would
allow teachers and students to network and share costs and ideas, but the host school would
need to own or borrow enough equipment and have large enough space to cater for the
workshop and students.
We already have students from another school use our studio and darkroom during after school hours. Teacher
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6.4.3. ELECTRONIC DELIVERY AND RESOURCES
6.4.3.1. INTERACTIVE MEDIA TOOL
The internet and interactive CD’s are a great source of photographic information for teachers
and students, and are very widely used. But no respondent mentioned the use of any website
or interactive CDs that relate specifically to teaching photography at Victorian schools.
Overall respondents rated an interactive media tool third most beneficial resource. Male
respondents weren’t as positive about this resource as females were. Amongst the teachers,
72% of males believed that an interactive media tool would be beneficial compared with 88%
of female teachers. When comparing male and female students, 44% of male students
thought that an interactive media tool would be beneficial compared with 58% of female
students.
Although an independent interactive media tool was seen as beneficial, both teachers and
students felt that it would be more suited and appropriate if it was incorporated within a
website. Teachers and students felt that they would prefer to use the website rather than an
independent learning system.
I have developed an interactive media using the Flash program that other schools use. Teacher An interactive media tool that informs me about equipment and software usage would be useful. Student
6.4.3.2. WEBSITE
When talking to students and teachers, the idea of a website that related specifically to the
Victorian secondary school photography curricula was very positively received. From the
questionnaire, this resource was rated first by all respondents. Teachers felt that a website
would be very beneficial to teachers and to students and was rated first for both. Students saw
a benefit for a website and rated a website third amongst the suggested resources.
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Some of the ideas that teachers and students would like to see in a dedicated Victorian
Secondary School Photography website are:
• A chat site for both teachers and students.
• An exhibition space for works by students and teachers.
• Notices and reviews about photographic exhibitions, conferences and
organisations.
• Reviews and links to photographers & photography sites.
• Books and resources reviews.
• Equipment information.
• Examples and information about conventional and unconventional photographic
techniques.
• Competitions.
• Information and links about further photography courses.
• Information and links about photography careers.
• Information and links to professional associations.
• Example SACs and exam papers.
• Information on Health and Safety Issues.
• Information relevant to the photography content in the CSF and Study Designs for
teachers and students.
Both teachers and students liked the idea of having a chat site where they could ask questions
and receive feed back. Students would like to hear from photography professionals as well as
other students and teachers. Teachers would like to use a chat site to ask other teachers and
photography professionals about lesson plans and teaching ideas.
Teachers liked the idea of an exhibition space for student and teacher works, as this would
help to promote the school and boost student confidence. It would also teach students about
exhibiting work. Students liked this idea, as it enabled them to see works by other students
who study the same course, as well as being able to show friends and family their images on
the internet.
Although teachers were sent promotional material for exhibitions, conferences and
organisations, it was often difficult for them to select which ones would be appropriate for
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students and what else was available. Information or links that enabled teachers and students
to see what was currently available would enable them to research this area more fully.
Having information about past and present photographers in a manner that relates to the Study
Designs would enable teachers and students to research photographers in a much easier and
productive manner in relation to their course requirements.
It would be nice to have a focus on Australian photographers. Teacher
Equipment information would be beneficial to teachers and students, but neither wanted a
plethora of advertisements. Teachers would like to see information that enabled them to
research equipment that was especially suited to schools. They wanted information about
how to fix broken equipment, how to build equipment, and how to set up or fix a darkroom
and computer laboratory. A directory of maintenance companies was considered a useful
addition and could also raise revenue for the website.
As students have requested techniques, such as colour photography and manipulation, to be
taught, it was suggested that the website could inform and describe other techniques that
students can do to widen their photographic horizons.
Students and teachers liked the idea of competitions. Teachers said that competitions helped
to motivate students to produce better work if they knew that there were prizes to be won.
Respondents said that prizes should be given to the school or student, but teachers felt that
prizes awarded to the school would be of more benefit than to individuals. Although a paper
citation was considered a sufficient award, a gift voucher or complimentary product would be
much more valued. As the website is to be dedicated to the Victorian secondary school
photography curricula, it was suggested that competitions be held about things relating to the
curricula. The following competitions were thought to be appropriate.
• The photograph of the month/year.
• The essay of the month/year (i.e. practice essays for SACs).
• The overall best photography school.
• The overall best photography student.
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Teachers felt that when a school won prizes (money or photography products) it raised the
profile of photography within the school and the profile of the school within the photographic
community, enabling the school to produce a better photography department and hence better
student work. Winning prizes was therefore seen as a ‘self improving’ experience.
You find that the schools that win prizes become better photography schools – and therefore win more prizes. The cycle keeps on going and the better schools just keep getting better. It can therefore be quite difficult for poorer schools to do well in competitions. Teacher
To compensate for this effect, it was suggested that competition organisers should create a
number of prize winning categories that enabled less well off schools, or schools that require
improvement, to win prizes. It was realised that such categories may not be based solely on
the technical or creative output displayed in the photograph, but rather other areas such as:
• A Newcomer Award – A prize for a school that had not received a prize
before.
• An Improvement Award – A prize for a school that was considered to need
assistance to improve (“A new enlarger would enable the students to
produce better work.”)
• An Effort Award – A prize for the school that is constantly competing in
competitions, but hasn’t won any awards.
The website could present a directory of photography institutions and describe photographic
career options. Teachers could use the site to inform students of their choices and save time
photocopying information that has been sent to them by universities and TAFEs. Information
about applying for courses or jobs could also be available, including application forms.
As the website would be totally tailored to the Victorian Secondary School Photography
Study Designs, it would then be appropriate for the site to show practice exam papers, student
work examples and give assistance in any curriculum field.
Teachers have agreed that they would like more information about occupational health and
safety issues and a website would be able to assist teachers and students deal with these
issues. Teachers would also like information on companies that would be able assess the
health and safety issues in their school – especially those associated with running a darkroom
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and chemical storage and disposal. Again, a directory of these organisations would be useful,
and sponsorship could be sought.
An approved secondary school website ensures that all schools, teachers and students have
access to the same standardised information. This helps to overcome inequities due to
variations in the qualities and attitudes of the teacher and the schools.
The focus groups explored whether a Member’s Only area would be appropriate or if a
membership fee should apply. Teachers said that a Member’s Only area would be useful –
especially a Teacher’s Only area, which could cover information, specific to the teaching of
photography, that was inappropriate for students. Teachers felt that an annual fee of about
$100 would be reasonable. This fee would cover the teacher and all students currently taking
photography at that school. Students said that it might be useful to have a student only
membership as well in case their school didn’t want to join. They wouldn’t be prepared to
pay more than $15 for a student membership, but would encourage their school to become
members.
