Responding to Arts Expressions

The following process [ This process was adapted from the following sources: Anderson, 1988; Clark, 1960; Feldman, 1987; and Mahon Jones, 1986.] will assist teachers as they guide students in responding to arts expressions. The Middle Level curriculum guides contain four sections entitled "Responding to Dance Presentations", "Viewing Plays", "Listening to Music" and "Viewing Art Works". What follows here is a compilation of those sections adapted for use with this interrelated Secondary Level program.

Responding critically to arts expressions is an important component of the Arts Education curriculum and should be an active experience for audience members. Students should be encouraged to become thoughtfully involved in this interactive process with a wide range of works of art from each of the four strands.

The process can be used to respond to all arts styles and forms if appropriate questions are asked at each step. Similarly, the process can be adapted to suit the students' abilities and needs. This should be reflected in the level of questioning used by the teacher and the amount of detail examined in each step. The process provides students with the opportunity to express and support their personal responses. It encourages discussion, through which students learn that the same arts expressions can mean different things to different people.

Seven Steps in the Process

Presented below are seven steps a teacher can follow to guide students in responding to visual art works, dances, music and dramatic presentations. Breaking this viewing/listening process into steps is not totally satisfactory. In reality, an audience member jumps back and forth; the steps are not isolated from one another as they appear below. However, the purpose here is to provide teachers with a guide.

The seven steps presented here are as follows:

• Step One:    Preparation
  
• Step Two:    First Impressions
  
• Step Three: Description
  
• Step Four:   Analysis
  
• Step Five:    Interpretation
  
• Step Six:      Background Information
  
• Step Seven: Informed Judgement
  
• Summary of the Steps
  

To Download Student Recording Sheet: Click Here

Most students at the Secondary Level will be familiar with this process and should be able to engage in a critical thinking dialogue as a whole group, in small groups or individually (by recording their responses). Over the years, Arts Education students will have discovered that each art form has its own way of communicating ideas and feelings, and will have increased their knowledge of the vocabulary and concepts specific to each strand.

Students will bring their own varied perspectives and associations, including their unique cultural and personal perspectives, to the discussion. Because these perspectives are personal and will vary from student to student, an atmosphere of trust and respect must be established. Students should be encouraged to express their personal opinions, knowing that their unique perspectives will enhance other students' viewing experiences.

Refer to the template entitled "Responding To Arts Expressions - Student Recording Sheet" at the end of this section for a sample form on which students can keep track of their responses. Refer to the Evaluation section in this curriculum guide for an example of an assessment checklist that can be used for assessing students' responses to arts expressions.

Teachers and students should keep in mind that different people will respond in different ways to the same arts expression. It is also true that one person can, and in most cases should, respond in more than one way. The following are three ways of responding:

Responding on an emotional level -- This refers to feelings evoked by the work of art.

Responding on an associative level -- This refers to associations one makes with the dance, play, music or visual image. Associations could be of a personal nature or could come from a cultural perspective.

Responding on a formal intellectual level -- This refers to responses one has after a formal analysis and interpretation of the art work.

The three types of responses vary and shift in emphasis from viewer to viewer and from art work to art work. For example, one viewer or listener might have an emotional response to a piece, while another might have an intellectual response. One art work might demand an immediate emotional response so that most people will respond this way initially, while another might demand that most viewers or listeners make immediate associations with images in the work.

Step One: Preparation

Preparing students for interaction with a work of visual art, or a dance, drama or music performance can pique the students' interest and heighten the value of their viewing/listening experience. This is a good time to remind students that we all respond to the same arts expression differently, and our cultural perspectives and past experiences will influence our responses.

