Arts Education - New Brunswick · Foundation for the Atlantic Canada Arts Education Curriculum 1...

Foundation for the Atlantic CanadaArts Education Curriculum

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AArts Education

Department of EducationEducational Programs & Services Branch

843280

ISBN 1-895669-55-3February 2001

© Atlantic Provinces Education FoundationPO Box 2044

Halifax NS B3J 2Z1Ph: (902) 424-5352Fax: (902) 424-8976

E-mail: [email protected]

iFoundation for the Atlantic Canada Arts Education Curriculum

ContentsPage

Acknowledgments .................................................................................................................................. iii

Vision ............................................................................................................................................................ v

Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 1Purpose of the Document ........................................................................................................................... 1Rationale .....................................................................................................................................................1Key Features of the Curriculum ................................................................................................................... 2

Outcomes ................................................................................................................................................... 5A Common Approach .................................................................................................................................. 5Essential Graduation Learnings (EGLs) ........................................................................................................7The Nature of Arts Education .................................................................................................................... 13Organizing Strands and General Curriculum Outcomes ............................................................................ 14Key-Stage Curriculum Outcomes .............................................................................................................. 15

Contexts for Learning and Teaching ................................................................................................. 49Principles Underlying Arts Education ......................................................................................................... 49The Learning Environment ........................................................................................................................ 49The Creative Process ................................................................................................................................ 52Equity and Diversity .................................................................................................................................. 53Roles Within Arts Education ...................................................................................................................... 53Assessing and Evaluating Student Learning .............................................................................................. 55

Resources ................................................................................................................................................. 59Introduction ............................................................................................................................................... 59Criteria for Selecting Resources ................................................................................................................ 59The Range of Human Resources ............................................................................................................... 59The Range of Material Resources ............................................................................................................. 59

Appendix The Atlantic Canada Essential Graduation Learnings

iiiFoundation for the Atlantic Canada Arts Education Curriculum

AcknowledgmentsThe departments of education of New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and PrinceEdward Island gratefully acknowledge the contributions of the following groups and individuals toward thedevelopment of this document.

• The regional arts education committee, which has provided direction with respect to the development of thisfoundation document. Members include the following:

Province of New Brunswick

Gervais Warren, Fine Arts Consultant,Department of Education

Andrea Hopkins, Teacher, Tantramar Regional HighSchool, Sackville

Province of Newfoundland and Labrador

Alex Hickey, Program Development Specialist forFine Arts, Department of Education

Ki Adams, Faculty of Music Education,Memorial University

Priovince of Nova Scotia

Brenda Porter, Arts Education Consultant,Department of Education

Manon Daneau, Teacher, Cobequid Education Centre,Truro

Province of Prince Edward Island

Vicki Allen Cook, Arts Education Consultant,Department of Education

Ruth Smith, Teacher, Sherwood Elementary,Charlottetown

Bob Nicholson, Teacher, Montague Regional HighSchool, Montague

• The provincial working groups, comprising artists, teachers, and other educators in New Brunswick,Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island, who provided input and feedback tothe document during the development process

• The APEF Evaluation Directors Committee for their help in the development of the section entitled Assessingand Evaluating Student Learning

iv Foundation for the Atlantic Canada Arts Education Curriculum

vFoundation for the Atlantic Canada Arts Education Curriculum

VisionThe Atlantic Canada arts education curricula are shaped by avision of enabling and encouraging students to engage in thecreative, expressive, and responsive processes of the artsthroughout their lives.

vi Foundation for the Atlantic Canada Arts Education Curriculum

1Foundation for the Atlantic Canada Arts Education Curriculum

Purpose of theDocument

Foundation for the Atlantic CanadaArts Education Curriculum isintended as a framework for dance,drama, music, and visual artseducation programs in the Atlanticprovinces. It offers a vision of whatarts education can become throughcollaboration among students,teachers, administrators, artists,and other community members.

The document provides aframework on which educators andothers in the learning communitycan base decisions concerninglearning experiences, instructionaltechniques, and assessmentstrategies. This framework providesa coherent, integrated view of artseducation and reflects currentresearch, theories, and classroompractice.

Within this context, the documenthas four purposes:• to provide educators and the

general public with an outlineof the vision, philosophy, andoutcomes framework for artseducation in Atlantic Canada

• to articulate the scope andsequence of learning in the artsfrom school entry to grade 12

• to provide a foundation uponwhich educators and others inthe learning community maymake decisions concerninglearning experiences in andthrough the arts

• to inform subsequentdevelopment of curriculumguides in the arts from schoolentry to grade 12

Rationale

Education in the arts isfundamental to the aesthetic,physical, emotional, intellectual,and social growth of theindividual. It provides studentswith unique ways of knowing,doing, living, and belonging in theglobal community. It also has a keyrole in the development ofcreativity and imagination.

Through arts education, studentscome to understand the values andattitudes held by individuals andcommunities. Learning in the artscontributes to an empathetic worldview and an appreciation andunderstanding of the relationshipamong peoples and theirenvironments.

Education in the arts and learningin other subject areas through thearts develop the Atlantic Canadaessential graduation learnings:aesthetic expression, citizenship,communication, personaldevelopment, problem solving, andtechnological competence.

Introduction

2 Foundation for the Atlantic Canada Arts Education Curriculum

Key Features of theCurriculum

Outcomes define the curriculum.

The identification of outcomesclarifies for students, teachers,parents, and administrators specificexpectations of what studentsshould know, be able to do, andvalue as a result of their learningexperiences in the arts.

The curriculum frameworkdescribes both arts educationgeneral outcomes and key-stagecurriculum outcomes specific toeach of the four arts disciplines–dance, drama, music, and visualarts.

The commonalities among thefour arts disciplines–dance, drama,music, and visual arts–areidentified in the generalcurriculum outcomes. The key-stage curriculum outcomesarticulated for each of the fourdisciplines identify the uniquenature of each. Students have theopportunity to engage in a broadrange of experiences in dance,drama, music, and visual arts, aswell as experience focussed studyin discipline electives.

The curriculum provides a basisfor assessing student achievement.

The outcomes framework providesreference points for teachers toinform their instructional practiceas they monitor students’ progress.Assessment involves more than ajudgment made about aperformance or presentation afterlearning has taken place. It is

recognized that students have aresponsibility for their ownlearning. As a continuous,collaborative, comprehensiveprocess, assessment can be apowerful tool to enhance students’learning when self-assessment is anintegral part of that learning.

The artistic development of allstudents is nurtured.

Students develop and learn atdifferent rates and in differentways. The curriculum recognizesthe diversity among students andprovides for a range of learningstyles, instructional strategies, andresources. Learning contexts areadapted to meet the needs ofindividual students, and provideongoing opportunities for allstudents to engage in new learningbased on their previous successes.

Through arts education, studentsdevelop aesthetic awareness andjudgment by using and creatingforms of expression thatcommunicate ideas, perceptions,and feelings. Arts activities enablestudents to learn and expressthemselves in ways not possible inother subjects.

The presence of the arts in everyculture is affirmed.

The arts are universal and central toevery world culture. Artisticexpression is an integral part of allsocieties, not a stand-alone,independent enterprise. Through thearts, people tell their stories, therebycreating the collective story ofhumankind. Dance, drama, music,and visual arts, along with literatureand other forms of expression, allowa culture to define its identity andcommunicate that to others.

Arts disciplines have similarities onecan identify. One of the similarities isthe creation and communication ofculture. Another is the ability to existindependently of their creators orcountry of origin. Works of artisticexpression are able to bypass humanreason and languages to appeal to usat an emotional level. These worksare more deeply understood and fullyappreciated within the context of theculture of the people who producedthem. However, their universalitypermits them to speak to audiencesacross cultures and time.

Learning about the arts in a globalperspective provides the basis forvaluing the differences amongpeople. This is critical for younggrowing minds. Internationalunderstanding is a key starting pointto valuing the diversity within ourown culture.

Valuing is intensely personal and involves making connections withindividual and social standards and beliefs. It includes respect forand recognition of the worth of what is valued. It recognizes thereality of more than one perspective, more than one way of beingand perceiving the world, and the richness of found answers.


The curriculum provides aframework for making connectionswith other subject areas.

This document recognizes theimportance of students working inand through the arts.

When students learn in the arts,they develop specific skills andunderstandings necessary for self-expression. These arts-basedoutcomes are achieved in artsclassrooms where a key emphasis ison art making.

As students gain confidence in theseskills, they are able to learn throughthe arts. They discover ways to applytheir skills in other subject areas,making cross-curricular connections,solving problems, and using artisticmodes of expression (musical,visual-spatial, dramatic, bodily-kinesthetic) to demonstrate theirlearning. These arts-related outcomesfoster in students an understandingthat enables the development andapplication of personal, social, andperceptual skills.

As students make connections withother areas of the curriculum,often using a thematic approach, akaleidoscope is created in whicharts disciplines interact with eachother and with other subjects.These interdisciplinary and cross-curricular connections contributeto students’ learning in both thearts and other disciplines.

The importance of studentparticipation in all aspects oflearning is emphasized.

Students engage in a range ofexperiences and interactionsdesigned to help them useprocesses associated with creating,expressing, and responding toworks in the arts, both their ownart works and those of others.

The curriculum emphasizes thepersonal, social, and culturalcontexts of learning, and thepower that creating has withinthese contexts.

The curriculum promotes self-understanding as well as anappreciation of the world’s socialand cultural contexts. Students areencouraged to recognize the powerof creativity in constructing,defining, and shaping knowledge;in developing attitudes and skills;and in extending these newlearnings in social and culturalcontexts. Each arts disciplinerequires skills. As students developtheir artistic expression, they arriveat a deeper understanding of howtheir works shape their lives andhave impact on the lives of others.

Since works in the arts are anunmistakable part of personalidentity and a defining feature ofculture, it is critical that thecurriculum respect, affirm,understand, and appreciateindividual and cultural/racialuniqueness in all aspects ofteaching and learning.

The curriculum is designed tobuild awareness for careerpossibilities in the cultural sector.

Almost one million Canadiansearn their living in the culturalsector. This curriculumacknowledges the importance ofthe arts in adult life and prepareslearners to consider various careersand entrepreneurial opportunitiesin our vibrant cultural sector.

Dance is expressive movement, using body, space, time, andenergy.Drama is a process that frees the voice, body, imagination, andcreative self to physicalize thought, time, and space.Music is sounds and silences created through body, voice, andacoustic and electronic instruments.Visual arts is visual and tactile experiences in two-and three-dimensional, and electronic and digital forms.

The cultural sector is defined to include the arts, crafts, culturalindustries, design, and heritage. The sector comprises a broad rangeof organizations and institutions, public, private, and non-profit, aswell as individual artists, creators, and entrepreneurs.


A Common Approach

In 1993, work began on the development of commoncurricula for Atlantic Canadian public schools. TheAtlantic ministers’ primary purposes for collaboratingin curriculum development are to• improve the quality of education for all students

through shared expertise and resources• ensure that the education students receive across the

region is equitable• meet the needs of both students and society

Under the auspices of the Atlantic ProvincesEducation Foundation (APEF), the development ofAtlantic common curricula for mathematics, science,English language arts, social studies, arts education,and technology education follows a consistent process.

OutcomesAchievement of the essential graduation learnings willprepare students to continue to learn throughout theirlives. These learnings describe expectations not interms of individual school subjects but in terms ofknowledge, skills, and attitudes developed throughoutthe curriculum. They confirm that students need tomake connections and develop abilities across subjectboundaries if they are to be ready to meet the shiftingand ongoing demands of life, work, and study todayand in the future. Essential graduation learnings arecross-curricular, and curriculum in all subject areas isfocussed to enable students to achieve these learnings.Essential graduation learnings serve as a framework forthe curriculum development process.

