Page 31 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9 and 10: The Arts, 2010

When planning a program in the arts, teachers must take into account considerations in a number of important areas, including those discussed below.
INSTRUCTIONAL APPROACHES
The arts curriculum is based on the premise that all students can be successful in arts learning. One of the keys to student success in mastering arts skills and knowledge is high-quality instruction. Since no single instructional approach can meet all of the needs of each learner, teachers will select classroom activities that are based on an assessment of students’ individual needs, proven learning theory, and best practices.
Students learn best when they are engaged in a variety of ways of learning. Arts courses lend themselves to a wide range of approaches in that they require students to explore, to create their own works, and to interpret the works of others either individually or in a group. Teachers must provide a wide range of activities and assignments that encourage mastery of the basic fundamental concepts and development of inquiry and research skills. They also will provide ongoing feedback to students and frequent opportunities for students to rehearse, practise, and apply skills and strategies, and to make their own choices. To make the arts program interesting and relevant, teachers must also help students to relate the knowledge and skills gained to issues and situations connected to their own world.
It is essential that teachers emphasize that the arts have a profound effect not only on our society but on students’ everyday lives and their community. In all arts courses, consideration should be given to including regular visits to and from guest artists with diverse backgrounds and experiences, as well as field studies that help students to connect with the arts world. Students develop a better understanding of various aspects of the study of the arts when they can see and experience actual examples of the arts they are studying. Such experiences also give them a better appreciation of the unique features
of the arts communities that affect their daily lives.
The arts courses outlined in this document have been designed for use throughout the province, and the course expectations can be adapted to reflect the local arts and cultural environment. The courses allow for constant changes in technology and take into consid- eration the evolving artistic global community, enabling teachers to develop lessons that
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SOME CONSIDERATIONS FOR PROGRAM PLANNING IN THE ARTS