Presentation Schedule
Exploring Arts-based Assessments to Enrich Students Understanding of Literature (103558)
Session Chair: Ser Hui Seah
Sunday, 8 February 2026 11:15
Session: Session 1
Room: Tourmaline 207 (Level 2)
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
In this paper, we explore the ways in which arts-based assessment can deepen the teaching and learning of Literature. Uniquely positioned in the School of the Arts, Singapore (SOTA), our students spend seven hours a week engaging with their art form (theatre, visual arts, dance, music, literary arts) as part of their formal curriculum. SOTA’s Integrative Learning Model was developed as a way of codifying ground-up interdisciplinary practices and facilitating interdisciplinary collaborations. The model draws on Julie Thompson Klein’s broad definition of integrative learning that bridges divides between disciplines (2005) and encourages “dialogue or interaction between two or more disciplines” (Moran, 2010). This model underpins our arts-based assessment which requires students to use knowledge of disciplinary processes, concepts and methods in their art form to encounter literary texts. The tasks require students to use an art form to respond to a poem of their choice, or a taught novel or play. Fifteen creative responses across three cohorts (Grades 7-9) of approximately 180 students each were identified and studied qualitatively, together with accompanying written reflections and post-task surveys, to understand the ways in which a broad interdisciplinary approach has furthered student learning. We identify three key findings of arts-based assessment: firstly, yielding deeper, and more nuanced insights in the act of interpretation; secondly, allowing students who are weaker in writing skills to express their understanding in a medium of their choice and; thirdly, developing learning dispositions of playfulness, curiosity and empathy that are a foundation for deeper learning.
Authors:
Amitha Pagolu, School of the Arts, Singapore, Singapore
Ser Hui Seah, School of the Arts, Singapore, Singapore
Elsa Chew, School of the Arts, Singapore, Singapore
About the Presenter(s)
Amitha Pagolu is the Subject Head for Literature at the School of the Arts, Singapore (SOTA).
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