The Member’s Only area would host the chat sites, exhibition download area (only accessible
by teachers) and specific teacher only information. Members would be the only ones entitled
to win awards and display work.
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6.4.4. INDUSTRY SUPPORT
6.4.4.1. PROFESSIONAL ORGANISATIONS
There are hundreds of photography organisations, associations, groups and clubs open to the
public. The following are only some of the available association that relate to photographic
education, and are currently available to photography teachers and sometimes students: Art
Education Victoria (AEV), Photography Imaging Education Association (PIEA), Professional
School Photographers Association (PSPA) and Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM).
These groups run workshops and seminars for teachers. PIEA and PSPA originate in
America and have Australian branches (‘School’ in PSPA refers mostly to tertiary courses),
ATOM is Australia wide with a Victorian branch while AEV is Victorian based.
During the discussions, no teacher mentioned PIEA or PSPA, while a number of teachers
mentioned, and are members of, AEV or ATOM – even though this is a media based
organisation and does not specialise in photography.
ATOM is very good – but it’s not purely photography driven. Teacher
As the knowledge of photography organisations was minimal, better marketing and consumer
awareness of these groups should be made. If a new organisation was to be set up to cater
specifically for photographic educators, it could operate under the umbrella of an existing
group, or it could be a completely new organisation.
The results show that overall respondents rated an organisation the least beneficial resource.
Interestingly, when this topic was raised in the focus groups, the teachers valued connections
with a professional organisation as important as a website. For students, an organisation
seemed almost unwanted, while it was only year 12 students that saw an organisation as
beneficial.
For teachers, an organisation would provide a centralised association that would assist with
everything photographic pertaining to the Victorian secondary schools.
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It would be great to have a central association for teachers in order to provide guidelines for middle school photographic courses and VCE, and to provide a consistent and uniform approach. Teacher
Teachers also saw it as a place where like minded educators could meet and exchange ideas.
For all of the teachers involved in the focus groups, this was the first time they had spoken
with another photography teacher. Mostly, if a teacher does have contact with another
photography teacher, it is because their school employs more than one photography teacher.
Teachers thought that an organisation could provide the following.
• Information relating to running and setting up a photography department.
• Layout plans and information for darkrooms and computer labs.
• How to implement photography through the CSF and Study Designs.
• How to implement photography at a school.
• Information on suitable photography equipment for schools.
• Courses to teach or update teachers’ photographic knowledge.
• A ‘chat site’ or ‘help line’ for teachers.
• Information about exhibitions, workshops and conferences.
Teachers were prepared to pay a membership fee of approximately $50 a year.
Students did not see the need for an organisation for themselves.
6.4.4.2. MENTORING & VISITING PROGRAMS Schools are the places that put ‘bums on seats’ for photography universities or TAFEs. I would like to see more input from these places seeing that it is our students that need to get excited, to want to continue photography at a higher level. Teacher I’d like the opportunity for more links with tertiary photography courses. Most of my students do very well in VCE Studio Arts photography, but few seem to apply for further education courses. Teacher
Teachers and students wanted more input and assistance from post secondary photography
courses. Along with workshops or conferences run by photography institutions, it was
suggested that Mentoring programs with university or TAFE photography students or
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photographers would also be appropriate. For this program, a secondary student or a number
of students could be teamed up with a photographer or university or TAFE student to talk and
receive guidance during their VCE years. The response for such a scheme was positive, but
under scrutiny the teachers were unsure how many of their students would be motivated by
such a scheme, or the availability of photographers or university or TAFE students that would
willingly give their time up for school students. There were also issues surrounding the care,
maturity and insight of the mentors who probably would only be a few years older than the
secondary students.
Someone may be a brilliant photographer but a hopeless teacher. Teacher We’ve had past students come back to show their folios and talk about what university is like. It really motivates the students and allows them to think about the possibilities of going to universities or TAFEs to study photography. Teacher
Teachers and students believed that such a scheme would help boost the confidence and skills
of school students, as well as make them aware of their future education and career options.
When talking to higher education institutions about this scheme, lecturers thought that it
would be an interesting concept, but were unsure how many students would be willing or able
to spend time with a school student, especially with no financial or grading incentive. It was
suggested that perhaps a Mentoring Program could be implemented as an elective subject
whereby university or TAFE students could gain credit points. This subject would not only
teach the tertiary student guidance, teaching and leadership skills but would also help to
reinforce their own photographic knowledge by assisting the school student. Importantly this
scheme would promote the university or TAFE course and boost the awareness of
photography within secondary schools for very little cost or labour.
It’s an interesting concept – but I can’t see any of our students having the time to dedicate to such a scheme – they’re pushed enough as it is. You might find some students willing to go and talk to their old school during one class – but I can’t see them doing something that’s a semester or a year long commitment. Lecturer
Tertiary students were more willing to be a mentor if it enabled them to gain credit points and
it was run as a subject – otherwise they could not guarantee that they would last the
designated length of time. They also said that it would be difficult to allocate time with the
school student when it came to final assessment and folio presentation time. Not every
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University/TAFE student would be willing to participate in a mentoring scheme, as they were
not interested or felt that it would be too demanding. This type of program appealed mostly
to the students who were considering becoming a teacher or those willing to help their old
school.
I have gone back to my previous school and showed some students my portfolio. I would be willing to be a mentor – but I couldn’t commit too much of my time. University Student
It would also help the school teachers, as it would keep them informed about tertiary course
information and teach them new skills.
I’ve been back to my old school and given my teacher some ideas from what I have learnt this year. TAFE Student
The students that had spoken at their previous school said that they were willing to do it
again, but had never spoken at other schools besides their own. When asked if they would
volunteer to travel to other schools, they said probably, but only if asked (i.e. not through their
own initiative).
Other students were willing to partake in such a program only if it was a once off visit rather
than a continuous activity. Therefore a Visiting Scheme, whereby the tertiary student visited
a school for a once off lecture or workshop rather than an ongoing tutorial, would have the
same benefit and promotional advantages as a Mentoring Program while being less time
consuming for the tertiary student.
It was also suggested that the program could run in reverse, whereby students assisted the
photographer or tertiary student instead. This could be undertaken as part of the year 10
‘Work Experience’ program.
