At Marshall School, A New Approach to Learning through the Arts
Dorchester Reporter, 10/21/04
By Melissa Cooper, Special to the Reporter
Reprinted with permission of the Dorchester Reporter. Copyright 2004, Boston Neighborhood News, Inc.
(Oct. 21, 2004) - A new collaboration between the National Arts and Learning Collaborative (NALC), Lesley University, and the Boston Public Schools is hoping a new Dorchester-based pilot program will use art to help make traditional learning a concept of the past on the elementary levels.
Originally formed in 1989 as the Center for Arts in the Basic Curriculum (CABC), NALC is a non-profit organization based out of Natick that "works to develop, implement, and evaluate model programs incorporating the arts into urban school districts where the needs are the greatest," according to its web site, artslearning.org. Over the years, NALC has organized a number of conferences and workshops on the importance of art in education at such venues as Harvard University, the Julliard School in New York, and at their home office in Natick. In addition, it has funded a number of research studies that have proven art programs hold fundamental influence over academic success, building self-confidence, and lessening mischievous activities among adolescents.
Last year, the organization was given a $60,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to aid in educating and guiding teachers how to combine arts in their daily curriculum. Martha McKenna, the Provost at Lesley University, sits on the board of NALC and saw the awarded grant as an opportunity for the university to become involved. She and Meredith Eppel, Project Director of NALC, discussed the idea and together with the Boston Public Schools, a plan was developed to implement the program at the John Marshall and Charles Sumner elementary schools, with the Marshall serving as the pilot.
The Marshall School is in Dorchester's Bowdoin-Geneva neighborhood, while the Sumner is in Roslindale.
The program covers a variety of art ranging from visual to poetry. Its main objective is to encourage students to begin analyzing how arts can be related to any aspect of life. Many times, children find it difficult to express themselves verbally. With art and its various forms, they can reflect their experiences in a manner that is most comfortable for them.
"Everyone learns in different ways," says Lisa Donovan, the professional development coordinator at Lesley University for the program. "The arts teach intelligence across the curriculum."
Professor Robert Shreefter is one of several faculty members at Lesley who is involved in the program. A visual artist, he has worked for the past four years at the university in the creative arts and learning division of the graduate school which, he explains, has a reputation of working with community programs to help enlighten people of the various benefits of integrating arts in schools and in everyday life, especially with children. "Kids do best under the most creative circumstances," he says.
Shreefter and a few other teachers have actually been working with students for the past 2-3 years.
"It is really an outgrowth of work that was being done before," he says. Working with primarily second and third grade classes, students are encouraged to enter conversation and begin thinking how art shares a connection with many other aspects of life.
In May of 2004, Shreefter assisted the Marshall School's second and third grade students in making an accordion-style book entitled Dorchester Now and Then. Its concept focused on the Native Americans who lived in Dorchester centuries ago. The students composed numerous illustrations to fill the book and ultimately correlated their art with where they live. "It was beautiful," says Shreefter, "just a beautiful piece of work. I think programs like this are a wonderful way to use the resources that are available."
Involvement in the program is completely voluntary. Faculty members from Lesley agree to participate and the elementary schools say what disciplines they are interested in incorporating into the curriculum. Teachers from Lesley are flown throughout the country on weekends, forming cohorts, and take intensive courses in various arts such as drama, storytelling, and music where they collaborate to create meaningful projects that will have lasting impressions.
According to Donovan, "the impact of the program has been very profound. It's the kind of thing that holds excitement for both teachers and learners."
At the Marshall School, Maureen O'Keefe coordinates the program and oversees teachers and their students' involvement in the program.
"It's wonderful! I see a lot of self-esteem building," she says. "It's a chance for kids to shine in a different way."
From O'Keefe's perspective, the program aims to enable children seek higher endeavors in the classroom. She says, "Students love it! As a teacher, I saw students shine in ways that they hadn't before." With the incorporation of arts in their classes, students are still learning the same material but through an artistic approach are able to be creative and make learning fun and easie to do.
In the past, the Marshall School has had as many as 20 teachers volunteer their time to participate in the program. It has been a great success for all those involved and there are strong hopes to increase teacher and student participation in the years to come.
