Thursday, October 7, 2010
Last minute change
The title of my project has been changed to "Eye of the Circle" as I feel it is a more appropriate title.
Evaluation of WISE
WISE was a very different and interesting experience that I will always remember. It helped me learn new and unusual things that I hadn't even heard of before. It was the first time I'd heard of the topic!
After taking a multiple intelligence test at the start of the year, I found that I am a logic, visual/spacial, intrapersonal and linguistic leaner. These are all true as I found when working on my WISE project that these were all incorporated into the thought and creation of my project.
Earlier this year we learnt about the Habits of Mind and used these to find a solution for my WISE. I used many Habits of Mind including persisting, thinking and communicating with clarity and precision, gathering data through all senses, creating, imagining and innovation, thinking flexibly, thinking about thinking, striving for acuracy, questioning and posing problems and remaining open to continuous learning. These were all used in the research, thinking, planning and creating of my project which was basically all the time.
My time management throughout this project was average but I feel it was not the best it could have been. One strength of my time management was that when I did get stuck into what I was doing, I really achieved quite a bit and made a lot of progress. The main weakness of my time management was that I should have been more organised and definite with what I was doing so I wasn't left at the end with a whole pile of work. I also should have used my class time more wisely as looking back now, I really didn't achieve much during the lessons, apart from minor planning. On the other hand, some lessons were a lot more productive compared to others.
As a result of creating my collage and displaying it in the classroom, I hope that people will become aware of the existence of the Circle Sentencing program and its benefits to the Aboriginal people and the wider community. I believe that Aboriginals deserve a fair chance and should no longer be discriminated against because of their crimes or past actions.
After taking a multiple intelligence test at the start of the year, I found that I am a logic, visual/spacial, intrapersonal and linguistic leaner. These are all true as I found when working on my WISE project that these were all incorporated into the thought and creation of my project.
Earlier this year we learnt about the Habits of Mind and used these to find a solution for my WISE. I used many Habits of Mind including persisting, thinking and communicating with clarity and precision, gathering data through all senses, creating, imagining and innovation, thinking flexibly, thinking about thinking, striving for acuracy, questioning and posing problems and remaining open to continuous learning. These were all used in the research, thinking, planning and creating of my project which was basically all the time.
My time management throughout this project was average but I feel it was not the best it could have been. One strength of my time management was that when I did get stuck into what I was doing, I really achieved quite a bit and made a lot of progress. The main weakness of my time management was that I should have been more organised and definite with what I was doing so I wasn't left at the end with a whole pile of work. I also should have used my class time more wisely as looking back now, I really didn't achieve much during the lessons, apart from minor planning. On the other hand, some lessons were a lot more productive compared to others.
As a result of creating my collage and displaying it in the classroom, I hope that people will become aware of the existence of the Circle Sentencing program and its benefits to the Aboriginal people and the wider community. I believe that Aboriginals deserve a fair chance and should no longer be discriminated against because of their crimes or past actions.
Information with collage
Here is the information that goes with my collage when on display to explain Circle Sentencing and my collage.
Circle Sentencing
Circle Sentencing is an alternative sentencing court for adult Aboriginal offenders. The Circle has the full sentencing powers of the court. It directly involves local Aboriginal people in the process of sentencing offenders, with the key aims of making it a more meaningful experience for the offender and improving the Aboriginal community’s confidence in the criminal justice system.
Circle Sentencing takes the sentencing process out of its traditional court setting and into the community. Here, community members and the Magistrate sit in a circle to discuss the offence and the offender. The Circle also talks about the background and effects of the offence and develops a sentence that is tailored for that offender. Circle Sentencing can involve victims of offences, respected community people and the offender’s family. It allows greater Aboriginal involvement in the criminal justice process, particularly at the community level, and aims to increase Aboriginal satisfaction with the operations of the criminal justice system.
