How Can I Engage My Kids Interest?
It is a fact that you cannot teach a kid, whether your own or a student, who does not want to learn. What is the one adjective used to describe school routinely used by the 30% of kids who drop out of it? "Boring!" If a kid is bored, he is, by definition, emotionally disengaged.
Emotion is the key element is the artistic process - both in the creation of and the experience of any artistic work. Emotion is the arts' "stock on the shelf." It's what we sell as artists. This fact makes the arts useful tools for educators.
 |
Kids in 5th Grade, Adana, Turkey
|
The Arts are not areas of human endeavor only limited to the "gifted and talented." They are inherent in the very aspects that make us.....us as human beings. They are woven throughout the entire tapestry of our lives and so can be threaded through whatever you want to teach.
On the links below you will find one free lesson plan on how to utilize artistic tools in having students create and understand the structure of a story - "Random Stories."
Finally, should you have the time, interest and modest funding, we can provide professional development on teaching "metaphor" or residencies which connect to your reading, social studies, and citizenship curricula - "Living Bookshelf," "Living Images," and "Living Memories."
Free Lesson Plan: Random Stories
(Lesson Plans Require Adobe Reader. To download Adobe Reader, click on the logo above.)
Other Materials: "The Arts Equation" by Program Director and Co-Founder, Bruce Taylor
Mr. Taylor laid his theatrical foundation at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, London, England. Since graduating, he has been hired in almost every capacity that can be found in professional theatre. While pursuing his vocation as a production manager and stage director, his avocation was working with teachers and kids as part of his desire to do his part to ensure the future for the arts. His skills have been utilized by dozens of companies as diverse as the O'Neill Theatre Center, the New York Philharmonic, Royal Opera House (London), Pacific Northwest Dance, Wagner's RING Festival in Seattle, and the Orchestra of St. Luke's in New York City. He is the originator of the internationally recognized Creating Original Opera, now managed by Education at the Met in New York City.
His philosophy and techniques can be reviewed in detail by reading his book "The Arts Equation" published by Watson-Guptil - available through Amazon.com