Essential graduation learnings are statementsdescribing the knowledge, skills, and attitudesexpected of all students who graduate from highschool.

General curriculum outcomes arestatements which identify what students areexpected to know and be able to do uponcompletion of study in a curriculum area.

Figure 5 – Relationship among Essential Graduation Learnings,Curriculum Outcomes and Levels of Schooling


Each project requires consensus by a regionalcommittee at designated decision points; all provinceshave equal weight in decision making. Each provincehas established procedures and mechanisms forcommunicating and consulting with educationpartners, and it is the responsibility of the provinces toensure that stakeholders have input into regionalcurriculum development.

Each foundation document includes statements ofessential graduation learnings, general curriculumoutcomes for that program, and key-stage curriculumoutcomes (grade 3, grade 6, grade 9, grade 12).Essential graduation learnings and curriculumoutcomes provide a consistent vision for thedevelopment of a rigorous and relevant curriculum.

Key-stage curriculum outcomes are statementswhich identify what students are expected toknow and be able to do by the end of grades 3, 6,9, and 12, as a result of their cumulative learningexperiences in a curriculum area.

Curriculum Outcomes are statementsarticulating what students are expected to knowand be able to do in particular subject areas.These outcomes statements also describe whatknowledge, skills, and attitudes students areexpected to demonstrate at the end of certainkey stages in their education, as a result of theircumulative experiences at each grade level in theentry-graduation continuum. Through theachievement of curriculum outcomes, studentsdemonstrate the essential graduation learnings.


Essential Graduation Learnings (EGLs)

Graduates of the public schools of the Atlantic provinces will be expected to demonstrate the following essentialgraduation learnings. Provinces may add additional essential graduation learnings as appropriate. Moreinformation on the EGLs and the curriculum framework is attached as an appendix.

Arts education provides diverse opportunities to achieve the essential graduation learnings. The following sectionoutlines the unique contribution of arts education to each of the essential graduation learnings.

Aesthetic Expression

Graduates will be able to respond with critical awareness to various forms of the arts and be able toexpress themselves through the arts.

Dance, drama, music, and visual arts are artistic expressions of the humanexperience. Students who have opportunities for learning in and throughthese arts disciplines discover ways of knowing and expressing thatenhance and deepen their aesthetic experience. In addition, theyunderstand the role of the arts through history and in today’s society.Engagement, both individually and collectively, in the creative, expressive,and responsive processes of the arts enables students to develop• confidence in themselves as creators• enriched appreciation for works in the arts, both their own and those

of others• awareness of and valuing for the role arts play in lifelong learning, and

appreciation of the richness of cultural expression


Citizenship

Graduates will be able to assess social, cultural, economic, and environmental interdependence in a localand global context.

Through engagement in arts learning processes, students broaden theirawareness and understanding of social, economic, and political issues,history, and cultural diversity. This respect for others fosters a sense ofboth local and global community. Creative and performance processesrequire complex decision making. Consequently, arts curricula providestudents with an opportunity to• examine and challenge global, political, social, and economic systems• explore and understand the interdependence of the various

components of societies and environments• use knowledge and skills learned in and through the arts to

demonstrate value and respect for cultural richness in local and globalcontexts

• value community


Communication

Graduates will be able to use the listening, viewing, speaking, reading, and writing modes of language(s),as well as mathematical and scientific concepts and symbols, to think, learn, and communicateeffectively.

Through the arts, students are given opportunities to communicate inunique ways, ways that are not possible with words alone. This complex,holistic communication includes both process and product, and centreson expression of thoughts, experiences, and feelings, using the languagesof the arts. Students also have opportunities to talk, read, and write aboutthe arts in their learning experiences in the arts. They have opportunitiesto• demonstrate originality and imagination in expressing thoughts,

experiences, and feelings as they engage in creating and making• use critical thinking skills in exploring their thoughts, experiences, and

feelings• use a range of processes to critically respond to their own works and

the works of others


Personal Development

Graduates will be able to learn and to pursue an active, healthy lifestyle.

Engagement in the arts provides rich opportunities for personaldevelopment. Students, through direct experience in arts processes, areinvolved in exploring and expressing their emotional and spiritual selves,while learning their own strengths, weaknesses, hopes, and fears. The self-knowledge that develops through arts experiences is a key foundation fortheir future. Arts processes also enable students to develop understandingof others through involvement with art works, both past and present, andthrough working cooperatively in creative art making.

Students’ skills and attitudes developed in and through the arts contributeto personal health, success in the workplace, and continuous learning.Engagement in arts activities offers students opportunities to• demonstrate personal growth in areas such as perseverance, self-

confidence, responsibility, independent thinking, open-mindedness,and understanding of others

• develop personal motivation for lifelong learning• understand the potential that creative expression has for developing

personal well-being and community identity• consider employment opportunities in the cultural sector• enhance their physical development


Problem Solving

Graduates will be able to use the strategies and processes needed to solve a wide variety of problems,including those requiring language, mathematical, and scientific concepts.

Arts activities constantly challenge students to develop solutions andmake decisions. They are challenged to question “the way things are” andto take risks when developing their own vision. Throughout the creativeprocess, students explore and analyse a range of problem-solving strategiesand techniques. They also develop a greater appreciation for the solutionsthat others find. This interwoven, dynamic process that includesidentifying, challenging, solving, rethinking, and synthesizing is part of allarts processes. Engagement in the arts, therefore, enables students to• demonstrate the value of exploring more than one alternative when

considering solutions to problems and be open to change as newunderstandings emerge

• use problem-solving strategies, creativity, and imagination to explorethoughts, experiences, and feelings

• develop potential solutions to problems, using reflective thoughtprocesses to select the best solution for a specific task


Technological Competence

Graduates will be able to use a variety of technologies, demonstrate an understanding of technologicalapplications, and apply appropriate technologies for solving problems

Technology is a conscious process by which people alter their environments. People usetools, materials, and processes to create and modify artifacts, systems, andenvironments. They interact with technology to extend human capabilities. In the arts,technology has evolved as a set of strategies that people employ to develop solutions toproblems, and to identify and meet opportunities.

In arts education, technology is used for learning and creating, as well as formanipulating sound, sight, and other senses. By linking the arts and technology,students can increase their ability to synthesize, integrate, and construct meanings froma wealth of resources and information. Such experiences also expand their careeropportunities. The arts curricula, therefore, enable students to• utilize technical resources to gather information, satisfy curiosity, experiment with

processes, and solve problems• recognize that technological tools and processes are intrinsic to creating, making,

and performing in the arts• develop, strengthen, and apply critical thinking in the use of technological devices

and processes in art making• engage in activities through technological innovations, that explore, extend, deepen,

enhance, and nurture creative expression• develop skills and competencies in technologies as a means to expression• recognize the possibilities of technologies of production as a means to make

contributions to the aesthetic dimension of life• develop vocabulary to analyse, interpret, and evaluate the impact of technology on

process, purpose, and product• develop familiarity with technologies of production and their potential impact on

culture, society, and the natural and built environments

Technology in the arts is inclusive of those processes, tools, and products that artistic-minded peopleuse in the design, development, creation, and presentation of their works. It is a means to use skills andimagination in the creation of aesthetic objects, environments, or experiences. It is also a means ofknowing and understanding our world and the processes we involve ourselves in as we interact with it.Tools and devices alone do not constitute technology. It is only when people use these tools and devicesto effect a change can we call them a technology.

Since the arts are always about the processes of presentation and representation, they are able to utilizethe most recent technologies, along with those from the entire history of the arts. A technological deviceor technological process rarely becomes obsolete to the artist. An artist may choose to use anytechnology from any period of history if it is suitable. The final appearance and presentation of the artwork is strongly influenced by the technologies of production. When an artist engages in an artmakingprocess or creates an art product, choices and decisions must be made about the appropriate technologyof production and how an audience may respond to these efforts.


The Nature of Arts Education

The arts have been part of the human experiencethroughout history and are embedded in our daily life.

Dance, drama, music, and the visual arts are vehiclesthrough which peoples make meaning of thecomplexities of life, and make connections among andbetween themselves and others. The arts offerenjoyment, delight, and stimulate imagination. Theyprovide a common thread of understanding acrossgenerations. In short, the arts describe, define, anddeepen human experience in ways that are bothpersonal and global, real and magical.

There are key aspects of arts education that are deeplypersonal and cannot easily be expressed as immediatelymeasurable outcomes. They do, however, make asignificant contribution to the achievement ofessential graduation learnings. The internal experiencethat is an intrinsic, vital part of arts learning issomething that cannot be demonstrated as a specificproduct. For example, learners involved in the creationof a dramatic work that has intensely personalsignificance experience growth that cannot necessarilybe demonstrated to others. In this context, whether ornot this work is presented formally is irrelevant. Theonly way in which this kind of growth and learningcan be measured is by gauging the extent to which itleads to self-awareness and has an impact on the wayindividuals come to relate to those around them. Theimportance of this learning only becomes apparentwith time. Adults often reflect on these kinds of artsexperiences as some of the most important of theirearly life.

The Learning Continuum

The continuum of learning in the arts that has beendeveloped for entry through grade 12 encourages andvalidates student progress and achievement, takinginto account• the nature of the individual discipline• the age and developmental stage of the learners• the range of opportunities for learning• student interest and enthusiasm• learning styles• multiple intelligences• teacher expertise• learning time• resource availability

The learning continuum in the arts must take intoaccount the premise of a broad arts offering in earlyand middle levels through to more specializedchallenges at high school. Learning in the arts overtime results in increasing control over creative andtechnical abilities. As students progress along thelearning continuum, they increase their ability tocreate and generate their own ideas for work and makedecisions about its development. Critical andcontextual understandings are deepened so thatstudents are able to form their own judgments andsupport them, using correct terminology and a rangeof evaluative criteria.

The learning continuum must be supported by theprovision of sufficient time and resources to ensurethat students experience a broad range of arts learningexperiences that are sequential, comprehensive,planned, co-ordinated, and related to the organizingstrands and outcomes of this document.


Organizing Strands and General Curriculum Outcomes

This document provides a learning outcomes framework of concepts common to each of the arts disciplines;dance, drama, music, and the visual arts. The outcomes are grouped according to the types of understandingsand processes that are common to all arts disciplines: creating works of art; responding critically to their ownworks and the works of others; and making connections in local, global, and historical contexts. Under thesethree organizing strands, eight general curriculum outcomes identify what students are expected to know, be ableto do and value upon completion of study in arts education. In addition, key-stage outcomes for grades 3, 6, 9,and 12 have been identified for each discipline.

Creating, Making, and

Presenting

Creating, making, and presentinginvolves students’ creative andtechnical development; that is,their ability to use and manipulatemedia - images and words, soundand movement, to create art formsthat express and communicatetheir ideas and feelings. Throughthese art works students provideevidence of achievement, both asthe work is being developed and inits final form.

General Curriculum Outcomes

Students will be expected to1. explore, challenge, develop, and

express ideas, using the skills,language, techniques, andprocesses of the arts

2. create and/or present,collaboratively andindependently, expressiveproducts in the arts for a rangeof audiences and purposes

Understanding and

Connecting Contexts of

Time, Place, and Community

This strand focusses on evidence,knowledge, understanding, andvaluing the arts in a variety ofcontexts.