The desired outcome of the Circle Sentencing is that it helps to address and correct criminal behaviour within the community and it reduces the likelihood that the criminal will re-offend.
My Collage
This collage, titled The Eye Has It, contains a number of different meanings and symbols throughout. The newspaper articles represent how Aboriginals are not only failing to cope with the current jail system, they are also frequently dying in police custody. The results are constant headlines with similar circumstances surrounding the events. The eye in the centre represents the community’s “eye” keeping a watch on the process of Circle Sentencing. The coloured sequins (consisting of the aboriginal colours of red and yellow) are placed around the iris and they represent the people watching the trial including the magistrate, elders and the victim. Within the centre of the iris, taking the place of the pupil, stands the Aboriginal criminal being watched and assessed by the people in circle. Various words, also in the aboriginal colours, are placed on either side of the iris and these words help to convey the main ideas of the collage. The colours used in this collage are all the traditional, aboriginal colours of black, white, red, orange, yellow and brown. With mostly black and white in the background, the colours in the centre foreground stand out and aim to attract your attention.
I din't want to put the urls of the websites on either of my canvases to make it look weird so here they are.
http://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/law/circle-sentencing.html
www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au
Circle Sentencing
Circle Sentencing is an alternative sentencing court for adult Aboriginal offenders. The Circle has the full sentencing powers of the court. It directly involves local Aboriginal people in the process of sentencing offenders, with the key aims of making it a more meaningful experience for the offender and improving the Aboriginal community’s confidence in the criminal justice system.
Circle Sentencing takes the sentencing process out of its traditional court setting and into the community. Here, community members and the Magistrate sit in a circle to discuss the offence and the offender. The Circle also talks about the background and effects of the offence and develops a sentence that is tailored for that offender. Circle Sentencing can involve victims of offences, respected community people and the offender’s family. It allows greater Aboriginal involvement in the criminal justice process, particularly at the community level, and aims to increase Aboriginal satisfaction with the operations of the criminal justice system.
The desired outcome of the Circle Sentencing is that it helps to address and correct criminal behaviour within the community and it reduces the likelihood that the criminal will re-offend.
My Collage
This collage, titled The Eye Has It, contains a number of different meanings and symbols throughout. The newspaper articles represent how Aboriginals are not only failing to cope with the current jail system, they are also frequently dying in police custody. The results are constant headlines with similar circumstances surrounding the events. The eye in the centre represents the community’s “eye” keeping a watch on the process of Circle Sentencing. The coloured sequins (consisting of the aboriginal colours of red and yellow) are placed around the iris and they represent the people watching the trial including the magistrate, elders and the victim. Within the centre of the iris, taking the place of the pupil, stands the Aboriginal criminal being watched and assessed by the people in circle. Various words, also in the aboriginal colours, are placed on either side of the iris and these words help to convey the main ideas of the collage. The colours used in this collage are all the traditional, aboriginal colours of black, white, red, orange, yellow and brown. With mostly black and white in the background, the colours in the centre foreground stand out and aim to attract your attention.
I din't want to put the urls of the websites on either of my canvases to make it look weird so here they are.
http://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/law/circle-sentencing.html
www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au
My collage is finished
I have finished my collage finally :) I have made some changes though... The first change that I have made is that I have added words to the black part of my to help people understand what circle sentencing involves a bit more. Some of the words include magistrate, circle, sentencing, victim, offenders, guilty, elders and prosecution.
Another thing that I have added is a black border around the outside of the collage which really helps frame the collage and make it more defined.
As I said in my last post, I thought that the man in the middle could have really been ANYONE so I decided to put a traditional looking aboriginal in the centre. This also helps with the understanding of the collage.
Another thing that I have added is a black border around the outside of the collage which really helps frame the collage and make it more defined.
As I said in my last post, I thought that the man in the middle could have really been ANYONE so I decided to put a traditional looking aboriginal in the centre. This also helps with the understanding of the collage.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
I finished my wise...or so I thought.
