MALI Mega-Regional Conferences

2019 MALI Mega-Regional Conference

The Maine Arts Leadership Initiative will provided a Mega-regional conference at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School in South Paris, Maine on Friday, March 15, 8:30 a.m. - 3:15 p.m. All educators, PK-higher education were invited to participate in this professional development opportunity in arts education. Workshop facilitators included Maine Arts Leadership Initiative (MALI) teacher leaders and teaching artist leaders from all eight phases of MALI. These educators are providing dynamic work that they've been engaged with themselves, some for many years.   

Below are the descriptions for the workshops that were offered. Participants chose three workshops, one for each of the three scheduled sessions.

Register for the 2019 Mega-Regional Workshop. 

Date and Location

Friday, March 15, 2019, Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School, South Paris

Schedule

  • 8:30 a.m. Registration begins
  • 9:00 a.m. Opening 
  • 9:15 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Breakout Session I
  • 10:30 a.m. - 10:40 a.m. Break
  • 10:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Breakout Session II
  • 12:00 p.m. - 12:45 p.m. Lunch, participants on their own 
  • 12:45 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. Artist Showcase with Nicole Cardano, "We Are All One"
  • 1:50 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Breakout Session III 
  • 3:00 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. Closing

Contact hours

5.5 contact hours were provided to those who participated in the full day of the MALI Mega-regional conference at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School.

 

SESSION I  9:45 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Choose One

 

What does "arts accessibility" mean?

Shawna will share the five key definitions of arts accessibility and what they may look like in the classroom/studio. Participants will learn how to break through these barriers to access, with a few creative solutions. Grades Prek-12 

Shawna Barnes 

 
Arts and Community Outreach: The Stories We've Been Told - Preserving the Histories of our Elders

Reaching beyond the walls of the classroom to explore learning provides many valuable opportunities for both the students and those they collaborate with. Kris will share her students' current project, monthly visits to a retirement home where the students interview residents to capture their stories, games, pastimes, and events that shaped their lives. Students take these stories and create a multi-movement choral composition to be performed in our Spring 2019 concert. Students will experience cross-curricular collaboration that moves the arts to the heart of curriculum. Interconnected learning provides students of all learning styles an opportunity to demonstrate and share understanding and knowledge learning using the creative process. We will compose in the workshop and share ideas that can be used directly in your area of study. Middle School Chorus, applicable to multi-disciplines and all levels

Kris Bisson 

 

Adding Choice to Art History

Choice-Based Art classrooms are working studios where students learn through authentic art making. Control shifts from teacher to learner as students explore ideas and interests in art media of their choice. This concept supports multiple modes of learning to meet the diverse needs of our students. We'll chat about how to add choice to a studio art history course (without offering centers) and through the hands-on creation of artist trading cards. Middle/High School Visual Art. Elementary welcome

Cindi Kugell 

 
Zines

Informational Zines or mini magazines are a great way to bring writing into the art room. In this workshop we will look at combining informational writing with drawing techniques and tools to create unique zines. We will look at student examples, strategies and tools for teaching an arts/literacy integrated unit and have time to create a zine. Once complete zines are easy to photocopy and are always fun to share with classmates and the school community.  Elementary Visual Art

Samantha Armstrong 

 
Theater as a Life Skill

Play lets us shake off anything unwanted and connect with those that we are with.  Foundational practices of improvisational theater: Listening, Eye Contact, Respect, Support, YesAnd as well as Embracing Mistakes will be discussed and exercised.  Sharing observations and experiences as a student, teacher and general human. PK-12

Nicole Cardano 

 
Music & Math

Lindsay and Tom will share their experiences teaching music and math as a single domain. Using simple, open ended tasks, they will show how to help students make connections between these two normally specialized subjects, and how other "rabbit holes" can be discovered along the way. Grades 1-12, Music

Lindsey Pinchbeck & Tom Luther

 

SESSION II 10:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Choose One

 
Sandbox Composing

Joe will demonstrate how easy it can be to compose music. With participation from the group, we will create a new piece of music with numbers (and talk about other ways to write music too). Risk taking and mistakes will be the driving force of this workshop.  Grade 6-Adult Music

 

 

 Joe Cough 

 
The Possibilities of Full Choice

A story of a developing full choice approach to art making, hard copy and link-based resources (including student project proposal form, course expectation student guide, self direction management aid, rubrics, do's and don't's, examples of student works, and access to slide presentation) to assist the wild-spirited, brave, and trusting (or crazy) to dive in feet first or the perhaps wiser ginny-pig with an appetite for a savory taste. All wild-spirits and ginny-pigs welcome! Grade 6-12 Visual Art

 

Shalimar Poulin Chassé 

 
Arts and Community Outreach: The Stories We've Been Told - Preserving the Histories of our Elders