Students will be expected to3. demonstrate critical awareness

of and value for the role of thearts in creating and reflectingculture

4. respect the contributions to thearts of individuals and culturalgroups in local and globalcontexts, and value the arts as arecord of human experience andexpression

5. examine the relationship amongthe arts, societies, andenvironments

Perceiving, Reflecting, and

Responding

This strand is concerned withstudents’ ability to respondcritically to art works throughincreasing knowledge andunderstanding of, and appropriateresponses to, the expressivequalities of art works.


Students will be expected to6. apply critical thinking and

problem-solving strategies toreflect on and respond to theirown and others’ expressive work

7. understand the role oftechnologies in creating andresponding to expressive works

8. analyse the relationship betweenartistic intent and the expressivework

These understandings and processes are inter-related and aredeveloped most effectively as interdependent concepts. Whenoutcomes are grouped as such and curriculum offerings based on allthree organizing strands, arts activities become more relevant toreal-life situations, and the learning becomes more meaningful.


Key-Stage Curriculum Outcomes

Key-stage curriculum outcomes are statements thatidentify what students are expected to know and beable to do by the end of grades 3, 6, 9, and 12, as aresult of their cumulative learning experiences in artseducation.

Outcomes at the four key stages reflect a continuumof learning. While there may appear to be similaritiesin outcomes at different key stages, teachers willrecognize the increase in expectations for students atthe various key stages, according to• the developmental nature of learning processes• students’ maturity of thinking and interests• students’ increasing independence as learners• the complexity and sophistication of ideas and tasks• the level of depth of students’ engagement with

ideas and tasks• the range of arts experiences and the repertoire of

strategies and skills students apply to thoseexperiences

For each key stage, the ordering of outcomes is notintended to suggest any priority, hierarchy, orinstructional sequence. While these outcomes providea framework on which educators may base decisionsconcerning instruction and assessment, they are notintended to limit the scope of learning experiences inany key stage. Although it is expected that moststudents will be able to attain the key-stage curriculumoutcomes, the needs and performance of somestudents will range across key stages.

Teachers should take this variation into considerationas they plan learning experiences and assess students’achievement of the various outcomes. Students’attitudes, experiences, knowledge, abilities, andengagement in learning will also influence their abilityto achieve the key-stage curriculum outcomes.


Creating, Making, and Presenting: Dance

1. Students will be expected to explore, challenge, develop, and express ideas, using the skills,language, techniques, and processes of the arts.

By the end of grade 6, students will have achieved theoutcomes for entry-grade 3, and will also be expected to

• improvise dance patterns based on personal ideasand concepts from other sources

• develop movement skills through dance• use appropriate warm-up and cool-down activities• reproduce learned movement sequences

By the end of grade 3, students will be expected to

• create dances that express and communicate ideasof personal significance

• explore movement skills through dance• demonstrate an understanding of the importance

of warm-up and cool-down activities• explore basic movement patterns


2. Students will be expected to create and/or present, collaboratively and independently,expressive products in the arts for a range of audiences and purposes.


• perform simple created movement sequences, usingelements of body and space awareness, and qualitiesof speed and force

• demonstrate basic dance steps and patterns aloneand with others

• respond to a variety of stimuli to create movementsequences alone and with others, using a variety ofthemes

• create, alone and with others, dance sequences forclass presentation

By the end of grade 6, students will have achieved theoutcomes for entry-grade 3 and will also be expected to

• select and perform movement sequences, usingelements of body and space awareness, qualities,and relationships

• perform dances alone and with others• demonstrate ways to use the creative process to

develop dances alone and with others• create, alone and with others, dance sequences for

class and school presentation





• create and develop dance sequences based onpersonal ideas and concepts from other sources

• develop and refine their dance movementvocabulary and connect it to their creative danceprocesses

• explore and execute preparatory and follow-upactivities related to their dance work

• explore techniques specific to one or more genres


• create dances that express, develop, andcommunicate ideas

• use appropriate movement vocabulary in theirdance work

• design for and lead others in preparatory andfollow-up activities related to the creation of theirdance work

• demonstrate techniques specific to one or moregenres




• select, perform, and evaluate movement sequences,using a variety of stimuli

• create and perform dances alone and with others ina variety of dance forms

• interpret and/or perform a given style orchoreographic task

• create a movement sequence that communicates asocial theme


• present and perform a varied repertoire of dances,demonstrating understanding of movement andchoreographic skills

• use a range of creative forms to create dance works• build dance works from the ideas and contributions

of others


Understanding and Connecting Contexts of Time, Place, and Community: Dance

3. Students will be expected to demonstrate critical awareness of and value for the role of thearts in creating and reflecting culture.


• explore the role of dance in their lives• explore and identify dance and dancers in their

community


• describe their personal dance experiences in thecommunity

• describe the role that dance plays in theircommunity

• investigate the roles of dancers in their communityand potential careers available to those trained indance


4. Students will be expected to respect the contributions to the arts of individuals and culturalgroups in local and global contexts, and value the arts as a record of human experience andexpression.


• explore and perform folk dances from variouscultural traditions in local communities

• explore similarities and differences in dances fromvarious cultural traditions

• explore how dance relates to various cultural andhistorical events


• describe and perform folk dances from variouscultural traditions in Canada

• describe the similarities and differences in dancesfrom various cultural traditions

• describe the relationship between dance and varioushistorical and current events





• explore opportunities to participate in dance inschool, community, and careers

• examine the role that dance plays in the media• compare dance from a range of cultural and

historical contexts


• connect the knowledge, skills, and disciplinedeveloped through dance to life’s opportunities

• analyse the role that dance plays in the local andglobal communities

• analyse, understand, and value the influence ofdance in creating and reflecting culture, bothhistorical and present day




• incorporate dance movements from various culturesin their own dance work

• examine ways in which their own and others’ danceworks express the cultural diversity of theircommunities

• examine the ways in which dance records ideas,feelings, and events


• demonstrate an understanding of and respect forthe richness of dance in local and global cultures

• demonstrate an understanding of the relationshipbetween personal identity and cultural heritage

• demonstrate an appreciation for the role of dancein recording ideas, feelings, and events



5. Students will be expected to examine the relationship among the arts, societies, andenvironments.


• create dance works that reflect their own andothers’ lives and circumstances

• identify ways of moving safely and sensitivelythrough environments

• explore dance as it is used in school andcommunity celebrations

• explore connections among dance and the otherarts


• demonstrate an understanding of the benefits ofdance for personal health

• demonstrate ways of moving safely and sensitivelythrough environments

• explore how dance can communicate a topic ofpersonal significance

• describe and make connections between dance andthe other arts

Perceiving and Responding: Dance

6. Students will be expected to apply critical thinking and problem-solving strategies to reflecton and respond to their own and others’ expressive works.


• explore various solutions to problems relating totheir dance work

• describe their own and others’ dance work• respond to dance works, using a given set of criteria


• identify problems relating to their dance work andexplore possible solutions

• make choices about the dance elements they use• describe significant features of their own and

others’ dance work, using appropriate terminology• make informed responses to their own work and

that of others, using appropriate criteria





• describe the role that dance plays in varioussocieties, local and global, past and present

• explore the relationship of dance to the physicalspace

• examine how dance can comment on current eventsand social issues

• define relationships between dance, other arts, andother areas of the curriculum


• demonstrate an understanding of how dancecelebrates, comments on, and influences issues andevents in local and global contexts, both historicaland present-day

• apply understanding of the relationship of dance tothe physical space

• analyse and make decisions about the relationshipbetween dance and the other arts




• examine a range of possible solutions to problemsencountered in their dance work and reflect ontheir decisions

• evaluate their own and others’ artistic choices• evaluate their responses to their own and others’

dance work using, selected criteria


• explore, present, and evaluate various solutions to arange of choreographic problems

• critically examine their own dance work and thework of others, using criteria they have developed

• respond creatively to their own dance work andthat of others



8. Students will be expected to analyse the relationship between artistic intent and theexpressive work.


• share ideas and feelings with others about thecreation of dance works

• understand that there are many reasons for dancing


• discover why particular dances have been created• describe how gestures, movements, and dances

communicate intended meaning• use available technologies to examine their own

dance work in light of the original intent• describe and communicate the source of ideas and

reasons for movement decisions that are made


7. Students will be expected to understand the role of technologies in creating and respondingto expressive works.


• explore how technology can be used to recordmovement

• respond to their own works and the works ofothers, using a range of technologies


• use technology to record their own dance work• use current technologies to explore dance





• assess the effects of technologies on the process ofcreating and presenting dance works

• use technologies for a range of choreographic tasks


• evaluate the use of a range of technologies in thecreation of their own and others’ dance work




• explain why particular dances have been created• examine how movement choices in dance

communicate intended ideas and feelings• compare responses to specific dance works with the

creator’s intent• use feedback from others to examine their own

dance work in light of their original intent


• critically examine their own dance works and thatof others to determine the relationship betweeninitial intent and the creative product

• use available technologies and feedback from othersto analyse and make decisions about their dancecreation


Creating, Making, and Presenting: Drama



• demonstrate an understanding of theresponsibilities of the individual to the larger group

• demonstrate effective use of space, costumes, andproperties to enhance dramatizations

• create drama based on play, imagination, and/orliterature


• create, rehearse, and present drama works tocommunicate the meaning of poems, stories, artworks, myths, and other source material drawnfrom a wide range of cultures

• collaborate in developing, planning, and designingof classroom dramatizations




• explore and express ideas, moods, and feelings,using vocal elements, movement, improvisation,and preparatory dramatic exercises

• discuss a character’s point of view in a dramaticwork

• demonstrate an understanding of basic dramavocabulary

• develop and play roles


• apply knowledge of vocal elements and movementfor expressive purposes

• identify and interpret a character’s attitudes andpoints of view in a dramatic work

• select and use dramatic elements, skills, techniques,and processes to create a variety of dramatic works





• express ideas, moods, and feelings creativelythrough engagement in drama

• apply drama concepts, skills, and techniques todevelop characters and roles

• demonstrate effective communication skills, such aslistening and speaking, both in and out of role


• express, develop, challenge, and communicate ideasthrough their dramatic work

• analyse and portray a variety of characters from arange of genres, demonstrating their physical,intellectual, emotional, and social dimensions

• improvise and create drama that reveals charactermotivation and theme, advances plot, and providesexposition*

• improvise, create, and refine scripts based onpersonal experience, heritage, imagination,literature, and history




• demonstrate an understanding of drama as acollaborative art form

• demonstrate an understanding of the process ofselecting and organizing dramatic forms andsources to create a dramatic work thatcommunicates a specific intention

• use principles of design, direction, and productionin dramatic works


• develop dramatic works from the ideas andcontributions of others

• apply principles of design, direction, andproduction to a dramatic work

• interpret, direct, and refine dramatic works forinformal and formal presentations

• develop and sustain a variety of roles and presentthem formally and/or informally

*in drama, an exposition is a discourse or an exampledesigned to convey information or explain what isdifficult to understand


Understanding and Connecting Contexts of Time, Place, and Community: Drama



• explore ways in which drama expresses their lifeexperiences

• explore games, stories, and dramatic works from avariety of cultures

• demonstrate appropriate audience skills and respectfor the contributions of others


• examine ways in which drama expresses andenriches life experiences

• compare dramatic works from a range of culturaltraditions and historical contexts

• interpret and adapt games, stories, and dramaticworks from a variety of cultures




• explore the uses of drama at home, at school, andin the community

• discuss the narrative in dramatic works from avariety of cultures


• describe the role that drama plays in theircommunity

• demonstrate an awareness of the use of dramaticarts in popular culture

• explore and describe ideas, emotions, situations,and experiences expressed in dramatic work from avariety of cultures

• investigate the roles of dramatic artists in theircommunity and potential careers available to thosetrained to work in theatre





