Again, after the meaning of “the umbrellas” was established for students, they could then go
about actively constructing their learning with a degree of agency and in an autonomous manner.
Students were able to make decisions about their art forms, their areas for research and what they
were working on in each lesson. Students even created their own learning and assessment plans,
a contract of their learning goals, which included the criteria for assessment. This was all
negotiated with Yvonne, who again acted as a “resource person,” a mentor and also an instructor.
Students were able to access both offline and online resources to support their learning. Yvonne
collated a number of resources to display in the classroom, which included library books,
PowerPoint presentations and handouts. Every student in the class had their own laptop and
continual access to internet resources for research, as well as the topic clouds and umbrellas, with
handouts and assessment guidelines electronically distributed to students through the school’s
Learner Management System (LMS). This open access to resources in both offline and online
spaces contributed to students’ capacity to work autonomously both inside and outside the
classroom.
Students would initiate direct instruction session with Yvonne based on their needs. If a
student was working on a clay art work, they would book a time with Yvonne to be taught
specific clay techniques. If they needed help with a painting process or technique, they would
book a time. Students could choose to join any direct instruction session that was being held, or
to go on with their work independently. Each student created their own individual assessment
products across art forms. Examples of their assessment products are shown in Figures 12 and
13.