The Teaching Artist Waltz: On Partnerships & Collaboration

On November 11th, our 37 TAP trainees came together once again for the third workshop of the year in order to explore partnerships and collaboration. Our Advanced Trainees started the day by presenting the collaborative lesson plans they created with their partners.

They presented lessons that collaborated all art forms for a variety of ages. These lessons included creating three-dimensional characters through our cultural backgrounds, putting together found poems that express our authentic voice, connecting images to physical experiences, and exploring identity through writing and movement.

The New & Beginning trainees participated in the lessons as students, jumping in to take part and learn from their peers.

After the lesson plan presentations, facilitators Patti Chilsen and T. Scott Lilly dove into part of the day's focus: Learning Objectives & Inquiry Questions. These elements are some of the key tools used to create a rich, meaningful lesson that is age-appropriate and will keep a Teaching Artist on track in their teaching path.

The trainees also explored age-appropriate lessons through the lens of Assessment. They worked in groups to learn about developmental stages and how that information can be translated and integrated into their lessons.

At the end of the day, the advanced trainees went with Patti to the Community-Word Project offices in order to discuss "Habits of Mind," while the New & Beginning stayed with Scott to better understand school partnerships, co-teaching, and work one-on-one with their teaching partners in order to prepare for their December 2nd presentations.

Stay tuned for updates on our fourth workshop with the New & Beginning and Student trainees, in which they'll present their collaborative arts lessons for the first time!