The Capital Region Center for Arts in Education Professional Development Pathways

The Capital Region Center for Arts in Education (Center for AIE) is a dynamic partnership of educators and artists designed to bring art-centered learning to young people in elementary, middle and high schools. Founded on the Lincoln Center Institute (LCI) model of Aesthetic Education, The Capital Region Center for Arts in Education (founded in 1982) brings area schools a comprehensive professional development program that supports teachers in the use of new strategies for teaching and learning. This experiential approach strengthens students’ and teachers’ critical thinking, creative problem solving, imaginative and perceptual abilities. The Center works in partnership with pre-K through grade twelve educators, professional development providers and degree-granting teacher education programs.

Our Comprehensive Approach as modeled after Lincoln Center Institute includes:

• Works of Art -theater, dance and music performances and visual art 
• Professional Development Pathways –teacher training
• Teacher and Teaching Artist Partnerships - classroom component

Works of Art
At the heart of the Center for AIE practice is the Work of Art, selected for its high quality and richness as a teaching resource. Each year The Center for AIE offers a varied repertory of live theater, dance and music performances and visual arts exhibits. During the school year, performances are the focal points of study in the Teaching Artist/Teacher partnership component. Students are involved actively, intuitively, and academically through the partnership component. Prior to a performance (in school or mainstaged in the community), a film screening, or a museum visit, students are immersed in creating their own work of art. This presents them with choices similar to those of the artist during the creative process. Students are guided through analysis, discussion, and contextual research, which allow them to connect the ideas and elements of the work of art with their daily lives. This unique approach is called aesthetic education. The approach enhances the students’ personal expression, changes their perspectives, opens up their imagination, and deepens their understanding of the world. It becomes applicable to learning in all academic disciplines, from math and reading to the arts and sciences.

AIE Professional Development Pathways
Educators participate in workshops and courses in which they follow a process very much like the one that students experience, giving them the knowledge and skills they need to understand and implement the arts effectively across classroom practice. These participants, from pre-K teachers to college faculty, form a community that not only understands our approach to aesthetic education, but also enacts it on an in-depth basis across the education system. In response to New York State Education mandates for required PDP (district professional development planning) and/or 175 hrs of  ongoing Professional Development, The Center for AIE is offering an Arts in Education Professional Development Pathways program for 3 inservice or  graduate credits (pending).  Comprised of school year workshops, meetings and summer institutes the program features a dynamic balance between philosophy and practice, activity and group reflection, and personal and group inquiries.  Workshop leaders are specially trained by Lincoln Center Institute in the methodology and philosophy of aesthetic education. 

Teacher/Teaching Artist Partnerships
A collaborative feature of the program takes place in the classroom, where teachers and specially trained teaching artists (professionals in dance, music, drama or visual arts) plan and implement instructional units of study.   Teaching Artists are trained to facilitate lesson planning incorporating curriculum that has been established by the teacher.  Documentation of lesson plans and evaluation of the unit by both teacher and teaching artist are a vital part of the unit. 

AIE Professional Development Pathways

Many teachers are aware or have experienced artist-in-residence programs which provide a quick entry into the arts for students in the classroom. But what do students learn from this kind of exposure?

Aesthetic education is designed to immerse students and teachers in extensive units of study that involve a series of classroom sessions which are taught by a trained Teaching Artist in conjunction with the classroom teacher. Students are guided through analysis, discussion, and contextual research, which allows them to connect the ideas and elements of the works of art with their daily lives. This unique approach is called aesthetic education. The approach enhances the students’ personal expression, changes their perspectives, opens up their imagination, and deepens their understanding of the world. It becomes applicable to learning in all academic disciplines, from math and reading to the arts and sciences.

 Aesthetic education programs , unlike many other artist-in-the-school programs, includes classroom teachers in the selection and planning of the units thru well-designed professional development . The training involves teachers in hands-on activities across art forms, and deepens teachers' understanding of aesthetic education before they return to the classroom. Furthermore, teachers are encouraged to link the units with the rest of their curricula so that the arts may play a more central role in learning.

The AIE Pathways programs is a 45 hr 3 credit program (inservice or graduate credit pending) with participation in Foundations in Aesthetic Education, two follow-up workshops and the Center for AIE Summer Session. In order to reach as many educators as wish to participate, flexible Professional Development opportunities have been created throughout the school year. Participants commit to completing 45 hours of professional development offerings, in the summer or during the school year, within two years of their initial workshop. This enables educators who have not been able to attend Summer Session to have a rich professional development experience and to work with the Institute's repertory and teaching artists in their classrooms.

