Year 12 students at our school recently participated in an engaging interdisciplinary lesson jointly led by Ms Lora Mitić (Digital Media and Design) and Ms Mina Stamenković (English Language). Designed to align with the exam requirements of both subjects, the lesson highlighted the powerful synergy between artistic expression and language proficiency.

In the Digital Media and Design curriculum, students are required to create projects that incorporate various forms of digital media – such as photography, video, and animation – along with written content in English. This includes explaining their project themes, presenting selected artists, photographers, animators, and video artists, and analysing both their their own work and that of others.

With this in mind, the lesson aimed to offer English Language support specifically tailored to the needs of DMD students. Ms Mina introduced the use of descriptive language as one of the effective tools for writing about visual projects. Students were given guidance on vocabulary and expressions that could enhance their ability to clearly and creatively describe visual elements and artistic intentions.

From the DMD perspective, students were encouraged to recall technical terminology from art and photography history that they typically use when analysing artworks. They then took part in a practical exercise where they described their own draft project photographs using both the specialist vocabulary from DMD and the newly introduced English language phrases and idioms.

The lesson sparked great interest among students, who engaged in the exercises and lively discussion with both teachers. The collaborative approach provided them with valuable tools to improve both the conceptual and communicative aspects of their project work.