The Arts · Grade 12

Active learning ideas

Site-Specific Performance and Public Space

Active learning helps students grasp the complexity of site-specific performance because it moves beyond abstract discussion. By physically engaging with spaces and testing ideas, they experience firsthand how context shapes artistic choices in ways that reading or watching cannot replicate.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• VA:Cn11.1.HSIII
• VA:Cr2.3.HSIII

• 40–60 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Simulation Game
• 50 min · Small Groups

Site Scouting Walk: Mapping Potentials

Lead students on a 20-minute walk to nearby public spaces. In small groups, they photograph features, note history via quick research on phones, and sketch one performance idea per site. Groups share maps back in class for discussion.

Analyze how a site-specific performance redefines the meaning or function of a public space.

Facilitation Tip

During the Site Scouting Walk, ask students to document not just visual details but also sounds, textures, and the flow of people through the space to capture its full sensory context.

What to look for

Facilitate a class discussion using the prompt: 'Consider a local park or public square. How might a performance artist use this space to highlight its history, its current use, or a social issue? What ethical questions arise when considering performing there without explicit permission?'

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 02

• Simulation Game
• 40 min · Pairs

Concept Brainstorm Pairs: Response Sketches

Pairs select a site from scouting. They list three ways the space influences movement (e.g., echoes in alleys) and sketch a 5-minute performance sequence. Pairs pitch concepts to the class for feedback.

Evaluate the ethical considerations of performing in public spaces without explicit permission.

Facilitation Tip

For Concept Brainstorm Pairs, provide large sheets of paper and colored markers to encourage quick, iterative sketches that prioritize spatial relationships over polished execution.

What to look for

Provide students with images of two different site-specific performances in contrasting public spaces. Ask them to write a short paragraph comparing how each artist's choices (movement, sound, interaction) responded to the unique characteristics of their chosen site.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 03

• Simulation Game
• 60 min · Small Groups

Prototype Rehearsal: Mini-Performances

Small groups rehearse 2-minute excerpts at chosen sites after school. Record videos focusing on space interaction. Debrief next class: what worked, what site elements surprised them?

Design a concept for a performance piece that responds directly to a chosen public environment.

Facilitation Tip

In Prototype Rehearsal, circulate with a timer to keep mini-performances concise, then lead a structured debrief where students identify what worked and what needs revision based on the site's constraints.

What to look for

Students share their conceptual designs for a site-specific performance. Peers provide feedback using a rubric that assesses: 1. Clarity of the site's influence on the concept. 2. Potential impact on the audience's perception of the space. 3. Consideration of ethical factors.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 04

• Simulation Game
• 45 min · Whole Class

Ethics Role-Play: Whole Class Debate

Assign roles (performer, bystander, authority). Present scenarios like unpermitted flash mobs. Vote and justify positions on ethics, then revise group concepts accordingly.

Analyze how a site-specific performance redefines the meaning or function of a public space.

Facilitation Tip

During Ethics Role-Play, assign roles that reflect diverse community perspectives to ensure debates consider multiple ethical viewpoints rather than binary perspectives.

What to look for

Facilitate a class discussion using the prompt: 'Consider a local park or public square. How might a performance artist use this space to highlight its history, its current use, or a social issue? What ethical questions arise when considering performing there without explicit permission?'

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

A few notes on teaching this unit

Experienced teachers approach this topic by grounding abstract concepts in concrete, sensory experiences. They avoid over-reliance on theoretical frameworks without practical application, instead guiding students to test ideas in real time. Research suggests that iterative prototyping and peer critique build deeper understanding than solitary planning, so design activities that require continuous refinement based on site-specific feedback.

Successful learning is visible when students articulate how a site's physical features, history, and social use influence their performance concepts. They should also demonstrate an understanding of how their work might reshape audience perception or spark dialogue about the space.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Site Scouting Walk, watch for students assuming a space can be adapted with minor changes. Ask them to record specific features that make the site unique and how those features might limit or inspire their performance ideas.

  During Site Scouting Walk, redirect students who propose generic ideas by asking, 'What about this exact bench, tree, or shadow pattern makes it the only place your performance could happen? Document what you observe that feels irreplaceable.'

• During Ethics Role-Play, watch for students treating permissions as either always required or never necessary. Use the debate structure to push them to weigh specific scenarios, such as performing in a space with historical significance or one where prior permission was denied.

  During Ethics Role-Play, provide a mix of hypothetical scenarios with varying degrees of community sensitivity. Have students argue both for and against performing without permission, using evidence from their site visits to support their claims.

• During Prototype Rehearsal, watch for students assuming their performance will have no lasting impact on the space. After the rehearsal, have them reflect on how their presence altered the site's atmosphere or how they might document the experience to affect others' perceptions later.

  During Prototype Rehearsal, ask students to consider how their performance might change the space during and after their intervention. Have them sketch or write about what traces (physical, emotional, or social) their work could leave behind.

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Methods used in this brief

• Simulation Game