Summer Teacher Institute- The Importance of Art: Creating Classroom Culture and Community During COVID-19
Join us for a four day, remotely led professional development featuring national and regional speakers and artists as we explore techniques and tips for teaching in online and hybrid art classrooms, as well as ways to make use of the Museum’s resources through virtual experiences with your students. Topics for the week include creating authentic, relevant course material for traditional or virtual settings, accessibility for all students with different learning platforms, and the importance of art in the time of COVID-19.
20 CPE/GT credit hours
Keynote Address: Art and Community During a Time of Pandemic
Speaker: James Haywood Rolling Jr.
Rolling will speak from a national perspective on the value of art education, community, and classroom culture and the need for equity and diversity in a time of pandemic and social change. He will also address the rapidly changing teaching environments art educators face and the importance of student and educator self-care.
Sessions:
The State of Art Education in Texas
Speaker: Tim Lowke
Lowke will address statewide concerns and priorities for schools and art educators for the upcoming school year, with an emphasis on why the arts are more relevant than ever in our current environment.
Building a Virtual Bitmoji Landing Page for Your Virtual Classroom
Facilitator: Jane B. Montero
In this session, art educators will learn the step-by-step process of building a virtual bitmoji landing page for a virtual classroom that can be used in remote and hybrid learning classrooms to deepen student engagement through interactive technology.
The Positive Pivot: Using Museums as a Model in Planning Authentic and Relevant Content for Learners
Facilitator: Sarah Cress-Ackermann
Cress-Ackermann will speak to needed shifts in curriculum and instruction as a result of COVID-19. The museum community has jumped to the occasion, modeling authentic and relevant ways to keep learners engaged. Attendees will walk away with big-picture considerations, as well as museum-specific resources to supplement and inspire their art curricula, no matter what the future might bring.
Engaging Students with Two-Minute Videos
Facilitator: Jane B. Montero
YouTube videos are a popular and effective way of communicating essential information to students. In this session, Montero will guide participants in the process and techniques needed to develop a set of YouTube videos covering the elements of art and principles of design for varied grade levels and art classrooms.
Quick and Easy Step-by-Step Demos for Art Instruction
Facilitator: Joyous Windrider Jimenez
Step-by-step demos are a crucial component of remote and hybrid learning environments. Jimenez will lead art educators through the process of creating effective and engaging art demos that incorporate other disciplines such as music and creative writing to connect the arts with other areas of the curriculum.
Arts Advocacy Leadership in Texas
Facilitator: Tim Lowke
With so many unknown factors affecting the upcoming school year, Lowke will share how art educators can be leaders in their school and district by promoting the visual arts in their communities. Ways to support individual art programs and students through creative leadership will also be explored.
Cultivating Community Remotely
Facilitator: Kabir Singh
Reflect with your cohorts on the rapid move to distance learning. Singh will lead discussions about supporting your learning community.
Speakers and Facilitators:
James Haywood Rolling Jr. is Dual Professor of Art Education and Teaching and Leadership at Syracuse University and the inaugural Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for its College of Visual and Performing Arts. Dr. Rolling is the current President-Elect of the National Art Education Association (NAEA) and is a member of the 2017 class of NAEA Distinguished Fellows. Dr. Rolling is also a 2018 graduate of the School for Art Leaders, a flagship training program of NAEA supporting art and design educators in their quest to excel as leaders.
Tim Lowke is the past president of the Texas Art Education Association and a Distinguished Fellow and Advocacy Chair. Tim is an art educator with thirty years’ experience who is currently the Assistant Director for Visual and Performing Arts for Round Rock ISD. He teaches throughout the community, state, and on the national level and is a current faculty member of The Contemporary Austin at Laguna Gloria. An award-recognized professional by his peers, Mr. Lowke is a published author and working artist in addition to his art education practice. He holds a BFA in Art Education from University of Texas at Austin and an ME in Educational Administration from Southwest Texas State University.
Sarah Cress-Ackermann is a veteran educator with more than fourteen years of experience in the field. She has taught all levels of art, from Pre-K through adult, here in the U.S. as well as in Switzerland. Cress-Ackermann serves as Executive Director for Teaching Innovation at Ball State University, and she has published and presented on a variety of topics including instructional technologies, online course development, teacher mentorship, educational research, and mindfulness. She serves as the Communication Liaison for the Public Policy and Arts Administration Group (PPAA) in association with the National Art Education Association (NAEA). Cress-Ackermann holds a PhD from the University of Missouri–St. Louis in Curriculum and Instruction, an MA from University of Illinois, Urbana-Champagne in Art Education, as well as BA degrees in Art Education and Photography.
Jane Montero teaches fifth- and sixth-grade art for Dexter Community Schools in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and serves as the Department Chair for Special Areas at Creekside Intermediate School. Jane earned an MA degree in Education from University of Southern California in 1991 and has been teaching since 1989. Currently, Jane is a doctoral candidate in Educational Leadership and Innovation at Concordia University, Wisconsin. She serves as a region liaison for the Michigan Art Education Association and is the newly elected Elementary Division Chairperson. Additionally, she is a 2019 graduate of the National Art Education Association’s (NAEA) School for Art Leadership program.
Joy Jiménez is a multi-disciplinary writer, artist, and educator. She spent four years at the nationally recognized creative youth development organization SAY Sí, where she co-led the ALAS Youth Theatre Company in the production of over thirty original shows created by and for San Antonio youth. As a teaching artist for organizations such as the Magik Theatre, Gemini Ink, and San Antonio Wolf Trap, she continues to offer arts and literacy education to diverse student populations in the San Antonio area.
Kabir Singh is an educator and writer based in Los Angeles. He has been teaching in art museums since 2008 and is dedicated to working toward greater equity in education and the arts. Kabir is a VTS Trainer and the Manager of Online Learning for the organization Visual Thinking Strategies, where he leads online and in-person professional development for educators in a constructivist pedagogy that teaches thinking through conversations about visual art. He also regularly facilitates art and meditation workshops for USC Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena, California. Kabir serves as the National Art Education Association (NAEA) Museum Education Division Pacific Regional Representative and is the Editor-in-Chief of Viewfinder, the division’s online journal that examines the intersection of museum education and social justice. Kabir holds an EdM in Arts in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a BA in Art History from Columbia University.