• compare the variety of purposes of dramatic worksin the expression of culture

• interpret how drama celebrates, comments on, andquestions the values, issues, and events of societiespast and present

• understand that drama can imitate and reflect lifein particular times, places, and cultures

• explore opportunities to participate in drama inschool, community, and careers


• demonstrate an understanding of historical andcultural developments in theatrical styles and genres

• analyse selected career opportunities, identifyingthe necessary training, skills, and plans of action

• analyse, understand, and value the influence ofdrama in creating and reflecting culture




• use drama to record and influence ideas, feelings,and events

• explain the social and cultural context of dramaticworks

• experience, understand, and develop sensitivity tothe diversity of cultures through drama


• demonstrate an understanding of the role of dramaas a record of human experience that connects totheir own lives

• select, interpret, and perform excerpts fromdramatic works from a variety of cultures

• justify dramatic choices, using cultural andhistorical information

• respect the integrity of various cultural groups andtheir contribution to drama in the globalcommunity


Perceiving and Responding: Drama



• describe their feelings and ideas about their owndrama and the work of others, using a given set ofcriteria

• identify effective uses of drama elements inperformances, and compare their own responseswith those of their peers

• explore various solutions to challenges relating totheir drama work


• identify problems relating to their drama work andexplore possible solutions

• justify their preferences for specific drama, usingappropriate vocabulary

• use feedback to refine their own dramatic work




• develop an awareness that drama can reflect theirown and others’ lives

• identify ways in which drama is promoted andsupported in their community

• explore connections among drama and the otherarts


• explore examples of how drama can reflect the ideasof individuals, communities, and societies

• describe and make connections between drama andthe other arts

• explore how drama can communicate a topic ofpersonal significance





• describe the role that drama plays in varioussocieties, local and global, past and present

• explore examples of how drama can reflect the ideasof individuals, communities, and societies

• examine how drama explores current events andpersonal and social issues


• interpret and perform drama that promotes orchallenges the ideas of individuals, communities,and societies

• evaluate and synthesize cultural, historical, andpolitical information to support artistic choices

• apply understanding of the relationship betweendrama and the physical space, and of the roles thattechnologies play in creating environments

• demonstrate an understanding of how dramaclarifies and influences issues and events in localand global contexts




• examine a range of possible solutions to problemsencountered in their drama work, and reflect ontheir decisions

• explain how knowledge, skills, and attitudesacquired through the study of drama influenceresponses to other art forms

• use selected criteria and appropriate terminology toanalyse and critique their own and others’ works

• analyse feedback to refine their own and others’dramatic works


• explore, present, and evaluate various solutions to arange of problems relating to their drama work

• review and critique presentations andinterpretations of dramatic works, usingappropriate terminology

• analyse and discuss the interdependence of alltheatrical elements





• understand that there are many reasons for role-play

• consider how well suited dramatic elements are tothe purpose of the play

• discuss to what extent dramatic goals are met in agiven presentation


• discover why dramatic works are created• evaluate how individuals or groups meet dramatic

goals• contribute ideas that express an awareness of the

focus of the drama




• demonstrate an awareness that drama exists invarious media (film, radio, and television)

• experiment with sound, lighting and recordingtechniques, and costuming to communicate moodsand feelings


• analyse and explain personal preferences andconstruct meaning from drama presented throughvarious media

• use available technologies in their drama work• explain the possibilities and limitations of different

media for dramatic effect• analyse the use of dramatic tools and technologies

in shaping responses to dramatic work





• explore the possibilities and limitations of differentmedia for dramatic effect through their ownpresentations

• use a variety of dramatic tools and technologies intheir own performances to shape audienceresponses


• analyse and make choices about different media fordramatic effect through their own presentations

• critique the use of technical elements andtechnologies in drama presentations

• select and use a range of technologies in theirdramatic work




• explain why particular dramatic works have beencreated and endure

• consider actors’ interpretations in light of the rolesthat were intended

• examine how other arts can be used to enhancedramatic intent

• compare and contrast more than one performanceof a dramatic work, using selected criteria andappropriate terminology


• analyse the responsibilities of all members of thedramatic ensemble intent of the author(s)

• evaluate the physical, emotional, social, andintellectual portrayal of a character in light of theintended role

• compare the ways in which theatre, musical theatre,dance, visual art, and music can be used to realizeartistic intent


Creating, Making, and Presenting: Music



• perform and create simple patterns• interpret songs and instrumental pieces,

combining music and movement• perform a variety of songs that reflect a broad

expressive range


• improvise and compose, using the voice,instruments, and movement

• present music, co-ordinating reading and singing/playing skills

• perform a varied repertoire of music that reflectsdiverse images, thoughts, and feelings




• sing and play with accuracy in pitch and rhythm,using appropriate expressive elements

• explore a range of sound sources, texts, strategies,and materials to express their thoughts,experiences, and feelings through music andmovement

• use standard or other notations, and their owninvented or adapted notations, to record theirmusical ideas and the musical ideas of others


• sing or play, demonstrating an ability to maintaintheir part within simple textures

• experiment with the elements of rhythm, melody,and expression to represent thoughts, images, andfeelings in classroom repertoire

• read simple musical scores• express musical thoughts and ideas with

appropriate notation





• sing or play, maintaining a part within a variety oftextures and harmonies, using a range of musicalstructures and styles

• use the elements of music to express andcommunicate meaning

• interpret non-verbal gestures, making connectionsto notation and musical expression

• use a variety of notational systems to representmusical thoughts and ideas


• actively participate, through individual or ensemblemusic making, in the selection, preparation, andpresentation of music

• use their knowledge of musical elements andtechnologies to shape creative expression throughboth composition and performance

• interpret and represent a range of thoughts, images,and feelings, using and responding to non-verbalgestures

• demonstrate an ability to decode musical notationand encode music as a means toward lifelongmusical independence and enjoyment




• improvise and compose patterns and short pieces,using a variety of sound sources and technologies

• present music, co-ordinating reading, listening, andplaying/singing skills

• perform, alone and with others, music expressing abroad range of thoughts, images, and feelings


• improvise and compose, using vocal, instrumental,and electronic sound sources

• demonstrate the intrinsic fusion of skills, concepts,and feelings through performing and creating for arange of audiences and purposes

• create and perform a wide range of musical styles,forms, and genres, alone and collectively


Understanding and Connecting Contexts of Time, Place, and Community: Music



• show respect for the music of a variety of cultures• perform the songs and games of a variety of

cultures• demonstrate respect for the contributions of a

variety of composers and musicians, past andpresent

• explore ways in which music expresses andenhances their life experiences


• perform and demonstrate respect for musicrepresentative of diverse cultures

• explore the role music plays in diverse cultures• examine the work of various composers and

musicians and their contribution to society, pastand present




• describe ways they use music in school and at home• describe music they encounter in their

communities• explore music from various cultural and historical

contexts, including the music of Atlantic Canada


• demonstrate an awareness of how music is used intheir school and community

• describe their personal musical experiences in thecommunity

• explore music from a broad range of cultural andhistorical contexts

• use a variety of musical forms to give meaning toCanadian cultural and historical events and issues

• investigate the roles of musicians in theircommunity and potential careers available to thosetrained in music





• identify and describe uses of music in daily life,both local and global

• identify opportunities to participate in music inschool, community, and the world of work

• compare music from a range of cultural andhistorical contexts

• examine and describe ways in which musicinfluences and is influenced by local and globalculture

By then end of grade 12, students will have achieved theoutcomes for entry-grade 9 and will also be expected to

• analyse and evaluate the role of music in daily life• evaluate possibilities for ongoing involvement in

music-related vocations and avocations• analyse and demonstrate an appreciation of music

from a broad range of cultural and historicalcontexts

• analyse, understand, and value the influence ofmusic in creating and reflecting culture, bothhistorical and present-day

Understanding and Connecting Contexts of Time, Place and Community: Music



• reflect on ways in which music expresses the historyand the cultural diversity of local, national, andinternational communities

• examine ways in which music enhances andexpresses life’s experiences


• recognize the importance of the musicalcontributions of individuals to their communities

• respect the contribution of cultural groups to musicin the global community

• demonstrate an understanding of the power ofmusic to shape, express, and communicate ideasand feelings throughout history


Perceiving and Responding: Music



• explore a variety of responses to music• describe, using appropriate terminology, features

and elements of their own and others’ music• explore challenges related to their music activities


• identify problems related to creating andperforming music and explore possible solutions

• use appropriate terminology to describe, analyse,and interpret music, and discuss points of view,opinions, and interpretations

• recognize that people respond to music in variousways

• compare subjective and objective responses tomusic, and examine the relationship between them




• explore a variety of influences on music andmusicians

• explore connections between music and other arts


• identify a variety of purposes for creating music in avariety of environments

• describe and make connections between music andother arts





• define relationships among music, other arts, andother subjects

• examine the roles that music plays in local andglobal communities


• analyse and make decisions about the relationshipbetween music and society and music and thenatural environment

• analyse and make decisions about the relationshipbetween music and other arts




• examine and explore a range of possible solutions tomusical challenges

• use processes of description, analysis,interpretation, and evaluation to make and supportinformed responses to their own and others’ musicand musical performances

• critically reflect on ideas and feelings in works ofmusic, and identify patterns, trends, andgeneralizations


• analyse and apply the processes used to addresschallenges and make decisions while creating andperforming music

• analyse and respond personally to an extendedvariety of musical styles, forms, and genres

• evaluate their own musical insights and aestheticresponses in the context of other criticalcommentary





• understand that there are many reasons for makingmusic

• share ideas and feelings with others about musicaldecisions they make

• articulate their reasons for creating a particularpiece of music


• discover why specific musical works have beencreated

• describe and communicate the source of ideas andreasons for musical decisions

• compare and contrast, using appropriateterminology, interpretations of their own andothers’ music, examining the relationship ofperformance to musical intent

• examine their own music making in light of whatthey intended, using available recordingtechnologies




• recognize by sight and sound commonly usedclassroom instruments

• explore and identify sound sources and theirexpressive effects

• experiment with sound sources to communicatemoods and feelings


• recognize individual orchestral, band, and keyboardinstruments and their families by sight and sound

• describe the characteristic sound qualities ofcommon sound sources, and demonstrate how theycan be used for expressive effect

• understand that changing technologies haveproduced new opportunities for musical expression

• understand the role of sound reproductiontechnology in disseminating music





• identify combinations of instruments and soundsources, including electronic sources

• identify and describe instruments common tocultures and countries included in the social studiescurriculum

• explore a range of non-acoustic musical soundsources

• describe the relationship of instruments and othertechnologies to the mood and feeling of their ownand others’ music


• select among available technologies to create andperform music that reflects a variety of moods,thoughts, and feelings

• demonstrate an understanding of the relationshipbetween technical skill and the expressive qualitiesof sound sources

• investigate the relationship between technologies ofsound production and reproduction and personalresponse




• discuss why a range of musical works has beencreated

• analyse the source of ideas and reasons for musicaldecisions in light of original intent

• use feedback from others to examine their ownmusic work in light of their original intent

• analyse performances and provide criticalcommentary on aspects of musical presentation inlight of the performers’ intent


• reflect critically on meanings, ideas, and valuesassociated with particular music compositions andperformances

• analyse how consideration of the intended audienceaffects the musical work

• interpret the relationship between intention andoutcome in their own and others’ work

• analyse and make decisions about their musicalwork, using available technology and feedback fromothers


Creating, Making, and Presenting: Visual Arts



• create art for a variety of reasons and recognize thatthere are many kinds of visual arts

• choose, display, and describe work from their ownportfolio

• develop skills in interaction, co-operation, andcollaboration through working with others inmaking visual images


