TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

The Orpheum Theatre Group (OTG) is proud to be a Kennedy Center Partners in Education Team, in collaboration with Memphis Shelby County Schools. Through this program, OTG brings Kennedy Center teaching artists to work with teachers across the Mid-South. These arts integration specialists provide educators with the tools and strategies to transform classrooms.

Arts integration, as defined by the Kennedy Center, is “an approach to teaching in which students construct and demonstrate understanding through an art form.” Arts integration learning has shown to increase literacy, raise test scores, and help develop key communication skills. In short, arts integration makes learning fun while creating more enthusiastic, creative, and empathetic students.

Virtual Workshops

Registration is now open for professional learning workshops through Kennedy Center Education’s Changing Education Through the Arts (CETA) program! These workshops provide educators with arts learning and arts integration strategies that give students an engaging way to experience active, joyful learning—no matter the classroom setting.

For details about these events and to register, please visit the registration website.

Workshops take place virtually. Space in these workshops is limited. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis, so register today!

Fall 2023 Virtual CETA Workshops

Diverse Learners - Storytelling Across the Curriculum

For: Teachers of Grades K-2 
Led by: Sherry Norfolk, storytelling teaching artist from Missouri
Fee: $20

Storytelling is a powerful differentiation strategy that can help teachers in self-contained and inclusive classrooms to reach young students, particularly those who may not respond well to other teaching strategies. In this helpful workshop, explore flexible, adaptable storytelling strategies for authentically addressing cross-curricular standards in the primary grades and giving young students with special needs a joyful way to demonstrate their understandings and achieve their learning goals.   

Dates: This is a synchronous, two-session workshop; participants must attend both sessions.

Session 1: Tuesday, September 26 from 4:30-6:00 p.m. EDT
Session 2: Tuesday, October 3 from 4:30-6:00 p.m. EDT

Mood Music - Exploring Emotional Intelligence through Music Composition

For: Teachers of Grades K-5 
Led by: Danny Clay, music teaching artist from California
Fee: $20

How can sound be used to express how we’re feeling, and better understand how others are feeling? In this two-part virtual workshop with teaching artist Danny Clay, K-5 educators will step into the role of composers, exploring how emotions map to sound and creating a bank of original musical ideas based on different types of emotions. Participants will then put their creative ideas to use in a variety of games, challenges, and literacy activities designed to foster emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and communication skills.   

Dates: This is a synchronous, two-session workshop; participants must attend both sessions.

Session 1: Thursday, October 12 from 7:00-8:30pm EDT
Session 2: Thursday, October 19 from 7:00-8:30pm EDT

Igniting Curiosity through Creative Drama - Unleashing Teacher-In-Role for Science Education

For: Teachers of Grades K-5 
Led by: Maria Cary, drama teaching artist from Florida
Fee: $20

Step into a captivating realm where creative drama and science education converge! Designed exclusively for K-5 educators, this immersive workshop invites you to discover the dynamic power of Teacher-in-Role. Prepare to be inspired as we unveil innovative techniques that invite you to step into the shoes of characters, infusing your lessons with curiosity, engagement, and transformative learning experiences.   

Dates: This is a synchronous, two-session workshop; participants must attend both sessions.

Session 1: Thursday, October 26 from 4:30-6:00pm EDT
Session 2: Thursday, November 2 from 4:30-6:00pm EDT

Dramatizing the Content - Curriculum-Based Readers Theatre

For: Teachers of Grades 3-12 
Led by: Rosalind Flynn, drama teaching artist from Maryland
Fee: $20

In Curriculum-Based Readers Theatre (CBRT), actors do not memorize their lines, but instead, sit or stand and read the script aloud together. With CBRT, students and teachers create original scripts using text or concepts from other subject areas and then incorporate dramatic elements into their rehearsals and performances. This course is an audio-visual, step-by-step guide to the Curriculum-Based Readers Theatre (CBRT) process. Learn online from the comfort of your home. All sessions will be recorded and made available to participants for viewing or reviewing.   

Dates: This is a synchronous, two-session workshop; participants must attend both sessions.

Session 1: Tuesday, November 28 from 7:00-8:30 p.m. EST
Session 2: Tuesday, December 5 from 7:00-8:30 p.m. EST

Art and Word - The Visual Arts and Figurative Language 

For: Teachers of Grades K-5 
Led by: Tami Wood, museum educator and visual teaching artist from New York
Fee: $10

Visual literacy, critical thinking, and communication skills are crucial in today’s world. Learn a fun way to develop these in your students by discovering how to connect the visual arts to your English language arts curriculum. In this workshop, participants will take a deep dive into one of the world’s most famous paintings - Vincent Van Gogh’s The Starry Night - then will explore how this artwork can inspire figurative language like similes and metaphors. Participants will learn strategies for leading classroom conversations about artwork and will engage in easily accessible writing activities that can be integrated and adapted to the K – 5 classroom.

This is a synchronous, one-session workshop.   

Date: Thursday, November 30 from 7:00-8:30 p.m. EST