Archive for November, 2014

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College Fair

November 10, 2014

National Portfolio Day – Boston

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Flanked by two representatives from Lesley University are L to R Boothbay High School art teacher Manon Lewis, senior Courtney Brewer, and her Mother Patricia Brewer

Every year, and always on a Sunday, in the fall, Manon Lewis, Boothbay High School art teacher takes a group of interested students to National Portfolio Day in Boston. This is a “college fair” for students who plan to attend (or are simply interested in) colleges that offer majors in the fine arts, design and architecture.

Art schools from across the country have representatives who evaluate and give input to students who offer up their portfolios. In addition, it can simply be a way for younger students to pick up catalogs and other information about various schools. The event used to be held, on alternating years, at the various art and design colleges located in Boston. But, over the years, the event has become so well attended (and huge), that it can no longer be housed on a college campus and is now held at the Hynes Convention Center. This year it was held on October 19th.

Manon travels with her students on the Concord Trailways bus from Portland to Boston and then take the “T” from South Station to move around the city.  Many of her students attend several years running in order to work up the confidence to have their portfolios critiqued. And on several occasions, Ms. Lewis has had students accepted to colleges “on the spot”, on the basis of the work in their portfolio. This is almost as exciting for me, as it is for them! This year one of my students was accepted for the major of “Animation” on the merit of her portfolio, at Lesley University.  Her mother also came with us to Boston and was as thrilled as her daughter! (see photo)

 

Posted in Food for thought, Opportunity, Resources, Standards, Visual Arts | Tagged , , , | Leave a Comment »

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Power to the Pupil

November 9, 2014

My TEDxTalk: Sorry, Sir Robinson… I Think I Killed Creativity by Jennifer Magiera/TEDxBurnsvilleED

How do you prevent rubric zombie? Do we have time for creativity? Is innovation a luxury? Does it matter what kind of school we teach in to include creativity opportunities in our classrooms? How do we cultivate students curiosity?

Posted in Creativity, Curriculum and Instruction, Food for thought, Leadership | Tagged , | 1 Comment »

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Houston Fine Arts Study Released

November 8, 2014

Community-wide effort

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 20, 2014

NEW HOUSTON FINE ARTS STUDY RELEASED
Community-wide effort reveals a need for equitable access and recommends action to increase arts education in Houston ISD

Screen Shot 2014-10-21 at 12.14.45 PMHOUSTON, TX –According to a study released this week by Young Audiences of Houston, Houston Independent School District students who take advanced fine arts courses are more likely to pass the STAAR test in all subjects than a comparison group – and less likely to receive any type of disciplinary action. However, the report states, not all of Houston’s children have the opportunity to access the benefits of the arts and arts education equally – and some are receiving no arts education at all. This information was made public this week thanks to the Arts Access Initiative, the summary of the report is available at www.ArtsAccessInitiative.org. Houstonians are invited to learn more about the initiative and to get involved by visiting the website and attending a series of community meetings hosted by Young Audiences of Houston.

ARTS ACCESS KEY FINDINGS:
30% of HISD schools serving grades K-8 report no fine arts in out-of-school time;
29% of HISD schools serving grades K-8 report employing no full-time fine arts specialists;
92% of HISD teachers surveyed agree or strongly agree that arts have an impact in enhancing learning for disengaged students;
86% of HISD K-8 principals surveyed noted funding as a barrier;
89% of all general classroom teachers surveyed said they wanted arts-based professional development.

In 2013, Young Audiences of Houston in partnership with Houston Independent School District and city leaders established a Community Arts Team (CAT) committee to assess the current landscape of arts education in Houston ISD. This initial (phase 1) planning committee consisted of business, philanthropic, civic, education, arts and higher education leaders across the city. Leaders included Dan Gohl, Chief Academic Officer for HISD, Leslie Blanton, community leader; David Ruiz, Manager, Corporate Social Responsibility, Bank of America; Glenn Bailey, Jr., Manager, Literacy Through Photography at FotoFest; Dr. Danille Taylor, Dean at Texas Southern University; Michael Cardona, Chief Middle School Officer for HISD; Mark Cueva, Manager of Education Initiatives, Department of Neighborhoods, City of Houston; and others.

