Printable Copy: Connecting With the Arts: A Workshop for Middle Grades Teachers

A video workshop for grades 6-8 teachers; 8 one-hour video programs, workshop guide, and Web site; graduate credit available

Now on DVD

Connecting With the Arts: A Workshop for Middle Grades Teachers is a video workshop for middle school teachers of the arts and other subjects. The workshop includes eight hour-long video programs and a companion workshop guide and Web site. The workshop shows middle school teachers why and how to integrate the arts (dance, music, theatre, and visual art) with other subjects (language arts, social studies, science, and math). Extensive classroom examples present teachers working together to create rich integrated learning experiences for their students. A roundtable panel of arts educators discusses each of the classroom examples and shares their own experiences with arts integration. The eight programs guide viewers in discussing key elements of arts integration, enabling them to begin integrating the arts more effectively in their own schools. Participants define what arts integration means, plan collaborations with colleagues, clarify student roles in the artistic process, work on designing instruction that helps students explore connecting concepts and big ideas, and examine assessments to determine what students are learning. The workshop provides a stimulating learning experience for individual teachers and professional development groups.

Produced by Lavine Production Group, Inc. in collaboration with EDC/s Center for Children and Technology and the Southeast Center for Education in the Arts. 2005.

ISBN: 1-57680-754-1

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Download

Download: $200.00

DVD

DVD-R - Entire Series and Guide: $220.00

Guide

Additional Guides: $39.95

Individual Program Descriptions

1. Workshop 1. What is Arts Integration?
This program presents three instructional models for integrating the arts: independent instruction, team-teaching, and collaborations with community resources. Participants will also explore informal, complementary, and interdependent curricular connections, and see examples of what these different types of arts-integrated instruction look like in the classroom.

2. Workshop 2. Why Integrate the Arts?
This program explores how integrating the arts with other subjects raises the level of student engagement, helps teachers address diverse learning styles, establishes the relevance of learning for students, and provides alternative ways to communicate.

3. Workshop 3. How Do We Collaborate?
This program illustrates a variety of teaching partnerships. Participants will see how teachers integrating the arts can benefit from collaborating with fellow teachers, partnering with visiting artists, and drawing on community resources.

4. Workshop 4. What Roles Do Students Take On?
This program examines the artistic process of creating, performing, and responding. Participants will see students assuming the roles of researcher, writer, designer, director, performer, and critic.

5. Workshop 5. What Are Connecting Concepts?
This program presents strategies for planning lessons that integrate the arts with other subjects. Participants will see how teachers organize instruction around themes and concepts.

6. Workshop 6. What's the Big Idea?
This program is about planning and teaching toward big ideas — important understandings that have lasting value. Participants will see how arts-integrated instruction enables students to make deeply personal connections to what they are learning.

7. Workshop 7. Identifying What Students Are Learning
This program investigates ways to evaluate student learning in and through the arts. Participants will see teachers using arts-based performance tasks to assess student understanding.

8. Workshop 8. Reflecting on Our Practice
This program explores methods for assessing instructional practice. Participants will see teachers reflecting alone and interacting with colleagues to evaluate and refine their planning and teaching. To conclude, the discussion group models a protocol that allows teachers to draw on the expertise of colleagues to refine their practice.