Reaching beyond the walls of the classroom to explore learning provides many valuable opportunities for both the students and those they collaborate with. Kris will share her students' current project, monthly visits to a retirement home where the students interview residents to capture their stories, games, pastimes, and events that shaped their lives. Students take these stories and create a multi-movement choral composition to be performed in our Spring 2019 concert. Students will experience cross-curricular collaboration that moves the arts to the heart of curriculum. Interconnected learning provides students of all learning styles an opportunity to demonstrate and share understanding and knowledge learning using the creative process. We will compose in the workshop and share ideas that can be used directly in your area of study. Middle School Chorus, applicable to multi-disciplines and all levels

Kris Bisson 

 
Practical Self-Care for Teachers - Beyond Bubble Baths and Barre Class

This workshop was born out of necessity. Elise will share her personal experience of confronting the topic of self-care as an elementary visual arts teacher. This ever evolving workshop will provide teachers, artists, and busy people in general tools, resources, insight, and reminders to support their growth and practice of self-care.   PreK-12 All content

 

Elise Row 

 
Pre-Assessment: Misconceptions & Building Stronger Student Achievement

Let's dive into the misconceptions surrounding pre-assessment and look at easy ways to implement strategies into the classroom that work for both teacher and student. PreK-12 All content

 

Iva Damon

 
Students Reflective Response & the Digital Process-Folio

The use of reflective practice allows students the opportunities to gauge their understanding along the process of creating. As students regularly document their experiences throughout process of art making it provides opportunities for discussion and conversation between student & self, student & peers, and student & teacher. These conversations provide checkpoints for reflective practice and growth. Grade 6-High School Visual Art - applicable beyond art room

Melanie Crowe

 

SESSION III 1:50 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Choose One

 
What does "arts accessibility" mean?

Shawna will share the five key definitions of arts accessibility and what they may look like in the classroom/studio. Participants will learn how to break through these barriers to access, with a few creative solutions.   PreK-12 All content

Shawna Barnes 

 
Music & Math

Lindsay and Tom will share their experiences teaching music and math as a single domain. Using simple, open ended tasks, they will show how to help students make connections between these two normally specialized subjects, and how other "rabbit holes" can be discovered along the way. Grades 1-12 Music

 

Lindsey Pinchbeck & Tom Luther

 
Sandbox Composing

Joe will demonstrate how easy it can be to compose music. With participation from the group, we will create a new piece of music with numbers (and talk about other ways to write music too). Risk taking and mistakes will be the driving force of this workshop. Grade 6-Adult Music

 

Joe Cough

 
Zines

Informational Zines or mini magazines are a great way to bring writing into the art room. In this workshop we will look at combining informational writing with drawing techniques and tools to create unique zines. We will look at student examples, strategies and tools for teaching an arts/literacy integrated unit and have time to create a zine. Once complete zines are easy to photocopy and are always fun to share with classmates and the school community.  Elementary Visual Art

Samantha Armstrong 

 
Adding Choice to Art History

Choice-Based Art classrooms are working studios where students learn through authentic art making. Control shifts from teacher to learner as students explore ideas and interests in art media of their choice. This concept supports multiple modes of learning to meet the diverse needs of our students. We'll chat about how to add choice to a studio art history course (without offering centers) and through the hands-on creation of artist trading cards. Middle/High School Visual Art (elementary welcome)

Cindi Kugell

 
Students Reflective Response & the Digital Process-Folio

The use of reflective practice allows students the opportunities to gauge their understanding along the process of creating. As students regularly document their experiences throughout process of art making it provides opportunities for discussion and conversation between student & self, student & peers, and student & teacher. These conversations provide checkpoints for reflective practice and growth. Grade 6-High School Visual Art - applicable beyond art room

Melanie Crowe

 

Registration - 2019 Mega Oxford Hills 

Registration is closed.
You can register and make your payment for the Mega-Regional Workshop through Eventbrite. At Eventbrite you will only see the workshop titles without the descriptions. Select three workshops, one for each of the three scheduled sessions. 
Payment Options - 2019 Mega Oxford Hills
  • Credit Card through Eventbrite
  • Check made payable to ArtsEngageME and mailed to 25 State House Station, 193 State Street, Augusta, ME 04333, Attention: Argy Nestor
  • Purchase Order (email Christina deGroff at moc.liamg@7102noitacudecam for instructions)

Previous Year Mega-regional workshops

View the archived Mega-Regional Workshop descriptions from 2018 here, or 2016-2017 here. To view the archived Mega-Regional Workshop descriptions from 2015-2016 please click here.

Program Contact Information

For information about any of the Maine Arts Commission’s arts education funding opportunities or programs, please contact Martha Piscuskas, Interim Director of Arts Education at vog.eniam@saksucsip.ahtram or 207/287-2713.