• construct personal meaning and communicate itthrough their artwork

• choose, display, and describe work from their ownportfolio

• acknowledge and respect individual approaches toand opinions of art

• collaborate with others to examine a variety of artforms during the creative process

Creating, Making and Presenting: Visual Arts



• explore colour, shape, line, and texture and theprinciples of pattern and repetition in the visualenvironment

• create images based on sensory experiences andimagination that express a mood, feeling, oremotional response and convey personal meaning

• visually communicate stories, ideas, andexperiences, using a variety of materials

• explore basic art skills, techniques, and vocabulary• explore a range of materials, tools, equipment, and

processes


• create imagery that demonstrates an understandingof the expressive qualities of the elements andprinciples of design

• demonstrate and apply knowledge of basic artskills, techniques, processes, and language

• experiment with a variety of materials, tools,equipment, and processes

• develop and create imagery that draws uponobservation, imagination, memory, and theinterpretation of sensory experiences




By the end of grade 9, students will have achieved theoutcomes for entry-grade 6 and will also be expected to• manipulate and organize design elements and

principles to achieve planned compositions• assess and utilize the properties of various art media

and their ability to convey messages and meaning• create artworks, integrating themes found through

direct observation, personal experience, andimagination

• respond verbally and visually to the use of artelements in personal works and the work of others

• analyse and use a variety of image developmenttechniques (e.g., distortion, metamorphosis,fragmentation)

• demonstrate increasing complexity in art skills andtechniques

By the end of grade 12, students will have achieved theoutcomes for entry-grade 9 and will also be expected to• assess and apply complex image development

techniques• produce an original body of artwork that integrates

information from a variety of sources to conveypersonal meaning

• create artwork that communicates intentions• analyse and use complex visual relationships,

processes, and content, making subtlediscriminations




• invent and incorporate unique visual symbols tocreate personal meaning in their art

• analyse and make use of visual, spatial, andtemporal concepts in creating art images

• select, critique, and organize a display of personallymeaningful images from their own portfolio

• acknowledge and respect individual approaches toand opinions of art

• work interactively, co-operatively, andcollaboratively


• create art works to carry personal messages to adiverse range of audiences

• analyse and create art objects where emotions,feelings, and experiences are used as a symbolic,non-verbal means of expression andcommunication of ideas

• arrange and create an exhibition of works thatconsiders types of works, presentation issues,location, lighting, and intended audience

• demonstrate an open-minded approach to diversityof ideas and artistic style, and show empathy toother people’s point of view

• engage in artistic inquiry, exploration, anddiscovery in collaboration with others


Understanding and Connecting Contexts of Time, Place, and Community: Visual Arts

4. Students will be expected to respect the contributions to the arts of individuals and culturalgroups in local and global contexts, and value the arts as a record of human experiences andexpression.


• demonstrate respect for the work of self and others• examine art works from past and present cultures

for various purposes (e.g., storytelling anddocumenting history and traditions)

• recognize and investigate how art is a humanactivity that can emerge from personal experiences

• demonstrate an understanding that visual art is auniversal means of expression among people

By the end of grade 6, students will have achieved theoutcomes for entry-grade 3 and will also be expected to• demonstrate respect for the uniqueness of the works

created by self and others• investigate art styles from a variety of social,

historical, and cultural contexts• communicate an understanding that the visual arts

have and show a history• develop awareness of the ethnic diversity, cultural

uniqueness, and influence of the visual arts in oursociety

• increase their understanding of the contributionsof various artists, past and present, to the field ofvisual art

• demonstrate an awareness that many works of artcan be studied according to their context (design,function, and setting )




• demonstrate an awareness of visual images and theirdaily effects on people

• identify visual communication in daily life• make images that reflect their culture and

community• explore images from a variety of historical and

cultural contexts• draw upon experiences from their personal, social

and physical environments as a basis for visualexpression

• describe ways they use the visual arts in schooland at home

By the end of grade 6, students will have achieved theoutcomes for entry-grade 3 and will also be expected to• develop observation skills and sensitivity to the

visual environment• investigate how visual communication systems are a

part of everyday life• use experiences from their personal, social and

physical environments as a basis for visualexpression

• understand that past events, the way people live,and the visual arts influence one another

• demonstrate an awareness of how visual art is usedin their school and community

• investigate the roles of artists in their communityand potential careers available to those trained inthe visual arts




By the end of grade 9, students will have achieved theoutcomes for entry-grade 6 and will also be expected to• examine the role and the influence of visual images

in their daily lives, including mass media andpopular culture

• evaluate visual communication systems as a part ofdaily life

• through their own art develop concepts andimagery based on personal ideas and experience

• recognize and describe the role of the visual artsin challenging, sustaining, and reflecting society’sbeliefs and traditions

• identify opportunities to participate in the visualarts in school, community, and the world of work

By the end of grade 12, students will have achieved theoutcomes for entry-grade 9 and will also be expected to• analyse and make informed judgments about the

role that visual creations have in our everydaymodes of expression

• demonstrate an understanding of the complexitiesof art works

• understand the influence of the visual arts, theirimpact on daily life, and their power to create, alter,and reflect culture

• understand how ideas, perceptions, and feelings areembodied in art works of a culture

• explore how the visual arts of their own culture areused as a vehicle of cultural production andtransmission

• use visual arts as a means of conveying concernsabout social and ethical issues

• evaluate possibilities for ongoing involvement inart-related vocations and avocations


4. Students will be expected to respect the contributions to the arts of individuals and culturalgroups in local and global contexts, and value the arts as a record of human experiences andexpression.

By the end of grade 9, students will have achieved theoutcomes for entry-grade 6 and will also be expected to• develop an appreciation of diversity among

individuals as reflected in their art work• recognize the existence of a variety of visual

languages that reflect cultural, socio-economic, andnational origins

• recognize that and investigate how art as a humanactivity emerges from human needs, values, beliefs,ideas, and experiences

• demonstrate an understanding of how individualand societal values affect our response to visual art

• create personally meaningful imagery that reflectsinfluence from a variety of historical andcontemporary artists

• compare the characteristics of artwork fromdifferent cultures and periods in history

By the end of grade 12, students will have achieved theoutcomes for entry-grade 9 and will also be expected to• explore how ethnic and geographical communities

visually celebrate themselves• derive images through the study of historical images

from their own and others’ cultures• create personal symbols for visual communication• explain the role of artists and the arts to inform,

define, and cause us to question and reflect• develop knowledge, understanding, and

appreciation of art and design in historical andcontemporary cultures

• trace influences of various cultures oncontemporary artwork


Perceiving and Responding: Visual Arts



• suggest reasons for preferences in art works• apply simple criteria to identify main ideas in

original art work of others• use descriptive language to talk about their own

work and that of their peers• recognize that the elements of design can be

organized according to the principles of design• explain how they make decisions during the art-

making process• recognize that people can respond emotionally to

what they see


• analyse preferences for selected works of art• analyse others’ artwork to form conclusions about

formal properties, cultural contexts, and intent• use descriptive art language to analyse, interpret,

and respond to their own and others’ work• examine the works of artists to determine how

they have used the elements and principles ofdesign

• recognize the relationship between seeing,feeling, and thinking by analysing andinterpreting their own and others’ work




• understand that there are relationships andcommonalities between the visual arts and otherarts (e.g., repetition in music)

• view and discuss objects and images in theircommunity

• demonstrate sensitivity to and respect for othersand the works they create

• investigate artwork from the past (e.g., portraits,landscapes, social documentary) and relate it totheir art

• explore the relationships between natural and builtenvironments


• investigate the relationship among the visual artsand the other arts disciplines

• draw upon objects and images from their owncommunity as a starting point for their own artworks

• recognize that our response to art is stronglyinfluenced by our experiences

• identify and discuss the visual effect of theelements and principles of design in the naturaland built environment

• consider the moral and ethical issues involved incopying work





• draw upon other arts disciplines as a resource in thecreation of their own art works

• use, with confidence, experiences from theirpersonal, social, cultural, and physicalenvironments as a basis for visual expression

• demonstrate an understanding of how individualand societal values affect our response to visual art

• interpret visual parallels between the structures ofnatural and built environments

• recognize and respect the ethical and moralconsiderations involved in copying works


• determine the relationship among the visual artsand the other arts disciplines through studioexperiences, viewing, and investigation

• use visual structures in art making to developpersonal imagery and communicate a personalviewpoint on issues relating to society and/orenvironments

• evaluate the context of images they produce• analyse the relationship between elements and

principles of design in art and in the physical andbuilt environments

• examine and discuss the moral, ethical, and legalissues related to the creation of art works


6. Students will be expected to apply critical thinking and problem-solving strategies toreflect on and respond to their own and others’ expressive works.


• develop independent thinking in interpreting andmaking judgments about subject matter

• constructively critique the work of others• analyse the works of artists to determine how they

have used the elements and principles of design tosolve specific visual design problems

• engage in critical reflective thinking as part of thedecision-making and problem-solving process

• investigate and analyse how meaning is embeddedin works of art


• describe, analyse, interpret, and evaluate art works• use appropriate art vocabulary in oral and written

communication to articulate informed aestheticresponses

• evaluate and justify content, subject matter,symbols, and images in their own and others’ art

• recognize that the principles of design can be usedto show relationships in an image

• evaluate, both formally and informally, their ownart work

• articulate informed aesthetic responses thatdemonstrate critical reflection





• use safety considerations when handling art-making tools and materials

• solve simple design problems (e.g., show 3-D spaceon a flat surface), using available technologies

• make choices and decisions about tools andmaterials in the creation of art objects


• use common safety practices associated with theproper care of art materials and tools

• solve design problems by making use of theelements and principles of design, using a varietyof technologies

• select and use a variety of tools and technologicalprocesses in creating art objects, considering thesensory qualities of the materials




• recognize that images are developed for a variety ofpurposes, and discuss their own intentions increating art objects

• discuss their own visual images to share theirintentions

• describe how people’s experiences influence their art• view and discuss the works of others and consider

the intentions of those who made them


• recognize that art imagery is developed for a varietyof purposes, and discuss their own intentions andintentions of others in creating art objects

• identify and discuss the source of ideas behind theirown work

• discuss and describe artistic processes in the artwork of others

• consider the various sources of ideas andinfluences which affect their work





• practise safety associated with proper care of artmaterials and tools

• create images that solve complex problems that takeinto consideration form and function, andunderstand the value of looking for alternativesolutions

• evaluate and use various media and technologicalprocesses for their sensory qualities and ability toconvey messages and meaning

• realize the direct influence expanding technologyhas had and continues to have on the individualand society


• show competence and responsibility in use andmanipulation of required materials, tools, andtechniques

• assess the degree of knowledge, skills, and abilitiesnecessary to carry out a project

• demonstrate advanced abilities in andunderstanding of the technical aspects of artmaking

• investigate how the sensory qualities of media affectan image and our response to it

• predict the impact that new technologies mighthave on art and on society




• analyse artwork and determine the artist’s intention• analyse why images were created by artists• identify and discuss the source of ideas behind their

own work and the work of others• use feedback from others to examine their own

art works in light of their original intent


• interpret the relationship between intention andoutcome in their own work

• analyse the work of others to assess the relationshipbetween intention and outcome

• develop an awareness of how consideration of theintended audience affects and impacts on an artwork


Contexts for Learning and Teachingthese three goals is theresponsibility of all partners ineducation.

• Arts education programs buildupon what is known throughresearch about successfulpractice, and the developmentalnature of children.

The LearningEnvironment

Introduction

The learning environment is forstudents. It is stimulating and richin opportunities to develop the fullcapacities of the learner. Withinthis environment, the arts teacherprovides learning experiences thatbring together the intentions of thecurriculum outcomes, the needsand experiences of the learner, andthe resources of the learner’scommunity.

