me arts ed

4th and 5th graders hold an art auction

Art Teacher Emmy Paquette, from MSAD #37 found a way to raise money so her students could experience the Schoodic Sculpture Symposium next fall. (Talk about planning ahead!!)

In early October Emmy held an art auction. To prepare for this Day Nina Jerome was so kind to come in and share her knowledge and paintings with 4th and 5th grade.  They experimented with color blending and under paintings (only with oil pastel and colored paper) and really explored the wondrous possibilities of space.

Eleven 4th and 5th graders took off for Cape Split on Saturday morning, used oil pastels to create their own landscape drawing, and got on the bus for the Narrows (South Addison). They created another piece, oil pastel, and hopped on the bus for home.

Emmy cut and mounted all works (21) for auction. Elani Wakeman, Michele and Ingrid Chalafour and Nina Jerome helped set up with refreshments. The auction was scheduled for an hour and one half. Everyone had a great time looking at the art and seeing the photographs that Michele took on the trip.

The paintings created by the students raised $480!!!!!! That was $280 MORE than the goal! Needless to say, Emmy was thrilled and the students have expressed doing it once again! Her thoughts now… “do I smell a Boston trip in our future??”

Ideas for setting up a blog for your students

I was glad to see the link in the National Association for Music Education (MENC) newsletter to information on blogging with your students. The opening paragraph on the page reads:

“Today’s students are “digital natives,” says MENC member Kathleen Kerstetter. She uses blogging to give students an audience and an authentic reason to write about music and music experiences, and blogging satisfies requirements for increased written communication and technology literacy.”

Some of the ways that Kerstetter has students blog are to respond to a listening lesson, to reflect on a composition, to blog on their music experiences outside of school, and to evaluate a shared music experience.

You can read the full article in General Music Today if you are a member of MENC.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY FOR EDUCATORS

Some of you know that Catherine Ring and I facilitated a workshop in July for the Youth Development Institute at UMaine. We did a similar workshop for the Open Educational Resources group in August and again in Machias at the Harvest of Ideas workshop. One of the questions we ask participants is “do you think that the arts are part of the No Child Left Behind federal act?” and have been surprised that many educators are not aware that they are mandated in the act.

It makes me wonder how many other important aspects of arts education teachers are not aware of?! Catherine decided to create a course for the American Institute for Creative Education (AICE) called: Motivating Students through the Arts and is being offered at the Hutchinson Center in Belfast beginning this Friday/Saturday, October 29 and 30th. A follow up class will take place in January.

There is still time to take advantage of this unique opportunity.  AICE offers educators and ed techs 4.5 CEUs, or the equivalent of 45 contact hours for the class.  A course description follows.  If you are interested in taking the course, please call Melody Christensen at 1-877-778-2423 or check out the AICE website at http://www.aiceonline.com.

Course Description: MOTIVATING STUDENTS THROUGH THE ARTS, Instructor:  Catherine Ring

Children and adolescents are naturally drawn to the arts because they allow their creativity to be expressed. Why not use the arts as a powerful tool for their success in learning? This course will give an overview of best practices in teaching young people and provide information, research and examples of how arts integration is a powerful vehicle for learning. Participants will be given hands-on opportunities and integrated lessons using the arts.

Outcomes:
An understanding of the value of arts education as inspiration for student success
Useful resources and handouts on specific ideas on the connection between the visual arts and literacy
Knowledge on what the research says about the arts and student success
An understanding of how arts integration enhances learning in all disciplines
Examples of arts integration that can be used immediately in the classroom.
Best Practices, Methods or Strategies Shared:

* Interdisciplinary examples
* Hands-on art lessons
* Cooperative learning techniques
* Research-based ideas
* Arts Integration definition

400 Students joined the Portland Symphony Orchestra’s brass quintet at Cony High School’s auditorium

Kennebec Journal Orchestrated performances by Matthew Stone

Looking for a good book?

