2nd Annual UVU Arts in Education Conference

What:


This was the 2nd Annual UVU Arts in Education Conference entitled ‘Connections’ held on Friday, October 23rd, 2009. It was a series of presentations with 2 breakout sessions to choose from and attend therewith. The focus seemed to be about drawing and finding connections between literature and the arts. How would one or could one use literature to express themes, to motivate and above all magnify the subject matter via the focus of the creative process itself.

So What:

So within the scope of education there will always be reading content. Is there a way to make core more accessible and longer lasting to our students? Of course. I personally attended the Dance – Books in Motion and Drama – Using Theatre and Drama as Educational Resources and Teaching Tools breakout sessions. These were both primarily geared towards elementary education but the theories are approachable in secondary education as well. I didn’t feel this was a weakness in the conference. I did feel that it put emphasis on creating a healthy standard in our children from a young age so they can potentially have a broader and richer environment from the beginning. I also learned about obtaining grants as a teacher to pursue the addition or hands on learning in conjunction with core curriculum. The ideas presented by the faculty at Reese Elementary was heartening; to realize that it might be possible to gain approval regardless of NCLB to use visual culture as a frame of reference to teaching a larger curriculum.

Now What:

Because of the grant knowledge, I can begin (at least in theory) to create ideas of how to approach content in such a manner that would gain attention and therefore funding. I know the arts budgets are almost nothing in most schools across the U.S. so if I can come up with an idea that is both easy to implement and that would reflect clear indicators of progress, I would in essence be beginning my journey towards emulating Ken Robinson. That was the fault of the conference; a lack of concrete adaptability. But that is the job of the teacher. How do you use music to teach and aid mathematics, how do you use movement to engage the mind and help a physical awareness of language beyond the superficial, how do you teach history and engage in dual-coding? That is my job. Mainly I am grateful to know that funding does exist even with budget cuts. Just as an inkling to a beginning of a thought, perhaps treat the classroom as one would approach a non-profit arts organization.