We had a great first day at USM, Portland at the Summit on Arts Education. The energy was high and the participants were busy filling their minds. Information was shared and questions flying! The day started with sessions on Essential Questions and Leadership. Participants gained insight on Effective Teaching in the Student-centered classroom and were treated to showcases presented by Teaching Artists. Each teacher started brainstorming ideas to create an individual action plan. The day wrapped up with an electronic conversation with the State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education at their ssessment conference taking place in D.C. Julie Richard, Director of the Maine Arts Commission, unveiled the Teacher Resource Bank. The day was jam packed and flew by!
Attending the Summit are arts educators from all regions of Maine representing all grade levels and all four arts disciplines. Networking has been an important part of the work – people collaborating and networking.
I think this is an appropriate post to provide today as we begin the 3-day Summit on Arts Education at USM. I have posted the work of Ken Robinson in the past. He has thought-provoking videos on YouTube and TED talks and travels around the world talking about creativity. And, on top of that he is funny. He has written several books that I have enjoyed reading and highly recommend them. Anyway, this video called Educating the Heart and Mind and I hope that you enjoy it!
We have more than 90 educators attending the Summit on Arts Education at USM, Portland campus on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday and almost half of those will also be attending on Friday for the Teacher Leader day. Included on the attendee list are dance, music, theatre, and visual arts PK-12 teachers, teaching artists, other educators, and representatives from arts organizations and the university. There are 13 teams participating. The Maine Arts Assessment Initiative (MAAI) Leadership team and Teacher Leaders have been crazy busy with the agenda planning that will be full of rich learning opportunities.
Included on the agenda:
Sessions on Assessment, Leadership, Student-centered, Standards-based, Proficiency, Advocacy, Arts Integration, Creativity, Literacy, Technology and much more provided by MAAI teacher leaders, leadership team, members, Lesley University staff, technology integrators from NC, MLTI, and MICDL, and teaching artists
The unveiling of the Teacher Leader Resource Bank by Julie Richard, Executive Director of the Maine Arts Commission
An electronic discussion with the State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education (SEADAE) who are at a conference in Washington, DC this week
Arts Education Program Director, Jeff Poulin from Americans for the Arts will be presenting a session on Leadership and Advocacy
Stories and examples from MAAI Teacher Leaders
Time for networking with other Maine educators
Arts Education organizations, higher ed representatives, and community groups will be exhibiting and sharing information
The opportunity to create an Individual Action Plan and/or a Team Action Plan to implement back home in teachers school districts
Teachers who are attending the Summit will receive contact hours, CEUs or graduate credit.
Maine Focus Groups and Community Conversations – don’t miss this opportunity!
Are you interested in joining others interested in arts education to talk about the future of arts education in Maine? If so, please plan on attending the event on
Tuesday, July 29, 7:00-8:00pm at the Maine College of Art, 522 Congress St, Portland, ME.
We have a wonderful opportunity to help influence the future of our community and the future of our state. Please join me to participate in a discussion about the kinds of creative opportunities and activities you would like to see available for our residents, our children, and our families. Often times, plans are created for us, instead of with us – they miss the mark and we miss the opportunity to see what we value included in the mix.
If you have questions about either of these opportunities taking place this week please don’t hesitate to email me at argy.nestor@maine.gov.
In the Audience section of today’s news Bob Keyes writes about Celebration Barn Theater, the space that world famous mime Tony Montanaro started in 1972. Tony passed away in 2002 but his vision of “workshops and teaching space for aspiring artists” continues in the barn in South Paris. Many of you know (and love) Karen Montanaro (Tony’s wife) who has attended and presented at many of Maine’s arts education professional development workshops and conferences. Karen is known for her energized presentations that bring everyone to their feet and moving. Don’t miss the article and video clips by clicking here.
Re-printed from Education Week: TEACHER, July 23, 2014
The following was written by Linda Yaron who teaches in Los Angeles at the School for the Visual Arts and Humanities.
As we were about to board the plane to return home, my 12 students, two colleagues, and I circled around and said one word that captured how we felt about our trip. Many chose the word “blessed.” Yet it was I who felt blessed to be a part of the experience that redefined what it meant for me to be a teacher.
Three days before, we had met at school before dawn to catch a 5 a.m. shuttle to Los Angeles International Airport. We were on our way to the U.S. Department of Education in Washington D.C. to present an exhibition on the importance of the arts and student voice in education reform for their Student Art Exhibit Program.
Throughout the school year leading up to that day, my students had explored the question: “What does it mean to be a learner?,” situating themselves at the center of their own educational journeys. We started small, looking at individual student experiences in education and the challenges they faced in my English class and my colleague’s government class. The question culminated with our life-changing trip to D.C.