By studying national data about arts education, anonymized Houston ISD data about current students engaged in at least two years of sequential fine arts instruction, surveys distributed to principals and teachers, and a campus-by-campus inventory, the CAT committee created a series of recommendations for ensuring that all students in Houston ISD have the opportunity to access the cognitive, creative, emotional, and academic benefits of the arts and arts education.

Arts Access Initiative Interactive Maps

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The result of these recommendations is the Arts Access Initiative, a community-wide blueprint that prepares every child’s support structure in Houston ISD to value and invest in arts education. On October 16, 2014, HISD’s Chief Academic Officer, Dan Gohl, reported to HISD trustees the findings of this preliminary work and that a large number of HISD school principals had requested to immediately increase arts access at their schools. http://blogs.houstonisd.org/news/2014/10/16/hisd-board-receives-update-on-fine-arts-education-in-the-district/

As part of the outreach to the community about the Arts Access Initiative, Young Audiences of Houston will host a series of meetings that are open to the public to seek feedback and discuss the data, process, and next steps for further input on the plan.
Monday, Nov. 3, at 6:00 PM
Friday, Nov. 7, at 8:30 AM
Wednesday, Nov. 12, at 12:00 PM
All meetings will be held at the Young Audiences offices, 4550 Post Oak Place Dr., Suite 230. RSVP is required to attend. Please email yahou@yahouston.org
to reserve your place.

Additional Information:
www.ArtsAccessInitiative.org

Information reported by HISD to their trustees on October 16, 2014:
http://www.houstonisd.org/Page/32539
YOUNG AUDIENCES OF HOUSTON MISSION
To educate and inspire children through the arts, to make the arts an integral part of the school curriculum, and to advance the field of arts in education through teacher professional development training and community partnerships.
MEDIA CONTACT
Mary Curry Mettenbrink
Executive Director
(713) 520-9267 ext 109
mary@yahouston.org
www.yahouston.org

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Can Creativity be Taught and Assessed?

November 7, 2014

Ken Robinson

We’ve heard from Sir Ken Robinson in the past on the topic of creativity. Many educators are now talking about creativity, not just visual and performing arts teachers. Sir Robinson dives into the topic of creativity, the teaching of it and the assessing of it.

Where do you stand on the topic? Do you teach creativity separate from a specific topic that you are teaching? Can creativity be taught? Check out this YouTube and see what you think.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlBpDggX3iE

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Exhibit at MDOE

November 6, 2014

YAHOOOO!

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Veteran and National Board Certified Art Educator Genevieve Keller has provided the Maine Department of Education student artwork for display. The DOE is located on the 5th floor of the Cross Office building next to the State House and the art can be viewed during office hours. In addition Genevieve created a slide show that you can view electronically by clicking here.

Genevieve has been teaching for 11 years and earned her certification in 2013 in Early and Middle Childhood and Visual Arts. In addition, Genevieve is an accomplished artist! You can view her work at http://snowdayartist.blogspot.com. Not only can you view her art but see a great example of using a blog to share art and information.

Congratulations to Genevieve and her students for their accomplishments!

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Impact of Music on the Brain

November 5, 2014

Below is a Youtube that provides information on how playing an instrument impacts your brain by Anita Collins

 

Posted in Music, Research | 2 Comments »

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Flexibility is the Name of the Game

November 4, 2014

What a storm!

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Tree down on route 17 in Union on Monday. Photo taken by Chris Norris on her way to work.