When our yr 10 students have to organise work experience, most of them just go to Safeway and stack shelves. They see this as giving them a foot in the door for later work there to earn money to buy their cars. I don’t think they have ever considered doing something as exciting as working with a photographer. Teacher
The photographers interviewed for this research said that they were happy enough to talk to
students and see their work, as long as it did not encroach on their time. Again, there are
photographers who would be willing to be a mentor, while there are others that were
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indifferent. Most photographers who do mentor or employ students only take in
university/TAFE students who already have photographic skills and have proven their
commitment to the discipline, rather than spend their time and energy instructing secondary
students with a less certain outcome.
6.4.4.3. ARTIST IN RESIDENCE
Another program could be an Artist in Residence. Some schools already have such a program
and believe that it encourages students to broaden their ideas about their chosen art form.
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7. CONCLUSION
The quality of photography education in the Victorian secondary school depended on the
school, the teacher and the student. The attitude held by the school towards the Arts was
proportional to the status of photography as a subject, and was reflected in the resources
applied to the subject. It was felt that there should be more emphasis of photography at lower
and mid-secondary levels.
One in eight photography teachers had no photographic training, and half were self taught.
Teachers acknowledged their lack of photographic expertise, but felt that the main problem
limiting their teaching was an inadequate budget, lack of equipment, and health and safety
issues. This was contrary to what secondary students and lectures thought; they felt that the
lack of photographic expertise and passion demonstrated by the teachers were the main
factors limiting students.
Teachers wanted to broaden their skills in the commercial, scientific, and journalistic
photography disciplines. Teachers believed the learning outcomes were superior from a class
comprised of students studying only one art form, rather than a mixed art class. There was
little evidence of cheating or plagiarism.
Students that actively select photography because they think it will be interesting, creative, or
to improve their photographic skills, tend to be self motivated and embraced their
photographic studies. Sometimes they choose photography rather than another Arts subject
because it does not involve drawing. The students that passively choose photography want
an easy subject or do not like the other subjects on offer, tend to be difficult to teach and less
interested in the photographic discipline. Almost half the year 12 students said they were
considering further photographic education after school. For these students, a high ENTER
was not necessarily an important issue, as most tertiary photography courses have a selection
criteria based on a folio and interview.
There is a significant trend of schools moving towards digital photography. This is mostly
due to it being considered more cost effective with less health and safety issues compared
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with analogue photography. With the digital process, students liked seeing an instant result
and manipulating the image. Students did not initially decide to study photography because
of the digital component, but preferred it over analogue after commencing their studies.
Photography was primarily considered to be an Arts subject, with scant consideration to the
importance of scientific theory (chemistry, optics) or an understanding of the large range of
other photographic applications (commercial, journalistic, forensic). Teachers, but not the
students, believed the historical content was important. More career awareness and career
based skills were wanted by all respondents. Students were keen for more instruction about
how to present their work. Both students and teachers wanted other photographic methods
involved in the photography Study Designs.
Teachers would find it beneficial to have a photographic standards and guideline reference
manual to assist them with writing their lesson plans. A workbook relating specifically to the
photography curriculum would be used by teachers and students.
Workshops and a website devoted solely to secondary school photography education were
considered an important resource in improving the quality of secondary photography
education.
Many teachers felt professionally isolated from other photography organisations, teachers and
institutions. They would welcome a formal organisation for photography educators as well as
information and support from post secondary institutions. Mentoring, Visiting, Work
Experience and Artists in Residence programs are various schemes that would add vitality to
the curriculum and invigorate the teacher’s and student’s enjoyment of photography.
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8. RECOMMENDATIONS Implementation of the recommendations in Table 8, are beyond the scope of an individual
school or teacher (external factors). They will improve the standards and outcomes of
Victorian photographic education and will raise the profile of photography in the community.
TABLE 8:
Recommendations ~ External Factors
Recommendation Outcome Responsibility
An organisation for photographic educators
and students
• Networking. • A lobby group. • A centre for assistance and
information.
• A current organisation creating a photographic branch, or an entirely new organisation setup.
A website and electronic resources that relate
specifically to photographic education
within Victoria
• Effective communication of information.
• Global networking. • Interactive information.
• The VCAA, another education authority or a photographic organisation.
Conferences, Workshops and short courses
(including a travelling component)
• Diversity in learning. • Regional impact. • Practical experiences. • Opportunities routinely
unavailable to the school.
• Education authority, • Photographic organisation, • Post Secondary
photography course. • Industry group
Workbooks and Reference manuals detailing
Standards and Guidelines for photographic
education.
• Curriculum support. • Standardised benchmarks across
all schools. • Provides independent guidelines
• The VCAA, another academic authority or a photographic organisation
Mentoring, Visiting, Work-Experience or Artists in
Residence programs and Motivational or
Professional Speakers
• Specialist topics. • Career information. • Personal motivation. • Innovation.
• Photographers, • Photographic organisations • Post Secondary
photography courses. • Industry groups.
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Recommendations in Table 9 are within the control of the school (internal factors). Subject to
budget and policy, these may be readily and uniquely implemented within each school.
TABLE 9:
Recommendations ~ Internal Factors
Recommendation Outcome Implementation Facilitated By
Photography options taught at years 7 & 8
• Awareness of photography as a study option.
• Increased student participation.
• Continued student participation.
• Student exhibitions. • Motivational speaker
• The School • The Teacher
Increase in teacher’s photographic skills
and knowledge
• Better teachers • Assistance for novice
teachers. • Teacher networking. • Better teaching.
• Workshops • Conferences • Website • Guideline & Standards
references
• The School • Organisations • Tertiary courses • Education
Authorities
Information on Occupational Health and Safety Issues.
• A safer photographic environment.
• Workshops • Guideline and
Standards Manual • Informational Speaker • Website
• The Teacher • The School • Organisations • Businesses • Regulatory Bodies
Information about purchasing and
maintaining equipment
• Better equipped schools. • Improvisation and
optimising equipment. • Better budget allocation.
• Conferences • Workshops • Website • Product salesman
• Organisations • Industry • Professionals
Increase in non-artistic photographic
methods and applications taught within the CSF and
Study Designs.
• Wider range of photographic applications.
• Encourage non-artistic students to study photography.
• Broader career education.
• Workshops • Workbooks • Website • Excursions • CSF & Study Designs
• The Teacher • Photographers • Post Secondary
Photography courses • VCAA
Information about Analogue and Digital
photography systems.
• Informed decisions about changing & implementing systems.