This project was a special learning experience for my students, myself, and the other teachers involved. Though it’s rare for a learning experience to involve giving a presentation in the nation’s capitol, many of the principles I learned through the process can be applied to future classroom projects designed to engage students in real-world learning experiences. Here are my five takeaways:
Get students excited and involved. Our project took place across disciplines, grade levels, community organizations, and even countries. Since the exhibition was a bicoastal event, we developed a shared presentation with the Boston organization Elevated Thought. This partnership sparked interest and authenticity for students and enriched the process.
To prepare for the art exhibition and engage as many students as possible, we had freshmen interview seniors and create symbolic portraits of them, while seniors interviewed community organizations and created a plan to develop their own community organization addressing a need in education. Later on in the process, English teacher Sarah Brown Wessling’s students in Iowa commented on entries in our student-run blog, while students from the Ambience Public School in New Delhi submitted entries. This created excitement, showcased multiple perspectives, generated visible accountability, and brought shared value and collaboration to the work.
2. Cultivate school and community connections. From start to finish, community connections were the heart of this project. Various organizations presented to our class on ways they advance education in the community. They also evaluated and gave feedback on student presentations. Volunteers from 826LA assisted students in writing learning statements, and the Educare Foundation conducted afterschool classes in poster design and video production.
Each partner played a crucial role that made our project possible—and better for it. Though it took time and planning to cultivate community partners, it made all the difference in supporting the growth of our students and bringing the outside world into their lives.
3. Create authentic learning experiences for students. This project blended into our school’s new Linked Learning approach, which aims to create authentic college and career-ready experiences for students. Students took part in conference calls with the Department of Education, wrote memos about the First Lady’s College Initiative, and presented their art and their voices to educators and officials in Washington D.C.
Following the trip, students shared their experiences with educators and community partners at a Linked Learning United Way event. This made the experience even more real for them and extended learning beyond the classroom. At some point, I realized students weren’t doing the project for me or for a grade, but rather because they realized it was a responsibility and an opportunity bigger than any of us. They wanted to shine by making their voices heard and representing a new model for what it means to be learners.
4. Create meaningful opportunities for involvement. Since we were only able to take 12 students to D.C. (through an application process), I tried to offer other opportunities for students to become involved in the project. Students created a video on what it means to be a learner, which was shown during the presentation in D.C. They also wrote learner statements that were made into a book, which we took with us and shared with policymakers.
At the six-week exhibition, we displayed 60 art pieces from three arts classes. Students also created posters that were displayed at the exhibition. When the time came to prepare and rehearse for the presentation, students received feedback from their peers in multiple classes about their topics and presentation techniques.
Though only 10 percent of my students attended the actual presentation, all of them had meaningful opportunities to become involved in various aspects of the project and have a voice in the final outcome.
5. Place process over product. Ultimately, the product isn’t as important as the skills, knowledge, and dispositions that students cultivated along the way. To this end, we made sure to scaffold each skill repeatedly and incrementally.
We started with an essential question that was personal to students (“What does it mean to be a learner?”) and built outwards from there: layering skills, analyzing the core values and mission statements of organizations, conducting interviews, researching education topics, presenting to a panel, and examining various writing and artistic techniques.
Ultimately, the project came down to how students viewed the world and how they saw their place and agency in it. This type of teaching and learning involved a degree of risk and faith in the process. As can be expected, some things worked better than others, making feedback, a growth-model mindset, and room for risk taking in teaching and learning essential to allowing the space to thrive.
When the time came for the exhibition and one-hour presentation to the Department of Education, students shined. They spoke about the need for equity and access to resources, the importance of family and community involvement, and the capacity of art as a transformative tool for self-expression. In a roundtable discussion with Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education Deborah Delisle, students expressed both their hope and determination to go to college, as well as their fear of being among a small percentage of minorities at their future colleges.
In our closing circle, our art teacher, Eric Garcia, grappled to find the word to capture his thoughts about the trip. He said that the picture imprinted in his mind came from the presentation our student Maricruz had given about the challenges of being an undocumented student. As Maricruz struggled to find the right words, her classmate Juan had reached over to soothe her and hold her hand.
All at once, we spoke the word he was looking for: family.
Linda Yaron teaches English, Healthy Lifestyles, and Peer College Leadership at the School for the Visual Arts and Humanities in Los Angeles. She is a National Board-certified teacher and a member of the CTQ Collaboratory.
