We are bombarded and consumed by media every day. How can we make sense of it all? By learning how to visually decipher content, it can assist us in understanding our world and in creating our own content. Participants will gain an understanding of criteria to analyse media, identify strategies to increase literacy and thinking with students as well as activities to implement.

1. DECONSTRUCT TO CONSTRUCT:
VISUAL & MEDIA ANALYSIS
FRANK CURKOVIC EARCOS 2019

2. DESCRIPTION
▸ We are bombarded and consumed by media every day.
How can we make sense of it all?
▸ By learning how to visually decipher content, it can assist
us in understanding our world and in creating our own
content. Participants will gain an understanding of criteria
to analyse media, identify strategies to increase literacy
and thinking with students as well as activities to
implement.

3. AGENDA
NOTE:
▸ Presentation slides will be made available to you as a PDF.
Link will be provided at end and linked on Whova App
▸ Slides are slightly text heavy, so you don’t have to take
notes
▸ All documents shared are hyperlinked within presentation
▸ *Some student work containing actual photos of student
identities will not be included

4. AGENDA
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
▸ How can we read an image? What is the purpose of analysing work?
▸ What makes a good work of art?
▸ What strategies or activities could be implemented to help analyse media?
▸ How can we successfully create our own content? How can we learn to create and
evaluate our own media?
▸ How can analysis activities be formal and casual? What are the pros/cons of each?
▸ How can we analyse media? What criteria could be used?
▸ What techniques could be implemented into the curriculum? (articulation: context,
analysis, responding)
▸ How can classroom teachers implement this?

5. TASK: HOW CAN WE READ AN IMAGE?
PRE-ASSESSMENT
▸ Look at the 2 posters. Without mentioning your political
views, what emotions do the posters evoke? What are they
communicating? How do they do this?

6. TASK: HOW CAN WE READ AN IMAGE?
PRE-ASSESSMENT
▸ Look at the 2 posters. Without mentioning your political
views, what emotions do the posters evoke? What are they
communicating? How do they do this? What do you see,
think, wonder?

7. TASK: HOW CAN WE READ AN IMAGE?
PRE-ASSESSMENT
▸ Look at the 2 posters. Without mentioning your political
views, what emotions do the posters evoke? What are they
communicating? How do they do this? What do you see,
think, wonder?

8. TASK: WHAT MAKES A GOOD WORK OF ART?
PRE-ASSESSMENT DESIGN TASK (10-15MINS)
▸ You are running for political office. You need to create an
ad for yourself. Time is precious. Photograph yourself
using your device and insert the photo into a program of
your choice to create the ad (Pages, Keynote etc.). You
must include a slogan in your poster.
▸ Feel free to work with a partner.

9. DISCUSSION: WHAT MAKES A GOOD WORK OF ART?
GALLERY WALK & DISCUSSION
▸ What were the challenges of the task for you (and possibly
for students)?
▸ What were the task requirements? What would have
helped you do better?
▸ What would the students need to learn/know to succeed?

10. DISCUSSION: WHAT MAKES A GOOD WORK OF ART?
COMPARE / CONTRAST
▸ How would you evaluate these student examples?
▸ How/what are the photography skills?
▸ How/what are the design skills?
▸ How would you support / guide students through this?
FACE
INTENTIONALLY
HIDDEN

11. DISCUSSION: WHAT MAKES A GOOD WORK OF ART?
COMPARE / CONTRAST
▸ How would you evaluate these student examples?
▸ How/what are the photography skills?
▸ How/what are the design skills?
▸ How would you support / guide students through this?
FACE
INTENTIONALLY
HIDDEN
FACE
INTENTIONALLY
HIDDEN

12. GRADE 7 ANALYSIS/RESPONDING TASK
THIS RESPONDING TASK IS DONE BEFORE MAKING FINAL WORK
▸ https://tinyurl.com/y46gtvde

13. HOW CAN WE ANALYSE MEDIA? WHAT CRITERIA COULD BE USED?
FROM TECHNIQUES TO COMMUNICATION
▸ With no direction,
critically analyse the
following image in
pairs or small groups.
Be prepared to share
your answers. (Think,
Pair, Share)
Artist: IHeart
Title: (no likes)
2014
Located in Stanley Park, Vancouver, BC

14. HOW CAN WE ANALYSE MEDIA? WHAT CRITERIA COULD BE USED?
FROM TECHNIQUES TO COMMUNICATION
▸ How did you go about
analysing the work?
What did you look
for? What strategies
did you use?
▸ How can we guide
students through it?