• Better equipment and budget allocation.
• Conferences • Workshops • Website • Product Salesman
• Photographic organisations
• Professionals • Industry
Increase awareness of Post Secondary
photography course.
• Students learn about the possibility of continuing their photographic studies.
• Students are better prepared for applying for a photography course.
• Excursions • Workshops • Website • Mentoring et al.
• The Teacher • Post Secondary
Photography courses
Increase in career
skills and awareness taught within the CSF and Study Designs.
• Students learn more about vocational opportunities.
• An increase in photographic skills and applications taught to the students.
• Workshops • Website • Excursions • Motivational Speaker • Mentoring et al. • CSF & Study Designs
• The Teacher • Photographers • Post Secondary
Photography courses • VCAA • Industry • Careers Counsellor
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9. BIBLIOGRAPHY CURRICULUM REFERENCES
• The Board of Studies, (2000), The Arts Curriculum and Standards Framework II. The
Board of Studies, Carlton. • The Board of Studies, (1999), Study Design: Studio Arts (Accreditation period ends
31 Dec 2003). The Board of Studies, Carlton. • The Board of Studies, (1999), Study Design: Art (Accreditation period ends 31 Dec
2003). The Board of Studies, Carlton.
• VCAA, (2003), Study Design Summary: Studio Arts (2004-2007). VCAA, East
Melbourne.
• VCAA, (2003), Study Design Summary: Art (2004-2007). VCAA, East Melbourne.
• VCAA, (1999), Study Design Summary: Media (2000-2004). VCAA, East
Melbourne.
• VCAA, (2003), Study Design Summary: Visual Communication and Design (2004-
2007). VCAA, East Melbourne.
WEBSITES • Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority (VCAA). www.vcaa.vic.edu.au
• Curriculum and Standards Framework II. http://csf.vcaa.vic.edu.au/home.htm
• Photographic Imaging Education Association (PIEA). www.piea.pmai.org
• Professional School Photographers Association (PSPA).
• Photo Imaging Council of Australia (PICA). www.photoimagin.com.au
• Art Education Victoria (AEV). www.aev.vic.edu.au
• Arts Victoria. www.arts.vic.gov.au
• Australian Centre for Photography (ACP). www.acp.au.com
• Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM). www.atomvic.org
• Australian Institute of Professional Photographers (AIPP). www.aipp.com.au
• Centre for Contemporary Photography (CCP). www.ccp.org.au
• Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). www.acer.edu.au
• The Department of Education and Training (DE&T). www.teaching.vic.gov.au
• Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT). www.vit.vic.edu.au
• Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC). www.vtac.edu.au
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OTHER • VTAC, (July 2002). ENTER into Tertiary Study: A guide to the Equivalent National
Tertiary Entrance Rank. VTAC, South Melbourne. • VTAC, (2003). Scaling Report. VTAC, South Melbourne. • VTAC, (2003). VTAC Guide 2004: A Guide to University and TAFE Courses.
VTAC, South Melbourne.
NEWS ARTICLES • Tony Rindfleisch, (4-1-04). Kosky’s school exam revamp. The Herald Sun
• Farrah Tomazin, (14-1-04). Demand to push up uni entry scores. The Age.
• Ben Haywood, (2-8-04). Keeping the goal in focus. The Age.
• Alice Russell, (2-8-04). Pillars of wisdom. The Age.
• Philip Taylor, (13-9-04). Style meets substance. The Age.
• The Fashion Editor, (19-11-04). Snip Snip. The Age
OTHER RESEARCH PAPERS • Jon D. Jeffery (Dec 2002). Digital Technologies in Professional Photography
Programs in Higher Education (in America). Northern Arizona University,
http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jdj3/thesis_digital_photography.htm
• Gale Spring, (May 2002). Photography Workshop Survey. RMIT University
Photography Centre.
SELF PUBLISHED SCHOOL WORKBOOKS • Methodist Ladies’ College. Year 9, Unit One ~ Course Aims.
• Copperfield. Photographic Analysis Questions.
• Lilydale High School. Year 10 Photography Workbook – 2003.
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10. GLOSSARY AEV ~ Arts Education Victoria ATOM ~ Australian Teachers of Media B&W ~ Black and White film or process. CD ~ Compact Disc CSF ~ Curriculum and Standards Framework. Used from preparatory to year 10. ENTER ~ Equivalent National Tertiary Entrance Rank. The result received once completing
the VCE from VTAC. HECS ~ Higher Education Compensation Scheme. A payment scheme set by the
government, used within higher education courses that enable students to pay their fees over a period of time.
LOTE ~ Language Other Than English PD ~ Professional Development PIEA ~ Photographic Imaging Education Association PSPA ~ Professional School Photographers Association RMIT ~ Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. SAC ~ School Assessed Coursework. Coursework that is completed during VCE and that is
assessed by the school. SLR ~ Single Lens Reflex camera Scaled Score ~ Adjustment applied by VTAC to the Study Score to establish the ENTER Study Design ~ A guideline that is used to run and asses a study during VCE Study Score ~ The final score given for each Study Design undertaken by a student during
VCE by the VCAA. TAFE ~ Technical And Further Education VCA ~ Victorian College of the Arts VCAA ~ Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority. The education body that runs and
asseses the VCE VTAC ~ Victorain Tertiary Admissions Centre. The body that sets the ENTER and assists
students in entering a tertiary course. VCD ~ Visual Communication and Design VCE ~ Victorian Certificate of Education. Completed mostly during Years 11 and 12.
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11. APPENDICES APPENDIX 1:
Study Design Summaries A. Studio Arts
B. Arts C. Media
D. Visual Communication and Design
APPENDIX 2: Questionnaires
A. Secondary School Teachers B. Secondary School Students
APPENDIX 3: List of Scaled Study Designs in 200323
APPENDIX 4: Art Examples
A. Andy Warhol Campbell’s Tomato Soup B. John Baldessari Throwing four balls in the air to get a square
APPENDIX 5: Alternative Photographic Example
A. Polaroid Transfer B. Polaroid Emulsion Transfer
C. Slit Photography
APPENDIX 6: Snip Snip – Newspaper article24
APPENDIX 7:
Results (Please contact Jen Brown if you wish to see these ~ [email protected])
23 VTAC, (2003). Scaling Report. VTAC 24 The Fashion Editor, (19-11-04). Snip Snip. The Age.
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APPENDIX 1A
STUDY SUMMARY Studio Arts 2004–2007
Rationale Studio Arts provides a framework for the establishment of effective art practices through an understanding and application of the process of design. The design process enables students to explore ideas and sources of inspiration, experiment with materials and techniques and practice specialised skills in a range of art forms. Students generate a range of directions and potential solutions and analyse and evaluate them before producing artworks. The theoretical component of the study informs students’ practice through an investigation of selected artworks, an examination of artists’ working methods and a study of professional practices and art industry issues.
