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Professional Development Programs

Program Description
For 30 years, Studio in a School has made professional development for teachers an integral part of all our programs, with the recognition that systemic change can only happen if teachers are given the substance and the tools they need to master innovative approaches to arts education. In workshops hosted by STUDIO artists, teachers are invited to experience firsthand the art techniques learned by children in the classroom. Teachers share in their students' excitement about creating art, they discover ways to integrate classroom lessons with studio projects, and they gain familiarity with an artist's materials, tools and techniques. Under the artist's guidance, teachers develop the confidence and ability to conduct art lessons and to extend art into the everyday curriculum.

Incorporating the Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in the Arts
STUDIO's groundbreaking collaboration with the New York City Department of Education (DOE) in the design and dissemination of the Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in the Arts takes our investment in professional development programs one step further. This bold new approach in the way arts are integrated into the public school curriculum has given STUDIO a leadership role and sole responsibility for the launching of the Blueprint in the public school system as we continue our efforts to foster the creative and intellectual development of children. One of the goals of the comprehensive, multi-year program is to ensure that all of the 1,200 visual arts teachers in the school system participate in master workshops that teach the innovative approaches to teaching the visual arts mandated by the Blueprint, and understand the unique benefits to children that these approaches provide.

To date, STUDIO has conducted over 200 of these workshops for teachers citywide. STUDIO's teaching artists have been working in tandem with model art teachers from elementary and secondary schools. By the end of 2005, STUDIO had provided professional development sessions for all of the city's art teachers for all grade levels thoughout the five boroughs.

Visual Arts Demonstration Schools
At the heart of the Blueprint's professional development program is the creation of Visual Arts Demonstration Schools. These schools, chosen by STUDIO after reviewing sites suggested by the DOE, have teachers in place who can show visiting instructors and administrators working models of Blueprint lessons that illustrate how to incorporate the new curriculum into daily classroom activity. They allow visual arts teachers to observe and practice how various aspects of the Blueprint’s strategies can be successfully integrated into their own classrooms. Not least, the Visual Arts Demonstration Schools provide an exceptional visual arts education to their students. Three of these demonstration sites have already been established, and STUDIO plans to create a total of ten by the end of a three-year period.
Contact
To find out more about STUDIO's exciting professional development programs,
contact the Director of Programs, Westside Studio, 75 West End Avenue, NY, NY 10023. Tel: 212-459-1455 x. 226