Arts Education
Faculty
- Rebecca Penerosa
Program Goals
In this program, participants will learn and practice elementary arts integration methodologies and assessment strategies for all major art forms including music, dance, drama, visual, literary, and media arts. Teaching in an integrative fashion, using the arts to enhance learning across the curriculum, will be emphasized.
Objectives
The Arts Education (AED) Continuing Education Program offers continuing education units that meet all of the requirements for the Elementary Arts Integration Endorsement conferred by the Utah State Board of Education. In addition, we offer directed study courses to help meet endorsement requirements in the elementary art-form-specific endorsement categories. Through a more extensive application process, we also offer an international CEU course with a travel abroad component for seasoned BTS Arts educators. These CEU offerings will address effective practice and research-based strategies to inform leadership and foster partnerships to support arts education. The progressive pedagogical approach of arts integration will be the key focus, including: access, equity, inclusion, and diversified instructional strategies. In addition, these courses will involve the community through teacher outreach and provide a means for increased awareness in critical consciousness and action as participants strive to earn and share their endorsement for arts-integrated instruction. The first half of the mission of the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program is to "increase the quality and quantity of arts education for elementary students". By sharing carefully crafted arts integration strategies and curriculum with teachers across the globe, our local specialists, teachers, and pre-service educators will gain further insight into best practices and increase the quality and quantity of arts education access in their community schools and abroad.
| Curriculum Summary | CEUs |
|---|---|
| Context, Integration, Assessment | |
| AED 01 Arts Integration Methods | 3 |
| Art Form Basic Knowledge and Skills | |
| AED 02 Content Methods (in either Dance, Music, Visual Arts, or Drama) | 1-3 |
| Arts Participation in Educator Events | |
| AED 03 Arts Connect International Rwanda | 4 |
| AED 04 Arts Education Workshop(s)/Professional Development | 1-3 |
| AED 05 Arts Education Directed Study | 1-4 |
| Arts Participation in Educator Events Cont. | |
| AED 06 Educator Events | 2 |
| AED 07 Introduction to Arts Integration | 2 |
| AED 08 Fine Arts: Implementation, Leadership, and Advocacy | 2 |
| AED 09 Conference/Workshop Attendance in the Arts | 1 |
Arts Integration Certificate
Program Goals
The Westminster School of Education’s Arts Education (AED) Continuing Education Program (part of ArtsConnect) focuses on the progressive pedagogical approach of arts integration, including access, equity, inclusion, and diversified instructional strategies. By sharing carefully crafted arts integration strategies and curriculum with teachers across the globe, local specialists, teachers, and pre-service educators will gain further insight into best practices and increase the quality and quantity of arts education access in their community schools and abroad.
See: westminsteru.edu/artsconnect
Objectives
The objective of the Arts Integration Certificate Program is to prepare practicing educators to earn a state-recognized arts integration endorsement by completing 16 CEUs of focused coursework that develops foundational competency in dance, theatre, music, and visual arts, and equips them with research-based strategies for integrating these art forms into core academic instruction. Through this certification pathway, teachers will strengthen instructional innovation, increase student engagement and achievement, and build leadership capacity within their schools while advancing the School of Education’s mission to prepare and inspire innovative educational leaders committed to impactful teaching, learning, and community engagement.
Program Requirements
| Requirement Description | CEUs | |
|---|---|---|
| AED 20 | Culture, Family and Community | 3 |
| AED 21 | Foundations of Education in a Diverse Society | 3 |
| AED 22 | Teaching Exceptional Learners in Inclusive Classrooms | 3 |
| AED 23 | Curriculum Design & Management | 3 |
| AED 24 | Creative Arts Methods | 3 |
| AED 09 | Conference/Workshop Attendance in the Arts | 1 |
| Total Hours for the Arts Integration Certificate | 16 | |
Recommended Plan of Study for Arts Integration Certificate
Continuing Education students may begin the program in the Summer, Fall, or Spring semesters. Students may take required courses in any order and must complete the requirements within 2 years from initial enrollment.
| Summer | Fall | Spring |
|---|---|---|
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Course Descriptions
Non-credit courses are recorded as Continuing Education Units or CEUs. One CEU represents 10 contact hours of instruction and learning activities. CEUs are generally not transferable to other institutions. Participants will need to attend all classes to earn full credit for endorsement.