Structure The study is made up of four units: Unit 1: Artistic inspiration and techniques Unit 2: Design exploration and concepts Unit 3: Studio production and professional art practices Unit 4: Studio production and art industry contexts
Outcomes Outcomes define what students will know and be able to do as a result of undertaking the study. Outcomes include a summary statement and the key knowledge and skills that underpin them. Only the summary statements of the outcomes have been reproduced below and must be read in conjunction with the key knowledge and skills published in the study design.
Unit 1: Artistic inspiration and techniques The focus of this unit is the use of sources of inspiration and ideas as the bases for artworks and the exploration of a wide range of materials and techniques as tools for translating ideas, observations and experiences into visual form. The application of materials and techniques and interpretation of sources of inspiration by artists from different times and locations is also examined.
Outcome 1 On completion of this unit the student should be able to source ideas and inspiration and use a variety of methods to translate these into visual form.
Outcome 2 On completion of this unit the student should be able to explore and use a variety of materials and techniques to record and develop ideas and sources of inspiration for the production of artworks.
Outcome 3 On completion of this unit the student should be able to discuss how artists from different times and locations have interpreted sources of inspiration and used materials and techniques in the production of artworks.
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Unit 2: Design exploration and concepts The focus of this unit is to establish and use an effective design methodology for the production of design explorations and artworks. Students also develop skills in the analysis of artworks to understand how aesthetic qualities are created, ideas communicated and identifiable styles developed.
Outcome 1 On completion of this unit the student should be able to develop a design process including visual research and inquiry in order to produce a variety of design explorations and a number of artworks.
Outcome 2 On completion of this unit the student should be able to analyse and discuss the ways in which artists from different times and locations have created aesthetic qualities in artworks, communicated ideas and developed styles.
Unit 3: Studio production and professional art practices The focus of this unit is the implementation of a design process leading to the production of a range of potential solutions. A work brief is initially prepared to set out the framework for the design process. Students also examine professional art practices in relation to particular art form(s) and the development of distinctive styles in artworks.
Outcome 1 On completion of this unit the student should be able to prepare a work brief that formulates the content and parameters of the design process and plan how this will be undertaken.
Outcome 2 On completion of this unit the student should be able to present a design process that produces a range of potential solutions to the aims and ideas documented in the work brief.
Outcome 3 On completion of this unit the student should be able to discuss art practices in relation to particular art form(s) and analyse ways in which artists develop distinctive styles in their artwork.
Unit 4: Studio production and art industry contexts The focus of this unit is to produce a cohesive folio of finished art works developed from potential solutions generated in Unit 3. Visual and written documentation explaining how the potential solutions will be used to produce the folio of artworks is also prepared. Students also examine the presentation of artworks and current art industry issues, with reference to the exhibition, promotion and critique of art works.
Outcome 1 On completion of this unit the student should be able to present a focus statement in visual and written form that documents how potential solutions will be used to produce a cohesive folio of finished artworks, how materials and techniques are applied, and how aims, ideas and aesthetic qualities are resolved in the finished artworks.
Outcome 2 On completion of this unit the student should be able to present a cohesive folio of finished artworks, based on potential solutions, that skillfully apply materials and techniques, resolve the aims, ideas and aesthetic qualities, and communicate the student’s ideas.
Outcome 3 On completion of this unit the student should be able to analyse and discuss roles and methods involved in the presentation of artworks and analyse and discuss current art industry issue(s).
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Entry There are no prerequisites for entry to Units 1, 2 and 3. Students must undertake Unit 3 prior to undertaking Unit 4.
Assessment Satisfactory Completion Demonstrated achievement of the set of outcomes specified for the unit.
Levels of Achievement Unit 1 and 2 Individual school decision on levels of achievement.
Unit 3 and 4 School-assessed tasks and examination: •Unit 3 school-assessed task: 33 per cent •Unit 4 school-assessed task: 33 per cent •End-of-year examination: 34 per cent.
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APPENDIX 1B STUDY SUMMARY Art 2004–2007
Rationale This study encourages students to explore ideas and to demonstrate effective working methods and a range of technical skills through personal and independent investigation and experimentation. It emphasises the progressive development of personal concepts and the refinement of skills. The presentation of artworks may be in the form of exploratory visual solutions and/or through more finished artworks. The study also equips students to respond to art in an informed and articulate manner through a study of how art relates to the society for which it was created and different expressions of artistic identity. Students also develop and refine personal points of view about the meanings and messages of artworks.
Structure The study is made up of four units.
Outcomes Outcomes define what students will know and be able to do as a result of undertaking the study. Outcomes include a summary statement and the key knowledge and skills that underpin them. Only the summary statements of the outcomes have been reproduced below and must be read in conjunction with the key knowledge and skills published in the study design.
Unit 1 This unit focuses on realising ideas in the form of visual solutions to set tasks. Students explore materials, techniques and working methods in art form(s) and/or media. Students also study the ways in which artworks relate to the social context for which they were created and how artists choose to interpret social issues and themes.
Outcome 1 On completion of this unit the student should be able to present visual solutions to set tasks through an exploration of various media, techniques and processes, using experimentation and artistic research.
Outcome 2 On completion of this unit the student should be able to identify and discuss the cultural contexts of art, the social functions of art, and the interpretation and presentation of social issues and/or themes in art with reference to selected artworks.
Unit 2 This unit focuses on the development of areas of personal interest in visual exploration. It encourages artistic development through the exploration of materials, techniques and working methods within art form(s) and/or media. Students also study the roles of artists, how artists are portrayed in society and how artists develop personal styles and approaches to artistic expression.
Outcome 1 On completion of this unit the student should be able to demonstrate technical and artistic development in an area or areas of personal interest through an exploration of selected media, materials, techniques and working methods.
Outcome 2 On completion of this unit the student should be able to interpret and discuss artistic identity with reference to selected artworks.
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Unit 3 This unit focuses on a broad and innovative investigation including exploration and experimentation within art form(s) and/or media to develop and refine a sustained body of work. Student’s skill in interpreting artworks is developed through a study of artists and their works before and since 1970 through the application of interpretive frameworks and the comparison of artworks.
