The Joan Oates Institute for Partners in the Arts

Where content & creativity connect • University of Richmond • Summer 2021 TBA

The Joan Oates Institute (JOI) for Partners in the Arts prepares PreK-12 teachers of all subject areas to use differentiation, creative and experiential pedagogies, and collaboration to develop interdisciplinary lessons and unit plans. The driving question, “how do we learn?” guides the curriculum and informs the Partners in the Arts (PIA) model of using creative practices to engage and empower all students.

Joan Oates Institute: Foundations of Arts Integration

The focus of training through the Joan Oates Institute is on how we teach, to provide educators with the knowledge and skills to integrate community and culture into their instructional practice through the arts and technology.

The driving question “how do we learn” still informs the instructional practices we provide to connect curricular content to real-world experiences, and we’re exploring alternative ways to deliver these creative practices to educators.

In this course, educators will discover a remote teaching and learning model designed to engage students in deep and culturally-responsive learning outside of school buildings.

Participants will investigate how to engage and empower students where and how they are by connecting student interests, passions, and cultures to community expertise and resources.

 Additionally, JOI will challenge participants to:

• “Design wonder”
• Research community histories and systemic inequities
• Deeply observe the world around them through seeing, listening, and moving/feeling
• Discover the impact of their voices shared in creative ways.