Storytelling in Indiana

There are many wonderful storytelling events in Indiana. There are many storytelling events in Indianapolis. Here is a list of upcoming events that you may be interested in attending to see some of the nation's best storytellers.


October 25, 2009 - The Flame of Love: The Legend of Tristan and Iseult featuring Patrick Ball and the Medieval Beasts from 4 – 6 p.m. at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center.

November 8, 2009 - Second Sunday Storytellers from 2 – 4 p.m. at the Lawrence Branch Library

November 14, 2009 - Frank Basile Emerging Stories Fellowship Premiere featuring Josefa Crowe and Sally Perkins from 7:30 – 9:30 p.m.

November 18, 2009 - As I Recall Storytelling Guild from 2 – 4 p.m. at the Glendale Branch Library.

December 4, 2009 - The King of Little Things told by Bil Lepp from 7 – 8 p.m. at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center.

December 5, 2009 - Don’t Get Too Attached to Balloons told by Bil Lepp from 7:30 – 9:30 p.m. at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center.

December 16, 2009 - As I Recall Storytelling Guild from 2 – 4 p.m. at the Glendale Branch Library.

January 8, 2010 - My Brother, My Sister and Other Problems told by Bill Harley from 7 – 8 p.m. at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center.

January 9, 2010 - Life is Not a Board Game told by Bill Harley from 7:30 – 9:30 p.m. at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center.

January 20, 2010 - As I Recall Storytelling Guild from 2 – 4 p.m. at the Glendale Branch Library.


January 24, 2010 - Root Doctors, Midwives, and Fried-Mice Pie: Medicine in Early Indiana featuring Susan Grizzell in collaboration with the Indiana Historical Society from 4 – 6 p.m.

February 17, 2010 - As I Recall Storytelling Guild from 2 – 4 p.m. at the Glendale Branch Library.

February 20, 2010 - Talk of the Town: Annual Benefit for Storytelling Arts of Indiana featuring Carmen Deedy from 5:30 – 9:30 p.m.

March 13, 2010 - The Wacky Faces of Peter Cook from 2 – 4 p.m. at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center.

March 17, 2010 - As I Recall Storytelling Guild from 2 – 4 p.m. at the Glendale Branch Library.

Arts Newsletter

Here is an informative newsletter from the NY State Alliance for Arts Education. Sign up to receive it at this website.

Partnership for 21st Century Skills

For those interested in some exciting information and resources related to new methods in education, be sure to check out the 21st Century Skills website. The web site is chock-full of all kinds of interesting items related to teaching, organization, and tools for the educator of the new millenium.

Arts Education blogging

<strong>Arts Education Salon on ArtsBlog> All Next WeekPosted by John Abodeely On September - 16 - 2009
From September 21 to 25, two dozen arts education experts from around the country will blog daily on Americans for the Arts’ new arts education blog and webpage: www.AmericansForTheArts.org/ArtsEducation.

Each September, thousands visit our site, taking the start of the school year as an opportunity to ask questions about their children’s arts education. So the topic of this blog event will serve not only arts professionals but also citizens and concerned parents. Our esteemed bloggers will be talking about steps each person can take to ensure the children of their community have access to a great arts education.

Our bloggers will include members of the Arts Education Council of Americans for the Arts; Lucia Brawley, activist, actress, and writer for the Huffington Post; emerging leaders Jenna Lee and Kim Willey, both of Washington, DC; Mike Blakeslee from MENC; state advocacy leaders; state department of education staff; teaching artists; local program experts; and, other folks from all over the country.

But they’re just the start. You—and specifically your responses to their posts—are what this online event is truly about. That’s where you can weigh in, offer your own opinions and present yourself as an expert for readers around the country. Solutions do not come from the top down—they come from peers, colleagues, friends, and fellows well-met.

So take ten minutes out of your morning and afternoon routine at work each day September 21 to 25 to find out what everyone’s saying. You won’t regret connecting with your peers about this topic, I guarantee that.