Outcome 1 On completion of this unit the student should be able to undertake a broad and innovative investigation, trialling materials and techniques within selected art form(s) and/or media to explore ideas, directions and personal concepts in a considered and insightful way.
Outcome 2 On completion of this unit the student should be able to interpret different aspects of an artwork’s meanings and messages and compare artworks through the application of interpretive frameworks.
Unit 4 This unit focuses on the preparation and final presentation of ideas developed and refined from the visual directions explored in unit 3. The resolution of the student’s ideas may be through innovative and exploratory visual solutions and/or through more finished artworks. As well, students evaluate ideas, issues and arguments expressed in commentaries on art, apply interpretive frameworks, critically view artworks and develop personal points of view.
Outcome 1 On completion of this unit the student should be able to progressively realise and resolve with technical skill and awareness of aesthetic qualities a sustained and articulate body of work to communicate ideas, directions and/or personal concepts.
Outcome 2 On completion of this unit the student should be able to critically discuss commentaries on artworks and apply interpretive frameworks in the analysis of selected artworks to support personal points of view about their meanings and messages.
Entry There are no prerequisites for Units 1, 2 and 3. Students must undertake Unit 3 prior to undertaking Unit 4.
Assessment Satisfactory Completion Demonstrated achievement of the set of outcomes specified for the unit.
Levels of Achievement Unit 1 and 2 Individual school decision on levels of achievement.
Unit 3 and 4 School-assessed coursework, school-assessed task, and an end-of-year examination: •Unit 3 school-assessed coursework: 10 per cent •Unit 4 school-assessed coursework: 10 per cent •Units 3 and 4 school-assessed task: 50 per cent •Units 3 and 4 examination: 30 per cent.
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APPENDIX 1C STUDY SUMMARIES FOR REVISED VCE STUDIES 2000 Media Rationale The media have a significant impact on peoples lives. The media entertain, educate, inform and provide channels of communication. The media not only comment on culture, they reflect the society which creates them. The study of media includes media forms such as the press, radio, film, TV, and photography, and media processes such as publishing, advertising, news production, and popular culture. Structure The study is made up of four units: Unit 1: Representation and technology Unit 2: Media production and the Australian media industry Unit 3: Narrative and media production design Unit 4: Media process, social values and media influence Unit 1 The main purpose of this unit is to enable students to develop an understanding of the relationship between the media, technology and the representations present in media forms. Student also develop practical and analytical skills in a study of the production of media products. Unit 2 The main purpose of this unit is to enable students to develop an awareness of the specialist production stages and roles within the collaborative organisation of media production. Students develop practical skills and analyse issues concerning the media production process. Unit 3 The main purpose of this unit is to enable students to develop an understanding of production and story elements and to recognise the role and significance of narrative organisation in fictional media texts. Students also develop practical skills through designing media productions. Unit 4 The main purpose of this unit is to enable students to further develop practical skills in the production of media products and to realise a production design. Students also develop an awareness of the role of social values in the construction of media texts and analyse issues raised about the role and influence of the media. Entry There are no prerequisites for entry to Units I, 2 and 3. Students must undertake Unit 3 prior to undertaking Unit 4. Assessment Satisfactory Completion Demonstrated achievement of outcomes specified for the unit. Levels of Achievement Unit 1 and 2 Individual school decision on levels of achievement. Unit 3 and 4 School-assessed coursework, a school-assessed task and an end-of-year examination · Unit 3 and Unit 4 school-assessed coursework: 20 per cent · Unit 3 and Unit 4 school-assessed task: 30 per cent · Unit 3 and 4 examination: 50 per cent.
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APPENDIX 1D STUDY SUMMARY Visual Communication and Design 2004–2007
Rationale This study is intended to assist students in the understanding, production and interpretation of a range of visual communications. It involves a study of the vocabulary and grammar of visual communication, which includes an understanding of, and application of, drawing and drawing conventions, design elements, principles and design process in visual communication. The study also provides the opportunity to develop an informed, critical and discriminating approach to visual communications encountered in everyday life.
Structure The study is made up of four units: Unit 1: Visual communication Unit 2: Communication in context Unit 3: Visual communication practices Unit 4: Designing to a brief
Outcomes Outcomes define what students will know and be able to do as a result of undertaking the study. Outcomes include a summary statement and the key knowledge and skills that underpin them. Only the summary statements of the outcomes have been reproduced below and must be read in conjunction with the key knowledge and skills published in the study design.
Unit 1: Visual communication The main purpose of this unit is to enable students to prepare instrumental drawings of objects and explore freehand drawing from direct observation. Students also experiment and explore the application of design elements and principles in the preparation of solutions to suit specific purposes. Students study how the design process is applied in the production of visual communications.
Outcome 1 On completion of this unit the student should be able to complete instrumental drawings using a range of paraline drawing systems.
Outcome 2 On completion of this unit the student should be able to draw from direct observation, in proportion, and render the drawings.
Outcome 3 On completion of this unit the student should be able to explore and apply design elements and principles to satisfy a stated purpose.
Outcome 4 On completion of this unit the student should be able to describe the nature of the design process in the production of visual communications.
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Unit 2: Communication in context The main purpose of this unit is to enable students to develop practical skills by generating images and developing them through freehand and instrumental drawing. The ways in which information and ideas are communicated visually are also explored through the analysis of the work of others. The design process is applied in developing visual communication solutions to set tasks.
Outcome 1 On completion of this unit the student should be able to use freehand and instrumental drawings to develop images that represent and communicate form.
Outcome 2 On completion of this unit the student should be able to use freehand drawings in the development of rendered three-dimensional images.
Outcome 3 On completion of this unit the student should be able to apply a design process to develop a visual communication solution to a set task.
Outcome 4 On completion of this unit the student should be able to describe and analyse contemporary and historical examples of visual communications and explain how they communicate ideas, present information and reflect influences.
Unit 3: Visual communication practices The main purpose of this unit is to enable students to produce visual communications through the application of the design process to satisfy specific communication needs. Students also study the production of visual communications in a professional setting, and evaluate examples of visual communications.
Outcome 1 On completion of this unit the student should be able to apply the design process to produce a final visual communication presentation that satisfies a specified communication need.
Outcome 2 On completion of this unit the student should be able to analyse and evaluate the effectiveness of a range of visual communications.
Outcome 3 On completion of this unit the student should be able to discuss the roles and relationships involved in the design and production of visual communications in the context of professional practice.