The preparation information should be brief. Too much information can strongly influence the students' first impressions and inhibit the flow of ideas. Critical reviews, journal articles, books or publicity on the presentation (news releases, posters, etc.) will provide the teacher with information. Depending on the experience of the students, topics to be discussed could include the following:

• the form or style of the arts expression (for example, in dance -- ballet, jazz, folk, social)
• brief biographical information about the artists involved (for example, the choreographer, dancers, composer, visual artists, actors, etc.)
• some introductory historical and cultural insights into the work
• a look at the times during which the work was originally created
• questions of audience responsibility, ranging from basic points of audience etiquette to the more complex issues of the individual's recognition of his or her own personal biases as an audience member (for example, cultural biases or the student's past experiences with the arts)
• arts activities that will introduce students to the upcoming event, presentation or performance (for example, prior to viewing a narrative dance performance, students could create a narrative dance composition, or prior to viewing a play, the class could take a brief look at the basic ingredient of all drama -- conflict -- and at the dramatic structure of plays).

Before class discussion begins, teachers may want to make some comments about the general attitudes of people toward viewing or listening to works of art. Following is an example of comments a teacher might make to encourage students to have the kind of attitude that will allow them to become engaged in discussion about an unfamiliar arts expression:

"Many viewers or listeners responding to a work of art, particularly a modern work, may give the work a quick listen or glance and perhaps dismiss it, saying things like, `This doesn't look or sound like art to me,' or `This is a complete waste of everybody's time'. The reason this happens so frequently is that many people do not know what to look for or listen for when they're presented with a new work of art. Because of this, they may make hasty decisions about the works, dismissing them before they've really tried to understand them. This is not to say that everybody will or should like all art works. The point is that, no matter what you decide about an art work, you should be willing to give it some thought and base your decision on some sound criteria.

It is very important to remember that, when you are working through this process, there is no single right answer and many answers can be correct. However, attitude is all important. When you respond to a new art work, you should assume that the artist had something to say, some reason for creating this work. Try to see, hear and understand everything that you can. As long as you honestly answer the questions that arise as best you can, you cannot go wrong. In the end, your opinion of an art work is valid if you can support your opinion with your reasons and knowledge."

Viewing and listening is a discovery process. Students will learn from the works and will discover concepts that can be investigated further at the appropriate time.

Step Two: First Impressions

This step gives students the opportunity to air or record their first spontaneous reactions to a work. Everyone has such reactions, even people with years of experience with art works, and denying students the opportunity to express them will cause frustration. Provide a non-judgemental atmosphere where the students will feel confident to give their first reactions and where all students' reactions will be accepted. Throughout this entire process, students must feel that their unique contributions will be valuable, that their opinions are valid, and that the opinions and perspectives of others are to be respected.

First impressions can later be used in two ways: students can see how they have grown through the process of discussing the work of art; students can try to explain their first impressions through further investigation and discovery.

It is important that students understand they are neither expected to change their minds nor expected to find a way to justify their first impressions. Some students will change their impressions; some will not. There are no set expectations either way.

You can solicit students' first impressions by asking, "What is your immediate reaction to the work?" If students have trouble answering that or a similar question, ask them for words which immediately come to mind.

Record the students' first impressions on chart paper or have them keep track themselves on a sheet similar to "Responding to Arts Expressions - Student Recording Sheet", included at the end of this section.

First impressions of an unfamiliar arts expression can be very revealing. These initial reactions may actually tell us more about ourselves than the art work or creator, because the sounds and images we like or dislike are strongly influenced and determined by our past listening and viewing experiences. Remember, there are no wrong answers if the responses are offered sincerely. Teachers may want to point out to students that this step is where many people stop when they are responding to an arts expression, but students will be going further to investigate the work in more depth.

Encourage students by asking questions such as the following:

• What are the first five words that come to mind when you think about this art work?
• What moments did you like the most?
• What was your overall impression?
• Was there a central idea that stood out for you?
• How did the music, sound score, lighting, etc. affect you?

Step Three: Description

This step requires students to recall and describe what they have seen and heard in the arts object or presentation. At this stage they are simply describing what they have observed, in the same way they might take inventory in a store. They are not interpreting. It is not necessary at this point to try to figure out what the artists are doing or how the artists have manipulated the elements, design or composition principles. Encourage students to stick to the facts. Note also that some works of art demand interaction through the senses other than sight or hearing -- objects that are meant to be touched, or objects that have an odor (a sweetgrass basket, for example). Students should record such descriptions as well. Once the students are able to describe the work they will have a basis for further investigation.

