Biennial Arts Ed Conference Workshops
Workshop Descriptions
The Maine Arts Education: The Measure of Success conference will provide a full day of professional development with an afternoon of two-75 minute sessions where you will be able to explore two topics at a deeper level designed for everyone in the arts education community.
For a PDF of the Workshop Schedule: Click Here For a PDF map of the athenaU Education Center: Click Here
Please select two workshops, one for each Breakout Session.
Breakout Session 1 – 12:45-2:00 p.m.
Breakout Session 2 – 2:15-3:30 p.m.
Studio Habits of Mind: Using the "Hidden Curriculum" to Encourage Student Autonomy
Theresa Cerceo
Dr. Levesque Elementary, Wisdom Middle/High School Visual Arts
Janie Snider
Hancock Grammar School Visual Arts
Workshop Details
Join us in our exploration of assessment and proficiency using the Studio Habits of Mind (SHoM). This workshop will present a practical look at how we came to understand and use the constructs of Studio Thinking in our classrooms to promote independent, self-directed learning. We believe that the 8 dispositions can enable students to gain a successful educational experience. You will gain hands-on knowledge of these habits and leave with strategies to use in your own classroom. Grades PK-12 All Educators
Presenter Bios
Theresa is originally from Philadelphia. For the past 9 years she has been teaching visual arts in Northern Maine. She is continually tweaking her teaching and checking in with students in her K-12 classroom, which is primarily Choice-Based classroom. Theresa has been an MAAI Teacher Leader since 2014.
Janie has been teaching grades K-8 art education in Washington and Hancock Counties for 22 years. Janie received the 2014 Middle Level Art Teacher of the Year by the Maine Art Education Association. She has been an MAAI Teacher Leader since 2012. At the center of Janie's belief on successful teaching is: ART is for ALL STUDENTS and PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT is ESSENTIAL for ALL TEACHERS.
Please click here to view the video.
Making Maine and ME
Jennie Driscoll
Brunswick High School Visual Arts
Workshop Details
Arts Integration Connections - Architectural Letters combine personal and historical narratives. (Art and Social Studies) Narrative collages help students make connections from the past to the present as they explore literacy, creative problem solving, collaboration, technology, critical thinking and self-expression. Apply 21st Century learning skills in this hands-on art-making workshop. Practice setting criteria for assessment and examine holistic and analytic rubrics. Grades PK-12 All Educators
Presenter Bio
Jennie is a Board Certified Art Educator teaching at Brunswick High School with 26 years of experience. She has been an MAAI Teacher Leader since 2011 and, has presented at numerous state and regional conferences. As a practicing artist, Jennie creates paintings, drawings, photographs and jewelry inspired by organic forms.
Please click here to view the video.
Evaluating Individual Proficiency within the Large Ensemble
Jen Etter
York Middle School Music
Workshop Details
Join us to take a look at exemplars from both band and choral ensembles at all levels of schooling. We will discuss what critical skills are being demonstrated (or not being demonstrated!) and how students can be evaluated for individual proficiency. Workshop participants will come away with concrete indicators they can bring back to their own ensembles in their schools. We will also discuss how we can differentiate for students who have trouble meeting those indicators and also more accelerated students who need to be challenged at a higher level. Our discussion will take place both as a large group and as smaller round table discussions at the elementary, middle and high school levels. Grades PK-12 Music
Presenter Bio
Jen is a teacher at York Middle School and has been an MAAI Teacher Leader since 2013. She has just completed a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in curriculum and instruction at the University of New England and is very excited to work with other arts educators at the statewide conference!
Please click here to view the video.
Dancing with the Creative Process: How to incorporate standards-based dance and movement activities in classroom learning and assessment
John Morris
Dancer, Educator, Teaching Artist
This experiential workshop will guide arts teachers and teaching artists through a series of powerful yet simple creative movement and dance making explorations that are standards-based, and well suited to integrate with any content area. You will learn basic movement tools and a dance making activity that you can implement – no dance background needed - to help your students explore classroom content and engage in creative problem solving together. Teachers of all arts disciplines are welcome. Grades PK-12 All Educators
Presenter Bio
John Morris is a dancer, educator and teaching artist. Additionally, he has a background in large-scale arts assessment and creativity research. Born and raised in Maine, John has recently returned after living in New York City for many years, as well as spending four years in the Shetland Islands in the UK. When not focused on dance, John works as a personal development coach.
Please click here to view the video.
In the Midst of Madness
Jen Nash
Sebasticook Valley Middle School Music
MaryEllen Schaper
Bonny Eagle Middle School Dance
Jeff Beaudry, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Educational Leadership, University of Southern Maine
In 2012 An Act to Ensure Effective Teachers and School Leaders was signed into law in Maine. School districts across the state are working towards implementation of evaluative methods for teachers. Writing rigorous assessments that measure student growth is a critical component of this work. Unpacking the law will help participants understand the potential impact on visual and performing arts teachers. Discussing and developing high quality assessments will help guide future work in your classroom. Grades PK-12 All Educators
Presenter Bios
Jennifer has been teaching jazz band, band and general music in RSU 19 for 7 years. She performs violin in the "Opus Trio", is a private violin instructor, and works as a Southern Maine Strings Camp counselor. Jen has been an MAAI Teacher Leader since 2011 and has co-led a series of webinars for the Maine DOE's Cross Discipline Literacy Network. She has been the Arts Representative on the TIF 4 Grant Steering Committee, as well as serving as Music Leader on the Proficiency-Based Curriculum Development Steering Committee.
