VIEW FROM THE CLASSROOM
The superpower of looking: unlocking creativity, inclusivity, and visual literacy
disadvantaged area. With a high percentage of Pupil Premium, and many children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or English as an Additional Language (EAL), we pride ourselves on being an inclusive school. As part of this, we continually look for teaching resources and ways to ensure every child feels inspired, motivated, and supported with their learning across all subjects.
What do you love the most about teaching art?
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n our View from the Classroom feature this month, we hear from Belgrave St. Bartholomew’s Academy teacher and art lead Megan McDonagh. Here she discusses how Art UK’s ‘The Superpower of Looking’ resources help spark creativity, inclusivity, and visual literacy in the classroom
Tell us a bit about your school Belgrave St. Bartholomew’s Academy is a primary school in Stoke-on-Trent, located in a
Reflecting on my own childhood, I didn’t particularly enjoy maths and English, but always thrived when it came to the creative aspects of subjects. After taking part in school plays and art lessons, I noticed a big change in how I approached school and how I could apply my natural abilities. I see so much of this in my own school now as a teacher; art and creative expression can be such a game changer for pupils. Children being able to express themselves creatively is so important in building a multitude of skills, and helping them achieve that is incredibly rewarding.
When did you first hear about Art UK’s ‘The Superpower of Looking’?
I first heard about The Superpower of Looking when my headteacher introduced it as a new project to trial for our art lessons. While I had
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limited experience in teaching art, I decided to give it a try. Based on a set of free teaching resources, it’s very simple for teachers when delivering aspects of the Art and Design curriculum – or as an interdisciplinary approach within other subjects. It includes bespoke films, full lesson plans, teacher training videos and a lesson toolkit enabling learning through questioning and guided looking. The idea behind it is to help children gain a ‘superpower’, allowing them to really ‘see’ and observe, analyse, question, and empathise. Building ‘visual literacy’ helps them interpret and find meaning from information and detail presented in images or visual materials and equips them with the skills to better navigate a heavily image-dominated world.
After just one lesson, the results spoke for themselves. So much so that the programme has now been rolled out throughout the whole school, and we are starting to introduce it across the Trust.
Are the resources easy to use?
This has been one of the easiest projects I’ve been involved with. As an early career teacher (ECT), I’ve never had to worry about not being prepared or having to spend a whole weekend planning – it’s all there for me, helping to cut hours I would typically spend on lesson planning. Teachers can deliver an engaging art lesson
September 2024
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