Listening to a live music performance, or viewing a live dance or dramatic performance, presents some unique challenges for the students. A recorded performance or visual art image can be heard or seen as often as necessary, but a live experience passes by once. For the purpose of recalling live performances, you may wish to have students jot down notes on a work sheet such as "Responding to Arts Expressions - Student Recording Sheet".

When you receive words which indicate interpretations rather than descriptions, make note of them on another part of the paper or on the blackboard. Tell the students that words such as happy, mournful or exciting express their personal opinions, as someone else may think the work is relaxing rather than boring, or irritating rather than exciting. Tell them that these interpretations are important and will be discussed during the interpretation stage of this process.

See if there are any common responses which might give a general description of the piece. Point out that all responses are worthwhile because we each notice different things about the work. Each student picks out, sees or hears what is of personal interest and describes it in his or her own unique way and language. Over the years, students will have developed a vocabulary for describing arts expressions, which will increase as they receive more practice. By the time students have reached the Secondary Level of the Arts Education program, they should have developed a comfortable proficiency with common vocabulary and concepts for each of the four strands. Help the student to develop this vocabulary by including arts terminology when appropriate in their discussions about arts experiences. See the Module Overview Charts and the Glossary for examples of commonly used terminology.

A student's descriptive list might include observations such as those listed below.

Dance

• a description of the movements in dance; for example, strong high leaps, fast turns, slinking movements on the floor
• the relationships of the dancers; for example, solos, duets, trios, a group of three dancers with a fourth dancer moving in isolation
• the way the space was used; for example, the dancers always moved in a circle, usually moved on the diagonal, moved in a small space, had round shapes or angular shapes
• the dynamics or qualities of the movements; for example, lyrical movements, fast and sharp movements, collapsing and suspending movements
• the entrances and exits of the dancers
• descriptions of the sound score, costumes, outfits, props and sets.

Drama

• the costumes and set; for example, the costumes were all from Victorian days
• the actors; for example, the father spoke with an English accent, the young man walked in an unusual way, some actors acted more than one role
• the musical score or sound effects; for example, the sound effects of the battle were done with a synthesizer.

Music

• as the music progresses, students might simply make a list of descriptive words, such as high, low, quick, slow, complex, simple, loud, soft, drum, acoustic guitar, violins, voices, ringing, dry, smooth, etc.

Visual Art

• students might make a list of descriptions, such as two yellow shapes that look like hands, a red and black swirly line on the forehead of the face, a billboard, an outside setting, large bold markings.

When this step is completed, students will have an objective list of their observations.

Step Four: Analysis

In this step, students are asked to focus on the elements present within a work of art and look for the relationships between and among these elements. Refer to "Arts Elements and Principles" in this Planning Guide for information and objectives related to arts elements and composition principles.

In dance, students will be analysing the use of the elements of dance and principles of composition. They will be analysing how the choreographer combined and arranged the movements, sound, costumes or outfits, dancers, props and sets to achieve certain effects. The students will have described many of these things in step three. Have them refer to this list as they analyse the work. It is also important for the students to recognize the pattern of organization and overall structure of the dance (form).

Dance Elements: actions body relationships dynamics space

Principles of Composition: climax and resolution contrast development repetition sequencing transition variety unity

In the analysis stage, students could look at:

• the relationships between any of the dance elements
• the form of the dance; for example, whether it tells a story (narrative), whether there are two parts (AB form), etc.
• the relationships between the movements, sound, costumes or outfits, dancers, props and sets
• movements which were in unison, repeated, repeated with a variation, etc.
• the casting of the dancers, or which dancers did what parts
• the ways the principles of composition were used.

In drama, students will realize that many different artists, each with unique concerns, were instrumental in the making of the performance. In step three they will have listed descriptive words related to the director, playwright, designer, script, lighting, technician, set, actor, props, sound board, make-up artist, etc. They may use this list as a focus for their analysis.

As well as discussing and analysing the play's characters, their actions and the consequences of their actions, students should analyse the elements of theatre form.

