The Critical Analysis Process

The Critical Analysis Process: An Approach to Critical Thinking (OAEA). The Ontario Arts Critical Analysis process with questions to assist your critical analysis process for elementary students.

Using the critical analysis process will enable students to:

• respond knowledgeably and sensitively to their own and others’ dance, drama,
music, and visual art works;
• make connections between their own experiences and works in the arts, between
different art forms, and between art works and the lives of people and communities
around the world
• perceive and interpret how the elements of each art form contribute to meaning
in dance, drama, music, and visual art works;
• develop, share, and justify an informed personal point of view about works in
the arts;
• demonstrate awareness of and appreciation for the importance of dance, drama,
music, and visual arts in society;
• demonstrate appreciation appropriately as audience members in formal and
informal settings (e.g., peer performances in the classroom; excursions to arts
institutions, galleries, concert halls, theatres).

P. 23 The Ontario Curriculum 1-8: The Arts

The Critical Analysis Process: An Approach to Critical Thinking (OAEA) for secondary students with questions to assist the Critical Analysis Process.

Students use critical thinking skills in the arts when they assess, analyse, and/or evaluate the impact of something and when they form an opinion about something and support that opinion with a rationale. In order to do these things, students need to examine the opinions and values of others, detect bias, look for implied meaning, and use the infor- mation gathered to form a personal opinion or stance, or a personal plan of action with regard to making a difference.