Institute Activities

VSA arts Institute participant working on a sculpture

Each day of the VSA arts Institute, participants will be involved in a wide range of activities including Core Sessions, Workshops, and Study Groups. Each session is led by a member of the VSA arts Institute Faculty.

Page Contents

Core Sessions
Workshops
Study Groups
Schedule
Contact Info

Core Sessions

The Core Sessions provide participants with ideas, theories, and concepts related to inclusive teaching in and through the arts. The sessions are fundamental to the Institute experience and are attended by all participants. Workshops and study groups later in the day expand on, apply, and provide participants with the opportunity to practice and reflect on these fundamental principles. Sessions run for 1.5 hours in length and are taught by VSA arts Institute faculty.

Each of the Core Sessions will address and be informed by the goal of maximizing each student’s achievement and growth in inclusive classrooms. Presentations will draw upon the work of a host of leading practitioners in arts, education, and disability.

The Arts and Inclusive Teaching - This core session will examine the challenge of designing and delivering learning experiences that reach and are accessible to all students. Theories and methods of inclusive education and arts-based learning will be discussed. Participants will gain understanding in practical approaches and methods of approaching the inclusive classroom to ensure progress for all students.

Winning Partnerships: Schools and Communities - This core session will examine the benefits and challenges inherent in creating partnerships between schools, educators, artists, and community organizations. Participants will understand barriers and approaches to problem-solving in partnering situations and will explore the benefits of partnering programs.

Keeping What Works and Learning from the Rest - This core session will examine the benefits of, and theoretical approaches to evaluating and assessing student learning and program success. Participants will explore different methods of evaluating learning and programming and will consider the use of evaluation data in planning for success.

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Workshops

Workshops offer a chance for Institute attendees to engage in hands-on activities that foster both creativity and understanding. Participants will be exposed to new ideas and practices, opportunities for artistic expression, and strategies to think outside the box. VSA arts Institute participants will be able to choose from several topics each day, and sessions last 1.5 hours.

Workshop topics will include:

Sharing Student Work
Parent Involvement
Planning your Curriculum
Principles of Communication and Choice in Practice
Music
Autism and Behavioral Modifications
Student Assessment and Program Evaluation
Standards
Open Art Studio
Improvisation

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Study Groups

Study Groups provide participants with a relaxed, open-forum setting to discuss, reflect upon, and directly relate with topics addressed throughout the day. An excellent way for participants to devise strategies to bring VSA arts Institute goals and ideas into their lives and careers, these sessions are roughly an hour in length.

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Schedule

Friday, October 27	Saturday, October 28	Sunday, October 29	Monday, October 30


All Day:	8:00	8:00	8:00
Participants Arrive	Breakfast and Registration	Breakfast and Registration	Breakfast and Registration
	9:15 - 10:00	9:15 - 10:00	9:15 - 10:00
	OPENING PLENARY: Soula Antoniou, President VSA arts.	PLENARY: : Dennie Palmer Wolf, Director of Opportunity and Accountability, Annenburg Institute	PLENARY: TBD
	10:00 - 10:15	10:00 - 10:15	10:00 - 10:15
	BREAK	BREAK	BREAK
	10:15 - 11:45	10:15 - 11:45	10:15 - 11:45
	CORE SESSION: Arts, Education, Inclusion: Bringing the Creative Spirit to Bear on Teaching, Learning, Life (D. Stuart and D. Brzoska)	CORE SESSION: Building Effective Partnerships for the School Community (H. Easton and R. Granet)	CORE SESSION: Keeping What Works and Learning from the Rest (M. Fried and D. Ellis)
	11:45 - 1:00	11:45 - 1:00	11:45 - 1:00
	LUNCH	LUNCH	LUNCH
	1:00 - 2:30	1:00 - 2:30	1:00 - 2:30
	WORKSHOPS	WORKSHOPS	WORKSHOPS
	Sat-A1: The Arts In Your Classroom: Teaching to Diverse Learners with an Arts-enriched Curriculum (H. Easton)	Sun-A1: Sharing Student Work to Enhance Learning and Build Community (C. Goodheart)	Mon-A1: Words and Music (D. Stuart)
	Sat-A2: Open Visual Arts Studio: Drawing (G. Sasaki)	Sun- A2: the Art Options Method: Arts-Based Learning(B. Romain)	Mon-A2: Student Assessment and Program Evaluation (C. Goodheart and D. Brzoska)
	Sat-A3: Looking at Student Work (R. Granet)
	2:30 - 2:45	2:30 - 2:45	2:30 - 2:45
	BREAK	BREAK	BREAK
	2:45 - 4:15	2:45 - 4:15	2:45 - 4:00
	WORKSHOPS	WORKSHOPS	REFLECTION/STUDY GROUPS
	Sat-B1: Mask-making and adaptations for Autism (G. Sasaki)	Sun-B1: Getting the Support you Need: Involving Parents in their Child’s Education (R. Granet and D. Stuart))
	Sat-B2: What Shall I do Next? (D. Stuart)	Sun-B2: Open Visual Arts Studio: Are You Experienced? (S. Demas and N. Parvin-Rohrer)
	Sat-B3: Improv for Everyone (C. Wolfe and J. Clare)
5:00	4:15 - 5:30	4:15 - 5:30
Reception	REFLECTION/STUDY GROUPS	REFLECTION/STUDY GROUPS

6:00
Dinner

7:00
Performance

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Contact

For questions email vsainstitute@vsarts.org or (800) 933-8721.