15. HOW CAN WE ANALYSE MEDIA? WHAT CRITERIA COULD BE USED?
▸ 1. Initial Reaction
▸ 2. Description
▸ 3. Analysis &
Interpretation
▸ 4. Judge & Evaluate
downloadable PDF: http://tinyurl.com/8542cyc

16. HOW CAN WE ANALYSE MEDIA? WHAT CRITERIA COULD BE USED?
INITIAL REACTION

17. HOW CAN WE ANALYSE MEDIA? WHAT CRITERIA COULD BE USED?
DESCRIPTION

18. DESCRIBING MEDIA
ACTIVITY: DRAW & DESCRIBE
▸ 2 volunteers needed
▸ Person A who has a pen / paper
▸ Person B to describe what they see to person A. For sake
of time, we will only focus on position of items.
▸ (Person A will not see see the image)
▸ Next slide will have the image

19. DESCRIBING MEDIA
Vincent Van Gogh

20. HOW CAN WE ANALYSE MEDIA? WHAT CRITERIA COULD BE USED?
INITIAL REACTION

21. HOW CAN WE ANALYSE MEDIA? WHAT CRITERIA COULD BE USED?
INITIAL REACTION

22. HOW CAN WE ANALYSE MEDIA? WHAT CRITERIA COULD BE USED?
▸ From your experience, what are the pros/cons of these
type of tasks?

23. HOW CAN WE ANALYSE MEDIA? WHAT CRITERIA COULD BE USED?
▸ From your experience, what are the pros/cons of these
type of tasks?
▸ Covers some good groundwork
with describing and evaluating
▸ Can be empowering by applying
strategies learnt
▸ Can have it’s place for formal
purposes
▸ Can demonstrate knowledge for
students who may lack artistic
skills
▸ Analysing increases artistic
awareness
PROS CONS

24. HOW CAN WE ANALYSE MEDIA? WHAT CRITERIA COULD BE USED?
▸ From your experience, what are the pros/cons of these
type of tasks?
▸ Covers some good groundwork
with describing and evaluating
▸ Can be empowering by applying
strategies learnt
▸ Can have it’s place for formal
purposes
▸ Can demonstrate knowledge for
students who may lack artistic
skills
▸ Analysing increases artistic
awareness
▸ Does not include context (or
setting)
▸ Can be uninteresting for students
▸ Students write too little/too much
▸ Students may lack correct
terminology (i.e. unique colours,
makes it pop out)
▸ Can offer opinions before
describing
▸ Can be time consuming to grade
PROS CONS

25. WHAT STRATEGIES OR ACTIVITIES COULD BE IMPLEMENTED TO HELP
ANALYSE MEDIA?
ARTFUL THINKING ROUTINEShttps://tinyurl.com/y4dpodbn

26. WHAT STRATEGIES OR ACTIVITIES COULD BE IMPLEMENTED TO HELP
ANALYSE MEDIA?
ARTFUL THINKING ROUTINES
▸ Activity helped students consider a
narrative of how to frame or communicate
their own ideas through photography.
https://tinyurl.com/y4dpodbn

27. GRADE 6 WARM-UP ACTIVITY FOR OBSERVING & CONSIDERING NARRATIVE
PIXAR STORY PITCH (10MINS)
▸ Look at the following ceramic plate and create a story using the following sentences:
▸ 1. Once upon a time there was …
2. Every day …
3. One day …
4. Because of that …
5. Because of that …
6. Until finally …
▸ Look at the piece again.
▸ Now think about what decorative techniques were used on it.

28. WHAT STRATEGIES OR ACTIVITIES COULD BE IMPLEMENTED TO HELP
ANALYSE MEDIA?
MAKING THINKING VISIBLE ROUTINES https://tinyurl.com/y4kzt2bt

29. MAKING THINKING VISIBLE ROUTINES
▸ Grade 6 example
▸ Next step: JUDGE which artwork is the best
and why. What are some of the strengths
and weaknesses in the artworks? What skills
/ techniques are you interested in trying to
apply to your own work and why?
https://tinyurl.com/y4kzt2bt

30. MAKING THINKING VISIBLE ROUTINES

31. ARTFUL THINKING ROUTINES

32. ARTFUL THINKING ROUTINES
▸ Did this with grade 8
students in Japan. The
Japanese artist is Tetsuyo
Ishida.
▸ Used to highlight context
and perspective drawing
for Surrealist rooms activity.

33. HOW CAN WE ANALYSE MEDIA? WHAT CRITERIA COULD BE USED?
▸ Grade 8 Context Task Example Download PDF: https://tinyurl.com/yy2envvb

34. MAKING THINKING VISIBLE ROUTINES
▸ Current grade 8s doing a
unit on appropriation and
“remixing.”
▸ It’s a student choice
driven unit
▸ Select artists or works of
art you like. What are the
similarities /differences?
▸ Begin “Question Starts”
https://tinyurl.com/y4kzt2bt

35. CREATIVE STRATEGIES TO GENERATE IDEAS
▸ Gr8 cont’d:
▸ What
strategies did
your artist use?
▸ What could
you use?
https://tinyurl.com/y25w4kxz

36. MAKING THINKING VISIBLE ROUTINES

37. ARTFUL THINKING ROUTINES
ANALYSE SELF AS WELL (REFLECTION)

38. ARTFUL THINKING ROUTINES
ANALYSE SELF AS WELL (REFLECTION)
▸ Adapted to grade 7
“Selfie Esteem”
portrait drawing unit to
help set goals
throughout the tasks
and unit
https://tinyurl.com/y3teecds

39. RESPONDING TASK (ANALYSIS & INTERPRETATION)
CREATIVE ANALYSIS (GRADE 7)

40. RESPONDING TASK (ANALYSIS & INTERPRETATION)
CREATIVE ANALYSIS (GRADE 8)

41. HOW CAN WE ANALYSE MEDIA? WHAT CRITERIA COULD BE USED?
OTHER MEDIA?
▸ What types of different media do we experience in our
daily lives? Brainstorm.
▸ Is image analysis applicable to other media as well? Are
different or additional criteria needed? Share your
thoughts.

