Arts Centered Education Program
Involvement of the arts in teaching and learning and promoting Arts Integration, as an instructional approach, continues to be priority work of the Missouri Alliance for Arts Education. Funded by a special grant from the Missouri Arts Council, and beginning in 2022-23 school year, MAAE will implement the Arts Centered Education (ACE) program, directed toward promoting an arts integrated approach toward teaching and learning in Missouri's rural schools.
The project will enable selected schools to receive customized onsite professional development at no cost to the school.
Involving the Arts in teaching and learning leads to:
Engaged learners
Deeper understanding
Greater retention of content
Positive classroom and building climate
Joy in teaching and learning
Those who desire to become Arts Integration practitioners may need:
support in learning more about arts areas outside their field of expertise
to learn about ways the arts can be included in lesson/unit designs
to learn how to allow students to construct and demonstrate understanding while engaging in a creative process
Ideally, the arts integrated instruction that is delivered is designed from local curricula and aligned with the Missouri Learning Standards. Through an arts integrated approach to teaching and learning, students engage in a creative process which connects the art form and at least one other subject area and meets evolving objectives in both
The teaching artists MAAE will help bring to your school will customize the training received, based on the professional learning needs of the building. MAAE Arts Integration Specialists will meet with building leaders and determine which services will best meet the needs of the adult learners in a given situation.
When the implementation of this model was administered by the Missouri Arts Council, it consisted of several components:
Large group professional development sessions directed to the entire building staff.
The identification of a training cohort from the building, who will work directly with the teaching artist as a coach.
Program evaluation
Large group
Professional development for the full school staff can take the form that best meets the needs and professional learning objectives for the school. We suggest at least one session of professional learning for the entire staff to help those unfamiliar with arts integration become acquainted with the concept, and increase the likelihood of individuals from the school becoming a part of the current arts integration co-hort group or an arts integration practitioner of the future.
Cohort
Within the cohort group, professional learning often takes the form of the:
the local educator identifying local curricular content to be delivered
the teaching artist and local educator designing lessons within a unit of study from the local curriculum, which reflect Missouri Learning Standards
the teaching artist facilitating any need for additional learning or experience as it relates to a given art form included in the unit of study.
the teaching artist modeling lessons utilizing an arts integrated approach in delivering instruction
the local educator and teaching artist co-teaching a given lesson from the unit of study
the teaching artist providing coaching services for the local educator in regard to delivery of instruction
Program Evaluation
We want to ensure that the program meets the stated objectives for the school, and collect evidence for our funders about the efficacy of the program.
Elements of the program evaluation will be determined for each school based on their objectives. It may include items such as:
examining teacher and student attitudes
student engagement
content assessment
retention of content knowledge
building climate data
Under MAAE's administration of the Arts Centered Education (A.C.E.) Program, we plan to follow a similar model. We wish to learn about the needs and objectives for professional learning at each school and seek out teaching artists who may uniquely suited to meet the needs of the school and the individual members of the cohort.
If you want to become an A.C.E. school or if you just what to learn more, please contact Phyllis Pasley, MAAE's executive director at director@moaae.org or call 314-306-7575.
The Missouri Arts Integration Network is a collection of individuals with an interest in arts integration. We welcome arts and non-arts teachers from any subject or discipline at every level PreK-college. Our FREE one-hour monthly meetings via ZOOM provide a forum for connecting with other educators and hearing success stories from practitioners.
Access the registration link for each ZOOM meeting here.
Questions: email director@moaae.org
Arts Integration can benefit you and your students!
Don't Be Afraid!
Give it a try…even in a small way.
Give it a try…even in a small way.
MAAE is committed to helping Missouri teachers use Arts Integration as a strategy to improve student achievement and behavior. Helping educators learn best practices for effective implementation honors the expertise of all teachers involved and addresses both arts and non-arts standards to yield great benefits for all.
Do not fear that you will lose something by working collaboratively with others. Arts Integration can actually help meet your classroom goals, enriching your work in the arts with your students. Collaborative planning for arts integrated learning experiences honors the arts as a partner and reflecting standards in the arts and non-arts subject area(s) and providing opportunities for assessment of skill and understanding in both.
Our partners in Kansas City, St. Louis and Springfield offer professional development training and follow-up which to teacher interested in Arts Integration.
MAAE is here to help as well!