I am reading the various jobs advertised at the NGV, just out of curiosity really. But they have a job for an education officer, which is always something I thought sounded like a job I would quite like. Unfortunately it is very much focused at school children's education and the gallery and requires various teaching qualifications that I don't have. I don't think the NGV has a tertiary education officer, which is a shame, I know most big galleries in the UK do, and it would seem like a good thing to have. But the other frustrating thing is that amongst all the various teaching qualifications and experience they ask for only an 'appreciation of the arts'. How bloody ridiculous. I remember as a primary, and especially a secondary school student finding the galleries educational activities frustrating and boring. Often I knew more than those conducting the activities. Obviously I have always had a very focused interest, but nevertheless surely it is students like me who love art that that should be nurtured by such programs, not left sitting up the back and rolling their eyes.

There have been various studies and pieces of writing in recent years about the fact that just because an academic, or similar, is an expert in something it doesn't mean they are automatically the best teacher. I agree, I think many academics would benefit from training in good teaching methods, how not to send students to sleep in lectures, how not to just talk themselves all through tutes. But the flip side of this is that someone who is a highly qualified and experienced educator/teacher can not necessarily teach well on any subject with just an 'appreciation' of the content. I found this with a course I tutored once where much of the content was developed by an 'educator' and tended to lack any real in-depth information on the topic at hand. We went through the motions of 'good teaching activities' but often neither I, nor the students, really knew what we were meant to have actually learnt. It is sad that the NGV only wants an 'appreciation of the arts'. A good teaching qualification is one thing, but I would have thought a tertiary qualification in art and art history was also essential. This type of narrow mindedness generally leads to educational programs that tend to engage only superficially with the art in the collection.

Anyhoo, that is enough ranting for now.