Learning environments arestructured to support individuallearners and are dynamic andflexible to meet the breadth ofteaching and learning needs. Astimulating arts learningenvironment draws upon the

learner’s aesthetic thoughts,feelings, emotions, beliefs,perceptions, and abilities to create,explore, and develop ideas. Itvalues opportunities to discuss,express, and share those ideas.

An Active Learning

Environment

Positive learning experiencesemerge from environments wherelearners are stimulated through allof their senses and where a feelingof trust is present. Learning occurswhere collaboration and co-operation, risk taking, a sense ofownership by learners, decisionmaking, and problem solving arethe norm.

The learning environment isdefined by space, time, andresources. In it, students assumeincreasing levels of responsibilityfor their own learning. Studentsare expected to reach beyond thephysical walls to link to otherlearning environments, in order tosee themselves as members of abroader learning community.

PrinciplesUnderlyingArts Education

• Arts education is a fundamentalcomponent of a balancededucational program for allstudents.

• Arts education serves theeducational goals of society byfostering the growth ofcreativity, the production ofculture, and the advancement ofknowledge and understandingof the world and ourselves. Artseducation programs take intoconsideration and reflect valuesand concerns of society such ashuman rights, democraticprinciples, cultural identity,cultural integrity, peaceful co-existence, preservation of theenvironment, and the well-being of all individuals.

• Arts education, as an integralpart of general education, is theresponsibility of society andinvolves the community toachieve its goals.

• Arts education programs strivefor excellence, equity, andrelevance. The achievement of


Balance, Coherence, and

Connectedness

Learning in the arts focusses on thedevelopment of technical, creative,and aesthetic skills andunderstandings that enablestudents to create, perform,present, and respond to their ownand others’ work.

Balance must be maintainedbetween learning in the arts andlearning through the arts. Artseducators play a key role instriking that balance.

Students must be provided abalance between the creation ofand reflection about their own artwork and the study andappreciation of the works ofothers. Creative and criticalthinking combined withthoughtful reflection enableslearners to make connections toprior learning. When learners seethe relevancy and authenticity oftheir learning experiences, theyvalue the experiences even more.

Successful linking of the arts withother curriculum areas dependsupon the knowledge of bothteachers and students. Learningthrough the arts requires learningin the arts. When arts learningexperiences are planned, it isimportant that activities beprovided that develop knowledge,skills, and attitudes appropriate toarts disciplines.

Connections must be made acrossthe arts disciplines as well as withother subject areas in thecurriculum. Students need to seeconnections between what they arelearning in school and what theyare learning in the world outside ofschool, between current tasks andprevious knowledge, skills, andexperiences. In a connected,sequential arts program, studentsbecome aware that expertise andknowledge from many sources anddisciplines contribute to solvingproblems and to living successfullyin society.

Connections across disciplinesmust be authentic, natural, andlinked directly to the outcomes forall disciplines involved.

The Learning Process

While creating, making,presenting, and responding in thearts, students are expected toengage in a number of distinct butrelated processes. These includeopportunities to

• explore and investigate ideasthrough experimentation withnew materials, movements,colours, sounds, forms, andtechniques

• draw upon ideas, perceptions,and responses as the source forcreative works

• present art works to an audiencewith sensitivity to the intentionof the artist and the ways inwhich the works can beinterpreted

• articulate expressive responses toart works with awareness of theartistic style and aestheticqualities of the works

• evaluate and make informedjudgments about their own artproducts and the works ofothers

• learn about cultural sectors

Process and Product

Within the arts there are twodistinct types of activity—processand product. In creating works ofart, students are challenged tounderstand their work in relationto others, build on strengths, andconsider new directions.Opportunities for reflection andself-assessment allow students timeto examine the many steps of theprocess, and consider the choicesand decisions they have made inthe creation of their work. In thisway, process is afforded equal, ifnot more, importance thanproduct. Learning experiences inthe arts disciplines must recognizethat• the creative process does not

always result in a final product• changes in understanding and

direction can occur throughoutthe creative process

• students need opportunities todiscuss and reflect upon theirwork

• making connections betweentheir own work and othercultural forms around them is avital part of the process


Informed Teaching

Effective teaching practice isgrounded in sound theory aboutteaching and learning. Researchhas, in recent years, significantlyincreased what we know abouthow learning occurs. This researchprovides key information forcurriculum development anddelivery in the arts disciplines.Research indicates that there aremany ways of processinginformation, many ways ofknowing, understanding, andmaking sense of our environment.

The notion of “apprenticeship” indescribing the teaching anddelivery of an arts curriculum is anapproach to teaching and learningthat recognizes the importance ofthe process, as well as the product,of learning. It views the teacher’srole as critical—a role of facilitator,guide, and nurturer of the learningprocess.

Recent developments in brain-based research and cognitivelearning theories also provideimportant references for teachingin the arts.

Resource-based Learning

Arts education provides studentswith a diverse range of experiences,in order to address individualdifferences and to provide afoundation for life-long learning.In order to achieve these goals,access to many different learningresources is necessary. Theseinclude print materials, aural andvisual stimulation materials, andmaterials relevant to each of thearts disciplines. These resources arefound within the school, as well aswithin the larger community.

Artists in Schools

Members of the arts communitycan provide a valuable enrichmentfor arts education. Such projects asvisiting artists programs, artpresentations, and participatoryworkshops, held in the school andin the community, also heightenthe awareness of the important rolethe arts play in community life. Itis important that participatingartists be valued and recognized asprofessionals. It is also importantto affirm that the artists who workwith schools in such programs donot replace qualified teachers, butwork with them to enhancestudent learning.

Interactive Learning

Interactive learning is a process ofadvancing knowledge andunderstanding through dialogue.This can occur with individuals,with groups of learners workingtogether, with learners engagedwith someone or something else,and with groups of learnersinteracting with external persons.

Arts education curricula mustconsider the impact of new mediaon interactive learning. Forexample, web-based learningenvironments, self-directedtutorials, and interactivemultimedia simulations and gamesall have potential application inarts learning environments.

Physical Learning

Environments

In order to realize the outcomes ofan arts curriculum and provide anappropriate learning environment,consideration must be given to thedesign and configuration of thephysical space in which learning isexpected to occur. Guidelines forfacilities that can accommodate theinstructional and learning needs ofarts programs will be developed infuture curriculum documents.


The Creative Process

All children have the ability to becreative. Education in the artsbuilds upon this capacity anddeepens their abilities for artisticexpression. Making art responds tothose subtle inner processes whichdwell on feelings, emotions,thoughts, and ideas. Inspirationand innovative thinking springfrom these sources, and provide uswith new answers and solutions.The creation and presentation ofart works provides opportunitiesfor the individual to communicatethose creative thoughts asmetaphor and symbol.

The creative person engages inassimilation and integration of newthinking with existing knowledge.Sometimes the process is moreabout asking the right questionsthan it is about finding the rightanswer. It is both spontaneous anddeliberate, a paradox that leads tothe arrival of something new.

Creativity does not occur in avacuum. Art making is a processbuilt on creativity and skill, and iscultivated through setting theconditions that encourage andpromote its development. Thereare no rules or guidelines to definesuch an environment.

Openness of Thinking

and Doing

Creative thinking requires anopenness to new ideas andencouragement to step outsideexisting mind sets. New solutionsare often not found until the oldsolutions are set aside.

An environment that fosters open-ended experimentation lends itselfto innovative applications ofexisting materials and media.Students are encouraged to seekout new and different methods andmaterials.

Stimulating Surroundings

A stimulating learningenvironment is an ideal space tounleash a student’s creativepotential. An environment thatprovides interesting andchallenging places for the senses,mind, and body to rest and reflect,and that presents many differentpieces of information, is one thatstimulates creative thinking.

Exploration of Ideas

When students are encouraged togenerate new ideas, they arechallenged to think beyond ideasand knowledge they havepreviously encountered. No ideashould be rejected until studentshave explored its possibilities andmade a decision as to its worth.Risk taking is an integral aspect ofcreating.

Opportunities to Express

and Do

Ideas resulting from original anddivergent thinking need meansthrough which they can be tested.Whether the student is exploringhow someone else arrived at asolution, or is attempting to see acause and effect relationship in aparticular process or technique,there must be the opportunity toattempt, express, and do.

Access to Technologies of

Production

Arts programs are built uponaccess to diverse technologies. Inorder to try out new ideas andcreative solutions, students needaccess to appropriate technologies.An idea may work in one mediumbut fail in another. This can onlybe determined throughapplication, and application canonly occur with the availability oftools and processes.

Application/Assessment/

Reflection

Inherent in the testing of any ideais a process of trying it out,evaluating its effectiveness, andreflecting on its appropriateness.This is the dialogue of making art.Once the process has begun, theartist is continuously assessingwhat is happening, makingadjustments, and changing toaccommodate the new directions.All students are expected to carryout this process.

Once an idea has been expressed inan art work, it can be perceivedand responded to by an audience.Feedback from peers, teachers, andothers becomes a valuable part ofself-assessment for the learner,providing opportunity to revise,rework, abandon, or complete thepiece.

The art-making process parallelsthe many models of creativethinking that have been putforward over the years. This is nota coincidence since the veryessence of art is a process of


examining the world using manyways of perceiving and knowing. Itis a process built upon creativity.

Equity and Diversity

The society of Atlantic Canada,like all of Canada, is linguistically,racially, culturally, and sociallydiverse. Our society includesdifferences in race, ethnicity,gender, ability, values, lifestyles,and languages. Schools shouldfoster the understanding of suchdiversity. The Foundation for theAtlantic Canada Arts EducationCurriculum is designed to meet theneeds, values, experiences, andinterests of all students.

In a learning communitycharacterized by mutual trust,acceptance, and respect, studentdiversity is both recognized andvalued. All students are entitled tohave their personal experiences andtheir racial and ethnoculturalheritage valued within anenvironment that upholds therights of each student and requiresstudents to respect the rights ofothers. Teachers have a critical rolein creating a supportive learningenvironment that reflects theparticular needs of all students.Educators should ensure thatclassroom practices and resourcespositively and accurately reflectdiverse perspectives and rejectprejudice attitudes anddiscriminatory behaviours.

To contribute to the achievementof equity and quality in education,curriculum must• reflect students’ abilities, needs,

interests, and learning styles• expect that all students will be

successful regardless of gender,racial and ethnoculturalbackground, socio-economicstatus, lifestyle, or ability

• enable students to valueindividual variation amongmembers of their classroomcommunity

To enhance students’ ability toappreciate diversity,instructional practices need to

• foster a learning environmentwhich is free from bias andunfair practices

• promote opportunities todevelop positive self-images thatwill enable students totranscend stereotypes anddevelop as individuals

• promote communication andunderstanding among thosewho differ in attitude,knowledge, points of view, anddialect, as well as among thosewho are similar

• encourage and enable studentsto question their ownassumptions, and imagine,understand, and appreciaterealities other than their own

• promote the equitable sharingof resources, including teacherattention and support

• encourage students to examineand critique materials,resources, and experiences forbias and prejudice

• examine historical and currentequity and bias issues

• promote opportunities in non-traditional careers andoccupations

• encourage students to challengeprejudice and discrimination

The Atlantic provinces, throughthe APEF and their departments ofEducation, are committed to usingaccepted equity principles andpractices in approving newcurricula and resources.

Dance, drama, music, and visualarts promote a commitment toequity by valuing, appreciating,and accepting the diversemulticultural and multiracialnature of society, as well as byfostering awareness and criticalanalysis of individual and systemicdiscrimination. Arts educationencourages students to questiontheir own assumptions, andimagine, understand, andappreciate realities other than theirown.