To find out more about the blog event, and to read other blog posts, please visit Americans for the Arts’ Arts Education Blog.

Waxing Creative with Crayola

There are dozens of creative ideas to use in the classroom on the official site of Crayola crayons...lesson plans, activities, coloring pages, crafts, even a quiz on your child's IQ....Imagination Quotient....that is. Most things are free!

http://www.crayola.com

Show-Biz Science: Science That's Fun to Teach!

"Does the prospect of teaching science have about as much appeal to you as a sinus headache? If that's how you feel, take a deep breath...relax...science is not the mysterious process for eggheads it's crack up to be," says children's book writer Vicki Cobb. Find out more about Show-biz Science...the way to make teaching science the "most fun you've ever had in the classroom!" and find your students also picking up skills in reading, writing and math as well.

Kids In Need Teacher Grants Available NOW!!

Kids in Need Teacher Grants provide K-12 educators with funding for innovative learning opportunities for their students. The Kids In Need Foundation helps to engage students in the learning process by supporting our most important and creative educational resource -- our nation's teachers. Apply on their website

http://www.kidsinneed.net/grants/

New School of Engineering Education - Can We Get Them Connected to Arts Integration?

I am Johannes Strobel, an Assistant Professor in Engineering Education & Educational Technology @ Purdue University. I am also the Director of INSPIRE, Institute for P-12 Engineering Research and Learning. I am primarily involved in the INNOVATIONS IN P–12 sTEm EDUCATION. This initiative aims to “develop research-based, pedagogically valid strategies for effective interventions that begin in the early elementary environment and guide P-20 engineering and technology pathways”.

Engineering Education is a new field and we at Purdue have the world’s first Engineering Education department (now even School). We are in charge of the first-year experience of all engineering undergraduates, coordinate the multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary engineering bachelor, and offer a Ph.D. in Engineering Education.

Learn More about this at http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~jstrobel/blog/
See the link below under additional websites.

Teaching with Reflective Practice

Teaching with Reflective Practice
By Julie Conlon

Brenda Capobianco, an assistant professor from the Department of Curriculum and Instruction (Purdue University), has written several articles for teachers who wish to become involved in teacher action research. In her article, “Becoming a Reflective Practitioner in Science Education, refers to one of the Indiana science professional standards that is evidence of the teacher as “a reflective practitioner who continually evaluates the effects of his/her choices and actions on others, and who actively pursues opportunities to grow professionally”. This is the basis of teacher action research. Brenda offers a course at Purdue, EDCI 597: Action Research in Science Education, that would improve all teachers’ efforts to become reflective practitioners in their own subjects.
While serving as one of the Outreach Coordinators with the College of Science at Purdue (University), I had the opportunity to observe and mentor teachers through their own teacher action research. Our College of Science Outreach team formed partnerships with school corporations and teachers opted, by choice, to participate. We spent the first two weeks during the summer exploring what Inquiry teaching looks like. Teachers experimented with their ideas during a week-long summer camp with youngsters attending, again by choice. Throughout the following year, teachers worked at “tweaking” their lessons to include additional opportunities for students to become inquiry learners.
To assist teachers in the process, our College of Science Outreach team video-taped teachers 4-6 times through the year presenting their lessons. It was interesting and amazing to watch teachers transform themselves and their techniques throughout the year. At first, they were intimidated and fearful of watching the videos, but warmed up to the idea after learning that we, as their partners, were not there to be critical, but rather to probe with questions and to sit side-by-side with them in watching themselves. Teachers would note so many aspects they just could not notice while presenting—that had to occur from being “outsiders” looking in on their own teaching. Most came up with additional ideas for yet new changes.
I suggest this method “in-house” for teachers who are striving to change their efforts in teaching with arts integration. Why not find others in your building and take turns making videos with one another? And then, find a fun way to share the videos—a popcorn movie party after school to watch and exchange with one another/ Agree to a set of guiding rules—rules that will keep the process safe and inviting of one another’s perspectives.

