Church Street Market

This scheme of work was developed  from an email sent to me by an old friend giving me news of an NSEAD event in which a group of teachers met for a shared professional development day. The event included teachers spending time drawing in the Church Street Market off the Edgeware Road in London. The email was part of a dialogue we had been having about the value of AI in professional matters. As you can see, my friend is sceptical about AI and points to the value of human interaction. His email raises many issues which we have debated elsewhere. 

The point of this page, however, is to note that my response to this email was to take his description of the event and simply place it into a prompt for ChatGPT and ask the AI programme to convert these abstract ideas, aspirations and observations into coherent and practical programmes of study for Yr 8, Yr 9 and Yr 11. As in all the programmes of study in artteachingstuff.com they are given not as answers or solutions, but ideas and options to inform the teacher’s debate and decisions about their curriculum. This is why we always ask for more than one example – to reinforce the point that choices need to be made by the human professionals.

This was initially a tongue-in-cheek exercise to see what would happen. However, the response from the AI programme suggests that the prompt, in establishing the role of subject expert, steered the AI programme to draw on an appropriate data set and that it was able to interpret this casually written email in ways that do inform a professional debate. It is offered here as an example of the capacity of AI to add to our human intelligence and of how the training data and algorithm enable it to reflect a consensus of informed professional opinions.

PS This was all done in 20 minutes, on my iPhone, while I was waiting to pick up a granddaughter from school. (DC)

 Prompt

I am a teacher trying to refresh my curriculum. You are an experienced curriculum leader in an inner London secondary school. I had a discussion about the curriculum with mygellow art teachers. We agreed that we wanted a curriculum to reflect the following :

[…. What came out of conversations in yesterday’s meeting was very much challenging that view. Not anti-AI at all, but proving the need for human intelligence in curriculum planning. We used Church Street Market off Edgeware Road as a focus to review our own (each teacher’s) curriculum to explore how to make it not like existing curricula and not generic. Exploring race, diverse cultures, the needs of the community, the soft skills necessary for those coming from such a culturally diverse community with the lowest life expectancy in Britain (14 years below the average), exploring how to empower the unempowered and disenfranchised, prevent youngsters being drawn into gangs, drugs, crime, radical politics etc, respecting diverse cultures and exploring creativity to see the art and design in everything – while avoiding the imposed curriculum of normality and middle class values. It was a good old-fashioned curriculum CPD-type event, like we all ran in our own LAs, and we used to explore in A4. Teachers were energised and laughing. Many said it had solved various problems they had been feeling with some of what they were doing. 

Important to reflect on what we know and believe is important (values) when asking can AI replicate or do that better. At this stage, I think it may be delivering more of the same and not the best of the best practice with the right values.  Just thinking out loud.]

Can you help me by giving suggestion for a short programme of study for students in Yr 9. which reflects these aims. Can you provide three different suggestions for this year group.

ChatGPT Response

Here is a full-term Scheme of Work for Year 9 based on “Reclaiming the Narrative” — designed to support students in critically examining representation, reclaiming identity, and exploring contemporary art strategies.

Year 9 Art – Reclaiming the Narrative (Full Term: 12 Weeks)

Overview

This programme challenges students to question who controls stories in society and empowers them to tell their own. It integrates cultural identity, contemporary practice, and personal voice through mixed media, contextual exploration, and critical reflection.

Big Ideas / Core Themes

• Representation and misrepresentation
• Power and storytelling
• Identity and belonging
• Contemporary strategies for cultural commentary

Learning Objectives

By the end of the term, students will:

1. Understand how visual culture shapes narratives of identity and history.
2. Explore a diverse range of contemporary artists who subvert or reclaim dominant narratives.
3. Develop skills in mixed media (collage, photography, text-based art, sculpture).
4. Create a personal or collective artwork that reclaims a narrative relevant to their own experience or community.
5. Reflect on the impact of art in shaping culture and expressing values.

Assessment Objectives

(Adapted from GCSE AO criteria for progression alignment)

• AO1: Develop ideas through investigations and contextual studies (e.g. analysis of artists such as Yinka Shonibare, Kara Walker, Zineb Sedira).
• AO2: Refine work by experimenting with materials, techniques and processes.
• AO3: Record observations, ideas and insights using appropriate visual and written means.
• AO4: Present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and reflects understanding.

Suggested Structure (12 Weeks)

Weeks 1–2: Introduction & Artist Exploration

• Activities:
  • Group discussions on representation in media/art.
  • Case studies: Shonibare’s “Scramble for Africa”, Walker’s silhouettes, Sedira’s photography.
  • Mind-mapping personal or cultural experiences of misrepresentation or invisibility.
• Skills: Critical discussion, sketchbook annotation, analytical writing
• Outcome: Artist research pages, reflective mind map

Weeks 3–4: Visual Experiments

• Activities:
  • Experiment with collage using found images to challenge or subvert narratives.
  • Photography session: capturing personal or local identity.
  • Experimenting with layering text, image, and material.
• Skills: Composition, layering, symbolism, visual subversion
• Outcome: Mixed media experiment sheets

Weeks 5–6: Concept Development

• Activities:
  • Students begin developing a personal response based on their earlier experiments.
  • Group critiques to discuss intentions and symbolism.
  • Drafting artist statement.
• Skills: Visual planning, communication, peer feedback
• Outcome: Design board or sketchbook development for final piece

Weeks 7–10: Final Piece Creation

• Activities:
  • Create final outcome (can be 2D, 3D, or installation).
  • Weekly self-assessment and feedback.
  • Peer workshopping and refinement time.
• Skills: Realisation of intent, problem-solving, technical refinement
• Outcome: Personal artwork reclaiming a narrative

Weeks 11–12: Exhibition & Reflection

• Activities:
  • Curate and present work in a classroom or digital exhibition.
  • Write final reflection: What did I reclaim? Why? How does it challenge a dominant narrative?
  • Group critique/discussion session.
• Skills: Presentation, critical reflection, curatorial thinking
• Outcome: Artist statement, final evaluation, peer feedback

Assessment Strategy

• Formative:
  • Weekly critique sessions and self-reflections
  • Sketchbook feedback
• Summative:
  • Final artwork (AO2 & AO4)
  • Artist statement and sketchbook (AO1 & AO3)
  • Presentation of intentions and critical reflection

Extensions and Support

• Support: Scaffolds for writing/art analysis, tiered vocabulary lists, exemplar artist pages.
• Extension: Invite a guest artist from a relevant cultural background; collaborate with English on personal narrative writing.

Would you like a printable version or slide deck outline to use for sharing with your team?