Roles Within ArtsEducation

In order to enable and encouragelearners to engage in the processesof the arts throughout their lives,all partners must assumeresponsibility for fulfilling theirroles in arts education. In addition,partners must work collaboratively,in a climate of mutual respect andinterdependence.


The Community

Learning in the arts is a processthat begins naturally andinformally with parents, otheradults, and peers, and continuesbeyond the school after formaleducation starts. The widercommunity offers opportunitiesthat allow students to constructmeaning, communicate in publiccontexts, and access a wealth ofknowledge. Arts classroomsenhance student learning bymaking connections to artslearning experiences in thecommunity.

The school and community mustwork together to enhance studentlearning by• creating opportunities for

students to participate in thearts and cultural life of thecommunity

• creating a variety ofopportunities for thecommunity to participate in theschools

• valuing and supporting theunique roles that both teachersand artists have in artseducation

• encouraging arts projects,workshops, and performances,as well as being audiences forthem

• sharing and exchangingresources

• providing facilities for publicperformances, exhibitions, anddemonstrations

The Education System

The education system generallyincludes departments of education,universities and communitycolleges, school boards/districts,schools, and school councils/parentadvisory committees. Theseorganizations and institutions,collectively and individually, havevarious responsibilities andleadership functions that affect artslearning and teaching. Theseinclude decisions about• the allocation of personnel,

time, and resources to ensurethat all students have maximumopportunity to learn throughengagement in balanced,sequential arts programs, inpreparation for lifelonginvolvement with the arts

• the professional growth ofteachers, administrators, andcurriculum personnel at school,district, and department levelsin support of arts curricula

• ways to ensure all levels of artsprograms are anti-discriminatory and reflectcommitment to redresseducational inequities based onsocio-economic status, race,gender, lifestyle, ability, orgeography

• facilities and equipment thatensure a safe and healthylearning environment

Parents

Parents and other caregivers areimportant partners in educationand have valuable contributions tomake to arts programs. Parents can

• demonstrate that they value thearts as important to educationand to life

• celebrate their children’sparticipation in the arts

• assist their children to pursueinterests in the arts andparticipate in communityactivities

• talk with their children aboutarts experiences

• communicate regularly with thearts teachers/school

• share expertise, information,and resources with theirchildren’s teachers/school

• volunteer in their children’sschool

School-based

Administrators

Principals and other schooladministrators have theresponsibility to support learningand teaching in the arts by• working with teachers to ensure

that learning experiences,instructional techniques,assessment strategies, thelearning environment, and theuse of resources are consistentwith those described in thisdocument

• working with arts teachers toensure that there is adequatetime, and a variety of resourcesand experiences available, tomeet the learners’ needs

• working with others to ensurethat arts teachers haveappropriate training andsupport, and ongoingopportunities for professionalgrowth


• working collaboratively withteachers to plan, facilitate, andsupport arts experiences andrelated events

• demonstrating personal supportand participation in artsactivities in the schoolcommunity

Students

As they grow as learners, studentsneed to take increasingresponsibility and ownership fortheir own arts education by• exploring and experiencing

various activities in the artsdisciplines

• being flexible and open to newideas and risk taking

• developing self-discipline thatencourages growth in the arts

• accepting responsibility as “teamplayers” when workingcollaboratively

• making constructive decisionsabout organizing their time forarts experiences

• selecting from a range ofmaterials and informationresources to support theirlearning

• exploring areas of individualinterest and independentlearning

• selecting media and activitiesthat demonstrate their learning

• identifying, expressing, andproblem solving those issuesand questions that arise fromthe learning process

• reflecting on and assessing theirown learning

Teachers

Teachers demonstrateresponsibilities as decision-makers,learners, and facilitators by• structuring and organizing

learning experiences that arebased on current curriculumguidelines

• utilizing a wide range ofteaching strategies

• providing knowledgeableguidance and support in artsactivities

• ensuring student access to arange of learning resources andmedia

• ensuring that students have awide range of learningopportunities which integrateand develop arts processes

• monitoring, assessing,evaluating, and reportingstudent learning

• providing appropriatemodelling by demonstrating theimportance of the arts in theirown lives

• designing learning experiencesthat reflect students’motivations, interests, abilities,and learning styles

• reflecting upon their ownlearning needs and seekingopportunities for professionalgrowth

Assessing andEvaluating StudentLearning

Assessment is the systematicprocess of gathering informationon student learning

Evaluation is the process ofanalysing, reflecting upon, andsummarizing assessmentinformation, and makingjudgments or decisions based uponthe information gathered.

Assessment and evaluation areessential components of teachingand learning in arts education.Without effective assessment andevaluation, it is impossible to knowwhether students have learned,whether teaching has beeneffective, or how best to addressstudent learning needs. The qualityof the assessment and evaluation inthe educational process has aprofound and well-established linkto student performance. Researchconsistently shows that regularmonitoring and feedback areessential to improving studentlearning. What is assessed andevaluated, how it is assessed andevaluated, and how results arecommunicated send clear messagesto students and others about whatis really valued—what is worthlearning, how it should be learned,what elements of quality areconsidered most important, andhow well students are expected toperform.


Teacher-developed assessments andevaluations have a wide variety ofuses, such as• providing feedback to improve

student learning• determining if curriculum

outcomes have been achieved• certifying that students have

achieved certain levels ofperformance

• setting goals for future studentlearning

• communicating with parentsabout their children’s learning

• providing information toteachers on the effectiveness oftheir teaching, the program, andthe learning environment

• meeting the needs of guidanceand administration personnel

Assessment

To determine how well studentsare learning, assessment strategieshave to be designed tosystematically gather informationon the achievement of thecurriculum outcomes. In planningassessments, teachers should use abroad range of strategies in anappropriate balance to givestudents multiple opportunities todemonstrate their knowledge,skills, and attitudes. Many types ofassessment strategies can be used togather such information,including, but not limited to,• formal and informal

observations• work samples• anecdotal records• conferences• teacher-made and other tests• portfolios• learning journals

• questioning• performance assessment• peer- and self-assessment

Evaluation

Evaluation involves teachers andothers in analysing and reflectingupon information about studentlearning gathered in a variety ofways. This process requires• developing clear criteria and

guidelines for assigning marksor grades to student work

• synthesizing information frommultiple sources

• using a high level of professionaljudgment in making decisionsbased upon that information

Reporting

Reporting on student learningshould focus on the extent towhich students have achieved thecurriculum outcomes. Reportinginvolves communicating thesummary and interpretation ofinformation about student learningto various audiences who requireit. Teachers have a specialresponsibility to explain accuratelywhat progress students have madein their learning and to respond toparent and student inquiries aboutlearning.

Narrative reports on progress andachievement can provideinformation on student learningwhich letter or number gradesalone cannot. Such reports might,for example, suggest ways in whichstudents can improve theirlearning, and identify ways inwhich teachers and parents canbest provide support.

Effective communication withparents regarding their children’sprogress is essential in fosteringsuccessful home-schoolpartnerships. The report card isone means of reporting individualstudent progress. Other meansinclude the use of conferences,notes, and phone calls.

Guiding Principles

In order to provide accurate, usefulinformation about the achievementand instructional needs ofstudents, certain guiding principlesfor the development,administration, and use ofassessments must be followed.Principles for Fair StudentAssessment Practices for Education inCanada (1993) articulates fivebasic assessment principles asfollows:• Assessment strategies should be

appropriate for and compatiblewith the purpose and context ofthe assessment.

• Students should be providedwith sufficient opportunity todemonstrate the knowledge,skills, attitudes, or behavioursbeing assessed.

• Procedures for judging orscoring student performanceshould be appropriate for theassessment strategy used and beconsistently applied andmonitored.

• Procedures for summarizing andinterpreting assessment resultsshould yield accurate andinformative representations of astudent’s performance inrelation to the curriculumoutcomes for the reportingperiod.


• Assessment reports should beclear, accurate, and of practicalvalue to the audience for whomthey are intended.

These principles highlight the needfor assessment which ensures that• the best interests of the student

are paramount• assessment informs teaching and

promotes learning• assessment is an integral and

ongoing part of the learningprocess and is clearly related tothe curriculum outcomes

• assessment is fair and equitableto all students and involvesmultiple sources of information

While assessments may be used fordifferent purposes and audiences,all assessments must give eachstudent optimal opportunity todemonstrate what he/she knowsand can do.

Assessing Student Learning

in the Arts Education

Classroom

Dance, drama, music, and thevisual arts each have uniquecharacteristics and ones that areshared. Traditionally, each art formhas been viewed exclusively asseparate and distinct. Thisapproach has led to writingresearch and terminology that isapplicable to only one subject. Thefocus of this document is not onlyon identifying the essence ofindividual subjects but ondescribing the characteristicscommon to the arts disciplines.

In addition, there is a balancebetween students’ creative workand their understanding of andresponse to the work of otherswithin each discipline. Thisframework emphasizes thateffective assessment must reflectthe totality of the curriculumoutcomes and the organizingstrands.

One method of arts educationdelivery requires that arts teacherswork with hundreds of students inany one year. When this is the case,assessment strategies must be bothrealistic for the teacher and validfor the learner. Thoughtfulplanning is required in order thatevaluation of individual studentlearning encompasses the range oflearning outcomes, in the four artsdisciplines.

Using a Variety of

Assessment Strategies

Assessment should reflect the fullrange of student learning in thearts and involve the use of a varietyof information gathering strategiesthat allow teachers to addressstudents’ diverse backgrounds,learning styles, and needs, andallow students a variety ofopportunities to demonstrate theirlearning.

The variety of assessment strategiesshould• enable teachers to assess and

describe student achievementacross the curriculum

• provide information about howstudents learn, as well as whatthey learn

• take into consideration students’abilities both to learn and toapply their learning

• enable teachers to observeoverall performance

• provide multiple indicators ofstudent performance

• reflect curriculum balance andemphasis

• reflect that experimentation,risk taking, and creativity arevalued

• enable students to discover theirown interests, strengths, andweaknesses

• engage students in assessing,reflecting upon, and improvingtheir own learning

• encourage students to takeresponsibility for their owngrowth

• engage students in assessingtheir own and others’ skills inco-operative and collaborativeprojects

• allow for description ofstudents’ progress in terms ofincreased control, depth ofunderstanding, and ability towork independently

External Assessment

Administration of externallyprepared assessments is on a largescale in comparison to classroomassessments, and often involveshundreds, sometimes thousands ofstudents, allowing for use of resultsat the provincial, district and/orschool levels. Depending on thecomprehensiveness of theassessment, information can beused for all of the same purposes asclassroom-based assessment, but itcan also serve additional


administrative and accountabilitypurposes, such as for admissions,placement, student certification,educational diagnosis, andprogram evaluation. Externalassessments offer commonstandards for assessment and foradministration, scoring, andreporting that allow forcomparison of results over time.

As part of the regional agenda,development of externalassessments in specific curricularareas is being undertaken.Generally, external assessmentincludes assessments prepared bydepartments of education, nationaland international assessmentgroups, publishers, and researchgroups. Each provincialdepartment of education makesdecisions on whether or not toadminister external assessments.

Program and System

Evaluation

The results from both external andinternal assessments of studentachievement can be used to varyingdegrees for program and systemevaluation. External assessmentresults, however, are more

comparable across various groupsand are therefore more commonlythe basis for these types ofevaluations.

In essence, the main differencebetween student evaluation andprogram and system evaluation isin how the results are used. Inprogram evaluation, marks orscores for individual students arenot the primary focus of theassessment—it is the effectivenessof the program that is evaluated,and the results are used to show theextent to which the manyoutcomes of the program areachieved.

