Page 8 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 11 and 12: The Arts, 2010

THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12 | The Arts
Parents
Parents1 have an important role to play in supporting student learning. Studies show that students perform better in school if their parents are involved in their education.
By becoming familiar with the curriculum, parents can better appreciate what is being taught in the courses their daughters and sons are taking and what they are expected to learn. This awareness will enhance parents’ ability to discuss their children’s work with them, to communicate with teachers, and to ask relevant questions about their children’s progress. Knowledge of the expectations in the various courses will also help parents to interpret teachers’ comments on student progress and to work with teachers to improve their children’s learning.
Effective ways in which parents can support their children’s learning include attending parent-teacher interviews, participating in parent workshops, and becoming involved in school council activities (including becoming a school council member). Parents who encourage and monitor home practice or project completion further support their children in their arts studies. By attending concerts and presentations and other performances by school ensembles and clubs, parents can demonstrate a commitment to their child’s success.
Parents can also attend local arts and cultural events (such as art exhibits and concerts) with their children, whether or not their children are participating themselves. These events often take place in community centres, places of worship, and public parks or schools, as well as in more formal venues, such as public galleries, museums, libraries, and concert halls. Parents can make an arts activity into a family activity, further demon- strating an awareness of and support for their child’s artistic and personal interests.
Teachers
Teachers and students have complementary responsibilities. Teachers develop appropriate instructional strategies to help students achieve the curriculum expectations, as well
as appropriate methods for assessing and evaluating student learning. Teachers bring enthusiasm and varied teaching and assessment approaches to the classroom, addressing different student needs and ensuring sound learning opportunities for every student.
Using a variety of instructional, assessment, and evaluation strategies, teachers provide numerous opportunities for students to develop and refine their critical and creative skills, problem-solving skills, and communication skills, while engaged in arts activities, projects, and exploration. The activities offered should give students opportunities to relate their knowledge of and skills in the arts to the social, environmental, and economic conditions and concerns of the world in which they live. Such opportunities will motivate students to participate in their communities as responsible and engaged citizens and to become lifelong learners.
Teachers can help students understand that the creative process often requires a consider- able expenditure of time and energy and a good deal of perseverance. Teachers can also
encourage students to explore alternative solutions and to take the risks necessary to become successful problem solvers and creators of art work. The arts can play a key role in shaping students’ views about life and learning. Since the arts exist in a broader social and historical context, teachers can show students that all of the arts are affected by the values and choices of individuals, and in turn have a significant impact on society.
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1. The word parent(s) is used in this document to refer to parent(s) and guardian(s).