Elements of Theatre Form:

focus
tension
contrast
symbol

Students should consider, how these elements were organized in the play, how these elements functioned to connect each of the parts, and how the artistic purpose of each artist was served by the use of the elements.

During analysis students could consider:

• at what times and in what ways conflict was evident in the work
• how tension was created
• the contrasts they observed in the play
• the symbols that were incorporated and what they represented.

In music students will be focusing on the elements present within a piece of music and looking for the relationships between and among these elements. Students should discover how the principles of composition are used to organize a piece of music and create interest. It is also important for the students to recognize the pattern of organization and overall structure of the music (form).

Music Elements: rhythm pitch timbre dynamics texture

Principles of Composition: variety repetition balance acoustics tension and resolution transition unity

Sample music questions to ask at this stage could include the following:

• How does the composer/musician create variety?
• Is there tension in the music? How is it created? Is the tension resolved?
• Can you identify phrases that are alike and similar?
• What is the tonality used (major, minor, pentatomic, other)?
• Can you identify the organization or form of the music (two-part, AB; three-part, ABA; rondo, ABACA)?

In visual art, at the analysis stage, students will try to figure out what the artist has done with the elements of art, principles of design and images to achieve certain effects. Ask students what "qualities" they see in the work (for example, dripping paint, sloppy or messy lines, very precise lines, lots of circles that seem almost to spin). Students should also analyse how the elements are used and manipulated to create actual or illusory space. They should also observe the selection and use of images within the work and the choices that the artist made regarding those images.

Visual Art Elements: line colour texture shape form

Principles of Design: balance rhythm emphasis variety contrast proportion/scale harmony

Some questions a teacher might ask include the following:

• How did the artist use colour? What effect did the artist achieve through his or her use of colour? Does colour draw your eye to any one image or part of the art work?
• To what effect did the artist use line? Do the lines draw your eye along any particular path of movement? Do they emphasize any one part of the work?
• Are the shapes you see geometric or organic? What effect did the artist achieve through his or her choice?
• How are the images placed within the work? In any order? What are the relationships between and among the images?
• What about the contrast? What role does contrast play in this work?
• What do you notice about the artist's choice and use of materials?

Another topic for discussion at the analysis stage in all four strands is style. The particular way the ingredients are combined or put together creates style. Style refers to the artistic characteristics of a particular composer, musician, visual artist, choreographer, dancer, playwright, actor, culture, region or period. For example, style might refer to the dance, drama, music or visual art of the Romantic era; the arts expressions of the people of South America; the music of Buffy Sainte-Marie; or the choreography of Jean-Pierre Perreault.

Step Five: Interpretation

Students have now looked at all the "evidence" that can be found in the work. They have applied what they know about the arts elements, design and composition principles and other related arts concepts. Now they will be trying to figure out what the work is about. Interpretation is the stage where the students' own perspectives, associations and experiences meet with the evidence found in the work of art. As in the "first impression" stage of this process, when it comes to interpretation there are no wrong answers if the students' responses are offered sincerely. However, an answer must go beyond the student's first reaction and include the description and analysis of the two preceding steps. Students will combine associations with their real-life experiences and responses from their imaginations during interpretation. Associations vary considerably, depending on students' cultural and personal perspectives and past experiences with the arts. Students should be encouraged to go beyond free association. Personal interpretation evolves as the viewer combines associations, imagination and concrete evidence found in the work.

Teachers might want to make some general comments to students, such as the following:

"All art works are about something. Some abstract works are about concepts such as colour or form. Some are about feelings. Some realistic works are about their subject matter -- some landscapes in visual art, for example. Some works of art are about social issues or cultural issues. Some arts expressions are very accessible -- that is, it is relatively easy for the viewer or listener to understand what the artists were doing. Other works are highly intellectual and it might not be as easy for us to know readily what the artists were thinking about."

