Cooperation, collaboration and craft – Familiarises students with mosaic art as found in Muslim mosques and other cultural buildings, and provides a metaphor for diversity and unity.
Aims
- To familiarise students with mosaic art as found in Muslim mosques and other cultural buildings.
- To encourage students to work cooperatively and collaboratively as part of a group.
- To provide opportunities for students to experiment with making their own mosaic.
Preparation
- A range of pictures showing examples of mosaic artwork in mosques and other culturally significant buildings.
- Roughly cut up pieces of coloured paper or card to use as mosaic pieces (uneven shapes are best). A range of colours should be provided, but students choose only three colours each.
- Pieces of thick black card to glue the mosaic pieces onto (the thicker the card, the less chance of it warping when the pieces are glued on).
- Large sheets of card for group mosaics.
- Student copies of ‘Making a Mosaic’ worksheet.
- Glue.
What to do
- Students are introduced to mosaic art through use of the pictures.
- Students follow the instructions on the ‘Making a Mosaic’ worksheet to create their own mosaic. (Younger students may follow verbal instructions from the teacher.)
- In small groups, students arrange their mosaics together to form a whole on large pieces of card. Students should work collaboratively and cooperatively to reach agreement on where each piece should go.
- Students’ group mosaics are then combined and displayed as one large class mosaic on a wall (in the classroom, library or public place).
- Teacher leads a whole class discussion on the importance of each piece in making a whole, the parallel with social cohesion and the importance of cooperation.
Extension activities
- Students may complete this learning activity entirely in small groups, using decision making and collaboration to reach consensus agreement.
- Children work with older students to design and create a mosaic artwork for the school eg front steps, playground etc. This could represent an important occasion or event in Australian history, or the variety of cultures represented in the school population.
- A variety of art forms from other cultures and traditions may be explored (eg stained glass windows, patchwork quilts) to demonstrate the relationship between parts and the whole.
- Students could visit sites in the local community to view mosaics or stained glass windows.
Instructions: Making a Mosaic Worksheet
- Collect your black card from your teacher
- Choose three different colours of mosaic pieces
- Make a pattern with the coloured pieces on your black card
- Move the pieces around until you are happy with the design
- One by one, glue your pieces in place.
Adapted from a Living in Harmony Funded Project, ‘All Together Now’, Churches’ Commission on Education, WA, 1999.
