Whether you're an experienced arts educator, or a teacher looking for ways to bring life to your curriculum through visual arts, music, drama and dance, this group will provide a place to meet, share, and imagine!
Welcome to the Arts Community Group
Greetings everyone and welcome to the Visual Art, Music and Drama group. I realize that the title of this group suggests a very broad palette, perhaps too broad for some, but lets try it and see what happens. If folks want to suggest smaller, discipline-specific subgroups, that can be arranged as well. But let's start with this and see where it goes.
As someone interested in arts education, you may have been following discussions on Edutopia and elsewhere around a growing sense of energy relating to the arts in our schools.
This is promising given that, in many jurisdictions, cuts to arts funding over the past couple of decades has left a huge gap in the type of school experience that many of our students have.
It would be great if this discussion forum could allow us to raise our voices around arts education. What are some of the issues, topics and ideas that you would like to discuss around arts integration. In a future post, I will tell you a little bit about my own perspective but, for now, I would love to have you join the conversation by introducing yourself, telling us why the arts interest you as a teacher/citizen and, if you're willing to wade into the waters, something about your arts experience in schools.
In short, lets begin by telling some stories!
Welcome!
Stephen Hurley
Comments (25)
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Re: Northwest Arkansas
Welcome Shelly, and thanks for your introduction.
I would love to hear more about the interaction between the community artists that you bring in to your school and the rest of the school community. Do the artists do concert performances mainly, or do they work with classes and teachers on a more individual level? Or is it combination of the two?
Hello from Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Hurrah for Edutopoia! I have just joined your group and look forward to stimulating discussions. I truly believe that Art should be another core subject, or that Learning-Through-The-Arts was better understood and more prevalent than it is. I am not an Art teacher: I have mainly taught French-as-a-Second-Language, English Language Arts, and have been in the Special Education field for the last decade. However, I have always used elements of Art in my teaching.
Lately, I have been introducing "Creative Learning Journals" (Gr. 1-12) as a tool for learning to many students and groups of teachers. I see the use of Creative Learning Journals as a way to continuously encourage student self-reflection and creativity.
I am wondering how many teachers out there are also using Creative Learning Journals with their students? I would like to hear about others' ideas about how to keep the interest of journaling alive in the classrooms, after I have gotten the students and their teacher started with it but am no longer involved with them.
Gerry
Hello to a fellow Canadian!
Hi Gerry,
Thanks for jumping into the conversation!
Could you take a moment to introduce those of us who may not be familiar with Creative Learning Journals to the concept?
Looking forward to your participation.
Stephen
Wow! It sounds as if you are
Wow! It sounds as if you are part of a wonderful program. I wish i could visit the new elementary with a fully arts integrated program!
Hello, I feel like an
Hello,
I feel like an interloper into your group. I have been asked to teach art because the administration knows I have an interest in it NOT because I have any training to speak of.
I teach at a small school where all the faculty wear many hats. Teaching the students what I know about art has been one of the more enjoyable things that I have been asked to do.
I look forward to reading posts for any kind of an idea to take to my students.
Hello, I feel like an
Hello,
I feel like an interloper into your group. I have been asked to teach art because the administration knows I have an interest in it NOT because I have any training to speak of.
I teach at a small school where all the faculty wear many hats. Teaching the students what I know about art has been one of the more enjoyable things that I have been asked to do.
I look forward to reading posts for any kind of an idea to take to my students.
Greetings from New Zealand
I am a beginning teacher and have really loved the drama papers in my training. We unfortunately don't spend alot of time on all the Arts in our studies, but we do cover them. I have used drama in all of my unit plans on practicum and hope to continue using it with all age groups, as the students find it very engaging.
Creative projects
Hi all. As an urban middle school dance teacher, I am interested in coming up with unusual and enticing projects to capture the imaginations of my kids. Given the growing number of students per class as a result of teacher cuts, and the fact that my class is not an elective, at times it's tough to get the kind of engagement I expect.
I'm open to experimenting with different performance formats for a school setting. I just proposed a huge line dance with students positioned down the corridors of my school, but the limited viewing access by the audience in the classrooms makes the idea not so practical. My administration, though, is willing to let me try on a small scale with one corridor.
I'd love to hear about specific project folks are trying in the performing arts arena. Many thanks in advance!
Hi Stephen,
Thanks for asking about our Maui 1995 Partnership and professional development for teachers. A good way to learn more is to go to our website, www.mauiarts.org and also the Kennedy Center website, then to the Parnters in Education link. We'll be having a 3-day summer institute June 22-24, 2010, if anyone would like to see the PD first hand and write-off a trip to Maui!
There are several recent publications on arts education and the impact on learning. The Dana Foundation recently published "Neuroeducation: Arts, Brain, and Learning." Harvard Graduate School of Education's Project Zero just came out with "The Qualities of Quality Arts Education." The Arts Education Partnership has many resources. (www.aep-arts.org)
I'd love to see some kind of a national educational conference that could showcase best practice in arts integration and arts learning.
Susana Browne, Maui Arts & Cultural Center
Hurray for the Arts!
Hello everyone! I LOVE the arts and think that they should be required learning K-12 and beyond! When I had my own class (we're an inclusion school now with co-teaching) I loved including arts into everything I did. Kids really enjoy bring another side of themselves into the class and not just do paper and pencil tests of what we learned.
I also began directing the school musical/play - no one had done it before. And I wrote a Holiday play as well. I'm so excited to read about all that people are doing. I only hope that my school embraces the co-teaching model more so that I can get back to planning arts in lessons!