Finally I thought I had finished the actual product for my WISE but after looking at it numerous times it seemed to me as if something was missing. I think it is the lack of Aboriginal colours and even colour in general. The sequins representing the people aren't enough colour. So I have decided that I will add some words in colour, placed randomly on the page to help explain what the actual circle sentencing is. This way the aboriginal colours will be introduces as well as people having a better understanding on what circle sentencing is or at least the ideas associated with it.
I have also decided that I will add more 'traditional' Aboriginal people (2) also to my collage possibly either side of the modern aboriginal man being sentenced in the centre. At the moment, the man in the centre could be anyone off the street. By adding these, this will also represent how aboriginal people have also become more modern thus the ways that they are being sentenced and treated also need to be updated. If this doesn't look good, I may replace the modern aboriginal man and the added Aboriginal men with just one Aboriginal man with a more 'traditional' appearance.
A black border may also be needed to frame the page but this idea will be investigated.
I have also decided that I will add more 'traditional' Aboriginal people (2) also to my collage possibly either side of the modern aboriginal man being sentenced in the centre. At the moment, the man in the centre could be anyone off the street. By adding these, this will also represent how aboriginal people have also become more modern thus the ways that they are being sentenced and treated also need to be updated. If this doesn't look good, I may replace the modern aboriginal man and the added Aboriginal men with just one Aboriginal man with a more 'traditional' appearance.
A black border may also be needed to frame the page but this idea will be investigated.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Computer Plan
Here is a computer generated plan of my collage. The coloured circles represent the sequins. Also the eye will look more natural on the actual collage :)
Change of idea
Once again I have slightly altered my idea! It will no longer be a painting but a collage. I have decided this because when trying to plan my painting, nothing was standing out or going to attract anyones attention, thus not raising any awareness. So I have designed a collage which I believe will attract peoples attention.
The base for my painting is a 12 by 16 inch canvas. The background will be black and white newspaper articles which convey the problem of the judicial system without circle sentencing eg. headlines such as "Another indigenous dies in custody". On top of the articles will be a white eye which will take up majority of the canvas and the eye may have a black outline as well as the iris and pupil. Around the iris will be lots of little sequins which represent the many people watching the guilty person. The sequins will be the aboriginal colours including orange, red, yellow and black. The pupil will not be normal and round, it will be the guilty person. Well, an black sort of outline of the guilty person so no features are recognisable.
The main colours of the collage are black and white with only the sequins being in colour. Having such a small amount of colours will allow the painting to be more effective and attract more attention. The sequins which contrast with the background will hopefully draw the viewers eyes into the centre where the person is, who is the focal point.
With all these aspects incorporated into my collage, it will hopefully be very eye catching and thus raise more awareness about what needs to happen in the judicial system.
The base for my painting is a 12 by 16 inch canvas. The background will be black and white newspaper articles which convey the problem of the judicial system without circle sentencing eg. headlines such as "Another indigenous dies in custody". On top of the articles will be a white eye which will take up majority of the canvas and the eye may have a black outline as well as the iris and pupil. Around the iris will be lots of little sequins which represent the many people watching the guilty person. The sequins will be the aboriginal colours including orange, red, yellow and black. The pupil will not be normal and round, it will be the guilty person. Well, an black sort of outline of the guilty person so no features are recognisable.
The main colours of the collage are black and white with only the sequins being in colour. Having such a small amount of colours will allow the painting to be more effective and attract more attention. The sequins which contrast with the background will hopefully draw the viewers eyes into the centre where the person is, who is the focal point.
With all these aspects incorporated into my collage, it will hopefully be very eye catching and thus raise more awareness about what needs to happen in the judicial system.
