USM Mega-Regional Workshop 2015

2014-15 Mega-Regional Workshops

The Mega-regional workshops took place in four locations to provide all-day professional development opportunities in arts education. The cost was $25 per person and 5.5 contact hours were available for full-day participation. The workshop facilitators were the Maine Arts Assessment Initiative (MAAI) teacher leaders from all four phases.

 

Dates and Locations

Tuesday, November 25, 2014 Mount Desert Island High School

Friday, March 6, 2015 Aroostook county, Easton Schools

Friday, March 13, 2015 Oxford Hills Middle School, South Campus

Thursday, April 2, 2015 UMaine, Orono

Friday, April 3, 2015 University of Southern Maine, Portland

On-line registration has closed for the University of Southern Maine workshop.

 

All Mega-regional workshops took place between 8:15 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. 

Schedule

  • 8:15 a.m. Registration begins
  • 8:45 a.m. Opening Session and Morning Workshops
  • 9:10 - 10:20 a.m. Breakout Workshop Session I
  • 10:20 - 10:30 a.m. Break
  • 10:30 - 11:40 a.m. Breakout Workshop Session II
  • 11:40 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Lunch, participants on their own 
  • 12:30 - 12:45 p.m. Artist Showcase
  • 12:45 - 2:45 p.m. Session III Large group by Arts Discipline
  • 2:45 - 3:00 p.m. Closing Session

 

Session III Large Group 12:45 - 2:45 p.m.

The Arts and Proficiency: What, Why and How?

The afternoon session will be focused around group discussions utilizing key questions on how proficiency is being implemented across the state of Maine in our own arts classrooms. Participants will leave with concrete ideas and/or plans to facilitate their own actions. These may lead to breakout sessions to deeper discussions and common concerns. This session will be separated between visual and performing arts teachers.
 

Closing Session 2:45 - 3:00 p.m.

 

Contact hours

5.5 contact hours were provided at the completion of all three sessions at each Mega-regional workshop.

 

University of Southern Maine, Portland

Below are the workshops that were available for participants who attended the USM, Portland workshop on Friday, April 3, 2015.
 
 

Session I

 
The Studio Habits of Mind: Using the "Hidden Curriculum" to Encourage Student Autonomy

 

 

 

Join us in our exploration of assessment and proficiency using the Studio Habits of Mind. This workshop will present a practical look at how we came to understand and use the constructs of Studio Thinking in our K-4 and K-8 classrooms to promote independent, self-directed learning. You will gain hands-on knowledge of these habits and leave with strategies you can use in your own classroom. Grades K-8 (Easily adapted for grades 9-12.) 

 

 
Jane Snider Hancock Grammar School Visual Arts
Lisa Ingraham Madison Elementary School Visual Arts
 
 

The Recipe: Ingredients in a Proficiency-Based Curriculum

 

 

The thought of creating a proficiency-based curriculum from scratch can be daunting. When we try cooking something new for the first time, we seek a recipe to follow, and over time we adjust, improvise, substitute, and personalize the ingredients to make the recipe our own. We would like to share our recipe with you, it may not be exactly your taste, but we have ingredients and tools to share to help you get started. Grades 9-12 (Easily adapted for all grades.)

 

 

Michaela DiGianvittorio and Sarah Gould Gray-New Gloucester High School Visual Arts

 

 
Unpacking the Standards with your BFF (Best Foot Forward)

 

 

Looking for meaningful conversations around assessment in the elementary music classroom? So often music teachers feel as if they are working in isolation. Come see how Teacher Leaders Cynthia Keating and Kate Smith worked together to unpack the standards to identify their essential learnings. Tips for how to report essential learnings to parents will be shared. Grades PK-5

 

 

Cynthia Keating Village Elementary School Music
Kate Smith Central Elementary School Music

 

 
The Foolish Man Builds his House Upon the Sand: Laying a Firm Foundation for the Arts (and life) in Early Childhood

