Education Department Receives International Recognition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Rockwell Museum of Western Art
111 Cedar Street, Corning, NY 14830
Date: July 21, 2009
Contact: Beth Manwaring â–ª 607.974.4254 â–ª manwaringb@rockwellmuseum.org
CORNING, NY- Staff from the Rockwell Museum of Western Art and the Corning-Painted Post School District traveled to Quebec City for the International Baccalaureate Conference on July 9-12. Gigi Alvare, Director of Education at the Rockwell Museum of Western Art and Eileen Bowen, District IB Programs Coordinator at the Corning City School District presented MYP Arts Integration: Supporting and Enhancing Skill Development, a program designed as an expansion of the New York State Council on the Arts, Empire State Partnership Project-Based Implementation Grant.
Each year, the IB Conference of the Americas features provocative speeches from a variety of thought leaders in the fields of education and international issues. Over 1,000 members of the worldwide IB community participate in four days of inspiration, collaboration, and reflection and bring together IB coordinators, teachers, administrators, counselors, school district officials, school board members, ministers of education, parents, researchers, and university representatives.
Using the MYP pedagogical model, a team of staff from the Rockwell Museum of Western Art, artists in residence, and eight classroom teachers designed and implemented a year-long plan of instruction for six grade classrooms to support the development and integration of specific higher level thinking skills across the curriculum.
The project was created on behalf of the partnership between the Rockwell Museum of Western Art (RMWA) and the East Team 6th grade classrooms of the Corning Free Academy Middle School (CFA) of the Corning City School District. The first year of the project focused on increased student achievement through the arts, with specific indicators, measures and targets. Through a year-end program analysis and evaluation, the partners determined that the project did indeed help students develop critical thinking skills as demonstrated through local classroom and NYS assessment scores. Each student created a photographic essay representing the concept of change as identified by the individual student. The resident artist met with each student 12 times during the project. Year 2 will continue the photographic essay and 12 artist visits, with specific and more clearly defined objectives. All 170 6th grade students and their 10 teachers will participate. Two trans-disciplinary skills were developed in Year 1 that will be integrated into objectives for Year 2: the ability to observe, compare and contrast, make judgments and hypothesize, and provide supporting details. Students learned to value different points of view and personal perspectives. The second skill developed was organizational. Students were required to keep a developmental workbook to document and reflect on the process and their individual understanding of the art making. This proved to be so successful that the team is adopting the workbook concept for each academic area in Year 2.
About the Rockwell Museum of Western Art
In these tough economic times, we recognize that the concept of "community" means so much. In response, we are offering free admission on Sundays now through April 2009. We invite you, our community, to the Museum and to be inspired by our vision, collections and programs. Kids & Teens are always FREE (19 & under).
Accredited by the American Association of Museums, the Rockwell Museum of Western Art is located in the center of the Finger Lakes Wine Country of New York Sate and in the heart of Corning's Gaffer District. The Museum is open to the public seven days a week; hours are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Membership to the Museum includes yearlong free admission. For more information, please visit us online at www.rockwellmuseum.org.
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