Using the Programs and Web Site

These video library programs, along with the Web site, provide a wealth of practical strategies and examples that viewers can apply in their own schools.

Here are some of the ways teachers can use these programs:

Watch on your own.
Professional development. Schools and districts that are planning to incorporate arts-based material or strengthen the use of the arts can use these programs in inservice courses or workshop sessions, view them in team or department meetings, or make them available for teachers to view on their own.
Parent and community information. By showing successful programs in action and presenting articulate viewpoints from teachers, administrators, parents, and students, these programs make strong statements about teaching the arts for their own sake as well as using the arts to promote learning in other subjects.
Supplements to the companion workshop. Several video library programs illustrate concepts and lessons explored in the workshop programs. Relevant video library programs are listed in the “Ongoing Activities” sections of the Workshop Web site and the “Between Sessions” sections of the print guides for each program. Most of the other video library programs provide valuable context for the workshop as a whole.

Planning Your Viewing
For each program, this site contains viewing suggestions and background material you can use. You can view the programs individually or in groups.

People and Schools: Who is featured in the program
Who Should Watch: Suggested audiences and uses
Before Watching: Points to consider or look for
Activities and Discussion: Ideas for follow-up reflection and applying what you learned
Interviews: Further thoughts from one or more of the people in the program
Additional Resources: Related video library programs, Web resources, and more
Arts Education Standards: Drawn from National Standards for Arts Education

Materials Needed
To watch these library programs, you will need:

the appropriate videotapes;
a television monitor (and videocassette player if you are viewing programs on tape);
this guide; and
background information about the programs, available on this Web site.

For professional development, team-building sessions, or facilitated discussions, you also may need a flip chart, markers, pads, and pens for individual notes and reflections.

Tips for Group Facilitators
View these video library programs on their own or in combination with other programs. Facilitators have a great deal of latitude in using these tapes with a variety of audiences and in many different situations. The half-hour length of most programs makes them easy to use as a discussion starter or as the heart of a presentation.

Here are some suggestions for making your presentation more successful:

Set your objectives. Why are you showing this program to this audience? What are the insights, information, or skills that you want viewers to come away with?
Know your audience. What are participants’ interests, goals, and biases? Anticipate how they might react to the program, and plan how you would answer possible questions.
Build a presentation. Plan how you will use the program to achieve your objectives. Identify aspects of the program that you especially want the audience to see, and draw their attention to these things before you watch the program. You may wish to distribute discussion questions in advance that the audience can consider while viewing the program. After the program, take a few minutes to discuss them before you move on.
Know the topic. Use this Web site to learn more about the schools, teachers, and lessons in these programs. The Web site suggests additional resources, including Web links, for each program.
Prepare the audience. Provide participants with information that can help them get the most out of the program. For example, you might distribute profiles of the featured schools or teachers that you can find on this Web site with each program.

The Video Library Print Guide
The video library print guide provides much of the same information as this Web guide, including information about all of the library programs and ideas for viewing and using them in your school, for preservice or professional development programs, or with community members. The print guide also features the pre and post viewing activities and discussion questions found on this Web site.

Companion Resources
This video library is a companion to The Arts in Every Classroom: A Workshop for Elementary School Teachers, a professional development workshop funded by Annenberg Media. The workshop is broadcast and streamed on the Annenberg Channel and available for purchase from Annenberg Media. For more information, visit the Annenberg Media Web site or call 1-800-LEARNER.

The workshop consists of:

eight one-hour video programs that introduce key concepts in teaching the arts in the elementary classroom and present a method for developing arts-based curriculum units;
a Web site featuring an online guide for participants and facilitators of local workshop sessions, additional information on effective teaching practices, and other resources; and
a print guide containing information for participants and facilitators, including ideas for viewing and discussing the workshop programs, summaries of the programs, and plans for conducting local workshop sessions.

Getting the Programs
The programs in this video library and its companion workshop are broadcast free on the Annenberg Channel. You may choose to watch a live broadcast or tape the programs to watch at a more convenient time. Find out more about the Annenberg Channel, and see the broadcast schedule for this video library. If you do not have access to the Annenberg Channel, you may watch the channel’s free simulcast online via broadband streaming or purchase videocassettes and the print guide through an online catalog. The guide is also available as a PDF under Support Materials on this Web site.