Marc Smith
Visual Art Teacher
International School of London in Surrey
Digital storytelling
Two Primary students and one Secondary student worked together to adapt a traditional Croatian tale into a modern animation. The animation was shown at the British Film Institute in June 2016 and Goldsmiths University were delighted with the pedagogic data obtained from the project.
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Save Teo. A PR message targeted at young children for the Indonesian charity Masarang. Highly commended by judges in the 2016 National UK competition "Can Art Change the World?"
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Grade 8 students deliver lecture at SOAS University
Two students delivered a lecture and their award winning animation about deforestation in Indonesia.
I LOVE cross-curricular projects. Here are some sketchbook pages exploring chemical change.
I LOVE cross-curricular projects. Sketchbook pages exploring chemical change.
Covalent bonding
I regularly visit influential art spaces in London. A vast resource for teaching.
I regularly visit influential art spaces in London. A vast resource for teaching.
I regularly visit influential art spaces in London. A vast resource for teaching.
I regularly visit influential art spaces in London. A vast resource for teaching.
Individual responses to a visit to the battlefields of Belgium.
Individual responses to a visit to the battlefields of Belgium.
A snapshot into a lesson. Students have been challenged to "make sound louder" and then explain their discoveries. This is what they have made 26 minutes later! Students discovered and articulated - double insulated cones, shiny surfaces to reflect sound in different directions, tension conducting sound waves, and many other discoveries.
Most importantly they worked together using a process of making, testing, reflecting that I feel reflects the behaviour that I want to see in a classroom and the skills that I believe they will need in the workplace of the future.
Sculpture Trip -Portland Quarry
I organized a 5 day residential art trip that was spent almost entirely outdoors! Students worked with Royal College of Art Sculptor Hannah Sofaer RCA in one of the most important English quarries on the Island of Portland. We learned sculpture techniques but it was also evident that Hannah is a scientist and historian as much as she is an artist. How do these roles overlap? Why do we separate them? Students were treated as individual artists and made wonderful progress. Students also planned and cooked some of their own meals which we ate together.
learning about the different strata
The students were asked to explore different ways that they could photograph their final piece.
Anthony Gormley site specific work
maquette of original quarry from memory of quarryman
Digital Play: Advertisers spent £10.3 Billion on internet advertising in 2016. Creative use of digital media aimed at short attention spans is clearly a lucrative 21st Century skill. After returning from trips to Paris, Madrid and the UK my students were challenged to use their digital photos and videos and make 10-15 second videos that developed their digital skills and creativity.
What does independent learning look like? Can deep learning be measured? This video shows 3 projects that I think have elements of true independent inquiry, research and genuine learning.
Regular communication with parents. I think that it is important to share with parents what happens in the classroom. I occasionally send videos or photographs with updates on recent projects or acquisitions such as the 3D printer.
Architecture workshop with a professional architect. Students learned about insulation, light and form in this great exploratory workshop.
Architecture workshop with a professional architect.
Architecture workshop with a professional architect. Students learned about insulation, light and form in this great exploratory workshop.
Low tech/high tech is a theme to my teaching. Blending the hand made with the latest technologies seems to come up in most of my projects.
Workshop at the V&A
Re-use of objects is a key factor in sustainability. I encourage students to explore creative ways to re-use objects and materials.
Film making as a service to the community
Challenge: Make a welcome video for a local mosque. For this project students made several visits to a mosque. They learned about film making techniques and worked together to make a welcome video that would educate visitors about this local historic and cultural feature. Many students had lived their whole lives near the mosque and had never set foot inside it. By planning and recording their own interviews students had the chance to genuinely interact and learn about this historic part of their community and speak to local muslims about their faith. Phones, ipads and laptops were used to film and edit. What can I do with what I have is my creative motto. I like to see students using what they have to its creative potential. Almost all of these students were EAL- English as an Additional Language.
Is this the only Portuguese, Hungarian, English animation in the world?
Five students of different ages worked together to write and direct this very moving film along the theme of "Belonging". As a teacher it was a career highlight to see the students use their mother tongues and discuss local dialects, accents, intonations to create characters that had an emotional impact. The students overcome great technical challenges and succeeded in making a thought provoking film.