Questions the students might consider in their interpretation of a work of art could include the following:

• What is the work about?
• What does the object or performance mean to you?
• What is the theme or subject of the work (if there is one)?
• Did the art work have a story?
• Did the work evoke particular feelings or ideas?
• What images did you associate with the work?
• Why do you think the choreographer, composer, playwright or visual artist created the work?
• What does the work tell you about the artist's view of the world?

The types of questions asked will vary with the purpose of the work being discussed. For example, many art works do not tell stories. A question about the story would be inappropriate for these pieces, but students could still deal with the question of why the artist created the work and what the subject matter of the work is. Some paintings, for example, do not have representational subject matter. A question about theme would not necessarily be relevant for these works, but students could still deal with the question of why the artist created the work and what the content of the work is. Questions about one choreographer's personal vision would obviously be irrelevant, for example, in social dances or the traditional dances of a culture. However, students could be asked to assign personal associations to such works.

Remind students that the only way to know for sure what an artist's intentions were for a particular work is to ask him or her. Students will, however, often come into contact with various arts expressions and have no information on the work and no artist with whom to discuss the work. The work stands alone. They may still enjoy it, speculate on its significance and come up with their own ideas about it. They can apply what they have learned from previous encounters with the arts.

During this stage, it is essential to establish an atmosphere of trust and respect for the individual and encourage students to express their own feelings and perceptions without fear of criticism. Students may have some difficulty with this step if they have not used a process similar to this previously. However, most students should have experienced this process through the Arts Education program in the elementary and middle years. The teacher needs to encourage students to express their individual feelings in a non-threatening fashion. Sometimes having the students write down their interpretations allows the students to express themselves without fear of peer-group pressure.

The interpretation stage gives students opportunities to clarify their ideas. They will discover that there may be different points of view as each student brings a unique set of life experiences and perceptions to the work. New insights into possible interpretations will give the students food for thought.

While a guided discussion provides students with a forum in which to respond to the work, there are other means that may allow them to illustrate their various interpretations more effectively. As they are seeking to clarify and share their understanding of a work of art, it makes good sense to use arts activities and strategies to aid them in exploring, expressing and sharing their different ideas.

Students can express their interpretations in a number of different ways, including small group discussion, journal writing, poetry writing, debating, arts activities, etc.

In response to an arts expression, students might undertake the following:

• Collect and compare various associations they have with the work.
• Create tableaux in small groups to express interpretations of the art work, music, dance or drama. Tableau is a strategy often used in drama, where the students create a "still picture" with their bodies.
• Create their own music composition in response to the work they have studied.
• Respond to a visual art work through an expressive writing activity.
• Create a dance based on a similar theme or idea.
• Brainstorm a number of possible subjects, themes or moods they associate with the work. Think of movies or types of television shows that might use this music or dance, for example.
• Discuss where the work might be appropriately displayed or performed. In a church? Outdoors? In a mall? In an alternative theatre setting or mainstream theatre?
• Discuss the importance of context when interpreting the work.
• Discuss why an artist may have created this work. Does it fulfil a purpose, convey a message, promote a specific feeling, etc.? In role as a reporter, interview another student in role as the artist, composer, playwright or choreographer.
• Investigate how other artists created arts expressions in a similar fashion or with similar stimuli.
• Create musical compositions, dances, visual images or contextual dramas in response to the work; for example, compositions with similar theme, mood, rhythm, style, form.

Step Six: Background Information

This is a stage where students should be encouraged to find out as much about the work and the artists as they can. The teacher can provide information or the students can embark on research projects.

Inform students that the reason they gather this background information now and not before the interpretation stage is an important one. Following is an example of some comments a teacher might make about background information.

"Works of art should provoke thought in the viewer. If you are given the thought or the answer before you experience the art work, your own creative thinking might be bypassed and your experience with the arts expression will be lessened.

Art works can challenge you to explore new ideas or emotions, or perhaps to look at the world, movements and images, or listen to sounds in a way you've never experienced before. They can take your breath away with their beauty or disturb you with their ugliness. They can cause you to ask a brand new question that you've never thought of asking before.

At the right time, written information is very useful. It can help you understand your response to an art work, it can help you understand the artist's intentions and it can lead you to more art works, just as reading a book you like can lead you to many more books."