Educators can participate in any component as a stand-alone professional development, or continue learning through our classroom component with a Unit of Study including:

• Choosing of a live Work of Art for your students

• A curriculum planning session with our faculty Teaching Artist (2 hours)

• A Teacher/Teaching Artist partnership.  Typically, teams of 5 teachers (or 5 classes) share a planning session and 3-day residency. 

• Documentation and Evaluation

Upon completion of Foundations and a Unit of Study, you will be an AE Professional Teacher.  AE Professionals participate in advanced workshops at Summer Session and / or school year workshops.

Foundations of Aesthetic Education Program

The Foundations program provides teachers with a solid foundation in the principles of aesthetic education.. Through the Foundations of Aesthetics Educations (AE) program and workshops, you will:

• Learn the Core Elements of Aesthetic Education

• Participate in experiential workshops in dance, drama, music and visual arts

• View performances (live or via DVD) or visit museums.

• Explore ways to bring arts-in-education strategies into classroom practice.

• Learn to plan curriculum using the Lincoln Center Institute aesthetic education approach.

Through participation in the AE Foundations program teachers learn how to partner and work with a Teaching Artist in the classroom. Center for AIE Teaching Artists undergo a rigorous selection and training process addressing how to conduct a planning session with the school team of teachers; how to co-construct a curriculum with the teachers;  how to developing student activities in aesthetic education . They have substantial professional experience within an artistic discipline, provide leadership and communicate clearly, and are committed to working with educators and young people.

Location: Teacher Center at  Rensselaerville Institute
Date: Oct 19, 20 (Fri, Sat) Work of Art – Geoffrey Gee – contemporary music
Time: 5 p.m.
Fee: $95/15 hrs (inc overnight lodging, materials)
Code: IS 2584

For Registration click here

Location: Teacher Center at  Rensselaerville Institute
Date: Feb 2, 3 (Sat, Sun) Work of Art – Antigone – theater
Time: 10 a.m. Sat – 4 p.m. Sun
Fee: $95/15 hrs (inc overnight lodging, materials)
Code: IS 2585

For Registration click here

Follow-up Workshop Choices  (also open to AE Professional Teachers)

Work of Art:  Aesop Bops! 
Nov 8 (Thurs)  2007.  Time: 4 – 7 PM (inc light dinner)

Work of Art:  Visual Art/Written Word : The World of Books
Jan 17 (Thurs) 2008 Time: 4 – 7 PM (inc light dinner)

Work of Art: Dance/ Movement Theater TBA
Mar 13 (Thurs) 2008 Time: 4 – 7 PM (inc light dinner). 

Center for Arts in Education Summit 2008
Reflection on AE practice, AE coaching and presentation of 2008 – 2009 Works of Art.
Apr 10 (Thurs)  2008.  Time: 4 – 7 PM (inc light dinner). 

For registration and information call 518.525.2650 or email us at info@centerforaie.org.

In District Option-Upon request, the Center for AIE designs a variety of short- and long-term professional development opportunities for districts within the Capital Region. One-day immersions in aesthetic education include the experiential and contextual study of works in the performing and visual arts. Long-term models include customized school or district-wide sessions modeled on the Foundations of Aesthetic Education program. The Center also designs semester and yearlong courses that focus on a variety of art forms and engage participants in an exploration of ways to integrate arts-and-education strategies into classroom practice.

Teachers may elect to benefit from or AIE  Professional Development Pathways as a stand-alone program for in-service or graduate credit.

Center for AIE Summer Session  2008 

Educators and artists alike come together during Summer Session each year to explore and celebrate the ongoing inquiry into aesthetic education. Over the past 25 years, hundreds of teachers have experienced the Center for AIE Summer Session and have brought what they have learned there back into the classroom as outstanding programs for their students.

Open to K-12 teachers of all disciplines, administrators and parent arts liaison – three days of exciting and invigorating professional development.  Whether you are a returning teacher or new to aesthetic education, you will leave Summer Session with instructional strategies and methods that will:

• Enrich educational practice by engaging every student

• Enhance creativity through cognitive processes and social environment,

• Inspire you as you infuse arts into the classroom by experiencing idea                generation, editing and evaluation.

At Summer Session participants will:

• Attend live performances and selected visual art exhibits that are the focus of study for Summer Session workshops and potential school year programming.

• Work closely with The Center for Arts in Education team of professional teaching artists in experiential art making workshops that are designed to illuminate works of art under study and build creative, perceptual and problem solving skills.

• Develop new teaching strategies that integrate inquiry, art-making, and reflective practice into the classroom.

Join your colleagues for this outstanding professional development experience.

Location: University at Albany, Washington Avenue. Albany
Date:  July 8, 9, 10 (Tues thru Thurs) 2008

To arrange an Information Session at your school please contact The Center for Arts in Education at 518.525.2650 or email us at info@centerforaie.org.