Folks at the Celebration Barn are having a silent auction this month that includes some really great items including a week at a house on Cape Hatteras Island, a weekend in a condo in Boston, opening night tickets to the Metropolitan Opera, a weekend at a solar powered lake house in Norway, Maine; and a group juggling lesson in NYC with a member of the Flying Karamazoff Brothers, among lots of other things.
The auction ends this weekend, so if you’re looking for something cool, check it out. Your money goes to a great Maine organization, the Celebration Barn Theater. And if you’re in Maine and looking for a cool event, their Big Barn Family Show, and Big Barn Spectacular is this weekend and 2 p.m. for the family show, and 8 p.m. for the spectacular. Here’s info: http://www.celebrationbarn.com/shows-at-the-barn/
Maine Focus Groups and Community Conversations – don’t miss this opportunity!
Please join us Tuesday, July 29, 7:00-8:00 at the Maine College of Art, 522 Congress St, Portland, ME
for an opportunity to have a conversation with those interested in arts education about the future of Maine arts education. The Maine Arts Commission is creating a Cultural Strategic Plan and holding events in a handful of locations. This one is specifically to talk about education in the Arts. What kinds of creative opportunities and activities you would like to see available for our residents, our children, and our families in Maine. Often times, plans are created FOR us, instead of WITH us – they miss the mark and the opportunity to see what we value included in the mix.
This opportunity is specific to arts education and part of a bigger picture that the Maine Arts Commission has undertaken.
Project Goal
Create Maine’s Cultural Strategic Plan
Discover new ways to increase the value, reach, and relevance of Maine Arts Commission’s programs and services across the State and, by spring 2015, create a cultural strategic plan to guide implementation.
Focus Group Goal & Community Conversation Goal
To achieve a clearer understanding of what Mainers think about arts and cultural development and what they would most value in terms of future opportunities, activities and offerings. These session provide the opportunity for more in-depth information seeking especially for people not inclined to complete a public opinion survey.
In order for Maine’s cultural strategic plan to be truly representative of all our residents, it is important that we hear from a variety of arts educators to share their opinions and views with us. More individuals will participate if they are invited by someone they know and trust. Please invite a colleague or someone else that you know is committed to quality visual and performing arts education for all students.
There will be several community gatherings in Maine but this is the only one that is specific to arts education.
The Maine Arts Assessment Initiative (MAAI) Teacher Leaders are busy putting the last minute touches on their presentations, the food is ordered, the space is ready to go, the participant bags are being stuffed full of information, and the excitement is intense at the Maine Arts Commission. The Summit on Arts Education is only a week away!
Not a day goes by that I don’t receive an email or a phone call from someone inquiring about the Summit on Arts Education being held July 29-31, USM, Portland. Just when I think that everyone who wants to attend has registered or that there can’t possibly be someone who hasn’t registered that wants to attend. Sooooo… if you are still thinking about attending please don’t hesitate any longer. For more information please click here https://mainearts.maine.gov/Pages/Education/NESummit and to go directly to registration please click here https://webapp.usm.maine.edu/DCPEOnline/addRegCONFPage1.do?offeringId=100075146. If you have questions please email me at argy.nestor@maine.gov.
And, if you are an arts organization and would like to join us for Wednesday morning only, July 30, for a Carousel. The morning is designed for organizations who wish to provide information for Summit participants to learn about what there is available for arts education opportunities for field trips, etc. Please contact me if you think this might be a match for your organization. Deadline for this is tomorrow, Wednesday, July 23.
The Summit is designed for you to attend as an individual or part of a team to receive professional development in assessment, leadership, technology, and teaching and learning for the 21st century curriculum. Topics include proficiency, standards-based teaching and learning, student-centered, arts integration and more. You will create a plan that fits your needs in your classroom, school, and district.
I hope you can join us for this first time MAAI offered learning opportunity!
Many of you know that I am Greek. When Karen Montanaro sent me this link I am guessing that she had no idea how much it would move me. I had tears streaming down my face and before I knew it I was on my feet dancing. If you ask me, it is the best Flash Mob ever! The Ottawa Greek Festival committee used the opportunity to promote their upcoming festival. Enjoy!
Argy Nestor
Arts Educator, Blogger, Artist, Connector meartsed@gmail.com
https://sites.google.com/view/anestor/
Argy’s Blog
The purpose of this blog is to share stories about people and places; and to celebrate the amazing work (and play) that students, educators, and organizations are doing in and for arts education. In addition, the blog has a plethora of resources and innovative ideas. This forum gives blog readers the opportunity to learn from each other. It is essential that we listen, learn, and collaborate in order to build on teaching practices for the benefit of every learner in Maine and beyond.
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