On Sunday, November 2, we had an unusually large snowstorm in the mid-coast for this time of year. Sure, other years we’ve gotten snow in early November but I can’t remember ever getting this much – 18 inches. I also don’t remember such a mild fall. We finally had our first frost last week. The snowstorm is very odd since parts of Maine didn’t get one inch, let alone a large amount. And, what’s more unusual is the locations that often get tons of snow, didn’t get any. I know that not everyone was happy with the weather but I do love it!

Power was out, and still is, in many communities. The wind made the situation more difficult and in some places dangerous. Parts of downtown Rockland and Camden are completely out. I understand that the shops were closed. I am certain that it is a hardship to be forced to close due to the weather. And, it was quite the surprise to hear how many schools were closed yesterday.

I’ve been known to say that the best part about the weather is that we have no control over it. Think about it. We control so many parts of our lives but we don’t have any control over the weather. The report was for an inch, and before we knew it the report was increased to 6-8 inches, and not too long afterwards it was increased to 8-12, and lo and behold we ended up with 18 inches at my home.

For some it was a joyful day off from school and others it was stressful to do without heat, lights, and dealing with the damage from trees and branches. And, in some cases it isn’t going to be over when the power is reinstated since the clean up could take several days.

photo2So, how do we cope with this unexpected weather? In some ways dealing with the weather is no different than dealing with the changes in schools. Proficiency-based/standards-based learning is presently causing some Maine educators frustration. The Maine Arts Assessment Initiative (MAAI) has designed the Mega-regional workshops at five locations during the 2014-15 school to provide learning opportunities on this topic along with other pertinent topics. You can check out the details by going to the Maine Arts Commission webpages at http://mainearts.maine.gov/Pages/Education/MAAI-Mega-Regionals-2014-2015#. The cost to attend each Mega-regional is $25 and you can attend as many as you’d like. Participants can receive 5.5 contact hours.

Sometimes individuals get frustrated when they don’t have a forum to express their ideas and out-of-the-box thinking. The Maine Arts Commission (MAC) is providing all Maine citizens the opportunity to lend their voice by taking a five-minute online survey located at https://www.research.net/s/Maine_Arts. Hard copies of the survey are also available if you need them – contact the MAC to request a copy at mainearts.info@maine.gov or by calling 287.2724.

In addition, MAC has a survey specifically designed for teachers. Your best thinking is what want so let us hear from you please! Click the link below to complete the Teacher Survey http://tinyurl.com/ArtsEdSurvey.

We also want to hear from students, since they are the future of Maine. Please take a few minutes with your  classes or pass on the link to students and ask them to contribute their ideas. Student survey link: https://www.research.net/s/MaineArts_Students.

If you have any questions on the topics above, please don’t hesitate to contact me at argy.nestor@maine.gov.

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Posted in Communication, Curriculum and Instruction, Food for thought, Leadership, Standards Based Education, VPA | 1 Comment »

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Finding a Place at the Assessment Table

November 3, 2014

One-day conference, December 3, 2014

Southern Maine Partnership Presents

TEACHER EVALUATION, STUDENT GROWTH, AND TEACHER EFFECTIVENESS:

FINDING A PLACE AT THE ASSESSMENT TABLE

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Keynote by Rick Stiggins

Rick Stiggins, author of recent books Defensible Teacher Evaluation: Student Growth Through Classroom Assessment and Revolutionize Assessment: Empower Students, Inspire Learning will keynote the event. Rick founded Assessment Training Institute to provide professional development in assessment literacy for school leaders and teachers. He has authored several books and a host of papers on the subject.

Who Should Attend?

The one-day conference is designed for: School and District leaders, teachers, Effective Educator Steering Committee members, School Board members, and all interested in the implementation of Education Policy.

Price: $75 registration fee includes coffee, snacks, and lunch, USM, Portland campus

Registration Process: Complete the online registration at this link: http://bit.ly/1xhzG35.  Limited space available.