Students should be encouraged to find their own background information, if possible. Sometimes, due to lack of resources, it may be necessary for the teacher to provide the information to the class. Such information could include the following:

• biographical information about the creator(s) of the art work
• biographical information about the performers and other artists involved in production
• a look at the social, political and cultural climate of the times in which the arts expression was created
• a comparison between the current social and political climates and those of the time in which the work was first produced
• if the art work is an expression representative of a specific cultural group, a look at the role of the work in relation to the historical and present day aspects of the culture or society
• a look at other art works by the same creators, or in the same style or culture (discuss similarities and differences)
• an examination of other works created at the same time
• a look at the expectations and moods of audiences during the works' earlier years
• a reading of critics' reviews.

After students have done some research about the work of art, teachers might ask questions such as the following:

• How did your interpretation compare to what the artists or critics said about the work?
• Were you surprised by anything you discovered? If so, what?
• Do you think this is an accessible arts expression, or one that is difficult to understand? Explain your answer.

Libraries and local, provincial and national arts institutions and organizations are good sources of information about artists and their work. Refer to the Arts Education bibliography for resources and addresses of several organizations that may be able to assist with gathering background information. Contact the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation special subject councils (the Saskatchewan Drama Association, Saskatchewan Music Educators Association, Saskatchewan Society for Education through Art) as well as Dance Saskatchewan Incorporated. Contact local art galleries, theatres, arts councils, or artists' organizations for assistance in obtaining information about artists and their work.

Guests can be brought into the classroom at this stage to provide the students with information. An artist's visit and workshop or performance would be an excellent learning opportunity if it could be arranged.

If the students have been responding to a traditional work of art, this would be an opportune time to embark on cross-cultural studies. Information about the arts expression itself, its cultural significance and the role of the arts in general will enhance the students' understanding of the work and of the culture. Students can discuss and exchange varying cultural perspectives.

In summary, what the students explore at this stage can range from the reading of an artist's statement to embarking on a major research project.

Step Seven: Informed Judgement

This stage can be looked at as a culminating and reflective activity. Students will be asked to come to some conclusions about the arts expression. The information the students have collected in the previous steps will be considered as the students form their opinions of the work of art and its value. The process has provided the students with the necessary criteria in which to offer an informed opinion. Look for words mentioned in their first impressions and note any opinion changes. If, after analysing and hearing other interpretations, the students' impressions remain unchanged, they should now be able to offer an explanation.

Their discussions should include the following:

• the impact of the work, including the technical and expressive abilities of the artists or performers
• whether the object or performance worked as a whole
• how the work compares to others in a similar style
• whether the total experience, including sets, costumes or outfits, lighting, props, soundscore and movements, contributed to the work
• how the work compares to other works of the same period
• whether the message, if one can be identified, has significance for contemporary youth and/or others
• whether the work conveyed the artist's intentions.

Ask students the following questions:

• Have your thoughts or feelings about the work changed since your first impression? If so, how have they changed? What made you change your mind? If not, can you now explain your first reaction to the work?
• Will you think about this work again? Do you think anything about it might stay in your memory?
• Have you seen or learned anything from this work that you might apply to your own arts expressions or your own thinking?

This completes the section on responding to arts expressions. Although the process described might seem complicated at first, it will come easily once the teacher and students become familiar with the steps. Teachers could say to students that, when they encounter art works in the future, they may not have the time to go through all the steps of this process in the same amount of detail that they have in class. However, they can go through some of the steps and they can always ask themselves, at least, "What exactly do I see or hear? What do I think the artist was intending?" They should know that they can attempt to answer these questions, no matter what their background with the arts may be.

Summary of the Steps

1. Preparation
   • The teacher establishes a climate for viewing or listening and provides a context for the experience.

2. First Impressions
   • Students share their spontaneous reactions to a work.
   • Responses are influenced by the students' past experiences.
   • There are no wrong answers.

3. Description
   • Students objectively describe what they saw and heard.
   • Students take inventory of what is in the arts expression.
   • Responses should be objective, not interpretive.

