ABSTRACT
The concerns expressed are familiar to most teachers of the arts, in particular, the fears that 'objective assessment' inevitably leads to restriction and limitation of the freedom associated with teaching and learning in the arts. For the purposes of this chapter, the arts consist of art and design, dance, drama, music and 'media arts' (photography, film and television). While many of the issues are also relevant to literature and poetry, these are perhaps more properly dealt with in the chapter on English. In the arts particularly, the preferred methodologies are strongly developed and good practice can serve as a model for other school subjects. At the same time, projects such as the School Curriculum Development Committee's Arts Project and other initiatives, are encouraging new kinds of course which involve collaboration between arts disciplines and require new forms of assessment, including mode 3 in the General Certificate of Secondary Education.
