Artsconnection-Professional Development

		At ArtsConnection, we consider ourselves to be members of a learning community. Working in partnership with schools to understand and address their needs, we continually strive to improve our programs and examine their impact on teaching and learning. An ongoing commitment to professional development for teaching artists, art specialists, classroom teachers, ArtsConnection program staff, and school administrators is the foundation of this process. Our professional development programs are intended to build on the artistic and educational expertise each participant brings, with the goal of helping all participants to become better educators and collaborative partners, to strengthen the connections between the arts and academics, and to help integrate the arts into the school community. Our professional development programs are designed to meet the needs of artists, teachers and schools just beginning to work with ArtsConnection as well as those who are familiar with our programs, philosophy, and methodology.
		Our professional development activities help teachers to: build their knowledge of the arts and arts processes; develop their own artistic skills and their ability to teach them; learn to identify their students' artistic talents and strengths; identify and foster the skills, knowledge and understanding the arts teach and their relevance to teaching and learning in the classroom; gain an understanding of the New York City Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in the Arts and the New York State Learning Standards for the Arts and the ways in which they complement standards in other subject areas; and assist in the development of assessment and evaluation methods and tools. In all of our professional development activities, we model the kinds of methods we hope teachers will learn to use with their students, which include working in small groups, asking open-ended questions, and reflecting on the creative process.
		Professional Development during Artist Residencies Residencies begin with a preview workshop, an experiential session which introduces teachers to the artist and their art form. The activities preview what the artist will do in the classroom. A planning meeting follows, facilitated by ArtsConnection program staff. Artists and teachers begin to make connections between the arts experience and other curricular areas, identify shared educational goals, and confirm the logistics of the classroom sessions. Teachers and artists participate in reflection meetings at regular intervals during an artist's residency. ArtsConnection program staff ask both teachers and artists to: consider the residency and its effectiveness to date; become better observers of how artistic processes affect change in their students and themselves; and identify and assess the skills students are gaining. Professional Development Opportunities for Classroom Teachers and/or Art Specialists ArtsConnection offers educators several levels of professional development in the visual and performing arts. All instructional programs with ArtsConnection teaching artists are based in creative, improvisational approaches. Professional Development opportunities are offered throughout the school year during designated Professional Development days, after school or on weekends and during the summer. Sesssions are held at individual schools, at ArtsConnection's offices or other appropriate venues. All programs are designed to address the specific needs of participants. A. Arts Workshops for Classroom Teachers and Art Specialists Format: Groups of up to 25 teachers work with an artist in a two-hour workshop in music, dance, theater arts, literary or media arts, generally held on professional development days or after school, and led by an ArtsConnection teaching artist. Methodology: Teachers and administrators participate in a hands-on session with the artist that provides an introduction to learning in the art form. An ArtsConnection staff member facilitates reflection on the learning process and the relationship of the work to the Curriculum Blueprint and NYS Learning Standards for the ARts with teachers and the artist, as well as getting feedback on the workshop experience and the literacy connections for teachers. B. Making Connections: Art & Culture Format: A day-long (6 hour) workshop held on Saturday for groups of up to 60 teachers, based on a particular culture or historic period (e.g. China, Africa, Colonial America, etc.) that is linked to the curricular focus of particular grades. Methodology: These arts-making workshops make connections to the historical and social context of a specific time and/or culture. They also build recognition for teachers and administrators of the relationship between the arts and the Social Studies curriculum and of the arts resources available to them. Teachers experience hands-on sessions in two art forms plus a performance from the culture being studied. ArtsConnection staff members facilitate reflection on the experience for teachers and artists and its relationship to the curriculum. These workshops address both the NYS Arts Learning Standards and the Curriculum Blueprints by providing arts-making experiences that integrate literacy in the art form while fostering understanding of the cultural dimensions and connections. Resource materials and other relevant information are provided and coordinated with the Region. C. Arts Institute for Classroom Teachers Building artistic skills and understanding through personal experience Format: Groups of up to 15 teachers work with an artist and the NYC DOE staff developer in a 30-hour course for which teachers may receive credit towards their permanent certification. Methodology: The Arts Institute engages teachers in a concentrated arts-based experience that integrates literacy in the art form while addressing the NYS Learning Standards in the Arts and the Curriculum Blueprint. Instruction in dance, music, theater and/or visual arts is offered in Studio Workshops to: develop individual artistic skills; deepen understanding of artistic processes; explore classroom connections; and examine methods and strategies for teaching. Reading materials, seminars in other art forms and an introduction to the Video Description Process and/or Lesson Study (described below) help teachers to understand the educational value of the arts and to integrate the arts into their curriculum. D. Arts Institute for Art Specialists Format: Groups of up to 15 art specialists work with an artist in their art form and an ArtsConnection staff member with expertise in the art form for 30 hours of study in arts methodologies and the application of the Curriculum Blueprint and the NYS Learning Standards for the Arts. Held on Saturdays through the school year and/or as week-long intensives during the summer months. Methodology: This program is based on ArtsConnection's Arts Institute for teachers and can be customized for art specialists to help them understand and develop skills to teach the the NYC Curriculum Blueprint. Art specialists will build skills in an art form, identify the benchmarks of their arts learning experiences, and design lessons for their classrooms that address the Blueprint and State Standards. Morning arts intensives allow art specialists to: create and perform in the art form and develop skills that address the art-making strand of the Blueprint and reflect on their experience with a team of teaching artist colleagues. Afternoon study groups focus on an examination of all strands of the Blueprint and an exploration of ways to integrate them into their practice. E. Video Description Process for Classroom Teachers and Art Specialists The Video Description Process (VDP) provides teachers, teaching artists, ArtsConnection staff and school administrators with the opportunity to study evidence of children's learning in performing art forms through