me arts ed

Delta Kappa Gamma

Last week I had the opportunity to share information on Arts Integration with 35 educators at the Viles Estate in Augusta. It was a Saturday morning at 8:30 but you would never know it was an early time at the end of the week, by the enthusiasm from the participants.

Participants in Catherine Ayer’s bookmaking workshop

The professional group is called the Gamma Chapter of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International. The participants represent key women educators, active and retired, from the Augusta, Gardiner, Hallowell, Maranacook, and Winthrop area. Their purpose includes promoting professional and personal growth of all educators and excellence in education.

Following my presentation participants had three outstanding choices:

1. Susan Lockhart, the Literacy Specialist from Mt. Vernon Elementary School  provided participants with practical ways to engage young learners in shared/choral reading activities using songs and poetry. Participants learned the value of songs in reaching and reinforcing print concepts, increasing phonemic awareness, and promoting fluency.

   2. Kathi Wall, the Executive Director of the Maine Lakes Resource Center in Belgrade presented on “The Intersections of Art and Science”. Participants explored the concept that art is all around us and ready for use by the student and teacher. She shared many resources including those found on the Internet.

   3. Katharine Ayer who was an art teacher at Manchester Elementary School presented a book making workshop. She shared many many examples and participants created books to take back as samples. Participants were totally engaged.

    

The resources that I shared are on an open wiki called me arts integration and located at http://meartsintegration.pbworks.com. It has hundreds of resources including articles, websites, books, TedTalks, and much more.

The organization is always seeking new members. If you are interested please email