Consider the key strengths of LTTA programming.
What do our artist educators bring to the classroom?
LTTA
brings:
- Structure and strength of program: authority to accept this connection that has to be made between curriculum and art form
- Consistency of product
- An expectation of a high standard of Artist-Educators
- Framework for artists in the classroom (how to develop lesson plans etc)
- Nurture collaboration among artists
The Artist as Educator:
- Skills and new opportunities and fresh ideas for teachers.
- Bringing outside experience and expertise into the classroom
- Work with physical objects and experience and materials (physicality: fine motor skills and gross motor skills eg drama dance/movement)
- New way of observing the world and each other
- Allowing to fail therefore easier to participate: new ways of measuring success
- Encourage and facilitate expression of the voice (here’s how you can be heard)
- Fun
- Place more emphasis on the process rather than the product through which the learning occurs
- Encourage/facilitate/help teachers to see the artists in themselves
- Encourage/facilitate/help teachers to see the artists in their students
- Nurturing ability of the Artist-Educator
- Training provides us with classroom management skills and current pedagogy
- Artist connects theory with the practical
- 10,000 hours of practice and years of rejection= artist
Human Connection Skills for the 21st Century Learner:
- Personal connection with the artist and with each other
- Creative problem solving
- Collaboration skills
- Communication skills
- Provide expertise in not being confined by the system
- Flexibility/willingness to adapt
Learning:
- The skills to integrate the curriculum in new ways
- Show them the foundations of an art form
- We provide students with the opportunity to find out where they are stuck in the process
- Multiple learning styles effectively engaged/reached
- Provide a lens on current culture
It is also worth noting that LTTA brings a number of professional development offerings.
ReplyDelete- In Ontario, we offer a 4 level series of professional development courses for artist educators, which aim to develop their facilitation skills for both classroom and community settings, expose them to arts-education research and pedagogy, and help them develop lesson plans and projects.
- Within the Music Champion Program (currently active in Toronto, Windsor, Hamilton, Winnipeg and Vancouver) participating classroom teachers receive 2 days of Professional Development workshops where they learn basic skills in music and dance in connection to the arts curriculum, and engage in arts-based activities they can take right back to their classrooms.
- New this year in Toronto, we are also piloting a course titled "Teaching Music for the Generalist Teacher," which is a 3 level certification program. Teachers will develop their musical voice, receive vocal and instrumental music instruction, gain skills and confidence in music and dance, as well as engage in and create arts-based lessons for use in the classroom. The last level of the course looks to develop these teachers as ambassadors of the arts in their communities, helping them build skills in school wide arts leadership, as well as advocacy at the division level.
While these programs are not currently offered cross Canada, I believe these offerings are notable assets to add to the list of "What LTTA Brings" as they could be offered in other locations, or some of that curriculum could be made available through digital means.