4. Analysis
   • Students attempt to discover what the various artists have done to achieve certain effects.
   • Students examine how various materials, instruments, elements, principles and other arts concepts have been used.
   • The teacher encourages the use of the language of the discipline.

5. Interpretation
   • Students try to figure out what the work is about.
   • Students express what the work means to each of them, incorporating information from the two preceding steps.
   • Students' perspectives, associations and experiences affect interpretation.
   • Associations may be made through imagery, metaphor and analogy.

6. Background Information
   • Students learn as much as they can about the work and the various artists involved with its creation.
   • The teacher provides information or has the students research biographical, historical or cultural information.

7. Informed Judgement
   • The students participate in a culminating and reflective activity.
   • The students are asked to refer back to their first impressions and support their initial opinions of the work, or develop and support a new opinion.
   • The students are asked to consider the context of the work as part of the response.

Discussing Student Work

Students responding to their own and their peers' work is an important part of the creative and evaluative process. Responding can occur during the creative process with the creations presented as works-in-progress, or at the end of the project. Having response to works-in-progress helps students refine their arts expressions. The following should help teachers encourage discussion and reflection:

• Student portfolios should include reflections on works-in-progress as well as on completed projects. These portfolios should contain reflections on the student's own arts expressions and on group projects. These types of "process-folios" [ * Harvard Project Zero, Harvard University, MA] are among the very best reflective and assessment tools that can be used in Arts Education. Refer to the Evaluation section for more information about portfolio assessment and portfolio conferences. Should a teacher wish to encourage self-evaluation, questions should be provided that will encourage thoughtful responses.

• Care should be taken when using the seven steps in "Responding to Arts Expressions" for discussion of the students' own arts expressions. Before students display or perform their work, ensure that a trusting atmosphere is established where students are willing to take risks.

• Responding to their peers' work should be a learning and growing experience for students and should not include personal judgement. Students may feel particularly vulnerable when performing their work as it is they who are being watched or heard. This is different from the presentation of a visual art work, which allows for some distance between the student and art work. In order to maintain objectivity, all comments should be kept to observations about the ideas expressed, sounds, instruments, images, movements, use of elements and principles. Comments which judge the person should be discouraged. For example, the comment "I like Stacy's composition" would be better said as "I thought the rhythm in Stacy's composition was lively". Before the discussion begins, be sure to establish some general rules of conduct, demonstrating some sample student comments.

• Record on audio or video tape student's works-in-progress and final presentations. To help facilitate the responding process, the recordings can be replayed several times during the process to allow students time for deeper reflection. Recordings of works-in-progress can be compared to final products to see how the work has changed.

• Not all steps of "Responding to Arts Expressions" will be used every time students are responding to their own or their peers' work. Teachers should include the steps and use a level of questioning to suit the needs and abilities of their students. To begin, teachers might choose to use the description and analysis steps. As students become more comfortable with the process, additional steps can be added. Teachers should be especially careful that a trusting atmosphere has been well established before any judgement is allowed, and students should be reminded to stress the positive in each piece of work. Judgement should always focus on whether the work has achieved the student's intended purpose.

• In drama, reflection on peers' work will most often occur as group reflections on small group tableaux, prepared improvisations, mime, story theatre episodes and prepared monologues that are structured into the dramatic context in which the class is working. Students should have many opportunities to express what the improvisation means to them within the context of the dramatic situation or collective creation in which they are working. Encourage the co-operative reworking of a piece to ensure that the intention of the group who created it is ultimately realized.

• Students will have interpretations and opinions about their own and their peers' work. However, it is important that students base their opinions and interpretations on evidence they see and hear in the work itself. These interpretations and opinions must be assessed on the student's ability to express and justify them, and not on the student's ability to conform to the norm or to the opinions of the teacher.

A sample checklist for evaluating students' responses to arts expressions can be found in the Evaluation section. Teachers may select from the list or add to the possible criteria when assessing students' responses to their own work. The checklist can be used to assess several students in one period or one student on different dates.