Strands

Developing Practical Knowledge in the Arts
Developing Ideas in the Arts
Communicating and Interpreting the Arts
Understanding the Arts in Context

Become an Arts Advocate

"Literacies in the arts involve the ability to communicate and interpret meaning using the languages of the arts disciplines. We develop literacy in dance, drama, music and the visual arts as we acquire skills, knowledge, attitudes, and understanding in the discipline and use its particular signs and symbols to convey and receive meaning." Draft Arts Curriculum p9.

After working through the nine previous units for Creative Explorer, you will have gained considerable knowledge, skills and understanding of the arts in New Zealand.

This increased literacy will help you become an arts advocate for students and teaching colleagues within the school community.

What could you do?

• Tell people about it - Principal, Board of Trustees, colleagues, students.
  
  
• Tutor other staff members to use Creative Explorer.
  
  
• Encourage the school to purchase more copies so that others will benefit.
  
  
• Give a presentation to interested staff.
  
  
• Have students from your class demonstrate their work to others in the school, in visual arts, dance, drama and music as a result of using Creative Explorer.
  
  
• Continue your own learning and interest in the arts by participating in an arts activity in your own time.
  
  
• Do further research on artists and works that interest you.

One Computer in your Classroom

You could:

• Introduce the programme in 'teacher time' then send groups of three students to take turns and view a component. Groups share information.
  
  
• Begin arts work on a range of activities and use Creative Explorer as a model to conclude the process.
  
  
• Use it as one of a number of stations in a rotational learning activity. Use task cards and questions at each station for students to work on independently. Complete the activities over a period of days or weeks.
  
  
• Involve a small group to use it as part of a special project. Over the period of a year many small groups may be able to complete a "special project" using Creative Explorer.
  
  
• Train groups of three children who can become peer tutors. Use the time available during silent reading time, writing and research for students to teach each other.
  
  
• Locate other classes and times when their computer is available for your small groups to set up and use for example library time.
  
  
• Work with Creative Explorer across the curriculum either in an integrated or interdisciplinary way. Encourage students to use it during class time allocated for Maths, English and Technology where the activities are relevant.
  
  
• Use Creative Explorer as a class reference for words not commonly found in the dictionary. Encourage students to use the Dictionary, Pop Ups, Cross References, Māori and Samoan language when the need arises.
  
  
• Allow Creative Explorer to be taken home and used for research and project work. CD-ROMs can be issued like library books. Just ask your librarian.
  
  
• Help students to access arts resources from around the school including other CD-ROMs, books, audio/video equipment. Be informed about accessing arts equipment to enable follow up work for example art materials, cameras, musical instruments, tape recorders.

A Class in the Computer Suite

You could:

• Use multiple copies of the CD and lead an introductory session with students in pairs or threes. Demonstrate how to install the CD-ROM and provide a focussed, purposeful, information gathering exercise to begin with.
  
  
• Work alongside the teacher in charge of the computer suite. Encourage them to become familiar with the software and the units of work. Provide them with some teacher units of work. Suggest they use it with other class groups.
  
  
• Use Creative Explorer as your arts resource for a whole term or year. Follow a particular topic for a few weeks e.g. Photography - by using the computers together at the set time and do follow up activities in the classroom. The classroom computer then becomes a reference point for continuing study.

The Enrichment Group

You could:

• Encourage the enrichment group to use the CD-ROM to study each of the four arts. Revolve the groups on the computer while the other groups work on related material. Have plenty of on computer/off computer tasks.
  
  
• Encourage students to SAVE and PRINT their work to build up a portfolio from Creative Explorer.
  
  
• Encourage in-depth learning by allowing plenty of time for this group to delve further into Creative Explorer, (there are challenging ideas here that could be workshoped over long periods of time).

Arts Assessment

Assessment is integral to learning and achieving in the arts and should be planned for when programmes are developed.

You will assess student progress against the specific learning outcomes of the units. You will also take into account the essential skills and learning needs of individual students.

Use outcomes for both summative and formative assessment using a range of strategies and approaches. These will include self, peer and group assessment.

"In all cases, assessment should be based on criteria that are relevant to the art form, the specific learning activity and the context in which learning occurs." Draft Arts Curriculum. p85.