LONG WHARF THEATRE’S EDUCATION DEPARTMENT HOST ED-LAB IN MARCH

In an effort to continue to provide teachers with innovative classroom techniques, Long Wharf Theatre is hosting the first Educators’ Laboratory Mini-Institute March 19-21.

Bonnie Koba and Amy Freidman of the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism, and Long Wharf Theatre Director of Education Annie DiMartino will facilitate the weekend long Educators’ Laboratory Mini-Institute, featuring guest artists Nilaja Sun, the writer and performer of the theatre’s upcoming production of No Child … and Greg Tate (Co-Artistic Director from Hartbeat Ensemble), who will conduct professional development workshops. Over 20 educators have already signed up for the institute, which includes attending a performance of Sun’s No Child … .

“The goal of the weekend is to take techniques taught on the first day and apply them on the second day to begin to develop a set of curricular aligned lesson plans that can be regularly used in the classroom,” DiMartino said. “In the past teachers would take workshops that were experiential and we’d talk about how they might be applied in the classroom. This time they will have the opportunity to collaboratively build arts integrated lesson plans with their colleagues and try out their new lessons in front of everyone.”

For the past three years, generous support from The Werth Family Foundation enabled Long Wharf Theatre to design, implement and fine-tune the Long Wharf Theatre Educators’ Laboratory Pilot Program, an innovative arts integration professional development initiative for educators in the greater New Haven area. The purpose of the pilot was to create a “train the trainer” program that focused on increasing middle and high school educators’ understanding of and skill in using the arts, in conjunction with the theatre’s productions, as part of an expanded repertoire of teaching methods. The Long Wharf Educators’ Laboratory Mini-Institute, based on the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism (CCT) Higher Order Thinking (HOT) Schools* Mini-Institute model, is an off-shoot of the pilot program.

With the Educators’ Laboratory now in its fourth year the Long Wharf Theatre continues to shape and refine their arts-based professional development model program.  In addition to deepening the integration approach for middle and high school educators, the Long Wharf seeks to help develop participants’ mastery of artistic interpretation of the written word.  Recognizing the need to strengthen teacher training for middle and high school educators, CCT HOT Schools and Long Wharf Theatre Educators’ Laboratory grasped the opportunity for collaboration, building on the success of both programs.

As the first major effort of this partnership, a focus group comprised of administrators and teacher leaders from CCT HOT Schools is working collaboratively with Long Wharf Theatre to assist in further developing the new three-year pilot expansion program and to shape this month’s Educators’ Laboratory Mini-Institute.  “Our goal is two-fold” said Koba, “One, is to broaden and deepen the scope of arts in education by sharing best practices throughout the state, and two, is to provide a viable partnership model that engages schools and arts organizations in collaborative work that is meaningful to both parties.”

* The Higher Order Thinking (HOT) Schools program, established in 1994, works with select Connecticut schools to promote teaching and learning in, about, and through the arts in a democratic setting.  The program is designed to build higher-order thinking skills in students through the core components of strong arts, arts integration, and democratic practice.

For more information about Long Wharf Theatre’s education programs, visit www.longwharf.org or call 203-787-4282.