Page 67 - THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9 to 12 | First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Studies

The Creative Process
Students are expected to learn and use the creative process to help them acquire and apply knowledge and skills in the arts. Use of the creative process is to be integrated with use of the critical analysis process as students work to achieve the expectations in the four strands.
Creativity involves innovation: developing new thinking and integrating it with existing knowledge. Sometimes the creative process is more about asking the right questions than about finding the right answer. Teachers need to create a learning atmosphere that encourages both spontaneity and deliberate, focused effort to help students cultivate creativity as they develop the skills involved in art making. A setting that is conducive to creativity is one in which students are not afraid to suggest alternative ideas and take risks.
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 and performing
• reflecting and evaluating
As students and teachers become increasingly familiar with the creative process, they are able to move consciously between the stages in a flexible and cyclical manner, varying the order of the stages as appropriate. For example, students may benefit from exploring and experimenting before planning and focusing.
Students will sometimes complete all the stages of the creative process; at other times they may reach only the exploration and experimentation stage, which research clearly shows is critical in the development of creative thinking skills. Students should be en- couraged to experiment ethically and responsibly with a wide range of materials, tools, techniques, and conventions, and should be given numerous opportunities to explore and manipulate the elements of each art form.
Ongoing feedback and structured opportunities for students to engage in reflection are woven into each stage of the creative process. Assessment by both teacher and student is used to enhance students’ creativity and support their development and achievement in the arts. As students progress through the process of solving an artistic problem, com- munication and reflection help them to see the problem from different perspectives and to articulate and refine their thinking in response.
The Critical Analysis Process
The critical analysis process involves critical thinking: questioning, evaluating, making rational judgements, finding logical connections, and categorizing. Critical thinking also requires openness to other points of view, including the rich diversity of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit perspectives. Students need to be taught that works of art are not created in a vacuum; they reflect the personal, cultural, social, and historical context of the artists.
COURSE INTRODUCTION: NAC1O
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