TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
The Orpheum Theatre Group (OTG) is proud to be a Kennedy Center Partners in Education Team, in collaboration with Memphis Shelby County Schools. Through this program, OTG brings Kennedy Center teaching artists to work with teachers across the Mid-South. These arts integration specialists provide educators with the tools and strategies to transform classrooms.
Arts integration, as defined by the Kennedy Center, is “an approach to teaching in which students construct and demonstrate understanding through an art form.” Arts integration learning has shown to increase literacy, raise test scores, and help develop key communication skills. In short, arts integration makes learning fun while creating more enthusiastic, creative, and empathetic students.
Virtual Workshops
Registration is now open for professional learning workshops through Kennedy Center Education’s Changing Education Through the Arts (CETA) program! These workshops provide educators with arts learning and arts integration strategies that give students an engaging way to experience active, joyful learning—no matter the classroom setting.
For details about these events and to register, please visit the registration website.
Workshops take place virtually. Space in these workshops is limited. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis, so register today!
Drawing to Write For Teachers of Grades K-5 Led by Kay Thomas, visual arts teaching artist from Texas
Drawing a portrait can be an intimidating experience for the non-artist. In this engaging workshop, participants will learn an easily accessible method of drawing portraits in order to create original characters and stories that will improve students’ narrative drawing and writing skills. This workshop has multiple classroom applications in both visual art and language arts. When you leave this workshop, you will be able to teach a drawing lesson with confidence and say, “Drawing, I can do this!”
This is a synchronous, one-session workshop and will require basic art supplies. Please select only one of the two dates below.
DATE: Tuesday, October 18 from 6-7:30 p.m. CT OR Wednesday, October 19 from 3:30-5 p.m. CT
FEE: $10
Play On! Drama Games and Authenticity-Based SEL For Teachers of Grades 2-5 Led by Nakeisha Daniel, theater teaching artist from Georgia
In this workshop, participants will examine Authenticity-Based Social-Emotional Learning (AB-SEL) through a dramatic lens. AB-SEL: Drama Style is a framework for understanding Social-Emotional Learning and lays a foundation for creating environments where every individual feels seen, understood, and able to be their authentic selves. Teachers will learn foundational drama skills and improv games that they can confidently integrate into their classroom.
This is a synchronous, two-session workshop; participants must attend both sessions.
DATES:
Session 1: Tuesday, October 25 from 3:30-5pm CT
Session 2: Tuesday, November 2 from 3:30-5pm CT
FEE: $20
Moving Through Technology: Exploring Elementary Coding and Algorithms with Dance For Teachers of Grades K-3 Led by Harlan Brownlee, dance teaching artist from Missouri
Choreography, like coding, is a set of instructions. This professional development workshop is interactive as it merges coding and technology with creative movement, and leads participants through a process where they create short simple dances that illustrate the connections. Led by Harlan Brownlee, participants will learn movement and instructional strategies that can be immediately taken back to the classroom.
This is a synchronous, two-session workshop; participants must attend both sessions.
DATES: Session 1: Wednesday, October 26 from 7-7:30pm CT Session 2: Wednesday, November 3 from 6-7:30pm CT
FEE: $20
Living Tableau: Using the News to Create Theater
For Teachers of Grades 5-8
Led by Taylor St. John, drama teaching artist from Tennessee
Develop your students’ media literacy skills by translating the news into a living tableau. In this workshop, participants will examine the news as their students consume it—through Twitter or TikTok—and become active responders to what they see. Using improvisation and devised theater, participants will build a story that critically examines the way we receive and interpret information in today’s world.
This is a synchronous, two-session workshop; participants must attend both sessions.
DATES: Session 1: Thursday, December 1 from 4:30-6 p.m. EST Session 2: Thursday, December 8 from 4:30-6 p.m. EST
FEE: $20