Title: School Inclusion Through the Arts

Presenters: Charles J. Washburn, Executive Director
			cjw@vsamass.org
   
  VSA arts of Massachusetts
  China Trade Center
  2 Boylston Street
  Boston, MA  02116

  617-350-7713 (Voice)
  617-350-6836 (TTY)
  617-482-4298 (Fax)

Level: Introductory

Type of Session: Workshop

Session Strand: Program Strength

Session Track: Affiliate and Partners Staff (Interested board members welcome)

Session Description: The workshop introduces the alignment of artist-in-residence programs to learning standards and methods for effecting change in instruction and learning through arts infused learning.   We introduce Multiple Intelligences Theory for the classroom and how the Multi-Arts Resource Guide and Start With the Arts can extend the impact of residency programs.

Content Description:

The presenters will discuss how residencies are designed to address elements of individual school improvement plans developed under the aegis of the Massachusetts Education Reform Act.  We will show how our residency artists approach aligning their work with the specific instruction and learn goals of each class and the resources VSA arts of Massachusetts provides to help with this process.

Participants will take a Multiple Intelligence -self assessment and discuss how teachers can use this device to understand how they teach and how their students learn.  We will then demonstrate how, armed with this understanding, teachers can use resources like Multi-Arts Resource Guide and Start With the Arts to increase the learning modalities available to their students.

Participants will participate in one of the activities from the Multi-Arts Resource Guide and discuss how it might contribute to the educational objectives of participants in their programs.


Learner Outcomes:

1. Participants will become familiar with the application of Multiple Intelligences Theory in the classroom and how specific resources available through VSA art can be used to promote improvement of instruction and learning for all students.
2. Participants will consider how their own programs can be better aligned with specific goals of education reform and support the accomplishment of high learning standards.


Source of Information:

VSA arts of Massachusetts's education programs advocate the use of the arts from preschool through high school to support curriculum and to encourage the inclusion of students of all abilities and learning styles.  Projects are guided by the philosophy that infusing arts into instruction and curriculum has a profound effect on every student's understanding and confidence, and allows for active teaching and learning engaging all the senses.  For some students with disabilities arts infused instruction is particularly beneficial, providing opportunities for academic success and inclusion with their peers they would not otherwise have. VSAM was awarded the COMMONWEALTH AWARD by MCC in recognition of "Model arts education programs provided throughout the state that allow children with and without disabilities to achieve their highest potential." VSAM has a contractual partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Education to provide arts based education programs throughout the state

ARTIST RESIDENCIES
The residency program employs a culturally diverse group of approximately 30 Massachusetts artists for individually designed residencies across the state that utilize ideas from visual and performing arts disciplines to support students of many skill levels in addressing curriculum goals and building relationships with caring adults.  All artist residencies foster the achievement of high standards while supporting the inclusion of students with disabilities.  We have programs in over 90 classrooms serving nearly 3,000 students in 10 communities

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
VSA arts of Massachusetts trains teachers and administrators in the ongoing use of arts activities to engage students with different ways of learning and to bring students of all abilities together in the classroom. For four years the Annenberg Fund for Excellence supported VSAM's work to use the arts to foster whole school change in two Boston Public Schools.  We serve some 200 Massachusetts educators each year in our programs.  VSAM also provides professional development services through other VSA arts affiliates including, in recent years, programs in Texas, North Carolina, Puerto Rico and Peru.

MULTI-ARTS RESOURCE GUIDE (MARG)
VSA arts of Massachusetts publishes MARG and its companion videos to provide teachers and paraprofessionals and after school care providers with a crucial tool for utilizing arts activities in teaching core curriculum.  MARG clearly presents accessible, creative arts activities in puppetry, movement, printmaking, collage, theatre arts, sound and "self concepts."  Each easy to use lesson plan includes comments regarding direct curriculum connections and adaptations appropriate for students with varying abilities. Over 4,000 Massachusetts teachers use our publication.  The VSA arts Home Office has translated our curriculum guide into Spanish for use by our Latin American affiliates.  



VSA arts of Massachusetts
Session Proposals for 2003 VSA arts Annual Meeting and Leadership Institute

