BRAIN + LEARNING

Space: Positive + Negative

A three lesson Visual Arts inquiry showing how retrieval, explicit teaching, guided practice, feedback and fading support develop increasingly independent application.

  1. 01 / NOTICE + SWITCHClear explanation, modelling and supported first practice.
  2. 02 / ARRANGE + BALANCERecall, comparison, feedback, intentional revision and reduced support.
  3. 03 / APPLY + EXPLAINTransfer, prediction, self-checking, revision and increasing independence.
REFLECTION + LEARNING ANALYSIS
REFERENCES + CREDITS

Source note

This sequence extends Learning by Design’s Building Block 04: Space through three connected lessons on positive and negative space, figure–ground, composition, balance and visual emphasis. It draws on established Visual Arts and Visual Communication Design theory, the ArtJohn positive and negative space demonstration, and the EDU701 Brain and Learning literature.

BUILDING BLOCK 04: SPACE →

Visual Arts content + studio process

ArtJohn. (2019, June 16). Art lesson online: Make outstanding art with positive & negative space! Great at home or in school [Video]. YouTube. Source ↗

Greenwood, D. (2023). Art creative practice: VCE units 1–4. Cambridge University Press & Assessment.

Guthrie, K. (2017). Nelson art creative practice: VCE. Cengage Learning Australia.

Ryan, V., Rampino, K., Glambardella, M., Phan, A., Kovesi, A., & White, C. (2024). Viscomm: A guide to visual communication design: VCE units 1–4 (4th ed.). Cengage Learning Australia.

Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. (2022). VCE Art Creative Practice study design 2023–2027. Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. Source ↗

Brain + Learning

Bloom, B. S. (1968). Learning for mastery. Evaluation Comment, 1(2), 1–12. Source ↗

Deans for Impact. (2015). The science of learning. Deans for Impact. Source ↗

Kirschner, P. A., Sweller, J., & Clark, R. E. (2006). Why minimal guidance during instruction does not work: An analysis of the failure of constructivist, discovery, problem-based, experiential, and inquiry-based teaching. Educational Psychologist, 41(2), 75–86. Source ↗

Martin, A. J., & Evans, P. (2018). Load reduction instruction: Exploring a framework that assesses explicit instruction through to independent learning. Teaching and Teacher Education, 73, 203–214. Source ↗

Sweller, J., Ayres, P., & Kalyuga, S. (2011). Cognitive load theory. Springer. Source ↗

Credits

Visual material: Studio work, 2026.