When results are used for systemevaluation, the focus is on how thevarious levels and groups withinthe system, such as classrooms,schools, districts, and so on, areachieving the intended outcomes.In many ways, student andprogram evaluation are very muchthe same in that both emphasizeobtaining student informationconcerning their conceptualunderstanding, their ability to useknowledge and reason to solveproblems, and their ability tocommunicate effectively.


ResourcesIntroduction

This document envisages anetwork of material and humanresources extending throughout theschool, into the community, andbeyond to the province, the nation,and the world. These resources areaccessible through information andcommunication technologies. Nosingle resource can providesufficient material to nurture thedevelopment of any one learner orgroup of learners for any extendedperiod of time. The range ofresources must• reflect the diversity of the

learners interests, needs,abilities, and experiences

• support the achievement of thecurriculum outcomes

• be available to all learners• include appropriate materials,

equipment, and technology

Through the many resources of acomprehensive arts program, thestudent gains the skills andconfidence necessary to bringlearning alive not only in the artsbut in all curricula.

Criteria for SelectingResources

While not all resources will meetall the selection criteria, the rangeof resources used at any given levelshould be balanced to reflect thefollowing guidelines. Resourcesshould

• elicit personal, thoughtful,creative, and critical responses

• offer a variety of motivating andchallenging experiences thatvalue and reflect the diversity oflearners’ interests, needs, andabilities

• broaden students’understanding of social,historical, geographical, andcultural diversity

• develop a sensitivity to and anunderstanding of individualdifferences

The Range of HumanResources

The most important humanresource for the student is theteacher who brings to the artsdiscipline skills, abilities, andinterests that play significant rolesin shaping the learningenvironment. A learningenvironment that allows studentsto explore possibilities and takerisks to solve problems is crucialfor the effective delivery of acurriculum in the arts. The teachershould, by example, demonstrate akeen interest in the arts and be ableto apply practical knowledge in atleast one arts form.

As a supplement to their classroomlearning, students should haveaccess to artists within thecommunity. This can be achievedthrough• visiting artist programs• artist-in-residence programs

• music, drama, and dancepresentations by communityartists

• visual arts exhibits bycommunity artists

Adding community resources oftenmoves the arts “classroom” beyondthe confines of the school buildingto locations within the community,resulting in program enhancementand a heightened awareness of theimportant role the arts play incommunity life.

Community resources include• gallery visits, live theatre, and

concerts• participation in workshops in

and out of school• community facilities which may

be used as part an art programin schools

• members of arts organizationsand people with arts relatedinterests

The Range of MaterialResources

Classrooms for dance, drama,music, and visual arts, as well asschool resource centres/libraries,need a wide array of learningresources for student and teacherchoice and use. Such variety isessential for individualized andsmall-group learning at all gradelevels. The range of availableresources should permit theflexibility and choice necessitatedby the range of instructional needsof students.


Appropriate resources include thefollowing:• multimedia materials, including

film, video, software, soundrecordings, CD ROM, digitalsound, animation, image files,and Internet access

• texts at different levels ofdifficulty, of different genres,and from different cultural andsocial perspectives

• materials that reflect theAtlantic region

• texts for each arts discipline• materials such as books,

magazines, brochures, posters,and prints, sheet music,reproductions, originalartworks, motivational andstudy materials, includingobjects, study prints, scripts,artifacts, charts, illustrations,and posters

• books, videos, and journals forthe professional growth ofteachers

• materials that promote hands-on creative/productive learning experiences

• performance materials,including props, costumes,instruments, rostra blocks,risers, and music stands

• a range of production tools andprocesses such as cameras,printing press, lightingequipment, computers, soundequipment, musicalinstruments, visual art-makingtools, and recording devices

The Atlantic CanadaEssential Graduation Learnings

EssentialGraduation

Learnings

EGL

THE ATLANTIC CANADA ESSENTIAL GRADUATION LEARNINGS 1

Purpose

Background

This document has been designed to illustrate the relationship betweenthe Atlantic Canada essential graduation learnings and theregionally-developed public school curriculum in the four provinces.

The Atlantic provinces departments of education and their partnershave been collaborating on the development of curriculum since 1995.This collaboration has resulted in the production of high quality andtimely materials, shared expertise and resources, strengthenedprofessional contacts and networks, and consolidated purchasingpower.

The common curriculum development process began with theidentification and validation of statements of essential graduationlearnings for all schools in Atlantic Canada.

The essential graduation learnings statements offer students clear goalsand a powerful rationale for students’ school work. Essentialgraduation learnings statements were developed from the missionstatements of the four Atlantic provinces to provide a vision for thedevelopment of a relevant curriculum for students from school entry tograde 12. They help ensure that the provincial mission statements aremet by design and intention.

New Brunswick… to have each student develop the attitudes needed to be a lifelonglearner, to achieve personal fulfillment, and to contribute to aproductive, just and democratic society.

Newfoundland and Labrador… to enable and encourage every individual to acquire, throughlifelong learning, the knowledge, skills and values necessary for personalgrowth and the development of society.

Nova Scotia… to provide excellence in education and training for personalfulfillment and for a productive, prosperous society.

Prince Edward Island… to provide for the development of children so that each may take ameaningful place in society.

Mission

Statements

THE ATLANTIC CANADA ESSENTIAL GRADUATION LEARNINGS2

Essential graduation learnings are statements describing theknowledge, skills, and attitudes expected of all students graduatingfrom high school. Achievement of the essential graduation learningswill prepare students to continue to learn throughout their lives.These learnings describe expectations not in terms of individualschool subjects but in terms of the knowledge, skills, and attitudesdeveloped throughout the curriculum. They confirm that studentsneed to make connections and develop abilities across subjectboundaries. They also prepare students to be ready to meet thecurrent and emerging opportunities, responsibilities, and demandsof life after graduation. Provinces may add essential graduationlearnings statements as required. The essential graduation learningsare as follows:

Aesthetic ExpressionGraduates will be able to respond with critical awareness to variousforms of the arts and be able to express themselves through the arts.

CitizenshipGraduates will be able to assess social, cultural, economic, andenvironmental interdependence in a local and global context.

CommunicationGraduates will be able to use the listening, viewing, speaking, reading,and writing modes of language(s) as well as mathematical and scientificconcepts and symbols to think, learn, and communicate effectively.

Personal DevelopmentGraduates will be able to continue to learn and to pursue an active,healthy lifestyle.

Problem SolvingGraduates will be able to use the strategies and processes needed tosolve a wide variety of problems, including those requiring language,mathematical, and scientific concepts.

Technological CompetenceGraduates will be able to use a variety of technologies, demonstrate anunderstanding of technological applications, and apply appropriatetechnologies for solving problems.

Essential

Graduation

Learnings


For each curriculum area the process is the same, starting with thedevelopment of a foundation document. Foundation documentsdescribe general and key-stage curriculum outcomes for a particularsubject area. They also describe exemplary learning environments andact as the basis for grade-level specific curriculum development.

Foundation documents are now available for arts education, Englishlanguage arts, French immersion, core French (orientation document),mathematics, science, social studies, and technology education. Theoutcomes on the following pages illustrate how key-stage curriculumoutcomes, taken as examples from current foundation documents, relateto the essential graduation learnings. The outcomes of provincialsubject areas also contribute to the achievement of the essentialgraduation learnings.

After general and key-stage curriculum outcomes are developed andvalidated, curriculum for each grade may be developed.

Curriculum

Development

Framework

Specific Curriculum Outcomes

Statements that identify what students are expected to know andbe able to do at a particular grade level.

Key-stage Curriculum Outcomes

Statements that identify what students are expected to knowand be able to do by the end of grades 3, 6, 9, and 12.


Statements that identify what students are expected to knowand be able to do upon completion of study in a subject area.

Vision

A vision statement for each subject area

Essential Graduation Learnings

aesthetic expression personal development

citizenship problem solving

communication technological competence

THE ATLANTIC CANADA ESSENTIAL GRADUATION LEARNINGS4

Aesthetic Expression

Graduates will be able torespond with criticalawareness to various formsof the arts and be able toexpress themselves throughthe arts.

Essential Graduation Learnings and Curricululm Outcomes

For example, students will be expected to:

use patterns to solve problems (grade 3 mathematics)

describe how culture is preserved, modified, and transmitted (grade6 social studies)

demonstrate awareness of the power of spoken language to influenceand manipulate, and to reveal ideas, values, and attitudes (grade 9English language arts)

interpret and represent a range of thoughts, images, and feelings usingand responding to non-verbal gestures (grade 12 music)

Citizenship

Graduates will be able toassess social, cultural,economic, andenvironmentalinterdependence in a localand global context.


demonstrate an awareness of visual images and their daily effects onpeople (grade 3 visual arts)

account for effects of cultural diversity on technological solutions(grade 9 technology education)

evaluate social issues related to the applications and limitations ofscience and technology, and explain decisions in terms of advantagesand disadvantages for sustainability, considering a variety ofperspectives (grade 12 science)

recognize and explain the interdependent nature of relationships amongindividuals, societies, and the environment (grade 6 social studies)

Communication

Graduates will be able to usethe listening, viewing,speaking, reading, and writingmodes of language(s) as wellas mathematical and scientificconcepts and symbols tothink, learn, andcommunicate effectively.


describe, extend, and create a wide variety of patterns andrelationships to model and solve problems involving real-worldsituations (grade 6 mathematics)

communicate questions, ideas, intentions, plans, and results usinglists, notes in point form, sentences, data tables, graphs, drawing,oral language, and other means (grade 9 science)

create dances that express and communicate ideas of personalsignificance (grade 3 dance)

articulate and justify a personal vision of a sustainable future (grade 12social studies)

Essential

Graduation

Learnings

Sample Outcomes

(from Foundation Documents)


Personal

Development

Graduates will be able tocontinue to learn and topursue an active, healthylifestyle.


demonstrate increasing awareness of healthy and safe practices whenengaging in technological activity (grade 6 technology education)

access, select, and research, in systematic ways, specific information tomeet personal and individual learning needs (grade 12 English languagearts)

show interest in and curiosity about objects and events within theimmediate environment (grade 3 science)

create a movement sequence that communicates a social theme(grade 9 dance)

Problem Solving

Graduates will be able touse the strategies andprocesses needed to solve awide variety of problems,including those requiringlanguage, mathematical,and scientific concepts.


analyse and evaluate historical and contemporary developments inorder to make informed, creative decisions about issues (grade 9 socialstudies)

ask discriminating questions to acquire, interpret, analyse, and evaluateideas and information (grade 12 English language arts)

conduct design studies to identify a technological solution to a problem(grade 6 technology education)

examine a range of possible solutions to problems encountered in theirdrama work, and reflect on their decisions (grade 9 drama)

Technological

Competence

Graduates will be able to usea variety of technologies,demonstrate anunderstanding oftechnological applications,and apply appropriatetechnologies for solvingproblems.


create written and media texts using a variety of forms (grade 3English language arts)

use maps, globes, pictures, models, and other technologies torepresent and describe physical and human systems (grade 6 socialstudies)

operate, monitor, and adjust a representative range of technologicalsystems (grade 9 technology education)

appreciate that the applications of science and technology can raiseethical dilemmas (grade 12 science)

Essential

Graduation

Learnings

Sample Outcomes

(from Foundation Documents)

Arts Education - New Brunswick · Foundation for the Atlantic Canada Arts Education Curriculum 1...

Documents

Transcript of Arts Education - New Brunswick · Foundation for the Atlantic Canada Arts Education Curriculum 1...