Curriculum Processes

Elements of Tableau:

	Descriptors:
Role	Who/What	When/Where	Why/How
Space	Expanded	Neutral	Confined
Energy	Relaxed	Neutral	Tense
Level	High	Medium	Low

Creative Process:

The creative process involves students to take in the new information that they are learning, and incorporate it into their existing knowledge.

If you take a look at the Ontario Arts Curriculum for Grades 1-8, it details the creative process. In the curriculum, you will find the following statement:

The creative process comprises several stages:

• Challenging and inspiring;
• Imagining and generating;
• Planning and focusing;
• Exploring and experimenting;
• Producing preliminary work;
• Revising and refining;
• Presenting, performing, and sharing;
• Reflecting and evaluating.

The creative process is meant to be flexible. It is important to note that all students have the ability to be creative. Sometimes you can trigger your creativity for the arts, through inspiration. For example, for my group's Zumba lesson, the inspiration was from a concept that holds true to Zumba fitness. Zumba focuses on the act of participation, not perfection. If you stumble on a move or forget a step you are not wrong; you've created a variation in the routine. Who knows, it might become a hit! Zumba is a fitness program that is made up of many different types of dancing. Not only is it based on movements from different cultural dances, but it also encourages students to learn more about music from different cultures.


Critical Analysis Process:

The Critical Analysis Process is linked to the Creative Process. The difference is that this process entails students to develop and express a response to an area within the arts (dance, drama, music, visual arts). Students should feel free to express and explore their ideas during this process.

If you take a look at the Ontario Arts Curriculum for Grades 1-8, it details the critical analysis process. In the curriculum, you will find the following statement:

Using the critical analysis process will enable students to: 

• Respond knowledgeably and sensitively to their own and others’ dance, drama, music, and visual art works;
• Make connections between their own experiences and works in the arts, between different art forms, and between art works and the lives of people and communities around the world
• Perceive and interpret how the elements of each art form contribute to meaning in dance, drama, music, and visual art works;
• Develop, share, and justify an informed personal point of view about works in the arts;
• Demonstrate awareness of and appreciation for the importance of dance, drama, music, and visual arts in society;
• Demonstrate appreciation appropriately as audience members in formal and informal settings (e.g., peer performances in the classroom; excursions to arts institutions, galleries, concert halls, theatres).

Again, this process is meant to be flexible for student learning. Also noteworthy, the when examining a piece of work, students should consider the cultural context of the art form during this process.

Lastly, the curriculum states that the critical analysis process should include the following:

• Initial reaction;
• Description;
• Analysis and interpretation;
• Expression of an informed point of view;
• Consideration of cultural context.