I conducted this research to explore the importance of maintaining a consistent focus
on the conceptual aspects of students’ work in the secondary-level Art and Design
curriculum. During my placement, I found preserving students’ conceptual
understanding throughout lessons challenging. This experience led me to explore
practical strategies for ensuring the key concepts remain clear and engaging across
multiple classes. By examining how conceptual development influences student
making and vice versa, I aimed to uncover methods of involving classroom activities,
field trips, and multimedia tools that could best support students in understanding
and applying concepts in their artwork. The Junior Cycle Visual Art Curriculum guides
this research (National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, 2015), specifically
statements of Learning (SOL) 3, 8, and 23, emphasizing the need for students to
demonstrate understanding, convey meaning, and visually express their ideas.
The research was conducted through a small scale study in a secondary school in
Ireland involving a 2nd year class over a 10 week period. I used various methods to
explore how conceptual development relates to artmaking. This included open ended
questionnaires, focus group discussions, and collaborative activities designed to help
students reflect on and connect with the ideas behind their artwork. I employed a mix
of research collection methods to explore the relationship between conceptual
development and artmaking. Additionally, I observed students’ creative processes,
analysed their sketchbooks, and documented their work through photographs.
This research shows that students tend to develop their ideas more deeply through
working with materials than from starting with a fixed concept. It also points out the
importance of hands-on experimentation, emotional engagement, and flexible
teaching approaches in nurturing both creativity and conceptual understanding. At
the same time, it highlights the lack of support for visual education in Irish schools and
suggests looking to successful international examples.