| Course | Title | CEUs |
|---|---|---|
| AED 01 | Arts Integration Methods | 3 CEUs |
| In this course, participants will learn and practice elementary arts integration methodologies and assessment strategies for all major art forms including music, dance, drama, visual arts, literary arts, and media arts. This course will meet the Context, Integration, and Assessment requirements for the Utah State Elementary Arts Integration Endorsement. | ||
| AED 02 | Content Methods (in either Dance, Music, Visual Arts, or Drama) | 1-3 CEUs |
| In this course, participants will learn and practice elementary arts methodologies and assessment strategies in either dance, music, visual arts, or drama. As a continuation course to AED 01, students will experience a deeper dive into arts-integrated curricular design in their chosen art form. All students will register for this course, regardless of their chosen art form, and then break-out into smaller sections to explore appropriate strategies and current beset practices for elementary children learning in the arts. This course has been designed to meet the Basic Knowledge requirements in the field of music for the Utah State Elementary Arts Integration Endorsement. | ||
| AED 03 | ArtsConnect International Rwanda | 4 CEUs |
| This 11-day course experience in Rwanda will be an educational exchange, where select BTSALP Specialists provide a 4-day professional development training and implementation for teacher-trainers in Rwanda. Similarly, these specialists will endeavor to learn how the arts and community building have sustained and propelled the Rwandan people to recover and rebuild following the genocide of 1994. | ||
| AED 04 | Arts Education Workshop(s)/Professional Development | 1-3 CEUs |
| In this course, participants will have the opportunity to receive CEU credit for various workshops and professional development opportunities offered through Westminster University in arts education and arts integration. Continuing education students will experience teaching in an integrative fashion, using the arts to enhance learning across the curriculum will be emphasized. | ||
| AED 05 | Arts Education Directed Study | 1-4 CEUs |
| In this course, participants will have the opportunity to receive CEU credit for arts-specific coursework. This is both an experiential and tutorial-based course used for student-initiated proposals for intensive individual and/or small group study of topics not otherwise offered in the arts education continuing education program. Upon approval, these courses will meet certain requirements for one or more of the elementary arts endorsements in either: dance, music, visual arts or drama. Requires Director approval. This course is repeatable for credit. | ||
| AED 06 | Educator Events | 2 CEUs |
| In this asynchronous course, candidates for the Elementary Arts Integration Endorsement will attend three educator events in the arts that vary from their concentrated art form. Using these events as inspiration, educators will then compose three arts-integrated lesson plans (one per event), implement said plans in their current classroom or teaching setting, and reflect on this experience. They will also have the opportunity to receive student feedback and refine their teaching paradigm accordingly. Throughout this process, they will have the support of their district coaches and the Arts Education team at Westminster University. | ||
| AED 07 | Introduction to Arts Integration | 2 CEUs |
| Orientation to the effective integration of arts instruction into Utah schools. This course is designed to serve as the orientation to the Elementary Arts Integration Endorsement. Students in this course will: understand and recognize what is and is not arts integration; understand the powerful impact of arts integration by reviewing the research; learn of the arts learning resources available in the state; and understand how to proceed in pursuing the endorsement. | ||
| AED 08 | Fine Arts: Implementation, Leadership, and Advocacy | 2 CEUs |
| This course meets the requirement in category 6 of the Elementary Arts Integration Endorsement. Participants will explore strategies for implementation, leadership,and advocacy of arts integration in elementary schools. | ||
| AED 09 | Conference/Workshop Attendance in the Arts | 1 CEUs |
| This course meets the second requirement in category 4 of the Elementary Arts Integration Endorsement. Participants will attend conferences and/or workshops of their own choosing with themes that support arts education and integration. These workshops will need to total a minimum of four days. | ||
| AED 20 | Culture, Family and Community | 3 CEUs |
| This course focuses on family and community engagement in school. Using the concept of Funds of Knowledge, prospective teachers explore the abundant knowledge that schools can learn when they engage families. They explore how students bring funds of knowledge from their homes and communities for classroom concept development and building classroom community. Ideas for developing classroom communities that promote trust and encourage dialogue are emphasized. | ||
| AED 21 | Foundations of Education in a Diverse Society | 3 CEUs |
| This course is designed to introduce students to educational theories and philosophies with the goal of bridging theory to practice. Students will examine, integrate, and apply various dynamics and principles of learning theories to practical classroom environments. Emphasis is placed upon the joining of learning theory and instructional practice, as a means to personal transformation of teacher professionals. The readings will guide students toward understanding a critical perspective on the sociology of schooling. An exploration of how schools have evolved, the political, economic, and social forces that shape those schools today, and the major issues facing public educators. An examination of the way schools operate in relation to race, class, gender, and sexual orientation. The course helps students understand a variety of philosophical systems that shape public education and guides students to articulate their own philosophy about teaching and learning. | ||
| AED 22 | Teaching Exceptional Learners in Inclusive Classrooms | 3 CEUs |
| This course is designed to provide an examination of the professional roles and responsibilities of general educators and special educators in K-12 schools. These roles require an understanding of the salient topical issues impacting exceptional learners as well as issues surrounding general and special education classrooms. High leverage practices (HLPs) supported by research evidence will also be introduced in this course. These HLPs have significant potential for improving academic and behavioral outcomes for exceptional learners in inclusive classrooms. | ||
| AED 23 | Curriculum Design & Management | 3 CEUs |
| This course covers the principles and practices of secondary school teaching. Included are instructional methodologies, management techniques, strategies, approaches, and philosophies that are workable in today's middle and high schools. | ||
| AED 24 | Creative Arts Methods | 3 CEUs |
| This course will introduce prospective early childhood and elementary teachers to the value of incorporating the arts into the classroom. Methods, resources and materials in four areas of the arts (visual art, music, creative movement/dance, and drama) will be explored. This class is designed to involve prospective teachers in developing ways of teaching the creative arts in the elementary classroom setting. | ||