 

 

 

 
A workshop for Early Childhood Educators, Elementary Arts Specialists, and Elementary Administrators. Come join the fun as we explore how and why arts play is essential to every young child's ability to learn how to learn! Grades PK-2 (all Arts disciplines)

 

 

 

Judy Fricke Main Street Music Studios Music

 

 
Writing What We Do: A Guide to Standards-Based Curriculum Mapping & Unit Design

 

 

Essential what? Enduring Understandings? Why is it important to write down what I do in my classroom? Many districts across the state are focused on Curriculum Mapping and Unit Design using a variety of systems for tracking and organizing curriculum, units, and assessments.  This session will focus on developing skills in navigating the Understanding by Design model of unit and curriculum design. Participants will learn how to organize their curriculum, develop essential questions and enduring understandings, and determine assessment types based on what they are already teaching in their arts classrooms.  Examples and resources will be provided. Grades PK-12 (all Arts disciplines)

 

Brian McPherson Woodside Elementary School Vistual Arts
Jake Sturtevant Bonny Eagle High School Music

 

 

Session II

 

Using Digital Process Folios as a Journaling Approach to Self Assessment

 

Have you ever wondered how to digitally document students growth and understanding? Using technology, students document their learning experiences in the art room through a process-folio. For many of us, learning is about the process not the end result - learn how reflective writing and self assessments can guide students through a greater understanding of their work. Grades 6-8 (Easily adaptable for grades 9-12.)

 

 

Melanie Crowe Marshwood Middle School Visual Arts

 

 
Hatching A Songbird: Teaching and Assessing Singing Skills at the Primary Level

 

 

 
Focusing on the Kindergarten year, this workshop will offer methodical strategies for teaching young children to sing.  Included will be ideas for formative assessment, including student self assessment. Grades K-2 

 

 

 

 

Patti Gordan Raymond Elementary School Music

 

 
Moving Towards Your Goals: Using Technology for Self-Assessment in a Performing Arts Classroom

 

 

 

This workshop will demonstrate how to have students successfully self-assess their work in your performing arts classroom using their own devices.  Using an existing high school dance lesson, participants will learn how to have their own students measure and analyze their work using applications such as Twitter, Nearpod, eBackpack, and Youtube. Grades 9-12 (all Arts disciplines)

 

 

Emma Campbell Thornton Academy Dance

 

 

Dancing With the Standards: How to Incorporate Standards-Based Dance and Movement Activities in Classroom Learning and Assessment

 

 

 

Are you an arts teacher who would like to incorporate more movement in your classroom, but may feel that you lack confidence or familiarity with dance movement? This experiential workshop will walk you through a powerful yet simple creative movement exploration and dance making process that are standards-based and well suited to integrate with any content area. You will learn simple movement tools and a dance making activity that you can implement – no dance background needed – to help your students explore lesson content and engage in creative problem solving together. Grades PK-12 (all Arts disciplines)

 

John Morris Dance

 
 
The How and Why of Digital Portfolios

 

 

This workshop is focused on using Google Drive to create a digital portfolio as a means to show evidence of proficiency, allow for a method of feedback on student work and as a way to organize and maintain student work. This workshop can be used by all VPA teachers. Grades 6-12 (all Arts disciplines)

 

 

 Jeff Orth Richmond Middle/High School Visual Arts

 

 

 

Registration

Registration is closed at this time.
 
Click here for directions to University of Southern Maine, Portland.
(Parking Garage availabe at no cost. Walk through Abromson Center to the skywalk to Talbot Hall.)

 

Previous Year Mega-regional workshops

To view the archived Mega-regional workshop descriptions from 2013-2014 please click here.

 

Program Contact Information

For information about any of the Maine Arts Commission’s arts in education funding opportunities or programs, please contact Argy Nestor at 207/ 287-2713 or by email at .vog.eniam@rotsen.ygra