Unit 4: Designing to a brief The main purpose of this unit is to enable students to prepare one brief that defines the need or needs of a client. Students apply the design process to produce developmental work and two final presentations based on the brief.
Outcome 1 On completion of this unit the student should be able to prepare one brief that describes a client’s communication need and specifies possible resolutions, and proposes two distinct final visual communication presentations suitable for a stated audience/s.
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Outcome 2 On completion of this unit the student should be able to prepare developmental work that explores design concepts relevant to the requirements of the brief developed for Outcome 1 and fulfils the requirements of that brief.
Outcome 3 On completion of this unit the student should be able to produce two distinct final visual communication presentations that satisfy the requirements of the brief developed for Outcome 1.
Entry There are no prerequisites for entry to Units 1, 2 and 3. Students must undertake Unit 3 prior to undertaking Unit 4.
Assessment Satisfactory Completion Demonstrated achievement of the set of outcomes specified for the unit.
Levels of Achievement Units 1 and 2 Individual school decision on levels of achievement.
Units 3 and 4 School-assessed coursework, school assessed task and an end-of-year examination: •Unit 3 school-assessed coursework: 33 per cent •Unit 4 school-assessed task: 33 per cent •Units 3 and 4 examination: 34 per cent.
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APPENDIX 2A
Photography Teachers of Victoria ~ Questionnaire
A study of the Photographic Curriculum within Victorian Secondary Schools
Written by Jen Brown, RMIT University,
Applied Science Photography (Industrial & Scientific) Program, 2004
• This is a confidential questionnaire (contact details are for office use only).
• If there is more than one photography teacher, please contact me to send out more questionnaires and envelopes.
• My contact details: [email protected] or 0408 536 697
1. Your Name_____________________________________________________MALE / FEMALE
2. Your School____________________________________________________________________
3. Your teaching discipline__________________________________________________________
How long have you been teaching photography to secondary students ________ years
4. What formal photographic and other training do you have?___________________________
5. What is your photographic background? Mark as many as appropriate.
1 Self-taught 2 Hobby 3 Journalism/Documentary
4 Scientific 5 Artistic 6 Commercial
7 Other____________________________________________
6. Rate in order (1st-8th) your main “focuses” are when teaching photography?
1 Artistic 3 Scientific
3 Scientific 4 Commercial
5 Journalism/ Documentary 6 Historical
7 Theory 8 Other_______________________
9 Why__________________________________________________
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7. Under what subject is photography taught at your school? Mark as many as appropriate.
1 Art Class 2 Media Class
3 Specialised Photography Class 4 Photography Elective
5 Science Class 6 VCE Studio Arts
7 VCE Media 8 VCE Arts
9 Other__________________________________________
8. How many students (approx) took photography at your school in the following grades and years?
Grade 7 8 9 10 11 12 2002 2003 2004
9. Over the past 5 years, at a rough guess, how many students at your school each year would chose to continue with photography after school as a HOBBY?_______% as a future PROFESSION?_______%
10. What do you think about the current secondary school photography curriculum? Mark one choice for each statement, where…
SA = STRONGLY AGREE, A = AGREE, N = NEUTRAL, D = DISAGREE, SD = STRONGLY DISAGREE.
SA A N D SD A The current VCE photography curriculum is satisfactory and does
not need to be altered. 1 2 3 4 5
B The current VCE photography curriculum is too artistically driven. 1 2 3 4 5 C The current VCE photography curriculum is too technically driven. 1 2 3 4 5 D The current VCE photography curriculum is relevant to ALL
photographic professions. 1 2 3 4 5
E The current VCE photography curriculum is too general to truly test the students overall photographic knowledge.
1 2 3 4 5
F It would be beneficial to have a separate VCE curriculum solely for photography.
1 2 3 4 5
G It would be beneficial to have photographic curriculum guidelines within secondary schools throughout Victoria.
1 2 3 4 5
H It would be beneficial to have a photographic curriculum standard within secondary schools throughout Victoria.
1 2 3 4 5
I Digital photography should play a larger roll in photography in the Secondary Schools curriculum.
1 2 3 4 5
J The current VCE photography curriculum is too easy. 1 2 3 4 5 K It is difficult to cheat within the current VCE photography
curriculum. 1 2 3 4 5
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11. Would you like to see MORE or LESS of the following topics in the Secondary Schools
photography curriculum? Mark one choice for each statement, where… MM = MUCH MORE, M = MORE, NC = NO CHANGE, L = LESS, ML = MUCH LESS.
MM M NC L ML A Artistic skills (Fine art, critiquing, gallery knowledge etc.) 1 2 3 4 5 B Technical skills (Understanding equipment, processes, etc.) 1 2 3 4 5 C Commercial skills (Portraiture, studio, dealing with ‘clients’ etc.) 1 2 3 4 5 D Scientific skills (Chemicals, optics, scientific applications, etc.) 1 2 3 4 5 E Digital skills (Cameras, computers, Photoshop, etc.) 1 2 3 4 5 F Journalism/Documentary Skills (Styles, going to press, etc.) 1 2 3 4 5 G Presentation skills (Mounting work, folio presentation, etc.) 1 2 3 4 5 H Assignments relating to all of the above topics. 1 2 3 4 5 I Historical information (photography, camera, chemical history). 1 2 3 4 5 J Theory information (tutorials, written reports, class discussions). 1 2 3 4 5
12. Would you find any of the following concepts beneficial for teachers (T) and students (S)?
Mark one choice for T and S for each statement, where… SA = STRONGLY AGREE, A = AGREE, N = NEUTRAL, D = DISAGREE, SD = STRONGLY DISAGREE.
SA A N D SD T 1 2 3 4 5 A A workbook that is specifically designed for the Victorian
Secondary School Photographic Curriculum. (Posters, diagrams, glossary, projects, lesson plans and aims, etc.) S 1 2 3 4 5
T 1 2 3 4 5 B Conferences and/or conventions that are based on photography methods, equipment, careers, everything photographic. S 1 2 3 4 5
T 1 2 3 4 5 C A web site that is designed for the Victorian Secondary School Photographic Curriculum. (Questions & Answers, examples, lesson plans, projects, things of interest etc.) S 1 2 3 4 5
T 1 2 3 4 5 D An organisation set up for Australian Photography Teachers and students. S 1 2 3 4 5
T 1 2 3 4 5 E Photographic workshops with universities and/or photographers. S 1 2 3 4 5
T 1 2 3 4 5 F A ‘Travelling Workshop’ that comes to the school to run photography programs, electives and courses. S 1 2 3 4 5
T 1 2 3 4 5 G An interactive media tool that helps to educate and inform teachers and students about photographic terms, equipment usage, interesting projects, etc.
