• Ashleigh Boyd
Ashleigh Boyd

Outside the lines: An investigation into the effects of positive Art classroom error culture on student confidence and skill.

The Art classroom is unique in its ability to allow students to explore themselves creatively and build technical skills over time. However, while students have these freedoms, it is common that, particularly in younger years, students in the Art classroom struggle with making mistakes and feeling like they themselves, or their work, is not up to standard. The conducted research report examines if these attitudes could change over time through the implementation of ‘positive error culture’ in the Art classroom over a 10 week period. Taking into consideration core theories such as the growth mindset theory proposed by Carole Dweck, alongside the referencing of previously conducted studies in the area such as ‘Error management behavior in classrooms: Teachers’ responses to student mistakes’ (Tulis, 2013) and ‘The significance of dealing with mistakes for student achievement and motivation: results of doubly latent multilevel analyses’ (Käfer et. al., 2018), the study centres itself in the previously established, yet, evolving area of research into the effect of mistake making. Using a variety of data collection methods such as focus groups, surveys and diary entries, the results showed that positive error culture implementation has an overwhelmingly positive effect on student skill, however, the research also concluded that student confidence is more difficult to influence, as students are highly sensitive to the opinions of others.

This lino and sculpture project combines both mediums to explore the theme of resilience through personal expression. Each student selected an animal symbolizing their own resilience and created a cardboard headpiece inspired by it. Using these headpieces, students posed for reference images, which were then developed into imaginative lino prints portraying themselves as as an anthropomorphic creature inspired by their chosen animal.

This painting unit is a still life painting project which explores contemporary ideas of “consumption.” Each student selected objects representing one of the following four subthemes: digital media, beauty and wellness, environmental impact, or mass-produced goods. Once the students made their choice, they used relevant personal objects to create a visual narrative representative of their chosen theme. Through a modern approach to still life, the final artworks incorporate mixed media techniques and bold, exaggerated colour palettes, reinterpreting the traditional genre to reflect current cultural issues.