Page 41 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9 and 10: The Arts, 2010

in fact, anything that can be “read”, whether it uses print or other symbol systems to communicate. Visual, auditory, or kinesthetic signs and symbols are used by artists, choreographers, composers, dancers, dramatists, and musicians as part of the language of their discipline.
Because the arts offer various ways of knowing and different forms of communication, they provide students with relevant options for developing and representing their understanding. Education in arts programs is relevant to learning in all disciplines because it offers students different means of expression while strengthening linguistic literacy, and it offers teachers various ways of differentiating instruction and engaging students in learning. In addition, since art forms, genres, styles, and techniques are rooted in a cultural context, students have an opportunity to develop an understanding of the meaning of the artistic languages used in art forms from various cultures by studying art forms in their cultural context.
The various arts disciplines are therefore a vital component of literacy education. The arts disciplines promote literacies that contribute to students’ ability to explore, negotiate, communicate, interpret, and make sense of the changing realities of contemporary culture, technology, and society. Since technological advances continue to develop at an unprecedented rate, educators should promote the learning of multiple literacies as crucial to living successfully in an age in which communication and change have so much importance. Education in the arts prepares students not only to adapt to change but also to be active participants in bringing about change.
LITERACY, MATHEMATICAL LITERACY, AND INQUIRY/RESEARCH SKILLS
Literacy, mathematical literacy, and inquiry/research skills are critical to students’ success in all subjects of the curriculum and in all areas of their lives.
Many of the activities and tasks that students undertake in the arts curriculum involve the literacy skills relating to oral, written, and visual communication. For example, students use language to record their observations, to describe their critical analyses in both informal and formal contexts, and to present their findings in presentations and reports in oral, written, graphic, and multimedia forms. Understanding in the arts requires the use and understanding of specialized terminology. In all arts courses, students are required to use appropriate and correct terminology, and are encouraged to use language with care and precision in order to communicate effectively.
The arts program also builds on, reinforces, and enhances mathematical literacy. For example, clear, concise communication often involves the use of diagrams, charts, tables, and graphs, and many components of the arts curriculum emphasize students’ ability
to interpret and use symbols and graphic texts. In addition, mathematical equations can be used in such activities as developing architectural drawings to scale – for example, drawings showing the design and construction of a model of a Roman-style column. Links can also be made between mathematical reasoning and musical composition.
Inquiry and research are at the heart of learning in all subject areas. In arts courses, students are encouraged to develop their ability to ask questions and to explore a variety of possible answers to those questions. As they advance through the grades, they acquire the skills to locate relevant information from a variety of sources, such as books, periodicals,
SOME CONSIDERATIONS FOR PROGRAM PLANNING IN THE ARTS
39