Every individual, student and artist is different. It follows that the creative practice will be different for everyone. This resource demonstrates one example of what the creative practice could look like. To be the best visual arts teachers we can be we must cater to the everchanging vastly diverse array of students. This digital resource has been designed to assist both teachers and students in completing Unit 1, Area of Study [AOS] 2 and 3, Outcome 2 and 3, from the 2023-2027 Victorian Certificate of Education [VCE] Art Creative Practice Study Design. This resource focuses on printmaking, showcasing an example of one of the three art forms students could explore as part of this unit. It includes a comprehensive suite of worked examples, videos and articles, worksheets, and links to relevant Artists from a wide range of cultures and identities.

Visual arts can assist young learners in engaging with the world, developing empathy, and developing creative and critical thinking skills (Dinham, 2022). By incorporating opportunities for students to build intercultural understanding and by implementing 21st-century teaching practices, students can be supported to become “informed and responsible global and local members of the community who value and celebrate cultural and linguistic differences (Education Council, 2019)”, as outlined in the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration’s goals. This is increasingly important as Australia continues to become a more culturally and ethnically diverse nation (McCandless, Fox, Moss, & Chandir, 2020) and intercultural understanding allows for peace, harmony and, connection among peoples.

Intercultural understanding is one of The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority’s [ACARA] General Capabilities, which aim to “equip young Australians with the knowledge, skills, behaviours and dispositions to live and work successfully (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, 2024)”. Intercultural understanding has been prioritised throughout the resource through the example tasks and the inclusion of diverse artists and methods. Specifically, by including a range of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Artists and Asian Artists, the resource aims to assist busy teachers in meeting ACARA’s Cross-curriculum priorities: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures and Asia and Australia’s Engagement with Asia. By incorporating this diverse range of artists, this resource encourages educators to embrace a more inclusive approach to teaching art, one that not only meets curriculum standards but also resonates with the varied backgrounds and experiences of their students.

This resource has been designed as an online platform, allowing multiple people to view it from anywhere and allowing the ability to update, add to and change the resource continuously. Students and teachers can view the resource during any period from any device or if they are home, whether they are sick, on holidays or doing homework. This is invaluable in a post-pandemic world, as it affords teachers and students the flexibility they need. Having a dynamic and interactive, digital space that promotes intercultural understanding will help engage 21st-century students in 21st-century learning. 21st-century learning means equipping students with digital literacy, cultural competence, emotional awareness, critical and creative thinking, and problem-solving skills (Bernhardt, 2015). By engaging students in a digital space, the resource will help develop their digital literacy.

The resource lends to the Victoria State Government Education and Training’s High impact teaching strategies [HITS], which are internationally recognised as some of the most effective teaching strategies for achieving learning outcomes (DET, 2022). Among others, ‘Strategy 3: Explicit teaching’, which speaks to the effectiveness of showing students what to do and how to do it, and ‘Strategy 4: Worked examples’ which explains that a demonstration of a task reduces students’ cognitive load, therefore improving skill development, are strategies that are central to this resource. Worked examples of both making and responding tasks are provided and the entire resource acts to explicitly demonstrate what is required of students when undergoing Unit 1, AOS 2 and 3, Outcome 2 and 3.

By fostering a space where creativity, cultural competence, and critical thinking converge, this resource aims to empower teachers and the next generation of student artists who are global citizens.