More Eyes
Here are some more eyes that I have found which could be good for my artwork. They are all different shapes and also I have decided that the smokey effect doesn't matter and any eyes will be perfect.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Eyes
Recently, I have been trying out different styles of eyes to use as the focal point of my painting. I have also found that I cannot draw symmetrical eyes so I thought maybe it would be easier for me to find pictures of eyes and trace them onto the canvas with pencil and then paint over them. I would like the eyes to have a dark and smokey effect so these are the pictures of eyes that I have found so far. These eye styles are hard to find but I will keep searching. When I get home, I will also look through magazines for them and post them up here.
Last few weeks
Over the last few weeks I have not made basically any progress on my WISE project. I have had many other commitments for after school activities on the weekends and no time during the week due to normal school homework and assignments. Another set back was the fact that I lost the sketch for my painting but it should be easy enough to redraw. The progress that I have made is that I bought the canvas for my painting which I can't remember the dimensions for right now, the paint brushes of different thicknesses and for different painting styles and I also searched for a little squirt or dot bottle to create the dots for the painting but they were either really expensive or in the wrong colour. So I will ask the art staff if they have any that I would be able to borrow for the duration of the holidays to complete my project. I found paint at home which are of the right colours (traditional aboriginal colours) but I am not sure that there will be enough for the whole painting so I will have to buy more. The paints are acrylic however I am not sure whether these are the right paints to use so I will ask my grandmother who is an artist, if these are the right paints to use for this style of painting.
When I get around to resketching the painting draft, I will post it up on here. Before I do that though, I will have some friends and family view the sketch and I will ask them whether they believe it relates to the topic at hand- if not I will rethink my ideas.
When I get around to resketching the painting draft, I will post it up on here. Before I do that though, I will have some friends and family view the sketch and I will ask them whether they believe it relates to the topic at hand- if not I will rethink my ideas.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
what i planned during my holidays!
During the holidays I planned my painting and drew a rough design of it. This is my first option for my painting so I am not sure yet if I will use it as my end product.
- All the aboriginal colours of yellow, red, orange, brown, black and white
- Background: will either be the aboriginal flag or two large rectangles both with a different aboriginal colour or just a plain background with one aboriginal colour.
- The focal point of the painting will be the eyes in the center of the circle of people. The eyes will possibly made of dots.
- Circles or dots in a circle pattern all around the outside symbolising people watching the accused person.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Lesson 19/5/10
Today I did some more research on what to do for my painting and I also looked for some inspiration and ideas for it. I haven't come up with many ideas for it yet so I will keep researching however, now I am deciding on whether I should do a surrealism painting or a surrealism collage as it may be easier to find quality images or symbols than draw them. With more research I will be able to determine which artworks will be easier to understand and have more images or ideas to choose from.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Lesson 5/5/10
Today's lesson wasn't as productive as I had hoped. I worked out my time schedule for the project and made a document that mum can sign to say that I have actually done what I said I would do! I decided that I am not going to do my painting mostly using aboriginal symbols as they are quite hard to find however if I can find some that are relevant to my project, I may consider using them. Also without an explanation of the symbol no one will know what it is, making my painting not have any sense to them. So thinking about it, my painting will make more sense without the use of aboriginal symbols, however my painting may be a surrealism painting. I will also use aboriginal colours mainly red, black and yellow to show some symbolism.
Time Allocation
The time recommended for this project is 20 hours or more. With this in mind, I will allocate 4 hours for research, 4 hours for the mini report that goes with the painting and 11 hours or more if necessary for the painting. I will keep track of this time by writing down in a table when I have worked on the project, how long I worked on it for and which part of the project I worked on. I will get my mum view what I have done and sign in the table.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Differences between formal and circle courts
What does the room look like?
