Art and media education support and in-class service to middle school students
From the HP website:
Hartford Performs brings visiting artists into Hartford Public Schools to teach curriculum in creative new ways. We take Hartford kids out to area arts organizations to ensure they experience professional dance, music, theater and museums. And we provide Hartford teachers with professional-learning programs that help them use art techniques in their classrooms to help kids learn and develop. Almost 14,000 students in all 30 PreK-Grade 8 public schools in our city benefit from our system each year. The website is www.hartfordperforms.org.
I have been part of the Hartford Performs roster of teaching artists for several years. My in-class training connects written homework in many topic areas to the classic oral tradition of personal expression and learning through dialogue.
Students translate short written assignments into recorded scripts for reading aloud for group critique, to become more aware of the unique personal voice and how to improve speaking skills, and how to inject inner thoughts and feelings into personal expression for the transmission of knowledge.
This has been wonderful rewarding work that deeply informs and inspires my primary teaching in media and communication at Eastern Connecticut State University.