42. HOW CAN WE ANALYSE MEDIA? WHAT CRITERIA COULD BE USED?
OTHER MEDIA? tinyurl.com/7ad7aaj

43. HOW CAN WE ANALYSE MEDIA? WHAT CRITERIA COULD BE USED?

44. HOW CAN WE ANALYSE MEDIA? WHAT CRITERIA COULD BE USED?

45. HOW CAN WE ANALYSE MEDIA? WHAT CRITERIA COULD BE USED?

46. HOW CAN WE ANALYSE MEDIA? WHAT CRITERIA COULD BE USED?

47. HOW CAN WE ANALYSE MEDIA? WHAT CRITERIA COULD BE USED?

48. CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING TO YOURSELF:
▸ How can we use media to influence learning?
▸ How can we learn to create and evaluate our own media?
▸ Media can influence culture (alternative facts, fake news).

49. FURTHER EXAMPLES
▸ What does the ad below convey? What is the intent? What
message is being sold?

50. FURTHER EXAMPLES
▸ What techniques were used in this photo? What mood or
message does it convey?

51. FURTHER EXAMPLES
▸ What tactics were used in the following commercial (1m05s)?
http://youtu.be/E4LTTmRa698

52. FURTHER EXAMPLES
▸ Media literacy skills are also important for misinformation
as well (anti-vaccination movement, flat-earth)
martinlutherking.org

53. AGENDA
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
▸ How can we read an image? What is the purpose of analysing work?
▸ What makes a good work of art?
▸ What strategies or activities could be implemented to help analyse media?
▸ How can we successfully create our own content? How can we learn to create and
evaluate our own media?
▸ How can analysis activities be formal and casual? What are the pros/cons of each?
▸ How can we analyse media? What criteria could be used?
▸ What techniques could be implemented into the curriculum? (articulation: context,
analysis, responding)
▸ How can classroom teachers implement this? (share your thoughts)

54. AGENDA
CLASSROOM TEACHERS
▸ Analysis >> probably do it already
▸ Predicting a story based on cover
▸ Deciphering text based on illustrations
▸ Use artworks for creative writing
▸ (IB Economics teacher story)
▸ Creating: Analysing work helps us create; stretch creativity
through careful observation

55. BLOOM’S TAXONOMY
CONCLUSION

56. HTTPS://TINYURL.COM/Y6BV8K23

57. MY IB ART QUESTION FOR DEVELOPING CONTEXT
Theoretical Practice with Context
Students examine and compare the work of artists from different cultural
contexts.
Students consider the contexts influencing their own work and the work of
others.
•What is the purpose of the artwork? Is there an intended audience for the
work?
•Who is the artist? What is the artist’s agenda? What was the artist’s intent?
•What is the story and what significance does it have?
•What is the idea behind the piece?
•Are any themes evident? or symbols utilised? etc.
•What sociological, political, economic or cultural attitudes are directly reflected
or influenced by in the work?
•What might have happened if the artist took a different perspective?
•What theory could you come up with for organising the work the way they did?
•What questions do you have for this artist?

58. MY IB ART QUESTION FOR DEVELOPING CONTEXT
Art-making Practice with Context
Students make art through a process of investigation, thinking critically and
experimenting with techniques.
Students apply identified techniques to their own developing work.
•How was the work made?
•What examples could you give on how media has been used to communicate
or demonstrate?
•How are the basic components or elements arranged?
•How does the medium influence or impact the message/meaning/viewer?
What might happen if another medium or technique were substituted?
•What might happen next if you changed or substituted something in the work
of art?
•What can you use to show or explain this idea a different way?
•What factors would you change if you created this in a different medium?
•How would you compare/contrast this artist to another you have studied?
•What do you take away from the artwork? What can you use? manipulate?
remix or substitute?
•What questions do you have for this artist?

59. MY IB ART QUESTION FOR DEVELOPING CONTEXT
Curatorial Practice with Context
Students develop an informed response to work and exhibitions they have seen
and experienced.
Students begin to formulate personal intentions for creating and displaying their
own artworks.
•How is the work displayed on it’s own and within a collective? Is it cohesive?
•Does the arrangement of the works communicate or display something?
•What is your opinion on how the work is displayed or presented? What would
happen if it was presented in a different order?
•Can you give an example of a successful technique/strategy for presentation
and a way to improve it or show it differently? What evidence would support
your view?

60. RESOURCE
ART ACTIVITIES FOR ANALYSING, DISCUSSING, REFLECTING
▸ Document of ideas suitable for various ages from above course
(https://tinyurl.com/y3p82zvq):
▸ writing activities
▸ drawing activities
▸ sound/movement/game activities
https://www.coursera.org/learn/art-activity

61. END
QUESTIONS / COMMENTS?