The post also appears at Teaching Artist Journal’s ALT/Space. Creating a permanent place for the arts in public education requires some adjustment between the two in order to create a fit — a whittling process that usually affects the art more than the public institution within which it’s finding a home. Given the current trends […]
Entries Tagged as 'assessment'
“Meeting performance standards at this time, with steady progress”
November 20th, 2011 · 2 Comments · Uncategorized
It’s been 12 weeks since school started, and the dust is just beginning to settle. The term “ratchet up” came to me this last week, as associated with pressure. Such is the climate in education of late, midst educational reform, standardized testing, furlough days, and cries for teacher accountability. I’m wondering when — if — […]
Dance is to report card criteria as…
July 9th, 2011 · 1 Comment · Uncategorized
Colors are to numbers Dreams are to budgets Flow is to schedule… Such are possible analogies to highlight how jarring the idea of grades can be to dance specialists focused on inspiration, creativity & collaboration! My district, Seattle, recently decided to revise the reporting of the arts on the elementary report card. Previously, what’s been […]
Tags:assessment·logistics·standards·teaching·thinking skills
The uncomfortable truths of assessment
March 30th, 2010 · Comments Off · Uncategorized
Assessment time again. Just finished scoring the dance assessments required for 5th graders in Washington State, and it’s not all good news: 6 out of 44 students didn’t choreograph locomotor (traveling) movements into their dance, despite the instructions. Did they not understand, or were they cowed by being videotaped? 21 out of 44 students (!) […]
Tags:assessment
Assessing dance while unleashing creative chaos
March 16th, 2009 · 1 Comment · Uncategorized
Anyone happening into my classroom this week might think, or yell, “What’s going on here?!” Get the creative juices bubbling in 28 children, and you’re gonna have some moments of chaos… Students in intermediate classes just now are completing Classroom-Based Assessments in Theatre & Dance, which call for the choreography of solos. As quiet and […]
ArtsTime All the Time
March 3rd, 2009 · 2 Comments · Uncategorized
If you live at the intersection of art and education, somewhere in Washington State, consider finding your way to Tukwila on March 20 & 21. Perhaps Tukwila’s not where you thought to go for a refreshing break, but it’s the site of ArtsTime, a biennial professional development conference with an extensive menu of workshops in […]
Tags:assessment·choreography·curriculum integration·PD·standards·teaching
Arts Worrier: teaching theatre & music for dancers
February 8th, 2009 · Comments Off · Uncategorized
A number of years ago, when I first started teaching as a certificated dance educator, I heard someone (I don’t know who it was) say, “Every school needs an arts worrier.” That’s someone who worries about ensuring that the kids get a well-rounded exposure to the 4 arts disciplines. Someone who thinks about offering comprehensive, […]
Tags:assessment·curriculum·curriculum integration·logistics·music·percussion·schedule·teaching·theatre