Periodically I receive an email requesting suggestions of books to read and recently Derek Sivers sent me this link to his book review page found on his blog. The reviews are brief but provide enough information to know if I want to read it or not.

I’ll tell you right up front that many of them are not geared to educators but many have global applications. Soooooooooo…. if you are looking for a book to read, check out Derek’s site by clicking here.

Here are a few books that are not on Derek’s list but are recommended:

• A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink
• The Element  by Ken Robinson
• Out of Our Minds by Ken Robinson
• The Global Achievement Gap by Tony Wagner
• Brain Rules by John Medina
• Delivering the Promise: The Education Revolution by Richard A. DeLorenzo, Wendy J. Battino, Rick M. Schreiber, and Barbara B. Gaddy Carrio
• The Death and Life of the Great American School System by Diane Ravitch
• The Flat World and Education: How America’s Commitment to Equity Will Determine Determine Our Future by Linda Darling-Hammond

I received the message below from Chris Milliken (Wells Middle School art teacher) as I was preparing this post with information on a book he is reading. Perfect timing to include the info below..

Have you read You are Not a Gadget by Jaron Lanier?  I am on page 33 and it is amazing. Did you know that the designers of the internet were thinking in  artistic terms not just mathematical terms? That culture plays a dominant role in the design of everything digital? That authors and religions and ways of being and expressing could be so profoundly incorporated in what used to be relegated to  “techie geek”. My hunch that the brains of this world are also artists at heart is central to this somewhat pessimistic revelation of the information age. I read every paragraph 2 or 3 times because it’s just so darn engaging and new to me!  Highly recommended.

What books have you read recently that you recommend? Please share in the “comments” below. Thanks!

Imagination Intensive Communities – Maine Education Project Wins National Recognition

Maine’s Imagination Intensive Communities (IIC) project was one of nine projects in the United States to receive a Best Practice award from the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21) at their National Summit in Washington, D.C, recently.  IIC is a process developed by the Maine Alliance for Arts Education and the Maine Department of Education to identify, recognize, research, and share information on communities where schools and community organizations work effectively together to provide imaginative learning opportunities for students. The project was piloted in 2009-2010 with funding from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Betterment Fund, the Maine Arts Commission, and the Maine Department of Education.

Dr. Steven Paine, West Virginia superintendent of schools and chair of the P21 state partner advisory council, said of the nine states/programs that received awards, “These states are shining examples of best practices related to 21st century learning. This summit provides an extraordinary illustration for the nation and states as to how to build education systems that ensure 21st century college and career readiness for every student.”

During the 2009-2010 IIC pilot year, 6 Maine communities were identified as Imagination Intensive Communities. They are Arundel, Blue Hill, Camden-Rockport, Deer Isle-Stonington, North Haven, and York. Information on each community and the strategies they use to provide imaginative learning opportunities for students will be posted in November on the website of the Maine Alliance for Arts Education at http://www.maineartsed.org , as will application information for the 2010-2011 search for Imagination Intensive Communities.

For more information, please contact Carol Trimble, Executive Director, Maine Alliance for Arts Education, at ctrimble@maineartsed.org or Argy Nestor, Visual and Performing Arts Specialist, Maine Department of Education, at argy.nestor@maine.gov.

The Maine Alliance for Arts Education is a statewide nonprofit that works to strengthen education in all of the arts for all Maine students. Information is available at http://www.maineartsed.org .

Funding available for arts education!

The Maine Community Foundation is pleased to announce that for the third year the Minsky Fund for Arts Education will be offering five $1,000 grants to Penobscot and Washington County teachers in grades three through five for an artist in residence to work with the students and teachers to integrate their art into the curriculum. Schools of any size are eligible to apply. In the smaller schools, with a population of 100 or less, we encourage the teachers to offer the program to the whole school. At least $750 of the grant is designated for the artist. Art is defined as the visual and/or performing arts including dance, film, puppetry, theater, creative writing, etc. The deadline is 1/15.