MaryEllen has a BS from UMass, Amherst, an MEd from UMO. She has been active in the dance education community for almost 40 years, co-authoring the Maine Dance Education Curriculum, and doing work for Maine DOE, Maine Arts Commission, MAHPERD, and choreographing for several area community theaters. MaryEllen teaches at Bonny Eagle Middle School and has been an MAAI Teacher Leader for 5 years.
Dr. Beaudry, Associate Professor in Educational Leadership, has a blend of academic and educational technology. He has an associate degree in scientific photography and worked for six years experience as a medical-scientific photographer. In 2015 he co-edited an article, The Maine Arts Leadership Initiative: Uniting Assessment and Professional Development in Arts Education, and co-edited a book, Cases on Teaching Critical Thinking with Visual Representations, a compilation of teachers’ practitioner research on the use of mapping to improve student outcomes. His current interests include assessment literacy, multimedia, and outdoor learning. Jeff has served on the MAAI Leadership Team since 2011.
Please click here to view the video.
Empathy, Kindness and Wonder, Arts Integration at Work
Lindsay Pinchbeck
Sweet Tree Arts
Workshop Details
Arts Integration has the potential for us to grow alongside our students. Using the creative arts in our teaching allows us to deepen our relationships, strengthen our actions, and continue our questions. During the workshop participants will explore, share, and question elements of an arts integrated approach. The workshop will provide a variety of arts experiences, allowing us to apply our personal understanding to our teaching practice. Be prepared to journal, share findings and questions, and participate in storytelling, drama, and movement activities. (Please know, there is always the right to pass and observe.) Grades PK-12 All Educators
Presenter Bio
Lindsay is director of Sweet Tree Arts L3C and founder of Sweetland School, a Reggio Inspired Arts Integrated program in Hope, ME. She has been teaching in the arts and alternative education settings for the past 15 years. Pinchbeck gained her Masters in Education through Lesley University's Creative Arts and Learning program and received her undergraduate degree in Art and Music from Colby College. Creatively she works as a print maker and photographer. Lindsay believes art can be shared by all ages and all abilities on many levels - we create as active participants, engage as observers and share experiences together that enrich our lives and build empathy when we explore the world through the arts.
Please click here to view the video.
Brains on Fire: How Research on the Brain Can Inform Arts Education
Catherine Ring
New England Institute for Teacher Education
What implications can research on brain development have on arts education? What is the role of the arts in learning? How are common myths about the brain hampering teaching? Come learn about some of the latest research on neuroscience and brain development and learn how you can build a compelling case to enhance arts programming in your school. A wealth of resources will be shared. Grades PK-12 All Educators
Presenter Bio
Catherine is Executive Director of the New England Institute for Teacher Education and is a former school principal and visual art teacher. Catherine is a founding member of the Maine Arts Leadership Initiative. She completed her Education Leadership studies at the University of Vermont and received her Master of Arts from Vermont College of Norwich University. For her thesis, entitled “Education and the Arts, Toward Creative Intelligences,” she researched the role of the arts in learning and has worked closely with classroom teachers, helping them to integrate the arts.
Please click here to view the video.
From Cool to Tool: Technology Integration with Student Learning in Mind
Kate Smith
Central School in South Berwick
Dan Ryder
Mt. Blue High School in Farmington
When technology is purposefully and meaningfully integrated into a lesson, it can lead to deeper understanding while offering new outlets of creativity. From 3D printing, to remix, mashup and improv, we are sure to have something of interest to you. Need tech tips for management and organization of materials? We can do that too. Grades PK-12 All Educators
Presenter Bios
Kate is the elementary music teacher at Central School in South Berwick, Maine. She has been an MAAI Teacher Leader since 2014. Kate is the 2014 York County Teacher of the Year. Kate's interests include arts and technology integration, school gardens and hiking.
Dan is an educator by trade, generalist by practice, and a 16-year veteran English teacher and improv coach at Mt. Blue High School in Farmington. He is an adjunct instructor at UMF, and presents workshops on technology integration, improvisation and design thinking. As co-founder of the education podcast and blog Wicked DecentLearning, he can be followed on Twitter @wickeddecent. Dan’s improv skills can be seen on display with Teachers Lounge Mafia Impro.
Please click here to view the video.
Proficiency Based Learning: An Advocacy Story
Rob Westerberg
York High School Music
Workshop Details
This session will present strategies for continued implementation of PBL in your own classroom, and highlight the powerful corollary advocacy points that go along with each. If our advocacy efforts have been so useful for the past 20 years, why are we still so much in need of more? Come find out how our most recent PBL work has the potential to finally push arts education to the forefront of our school's academic agenda while providing the richest, most relevant curriculum possible for our students. Grades PK-12 All Educators
Presenter Bio
Rob is the choral director at York High School and a founding member of the Maine Arts Leadership Initiative. He has worked extensively with arts educators and school districts across the northeast developing customized assessment strategies and proficiency based models of instruction.
Please click here to view the video.
OCTOBER