Project Return

December 01, 2009 - In 2008, Professor Amanda Gulla, Faculty Liaison at Lehman College Division of Education, noted that there was a demand among Lehman alumni for professional development opportunities or Lincoln Center Institute "reminder" courses. They wanted to renew their understanding of imaginative teaching and learning and develop their facilitation skills further. Professor Gulla, who had begun teaching at Lehman in 2004 and became involved with the Institute in 2005, wanted to find out how her erstwhile students were using the strategies she'd taught them in their work. How deep was their immersion in it? Holly Fairbank, LCI's Assistant Director of Educational Partnerships, was curious about the impact of the Teacher Education program in the graduates' first years' teaching. What kind of support do the graduates need in the field? So began "Project Return." The first informal workshop took place in April 2008. "The workshop became a mini-seminar," remembers Holly. "It became…

In Touch with the Dana Fellows

December 01, 2009 - It is not too early to congratulate the fall 2009 recipients of the Dana Foundation Fellowship, who will complete their training as facilitators of Lincoln Center Institute's online Survey Course by the end of December. As reported in our previous issue, the Fellows qualify to train other arts specialists in course facilitation, thereby opening up the reach of Institute's approach to imaginative teaching exponentially. And what do the almost-grads think of their rather intense ten-week training? "I decided from the beginning that if I was going to do this, I'd commit fully and get the richest experience I could," says Heidi Johnson, who works in the Berne-Knox-Westerlo Central School District upstate New York. "And it's certainly been that. It's made me a learner again, a crucial role for a teacher of learners." Heather Paul, from the Hiawatha Elementary School in Lake Ronkonkoma, talks about the benefits of the…

North Carolina Statewide Collaborative Initiative

December 01, 2009 - In 2009-2010, Lincoln Center Institute will conduct a series of events with The Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts, the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA), and the North Carolina Arts Council (NCAC), as part of an overall statewide collaborative initiative. The Kenan Institute, UNCSA, and NCAC are collaborating to bring LCI's methodology of imaginative teaching and learning through aesthetic education to the state of North Carolina. On December 8-9, LCI is conducting a 2-day event for deans, faculty, and students at UNCSA. Led by Cathryn Williams, LCI's Director of Strategic Alliances, Heidi Miller, LCI's Program Manager of Teaching Artists and Strategic Alliances, and Adrienne Westwood, LCI Teaching Artist, the event will serve to introduce our North Carolina friends to LCI's methodology and to announce the 2010 LCI International Educator Workshop in North Carolina. It will also highlight the importance of the William…

An Outlet for Online Class Journaling: The National Gallery of Writing

December 01, 2009 - The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) has developed a website to showcase works created by (extra)ordinary Americans. There are "national" galleries, but anyone can become a "Local Partner" and set up a gallery for their group—families, friends, classes, schools, clubs, etc. The "curator" for each gallery sets up the parameters for the group and ensures that works meet standards for appropriateness of content so that the galleries are safe places for all visitors. All types of writing "from letters to lists, memoirs to memos" can be found on the site but don't limit yourself to just uploading text documents. Supported formats also include photographs, videos, and more.…

Imagination Conversations in the News

November 01, 2009 - Teaching imagination, creativity, and innovation is the new paradigm for education in the 21st century, and Lincoln Center Institute is at the forefront of this movement. The goal of the 50 Imagination Conversations project, launched this fall, is to hold a Conversation about imagination in every state. The initiative will culminate in a National Summit at Lincoln Center and an action agenda to make cultivating the imagination a key element in our schools. We are off to a dynamic start, with back-to-back events in Oklahoma, Massachusetts, Washington and New York. Panelists tackled the Conversations' critical ideas. Illuminating, in Oklahoma City for example, the vital though distinctively different forms the imagination takes in the careers of Sonic organization's CEO Cliff Hudson, state senator Clark Jolley, newspaper publisher Mary Mèlon, medical researcher Steve Prescott, composer Jerod Tate, and university president Roger Webb. Bringing together such diverse…

100 Essential Web 2.0 Tools for Teachers

November 01, 2009 - Flickr? Quizlet? WordSift? Chalksite? Delicious? Slidestory? ArtRage? Photo sharing? Wikis? Mind Maps? Podcasting? Screencapture? —If you find yourself responding, “it’s Greek to me” about any of the above, this is a great place to begin your adventures with online educational tools. Anna Miller, of OnlineDegree.net (a clearinghouse of information about online degree programs) provides a page of links with concise descriptions of 100 tools for teachers, divided into categories: Interactivity, Engagement, Motivation, Empowerment, and Differentiation. You’re definitely going to want to bookmark this one!…

Introducing the 2009-2010 Kenan Fellows

October 01, 2009 - Each year, six young artists, recent graduates of theUniversity of North Carolina School of the Arts, come to Lincoln Center Institute to refine their artistic skills and work in classrooms with our teaching artists, thanks to support by the William R. Kenan, Jr. Fund for the Arts and the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust. Here's a brief introduction to this school year's "Kenan Fellows": Pianist Emile Blondel performs in projects that range from solo piano and chamber music to jazz, hip-hop and rock. Violinist Elisa Friedrich's musical instincts were nurtured by her grandfather, a violinist with the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, and by parents, who are still performing in Germany. Laura Gutierrez studied dance with such luminaries as Ethan Stiefel, Diego Schoch, and Brenda Daniels, and performed works by, among many, Lar Lubovitch and Molly Shanahan. Composer Gregory Miles Hoffman's work includes both acoustic and electro-acoustic music, for which…

Creative Commons: A Source for Copyright-Compliant Text, Images, and More

October 01, 2009 - The non-profit Creative Commons provides an alternative to locate text, images, and other creative materials for use in the classroom and elsewhere. With the mission to make it easier for people to share materials they have created, Creative Commons provides licenses that make it simple for creators to inform people about how their creations can be used. Click here to see an example of the types of use allowed with a Creative Commons license and how this information will appear to others. The Creative Commons search interface allows people to easily locate materials using the fully integrated Google, Google Images, Yahoo, and Flickr toolbar. Check out a brief video description and other materials on the CC "About" page to learn more.…

In the News: Imagination First

October 01, 2009 - Imagination First: Unlocking the Power of Possibility has received a lot of attention in the news this month! Visit the Imagine It! Project for a video of Scott Noppe-Brandon, co-author of Imagination First, talking about imagination "as the ability to think of things as if they could be otherwise."Listen to Scott on PBS' NewsHour online discussing the book as part of their new series highlighting the importance of innovation in society. Watch a video of Scott interviewed by WABC's Eyewitness News. And read about the book in Parent Map magazine which devotes its entire October issue to imagination.…

A Call for Creativity in Higher Education

October 01, 2009 - Oklahoma college presidents recently agreed that colleges and universities must assert themselves as "beacons of creativity," in part by finding new ways to reach out to students and to help keep them engaged and excited about learning. This conclusion came following a creativity forum that was held in conjunction with the Imagination Conversations Initiative, a two-year project sponsored by LCI which will include conversations in all 50 states highlighting the importance of imaginative thinking. Read more in the Associated Press' article about the Oklahoma City forum and visit the Imagination Conversations website.…