JOANNA BLACK

Professor in Visual Art Education

JOANNA BLACK
Granite School

School Description

Granite school is located in an older upper middle class neighbourhood in a central region of the city. The school has seven full-time teachers along with six suport staff. There are currently 195 students ranging in age from nursery to grade six. This mid-upper socioeconomic student body has a stability rate of nearly one hundred percent; students remain at the school. The majority of students living in two parent homes.

Program and Focus

Granite school has a strong academic focus that is supported through arts-based learning. Music, dance, drama and the visual arts are all used to showcase student learning in the core subject areas.

For the past two years the school has been involved in a multiple year inquiry project centred on Human Rights. Human Rights issues are explored in cross-curricular activities using art, drama, language arts, social studies and technology. In the last year the school has been using video to document a variety of topics relating to Human Rights and showcase student learning. 

 Overriding Impetus

In conjunction with the construction and establishment of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, Granite School has pledged to focus learning on inquiry projects that explore issues of  human rights through all curriculum including new media and the arts.

“Students ultimately have the best ideas. It’s not to tell them how to do it, but to show them how to learn.” Ron, 2011

Video Work 2011