Editor’s Note: Julie Conlon has a wide range of teaching experience including gifted and talented classroom teacher in middle school, fifth grade science teacher and Outreach Coordinator for the Department of Physics at Purdue University.

6-15-09

Last week I attended a wonderful workshop with elementary ed dance teacher from Seattle Eric Johnson. Eric has arts integration down to a T !! Even if I didn't know anything about dance I felt that I could teach dance to a class. Eric had many ways of presenting dance to youngsters that not only taught them about moving their bodies and using their minds in creative ways, he also taught teamwork, interpersonal communication and social interaction at the same time. Just wait until you see your students communicate with one another by talking through a scarf or having to cooperate with each other by working as a team to create a dance with each one holding the opposite end of a scarf. Eric's program was adaptable from grades K-8 with levels of difficulty changing to meet the various age groups. It was effective for the visually impaired, for deaf students, and for the autistic. It taught lessons in following and leading, thinking on one's feet, self space/general space, directions in space, cooperation and problem solving. A very effective lesson from a skilled teacher with years of experience.

Team Leader

Arts Integration in Action - A Teacher Speaks

Here are a few words from Murdock Elementary Fifth Grade Teacher Rebecca Schpero about using arts integration techniques in her classroom:

My school has participated in multiple arts integration professional development workshops presented by The Kennedy Center in partnership with Purdue Convocations. We have been taught many different ways to integrate the arts into our classrooms through a hands-on approach to learning. While all of the professional development sessions I attended were informative and full of great ideas to take back to my classroom, the professional development that was particularly helpful for me, as a fifth grade teacher, was the presentation on the concepts used in the Actor’s Toolbox activities created by Sean Layne.
Since using the Actor’s Toolbox activities with my class, the dynamics of my classroom have changed. The Actor’s Toolbox activities allowed me to teach my students to be aware of and control the five tools (body, voice, imagination, concentration, cooperation) throughout the school day. It reminded students that they have the ability to train their brains to control these five tools, not only during the time when we are working with the arts in our classroom, but at all times throughout the day (controlling voices in the hallway, controlling bodies in personal space, teaching your mind to focus on a focal point such as an assignment on the desk). The intense focus on cooperation has caused my students to work and think together as a team rather than a group of individuals. It has eliminated the moans and groans after announcing who will work with whom during group activities because all students recognize that they can work with any team member cooperatively. I found the language used in the Actor’s Toolbox to be extremely effective within my classroom as well. Recognizing “strong” and “weak” choices really affected the attitudes and helped reduce behavioral issues for my students.
Overall, I have truly enjoyed learning about the different techniques for integrating the arts into my classroom. Trying these different activities in my classroom has motivated my students, boosted group morale, reduced behavioral issues, and made my classroom a fun place to be. Whether it is building tableaus, mimicking partners in mirror activities, or challenging students in the concentration circle, my students have truly enjoyed my attempt to integrate the arts into our classroom. I hope to continue to learn more about integrating the arts through our school’s partnership with the Kennedy Center and Purdue Convocations.

Need lesson plans?

http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/index.asp

This site if full of lesson plans and ideas, standards, websites and student materials to help make the job of teaching just a little easier. Fully realized lesson plans for a variety of subjects for all K-12 grade levels reside here. All you have to do is implement!

Art Information for Everyday of the Year

ARTSEDGE has many wonderful features. One of these is a calendar of arts information for every day of the year. Each day features an artist, an arts place, and event or some other significant information connected to that date on the calendar. There is a wealth of information here! What a great resource for students to learn more about the arts!

Want to Learn More About Broadway?

http://www.broadwayleague.com/


The Broadway League is the national trade association for the Broadway Industry. Here you will find links to sites that tell you more about the industry, the Tony Awards, association programs and more.

Need Lesson Plans in Arts Integration?

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has ready-made lesson plans for you on a variety of topics! Just visit http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org
for complete and informative lessons ready-made by educators. I will post a link below.