FLUSHING TOWN HALL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP

 

(Photos by Sio Man)

FLUSHING TOWN HALL

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP

Best Arts Education Practices for Senior Students

 November 2, 2021

Spica and I were honored to be asked to present a Professional Development workshop for fellow Teaching Artists at Flushing Town Hall. We want to express our gratitude to Gabrielle Hamilton, Director of Education and Public Programs, Sio Man Lam and Haihong Cheng, Education Department, for making this possible. It was great to see familiar faces in the workshop and make new friends. We are also excited that the workshop was recorded and will be made available for those who were unable to attend in person, thanks Steve for your assistance!

We began with a warmup mirror exercise to engage the imagination, develop focus, get to know each other, and have some fun! FUN being the operative word in classes for senior students. A Hands-on activity followed using disparate shaped cardboard cutouts exploring possible stories through play. Using a hole punch, brass fastener, and rods, participants made a simple puppet, which they practiced manipulating, experimenting with shadow. 

Recruiting seniors to your class can be daunting, so we shared some tips and ideas we have found successful. Ensuring the materials, you need are available can be facilitated by the Senior Center Director but also purchased by the TA to ensure you get what you need. We have found some centers have mailed the materials and provided pickup at the center during COVID restrictions. 

Our PowerPoint presentation focused on key concepts we consider when developing a curriculum such as developing a sense of play, fostering community, breaking the routine with a field trip, either physically or virtually, respecting culture and tradition and acknowledging prior learning and experience. We spoke of the importance of scaffolding when seniors are acquiring new skills, from easy to more difficult activities. This also helps build self-confidence. We regularly acknowledge achievement through sharing of students’ work at the beginning of class, on WeChat and through email, culminating in the Public Event where they are awarded a certificate.

The Memory Project’s mission is to develop storytelling through the visual arts, theater and puppetry and we enjoyed sharing images of our many senior students in workshops creating artwork through which they told their personal stories. We believe everyone has a story to tell and through documentation we honor their life and create a tangible legacy for their family and friends and for future story sharing. We shared some examples of the pop-up books, puppets, scrolls, accordion books, and other artwork students create, as well as a short video of LaGuardia Senior Center’s Shadow Play performance. 

Thank you again to the staff of Flushing Town Hall who provided delicious snacks.