Adviser support resource
Emma-Rose Payne,
Artistic Director
Anthos Arts
Ten steps to a successful evidence template
At Anthos Arts, we support
an array of young people
who are participating in Arts
Award. As such, we have to
develop resources which
cater to a range of needs.
Repeatedly, we have to
acknowledge the following
question:
How do you create standard
evidence templates that can
be given to numerous young
people, which can engage and
challenge their reflection,
whilst still honouring their
individual abilities?
In this support resource, we
have provided the ‘10 steps
to a successful template’,
which Anthos Arts uses to
support those that work
with special educational
needs (SEN) or low ability,
right up to adolescent
Einsteins! Although we focus
on the Bronze Award, we
believe that the steps are
transferable across all Arts
Award levels. We have also
included one of our own
Bronze resources, annotated
in accordance to the
’10 steps’ as an example.
Ten steps to a successful Arts Award template
1 A successful template should provide opportunities for the
participant to not only describe what and where they are
practically engaging in their chosen art form, but also why
they are choosing to explore this area. These steps establish
a deeper level of reflection that you, as the advisor, can come
back to during the process, challenging the participant to
consider whether their reasons for engaging in the arts has led
to any reconsiderations about the art form.
2 A successful template should include a fourth step, which
we believe is the most important step for it summarises
and develops the previous three steps. This step asks the
participant to reflect on what they have discovered as a
consequence of the activity and how they may further expand
on their experience.
3 Description is such a little part of Arts Award, and one of the
biggest failings is that portfolios focus on this aspect more
than on reflection. The way to prevent this issue is to physically
show on the resource that the description box is the smallest,
and that the other sections have more space for exploration,
reflection and annotation.
4 Evidence, evidence, evidence! It is such a joy to see young
people getting involved in their chosen art form. However, the
issue with this is that many forget to log evidence when they
are carried away their enthusiasm. Therefore, it is important
on the resource to really emphasise the different ways that
they can be evidencing their explorations; from photography
and videos to including bibliographies and programmes of
events they’ve seen. As you’ll see on our resource, we try our
best to ensure that the evidence is rooted in the middle of the
resource, so that isn’t a ‘last minute’ addition, but a cornerstone
to their documentation. After all, no evidence, no Arts Award!
5 The template needs to be adaptable to suit the way the
participant may wish to document their thoughts. This step
is easier said than done. The way we present this flexibility at
Anthos Arts is by bracketing instructions for the participant to
choose how they document the process. This can be through
asking the participant to find photos that reflect the steps (as
above) or for young persons to buddy up with their peers to
record a conversation which sums up a part of Arts Award.
1
6 A successful template needs to feel personal
– it should engage the young person just as
much as the art form they are exploring has
the power to do. Although your approach
will depend on the location and environment
of the Arts Award centre, there are ways to
keep it personal without undermining the
clarity of the resource. At Anthos, we make
the resource appear conversational to the
participants, from small interactions, such as
“discuss it with me” to using memes that will
make the young people chuckle as they scan
the page. This latter point is one example of
how the resource can keep the Arts Award
feeling light-hearted and personal.
8 “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t
understand it well enough” (or so the saying
goes). A successful template should be easy
to understand. If it takes more than five
minutes for the group to follow the resource
then it’s not clear enough.
9 Be aware of participant needs when providing
practical resources, making sure you have
a clear and large font, and, if possible avoid
a white page. Furthermore, we recommend
handing out resources whilst the young
people are already engaged in reflection
so that the resource is embedded into the
session.
10 Arts Award does not judge artistic talent,
but assesses young people’s journeys with
assessment criteria such as creativity,
communication, art form knowledge and
understanding. Hence, Arts Award is
metacognitive - about learning to learn, and is
entirely about self-evaluation and confidence
building. That’s what any good template
should provide; not the ability for young
people to criticise themselves (and others),
but to recognise, evaluate and develop their
knowledge of the chosen art form.
7 A successful template should face out!
By this we mean that it should introduce
wider resources for the participant to
research themselves. Not only does this
provide autonomy of research that has a
clear framework (and relevance) to Arts
Award provision, but it also introduces
the participants to professionals that will
inspire their explorations into their art
forms. It is important for Arts Award to be
the participant’s independent exploration
work, but crucial that the advisor supports
their engagement by introducing them to
current artists/art work that will inspire their
explorations into their art forms.
2
Part A – Explore the arts as a participant
Name:
Date
This section is about taking part in the arts. Taking part means
involvement in group discussions, sharing ideas with us, and
reflecting on how you are developing as an artist. Please discuss
any steps with us if you feel unsure, because we want you as chilled
as Kermit!
1
A description of your arts activity
– Where were the workshops? [Discuss it with us if unsure!
– What was the aim/purpose? For example, was it rehearsing for a performance?
–What did you do in the workshop? (The order of workshops, etc.)
2 Reflecting on your participation
– What did you enjoy the most? Why?
–What skills did you need and/or develop in order to participate successfully?
– Were there any specific moments or activities that inspired you? If it was an exercise, explain its
rules. Why did it stand out for you?
– What challenged you? Why?
3. Considering next steps
–What have you learnt as a participant since joining Anthos Arts? Explain.
–Is there anything you would have done differently? Why?
–How did your participation help you develop your understanding of the arts?
–What would you like to further explore/participate in? Why? How are you going to achieve this
goal? (Check out DV8 and PUSH Physical Theatre – their physical theatre is inspiring)
4.Evidence
–Insert photo(s) below, or include hyperlinks to social media, videos, and blogs… anything that
you’ve created in order to evidence your participation in what you have outlined above. Please
add notes to describe