3 Concurrent Sessions

  • Various districts will present their Educator Effectiveness Plans, including the student growth component
  • DOE Effective Educator Coordinator, Mary Paine
  • Student Learning Outcome (SLO) examples and processes
  • Assessment Literacy for Leaders and Practitioners
  • Teacher leaders from the Maine Arts Assessment Initiative will taker their place at the table and share teacher evaluation work.
  • The Center for Research on STEM Education (RISE) from UMaine Orono will share their work with pre-post tests.
  • USM graduate students and professors pilot student growth models

For more information please contact Anita Stewart at anita.stewart@maine.edu.

Posted in assessment, Community, Curriculum and Instruction, Food for thought, Opportunity, Professional Development, Research | Tagged , , , | Leave a Comment »

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Visiting Colby College Museum

November 2, 2014

MAC Ticket to Ride funding

For a handful of years the Maine Arts Commission has provided funding to defray the cost of travel for Maine schools wishing to visit Maine arts based venues and events as part of a well rounded curriculum. Below is information provided by Jeremy Smith who teaches visual art at Maranacook Community High School.

Colby1Recently Mr. Smith took my students on a field trip to Colby College Art Museum to view the contemporary sculpture on exhibit there.  There were some remarkable works on view by artists such as Maya Lin, Glenn Ligon, Jenny Holzer, Claes Oldenburg, and Louise Nevelson.  Also currently on view at Colby were many pieces by renowned Maine artist, Bernard Langlais. 

The tour was excellent and the guides were informative and interactive.  Students were asked to participate in thoughtful critiques of several works on display.  When Mr. Smith’s students returned back to the classroom, they were asked to write hypotheses about the elements of visual communication they experienced while at Colby.  Students used a wiki that Mr. Smith created to help them remember the visual narratives from each sculpture.  Through their further investigation and discussions, the students collaborated in small groups to analyze one particular work and form opinions about their chosen artist’s intent, social relevance, and message. 

Afterwards, Smith’s students turned their work toward creating a narrative sculpture about bees, using personal influences and collaboration.  Using found objects to create hive structures and working with aluminum foil, students in Smith’s classes worked to create several collaborative pieces that will be installed into the school’s vegetable garden during the spring of 2015. 

Smith was pleased to have his students’ Colby visit funded through the Ticket to Ride program from the Maine Arts Commission which helped provide the opportunity!  Thanks also to Colby for their remarkable staff and volunteers! 

Wikis have multiple uses and are a great technology tool to utilize in the Arts classroom. To view the one used in Jeremy’s class please click here. 

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Please Note

At this time, the Maine Arts Commission is unable to fulfill Ticket to Ride funding requests.  The Maine Arts Commission expects that additional Ticket to Ride funding will be available in the near future. We recommend visiting this site periodically for an update on funding and possible program modifications.

Posted in Curriculum and Instruction, Opportunity | Tagged , , | Leave a Comment »

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Imber’s Left Hand

November 1, 2014

Jon Imber’s story documented by Richard Kane

Screen Shot 2014-10-26 at 8.47.06 PM“Director Richard Kane’s bittersweet and deeply moving film,” Maine Sunday Telegram, March 30, 2014. In the summer of 2012, painter Jon Imber was diagnosed with a fatal degenerative disease, ALS. Imber’s Left Hand tells the story of this artist’s courageous and sometimes darkly humorous response to such a sentence. The film traces his adaptations, from switching from painting with his right hand to his left, and then to both hands as the condition progresses. Adversity only makes him more determined to paint, and paint he does: more than 100 portraits in a four-month span.

You can see the trailer at http://vimeo.com/91172268.

The viewing of the film will take place at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston on Sunday, November 9, 3:00pm. Question and Answers will take place with Jill Hoy, painter, Richard Kane, film director, and Ron Hoffman from Compassion Care, ALS founder. To purchase tickets in advance tickets (suggested), please click here and for more information as well. Tickets: $14.00, $12 for members.

Photo taken from Richard Kane’s film, Imber’s Left Hand.

Posted in Food for thought, Opportunity, Visual Arts | Leave a Comment »

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