This month, A4L Teaching Artist Jennifer Puig led an interactive professional development orientation session for a new group of teachers participating in the RAISE (Responsive Arts in School Education) project. Teachers of Lake Stevens Elementary and Miami Gardens Elementary gathered to learn about the ways in which RAISE is meant to provide them with training in trauma-informed and culturally-informed arts integration strategies.
Jennifer shared with us,
“It was beautiful to see teachers from Miami Gardens and Lakes Stevens Elementary come together, collaborate and play and further integrate art skills for everyday educational purposes. All teachers came up with new creative ways to use the materials that were provided and shared how they could become tools for education, and not just a dance movement, gesture or a musical instrument. Teachers also used the LOVE Protocol by Studio Pathways to reflect on why the arts are critical for education, inclusion and diversity – as well as creating effective changes in the school education system beyond their classrooms.”
About RAISE
RAISE (Responsive Arts in School Education) is a five-year, multi-state project designed to address the current, urgent needs of young learners through forging a new model of development and partnership for teaching artists and school support teams, who work together on in-depth, customized, trauma-informed and culturally responsive-sustaining arts in education residencies. The project is funded by the U.S. Department of Education.