Training Teachers to Teach the Arts
U.S. Department of Education
Arts Education Model
Development and Dissemination Grant: 2002-2005
Training Teachers to Teach the Arts
Training Teachers to Teach the Arts was a 3 year grant project of teacher training in the Arts Impact Core model. The project investigated the development and growth of confidence, knowledge and skills, and the instructional practice of participating teachers.
Project Design
Training Teachers to Teach the Arts trained 75 teachers from 9 different school districts through the following Arts Impact models:
- Core Training served teams of 3-6 teachers from various schools throughout the Pierce County region.
- Whole School Training served the entire school staff of Ptarmigan Ridge Intermediate School in Orting School District.
- Multi-Arts Training paired one district’s school-based multi-art specialists with classroom teachers.
Quantitative and qualitative data was collected to measure teacher learning in the arts, student learning in the arts, growth in teacher practice, and quality of project implementation. Instruments included:
- Autonomy Rubric for Teachers (PDF, 200KB)
- Teacher Surveys
- Performance-Based Assessments: Specific criteria-based performance assessments are included in each lesson and can be found in the Arts Impact lesson database.
- Measurements of Student Progress: Information about the Washington State Assessments, Measurements of Student Progress (MSP) Tests, can be found on the OSPI website.
Project Goals
- Increase teacher knowledge in arts foundations and arts-infused concepts
- Increase teacher autonomy to teach and infuse the arts
- Increase student knowledge in standards-based arts and arts-infused concepts
- Increase arts education in schools in Pierce County, Washington
Professional Development Components
- Whole School or Teacher Teams (3-6 teachers per school)
- Two years of direct professional development: 46 total hours of instruction per year included:
- Experiential Summer Institute: 30 hours per year
- Classroom mentorship: 10 hours per year
- Supplementary Workshops: 6 hours per year
- Cultural study trip to museum exhibition, dance or theater performance
- 46 clock hours or 4 graduate credits from Seattle Pacific University per year
Curriculum
Scope and Sequence (116KB)
- Year 1 focus: arts foundations in dance, theater and visual arts
- Year 2 focus: dance, theater and visual arts infusion into math, science and literacy
Resources
- Two Curriculum Notebooks: Arts Foundations and Arts-Infused
- Artworks from local museums as object-based references of concepts in each visual arts lesson and on disc
- Professional performances at partnering theaters and performing arts centers
- Museum tours customized to complement Arts Impact and teacher-created lessons
- Teacher-written lesson plans on disc
- Web-based lesson plan database
- Documented, school-wide professional development plan