Art teachers in Hong Kong face a dual challenge
Teachers are slowly getting to grips with the new visual arts curriculum, but changing the views of parents who doubt the value of the subject is proving more challenging, writes Kate Whitehead
The new visual arts curriculum introduced five years ago for senior secondary students in the public sector made some teachers anxious. They worried about how to teach a much broader syllabus that demanded not only artistic talent, but the ability to critically analyse creative work.
On top of the challenge of negotiating a new curriculum came the reluctance of many parents to encourage their children to take up a subject without obvious benefits for career prospects.
But the tide is beginning to turn as art teachers find strategies to approach the subject, supported by valuable teaching aids such as those provided by the Asian Art Archive's (AAA) Teaching Labs.
There's limited time to teach art criticism and art history and to balance it with their own interests
Half of a student's final grade is determined by a school-based assessment - a portfolio of four artworks accompanied by a research book and critical appreciation of their work - and half on a four-hour public examination. It's the written appreciation of art section that causes the most concern.
"The critical writing is a challenge," says Florie Tse Siu-wah, visual arts teacher at the Jockey Club Ti-I College. "In the past, if you did a beautiful artwork or design you could do well, but now you have to document your critical thinking, you need to use language to show your understanding."
The new curriculum also opened up the scope of visual arts, making it a large subject.
"The curriculum is too broad now," says Yuen Kit-sum, panel head of visual arts at HKSKH Bishop Hall Secondary School. "The examination includes contemporary art and traditional art. There's limited time to teach art criticism and art history and to balance it with their own interests because we want them to have fun and also enjoy art."
Tse believes teachers must be committed to constantly improving their own knowledge. "We need to admit that although we are teachers, there are a lot of areas we don't know. We need to go to seminars and visit exhibitions, or go on exchange programmes," she says.