videotaped documentation. Format: The residency-based cohort includes: the artist; the classroom teacher; one or two additional teachers, including art specialists, who are working on the same grade or with the same students; two co-facilitators; a videographer. This group meets for 10 hours of study (8 hours as a cohort; two hours with a larger group). Methodology: Each cohort meets four times after school. The purpose of the first meeting is to introduce the project and plan. The classroom teacher is asked to select three or four students to focus on during the videotaping. In addition, she is asked to form a focusing question based on her selection of students. Each cohort meets at least three more times to review videotaped lessons in the art form. The cohort participants choose a two-minute segment from each videotaped session. At the end of these three sessions, the videographer splices the selected clips together, which is shared at a fifth and final meeting with other teachers and artists who are participants in other VDP cohorts and/or other teachers who are working with the same artist; additional ArtsConnection staff and school administrators. This larger body of serves as an audience to whom the cohort reports the results of their collective work. The participants in the larger meeting engage in an inquiry process talk that addresses the implications of the VDP for teaching and learning. F. Lesson Study for Classroom Teachers Format: The residency-based cohort includes: the artist and classroom co-teacher; the other teachers who are working on the same grade or with the same students; a facilitator; a videographer. The cohort meets after school for a total of 10 hours. Methodology: Based on a Japanese professional development process of Lesson Study, this method engages an artist and a group of teachers in a process in which an arts-based lesson is collaboratively designed and analyzed by the group. Upon completion of the initial collaborative planning session, the lesson is co-taught by a teacher and the artis and videotaped. The cohort then views the tape in a facilitated feedback session, and the lesson is further refined. The lesson may then be implemented with other teachers. G. Lesson Study for Art Specialists Format: A group of up to 12 art specialists in the same art form work with an ArtsConnection staff member who serves as a facilitator. Helf after school for a total of 10 hours. Methodology: As described in Section F, Lesson Study is a Japanese professional development process that ArtsConnection has adapted as a developmen methodology for groups of teaching artists who work in the same art form as well as for artists and teachers working together on a grade. This format and methodology have proved to be very successful for the professional development of those participating and can be adapted for use with art specialists. Together, the group will create a unit of study and design a specific lesson for the unit utilizing the process of Lesson Study. The arts lesson is implemented in a classroom by a participant and videotaped. The tape is viewed subsequently by the participants, and feedback is given using a protocol. The lesson is then revised according to the feedback. Specialists hone their teaching skills in the art form, develop a common language; examine how the work addresses the Blueprint and develop lessons grounded in the Curriculum Blueprint. H. Arts Mentoring for Art Specialists Format: 20 hours of a teaching artist working one on one with a school-based art specialist to build capacity in an art form. Methodology: The process begins in a facilitated planning session in which the goals of the mentoring project are identified, the roles are defined and an arts project is designed that reflects the Curriculum Blueprint/NYS Learning Standards for the Arts. The mentoring project design is initiated with the artist modeling the activity. After a few sessions, the art specialist transitions into the lead role with the artist providing support. The artist and specialist meet regularly to assess progress, identify areas of support, to provide feedback and to refine the project. ArtsConnection staff coordinate scheduling and facilitate planning and reflection. This work can be conducted both during and after school hours. Some examples of mentoring include: percussion, choreography, clay, photography, play writing, traditional dance forms. Resource materials that address the needs of the art specialist are provided. go back to top
		Seminars and workshops throughout the year give our teaching artists a grounding in the cognitive and educational theories that inform our work, along with teaching methods developed by ArtsConnection artists and staff. Artists also learn strategies to more effectively tie their work to the classroom curricula and develop skills for working with classroom teachers and students. Artist Study Groups Working in small groups with ArtsConnection program staff, teaching artists involved in our comprehensive partnerships have the opportunity to explore issues of teaching, learning and assessment in the arts. Through facilitated discussions, peer observations and debriefings, the program helps artists discuss and define individual goals and become more effective teaching artists as they move beyond the role of classroom visitor to that of educational partner. Artists work together to: articulate and refine goals and objectives and identify questions about their own teaching practices; view and evaluate each other's work in the classroom, providing constructive feedback; share strategies and ideas on ways to improve different aspects of a workshop residency; develop or refine new program designs; and discuss relevant educational issues. We continue to expand the scope of this program, including videotaping workshop sessions, to further explore the teaching process. Artist Topic Meetings To address issues relevant to all of the artists on our roster, we have developed a series of Topic meetings based on the interests and concerns raised during other professional development activities. Topic meetings focus on a number of professional development objectives including: building artists' awareness of childhood development; helping artists understand educational theories and the culture of schools; and assisting artists in recognizing how the content, skills and strategies they teach and use in the arts are relevant to broader learning. Topic meetings have included Child Development -Early Childhood, Planning an Effective Residency, Behavior Management, Assessing Student Work in the Arts, and Special Education. Other Professional Development Opportunities for Artists From February 9-13, 1999, teaching artists participated in Class Acts 99: The Artist's Voice in Arts Education, a professional development conference designed to clarify the challenges and issues teaching artists face and to explore what they need to know to do their best work in today's classrooms. Professional Development Opportunities for Program Staff Program staff serve as the linchpin of ArtsConnection's partnerships. Classroom teachers and teaching artists come to ArtsConnection from different vantage points. The role of Program staff is to facilitate the dialogue between them in order to produce programs that bring the arts and creative teaching methods into the classroom. Through focused mini-retreats, the development of Arts Discipline Committees, staff involvement in the professional development activities described above, and the utilization of outside resources to build staff capacity, our goal is to help each Program staff member develop a larger vision of his or her role in the partnership process and the skills needed to facilitate partnerships between artists and teachers. For information about any of our Professional Development programs, please contact Joanna Hefferen, Director of Professional Development.