Definition & Rationale
The Arts Learning Area Statement focuses student learning on aesthetic understanding and arts practice developed through the art forms of dance, drama, media, music and visual arts, experienced singly or in combinations. Although these five forms may be used in interrelated ways, each has unique language, techniques and conventions. Students develop creative ways of expressing themselves and develop a critical appreciation of their own works and those of others. They use their senses, perceptions, feelings, values and knowledge to communicate through the arts.
Aesthetic understanding helps students to appreciate and critically respond to various arts experiences with enjoyment. Through their arts experiences, students come to understand broader questions about the values and attitudes held by individuals and communities.
Arts practice involves the exploration and development of ideas and feelings through the use of a range of skills and knowledge of art techniques and processes. The arts provide a powerful means of expression and communication of life experiences and imagination.
Curriculum Framework Learning Statement for the Arts
Links to the Arts Outcomes in the Overarching Statement
In this section, the Overarching outcomes are listed in order. Under each outcome there is a paragraph(s) which illustrates how the achievement of The Arts Learning Area Statement outcomes contributes to the achievement of Overarching outcomes. The relevant Arts Learning Area Statement outcomes are indicated in the brackets at the end of the paragraph(s).
1. Students use language to understand, develop and convey ideas and information, and to interact with others
In the processes of developing arts works, students communicate through language, matching it with different social and cultural conventions and interpretations. They use language in responding to arts experiences and in making critical evaluations of arts works. Students understand and use a range of visual, symbolic, spatial and tactile forms as well as the verbal arts languages. They use musical notation, make drawings and sketches to convey ideas. They understand body language and gesture. (Outcomes: direct 1, 3, 4; indirect 2)
2. Students select, integrate and apply numerical and spatial concepts and technique
Students use number and space in arts contexts, such as choreographing a dance, planning and building a set for a play or counting beats in a dance or song. (Outcome: direct 2)
3. Students recognise when and what information is needed, locate and obtain it from a range of sources and evaluate, use and share it with others
In understanding the role of the arts in society, students recognise the need for information. They are able, for example, to locate information about medieval guilds and music and use it in their own staging of the York mystery plays. Their criticism of arts works is informed by a knowledge of the society and times in which a work originated. They have the necessary skills to use technology to analyse and interpret information. This involves them actively exploring innovations such as the Internet, not only as a source of information but also as an opportunity for creative expression; they could, for example, add a virtual gallery of videos and images to the school’s Web site. (Outcomes: direct 4; indirect 1, 2, 3)
4. Students select, use and adapt technologies
Students become familiar with traditional forms of technology, such as brushes or musical instruments; they also use technologies such as computers, multi-media, desktop publishing, digital imaging and graphics. Through actively engaging with a range of technologies, they not only develop their creative potential but also develop an openness and a capacity to adapt to future technological change. They confidently choose tools appropriate to specific arts forms. They critically appreciate the consequences of technological innovation. (Outcomes: direct 2; indirect 1, 3, 4)
5. Students describe and reason about patterns, structures and relationships in order to understand, interpret, justify and make predictions
In making and appreciating the arts, students recognise and analyse similarities and differences in, for example, the use of stock characters in television situation comedies. They classify and organise their thinking about their arts experiences, they make generalisations and they describe and analyse features of forms or genres such as the symphony, twelve-bar blues, slapstick comedy, tragedy and impressionism. (Outcomes: direct 2, 3; indirect 1, 4)
6. Students visualise consequences, think laterally, recognise opportunity and potential and are prepared to test options
Students understand how the arts are an active process of lateral thinking, of developing and extending ideas, of considering a wide range of possibilities and of making choices about them: for example, in working on portrait or character study, they make choices about the points of view to be used; test different lighting effects; make choices about the medium to be used; and they make decisions about style. They visualise the final image or outcome of the artistic process and recognise the conceptual steps to reach that point. (Outcomes: direct 1, 2, 3)
7. Students understand and appreciate the physical, biological and technological world and have the knowledge and skills to make decisions in relation to it
Learning in the arts is experiential. Students learn through their sensory perceptions and observations. Through their expression they come to understand better their physical world and make appropriate choices about it. (Outcomes: indirect 1, 2, 3)
8. Students understand their cultural, geographic and historical contexts and have the knowledge, skills and values for active participation in life in Australia
Through their engagement in the arts, students recognise that they have a significant role to play in society and understand the contributions the arts make to our community. They understand that individuals and groups in society make and communicate meaning through the arts and this meaning affects the well-being of our society. Students use historical, social and economic knowledge to analyse and interpret local, national and international arts. They understand how the arts change. They recognise how, in contemporary society, the arts of other times are reinterpreted and re-evaluated. They make links between their own arts works and the long traditions of creativity that are the hallmarks of societies. Students are able to place their own experiences and those they study in social and cultural contexts. (Outcomes: direct 4; indirect 3)
9. Students interact with people and cultures other than their own and are equipped to contribute to the global community
In understanding contemporary Australian life, students identify a range of Australian artists as role models and appreciate the contributions the arts have made, and continue to make, in the shaping of Australian identity. They understand Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts and their unique contributions to Australian culture. They recognise that the arts are an effective way of accessing and understanding other cultures and interacting with people from other cultures. (Outcomes: direct 4; indirect 2, 3)
10. Students participate in creative activity of their own and understand and engage with the artistic, cultural and intellectual work of others Working with ideas in the arts plays a significant role in enabling students to participate in creative activity of their own and to understand and engage with the artistic, cultural and intellectual work of others. Students actively participate in the arts and understand how creativity contributes to a personally satisfying life. They see themselves as creators and contributors to the artistic life of their community. (Outcomes: direct 1, 2, 3, 4)
11. Students internalise and implement practices that promote personal growth and well-being
Students understand how creative expression provides opportunities for understanding their development and changes in their lives. They recognise that through the symbolic representation of experience they can safely explore ideas that may, in reality, be frightening or damaging: for example, drama or a film can be an emotionally cathartic yet distanced exploration of feeling frightened or sad. They recognise how participation in the arts promotes confidence and personal worth and supports healthy attitudes, physical health and emotional and spiritual wellbeing. (Outcomes: direct 3; indirect 1, 2, 4)
12. Students are self-motivated and confident in theirapproach to learning and are able to work individually and collaboratively
Students develop self-discipline, goal setting and a capacity to complete given tasks within deadlines. The arts therefore promote a sense of self-confidence and personal satisfaction. Through them, students develop a sense of themselves as individuals with something to share with others. They also work collaboratively through, for example, music or dance ensembles, or the crew in a media production. (Outcomes: direct 1, 2, 3, 4 )
13. Students recognise that everyone has the right to feel valued and be safe, and, in this regard, understand their rights and obligations and behave responsibly
Students develop a sense of self worth and are aware of the impact of their opinions and values on others when they make critical evaluations of arts works. They take into consideration legal, ethical and social justice issues, such as ownership of arts works, copyright, intellectual property rights, plagiarism and forgery. Students use safe practices and procedures when using materials, tools and equipment. They work in ways which prevent physical strain and injury. They protect and nurture their emotional health and well-being. (Outcomes: direct 1, 2, 3, 4)
Extracted From Curriculum Framework Learning Outcomes for the Arts
Adopting the Bumping Model 
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