Are you ready for the new “revised” Visual Arts course?

No, of course you aren’t, because the final report on the course will not be seen by teachers until 2021 and you won’t start teaching it until 2022 – but hey, it’s a-coming!

What’s happening next?

We are approaching the end of a long but interesting journey: the fourth ‘new course’ development meeting will occur next month (November 2019).

The fifth and sixth development meetings (January – December 2020) will discuss refinements and the finalisation of curriculum and assessment model. There will also, of course, be the development of new course teacher support materials.

The Year of Implementation (Brave New World!)

2022 is the year of implementation with the publication of new guide and materials (in February), and subject-specific seminars (from February).

In August/September of 2022 we will start teaching of new course – brave new world!

Of course, since – like all Diploma Programmes – it’s a two-year course, the first examinations won’t be for five years – the May 2024 session – so no need to panic!

Visual Arts Review aims

Key recommendations for the revised course include

1. Making only ‘minor to moderate’ change to the current course: the next course values continuity with the current course. There are no BIG changes planned. Most visual arts teachers seem fairly satisfied with the structure and content of the current course (although of course there are suggested improvements to resolve some identified issues such as the amount of writing students do and the ‘no sound’ issue.)
2. Clear and authentic SL/HL differentiation: the aim is to provide clear and authentic differentiation for SL and HL students that values their different allocated time commitments and learning pathways.
3. Greater alignment between course curriculum and assessment: the course seeks greater alignment between “the front of the guide” and the “back of the guide” in which course aims, assessment objectives and taught curriculum support authentic summative assessment.

For more detail please refer to the last Curriculum Review Update to Teachers (available through MyIB)

Have your say on the curriculum review team

You are a ‘stakeholder’ – and as such, you could apply to join the curriculum review team. Please do!

The curriculum manager welcomes applications from interested teachers for a position on the curriculum review team (please submit a CV and statement of interest.)

Applications from state school teachers, those who deliver the course in Spanish, and those at schools in the IB Americas region are particularly welcome.

Please read the last curriculum review update and send comments, ideas etc. directly to the curriculum manager at [email protected].

Join the wider visual arts team!?

The visual arts team also need workshop leaders, developers, moderators, and examiners.

If you are interested contact the IB educator network via the IBO website or send contact details and a brief statement of interest to the curriculum manager.

Image by ANIKA (student) – thanks Anika!