- Formal court- cold and impersonal
- Circle court- Aboriginal artwork and flags
- Formal court- justice system professionals
- Circle court- elders, magistrate, police, community members (sometimes family members)
- Formal court- legal principals and precedents
- Circle court- offenders situation, victims comments
- Formal court- lawyers
- Circle court- those directly or indirectly affected by the crime
- Formal court- convictions and crimal records, jail time
- Circle court- convictions and criminal records, community work
Circle Sentencing is not for everyone
Sentencing circles require a significant commitment from those community members who participate in the circle. To maximize the benefit of each circle sentencing process communities should only invite offenders who demonstrate high levels of motivation and commitment to the process.
The offender must normally enter a guilty plea early in the proceedings indicating a full acceptance of responsibility for the offence.
Circle sentencing is not an easy way out for offenders. Punishments tend to fall in the middle-to-heavy end of penalties.
The offender must normally enter a guilty plea early in the proceedings indicating a full acceptance of responsibility for the offence.
Circle sentencing is not an easy way out for offenders. Punishments tend to fall in the middle-to-heavy end of penalties.
What is circle sentencing?
Aboriginal People are overrepresented in Australian jails. In 2006 (and still in 2008) 80% of the Northern Territory prison population was Indigenous. In addition, Aboriginal people in custody are often dying from treatable diseases like diabetes and heart disease.
A scheme which is called “Circle Sentencing” in NSW, tries to avoid gaol time for Aboriginal offenders. The term 'circle sentencing' stems from a circle of representatives sitting together and trying to decide a sentence that does not include a jail term.
Representatives are mainly Aboriginal Elders, but also members of the prosecution or police and a magistrate. The circle will also talk about the background and effects of the offence and can involve meeting the victim. The sentence should, where possible, involve community work.
Circle sentencing is an idea, which in 2002 spread to Australia from northern Canada where the procedure was resurrected in 1991 from traditional sanctioning and healing practices.
http://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/law/circle-sentencing.html
A scheme which is called “Circle Sentencing” in NSW, tries to avoid gaol time for Aboriginal offenders. The term 'circle sentencing' stems from a circle of representatives sitting together and trying to decide a sentence that does not include a jail term.
Representatives are mainly Aboriginal Elders, but also members of the prosecution or police and a magistrate. The circle will also talk about the background and effects of the offence and can involve meeting the victim. The sentence should, where possible, involve community work.
Circle sentencing is an idea, which in 2002 spread to Australia from northern Canada where the procedure was resurrected in 1991 from traditional sanctioning and healing practices.
http://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/law/circle-sentencing.html
My Final Idea
I have finally decided what topic I am choosing for my WISE project!! I am going to do a painting and a small information report on Circle Sentencing. After research and discussion I chose this topic as I found most people knew about The Stolen Generation and had never heard of Circle Sentencing. My goal for this project is to make awareness of this relatively knew way of sentencing Aborigines.
My Ideas 2
I have narrowed down my ideas on my WISE project which are now:
- A painting and a small information report on The Stolen Generation
- A painting and a small information report on Circle Sentencing
My Initial Ideas
I have been thinking about ideas for my WISE project and I have come up with a few ideas:
- A painting and a small report on the stolen generation
- A painting and a small report on circle sentencing
- A website on RSPCA
- A website on endangered species
- A website on cyberbullying
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Lesson 1: Habits of Mind Survey
This lesson we talked briefly about the WISE project and took a habits of mind survey. We had to answer 35 questions on various topics which were unknown at the time. You had to tick one of the boxes which they each gave a different score. Option 1 was 'always' which gave you a score of 4, option 2 was 'often' which gave you a score of 3, option 3 was 'sometimes' which gave you a score of 2 and then option 4 was 'rarely or never' which gave you a score of 1. There were 8 topics in which you could get maximum points for each being 20 points. For striving for accuracy I got 18 points, for managing impulsivity I got 20 points, for persistence I got 17 points, for metacognition I got 16 points, for listening with empathy and understanding I got 17 points, for taking responsible risks I got 12 points and for applying past knowledge to new situations I got 13 points. The areas that I need to improve on are taking responsible risks and applying past knowledge to new situations. I will work on these habits throughout the year.