The guidelines and application are attached and are also available by clicking here. Please contact Pamela Cleghorn at 761-2440 or pcleghorn@mainecf.org with any questions.

Harvest of Ideas workshop

Jude leading a VTS sessionOn October 12th

I traveled with Catherine Ring to Machias to present a session called: Motivating students: The Power of the Arts at the Harvest of Ideas workshop that was sponsored by the Washington county consortium.

After our session we attended the Visual Thinking Strategy (VTS) workshop conducted by Jude Valentine. Jude works for the Tides Institute & Museum of Art (TIDES) and wrote a grant last year to provide the opportunity for VTS training.The VTS pilot program is underway in Washington county. Eighteen schools are participating with art and/or classroom teachers at each school working with various age levels K-12. Each teacher will participate in trainings throughout the year, traveling to Boston in May for a recap.

Beyond this year Jude is hoping to continue to grow the program by involving more teachers. There is also more info on the TIDES web site where the press release is and Jude invites all of you to take a look at the information they’ve provided.

Maine Association of Middle Level Education (MAMLE)

When I woke yesterday morning for my second day at the state MAMLE conference the mountain had snow on the peak and there were flurries at the base. There was a nip in the air and I got excited thinking that winter is just around the corner. I do love the snow!

Each year at the MAMLE conference at Sugarloaf awards are presented to individual middle level educators as well as teams. This year there were four presented and one went to Winthrop Middle School art teacher, Lisa Gilman.

Long time friend and colleague Michele Demkowicz presented the one of two 2010 Janet Nesin Reynolds Outstanding Middle Level Educator Award’s to Lisa and she had these highlights to share about her work…

Lisa Gilman and Michele Demkowicz

Lisa has earned this prestigious award by meeting the developmental needs of young adolescents in the classroom, providing opportunities to learn through collaborative experiences, connecting units with various subject areas, using problem solving activities and student choice.

Lisa has presented at MAMLE and other statewide conferences and is published in state and national journals. For many years Lisa has incorporated the use of technology and the tools of MLTI into her art room and it is a large part of students learning. She really “gets it”!

Differentiation comes naturally to Lisa, bringing out the best in all the students, from those with special needs to the advanced learners. She uses a hands-on approach to engaging all students.

Lisa worked with her students to create the center pieces for Maine’s middle school Scholar Leader dinner, 85 small clay vases. Connecting with all students is best exemplified by the 100% student participation in a mural project. The mural expands one wall of the cafeteria, 85 feet long, is permanent for all students, staff, parents and community members to view. And the work was documented by students and staff on a blog that Lisa set up for the project.

On the Winthrop Town website, under Winthrop Art and History walk, is some of the great work that super teacher Lisa Gilman has created with students. Lisa is continuously evaluating her teaching practices and striving to improve to benefit all her students.

CONGRATULATIONS LISA GILMAN!!

Soooooo many articles

I hope you’ve had the chance to walk outside and enjoy the beautiful fall colors before the rain and wind take care of them. When you have 5 minutes you might find these articles helpful or interesting or maybe a place to start a conversation.

• Some of you have heard me say that arts educators don’t only educate students but colleagues, parents and other adults who haven’t had quality arts education programs themselves growing up. This article is about leadership and provides many tips. I suggest you share the ideas with your administrator. Please click here for the article called Leadership for Arts Education, from the blog called Leader Talk, October 21st. Thanks to art teacher Sarah Sutter for sharing the link.
• What Would Disney Learn in School Today, written by Anthony S. Colucci, from Teacher Magazine proposes that Disney’s creativity would be stifled by the testing environment found in many school environments today. Please click here to read the article.
• ‘Glee’ Inspires Students to Sing, Teacher Magazine, published October 18th talks about music programs in a few schools in different parts of the country whose programs are being impacted positively by the television show Glee. Has the show encouraged more students in your school to participate? Please click here to read the article.