S 1 2 3 4 5
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13. Any other comments? (Please use another sheet of paper if needed) __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 14. As part of this study, interviews and discussion groups will also be conducted. If necessary, would you be willing to participate?
1 Yes, my contact details are… Phone number:_______________________________________________________ Email:______________________________________________________________ Other:_______________________________________________________________
2 No, thank you.
15. Would I be able to send a similar confidential questionnaire to your photography students to understand how they see the current photography curriculum?
1 Yes, there are _______ number of students taking photography 2 No, thank you.
Thank you for your time and effort. Your thoughts and ideas on this topic will help to make photography an even more exciting and rewarding discipline for our students.
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APPENDIX 2B
Secondary School Photography Students of Victoria
~ Questionnaire
A study of the Photographic Curriculum within Victorian Secondary Schools
Written by Jen Brown, RMIT University, available
Applied Science Photography (Industrial & Scientific) Program, 2004
• This is a confidential questionnaire (contact details are for office use only).
• Please answer all questions. • My contact details: [email protected] or 0408 536 697
2. Your Name_________________________________________________________Male / Female
3. Your School____________________________________________________________________
4. What grade are you in now_______________________________________________________
5. Name of class you are taking photography in________________________________________
6. Are you considering continuing with photography in any of these areas?
1 Further Secondary School Classes 2
VCE Units 1 & 2
3 VCE Units 3 & 4 4
Apprenticeship
5 TAFE Degree 6
University Degree
7 As a Hobby 8
As a Future Profession
9 Other_________________________ 10
Not continuing
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7. Of the photography careers listed below, which are you aware of? Mark as many as
appropriate.
1 Artistic 2 Fashion 3 Portraiture
4 Wedding 5 Commercial (studio) 6 Forensic (Crime scene)
7 Journalism 8 Scientific 9 Investigative
10 Medical 11 Advertising 12 Architectural
13 Underwater 14 Nature 15 Aerial
16 Animal 17 Documentary 18 High speed
19 Other________________________ 20 Other________________________
8. What do you think about the current secondary school photography curriculum? Mark
one choice for each statement, where…
SA = STRONGLY AGREE, A = AGREE, N = NEUTRAL, D = DISAGREE, SD = STRONGLY
DISAGREE.
SA A N D SD A The current VCE photography curriculum is satisfactory and
does not need to be altered. 1
2 3 4 5
B The current VCE photography curriculum is too artistically driven.
1 2
3 4 5
C The current VCE photography curriculum is too technically driven.
1 2
3 4 5
D The current VCE photography curriculum is relevant to ALL photographic professions.
1 2
3 4 5
E The current VCE photography curriculum is too general to truly test students overall photographic knowledge.
1 2
3 4 5
F It would be beneficial to have a separate VCE curriculum solely for photography.
1 2
3 4 5
G It would be beneficial to have photographic curriculum guidelines within secondary schools throughout Victoria.
1 2
3 4 5
H It would be beneficial to have a photographic curriculum standard within secondary schools throughout Victoria.
1 2
3 4 5
I Digital photography should play a larger roll in the photography Secondary Schools curriculum.
1 2
3 4 5
J The current VCE photography curriculum is too easy. 1 2
3 4 5
K It is difficult to cheat within the current VCE photography curriculum.
1 2
3 4 5
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9. Would you like to see MORE or LESS of the following topics in the Secondary Schools
photography curriculum? Mark one choice for each statement, where…
MM = MUCH MORE, M = MORE, NC = NO CHANGE, L = LESS, ML = MUCH LESS.
MM M NC L ML A Artistic skills (Fine art, critiquing, gallery knowledge etc.) 1 2 3 4 5 B Technical skills (Understanding equipment, processes, etc.) 1 2 3 4 5 C Commercial skills (Portraiture, studio, dealing with ‘clients’
etc.) 1 2 3 4 5
D Scientific skills (Chemicals, optics, scientific applications, etc.) 1 2 3 4 5 E Digital skills (Cameras, computers, Photoshop, etc.) 1 2 3 4 5 F Journalism/Documentary Skills (Styles, going to press, etc.) 1 2 3 4 5 G Presentation skills (Mounting work, folio presentation, etc.) 1 2 3 4 5 H Assignments relating to all of the above topics. 1 2 3 4 5 I Historical information (photography, camera, chemical history). 1 2 3 4 5 J Theory information (tutorials, written reports, class
discussions). 1 2 3 4 5
10. Would you find any of the following concepts beneficial for you and other students? Mark
one choice for each statement, where…
SA = STRONGLY AGREE, A = AGREE, N = NEUTRAL, D = DISAGREE, SD = STRONGLY
DISAGREE.
SA A N D SD A A workbook that is specifically designed for the Victorian
Secondary School Photographic Curriculum. (Posters, diagrams, glossary, projects, examples, etc.)
1 2 3 4 5
B Conferences and/or conventions that are based on photography methods, equipment, careers, everything photographic.
1 2 3 4 5
C A web site that is designed for the Victorian Secondary School Photographic Curriculum. (Questions & Answers, examples, lesson plans, projects, things of interest etc.)
1 2 3 4 5
D An organisation set up for Australian Photography Teachers and Students.
1 2 3 4 5
E Photographic workshops with universities and/or photographers. 1 2 3 4 5 F A ‘Travelling Workshop’ that comes to the school to run
photography programs, electives and courses. 1 2 3 4 5
G An interactive media tool that helps to educate and inform students about photographic terms, equipment usage, interesting projects, etc.
1 2 3 4 5
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11. Why did you decide to study photography? (it’s fun, easy, had to do an art subject, a good tool to
use in other fields/professions…)
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
12. Any other comments? (Please use another sheet of paper if needed)
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
13. As part of this study, interviews and discussion groups will also be conducted. If necessary,
would you be willing to participate?
1 Yes, my contact details are… Phone number:_____________________________________________ Email:____________________________________________________ Other:_____________________________________________________
2 No, thank you.
Thank you for your time and effort. Your thoughts and ideas on this topic will help to make photography an even more exciting and rewarding discipline for you and other students.
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APPENDIX 3
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APPENDIX 4
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APPENDIX 5
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APPENDIX 6
This article was found in The Age’s Fashion section, A week after the completion of this report.
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