BLAC, Inc. LAUNCHES 2013 ARTS INTEGRATION PROGRAM

WITH KENNEDY CENTER

 

Black Liberated Arts Center (BLAC), Inc. kicked off the New Year on January 2^nd with professional development training for classroom teachers in the Midwest City-Del City Schools District., continuing through January 25th in the Oklahoma City Public Schools.

  The day long training January 2nd was facilitated by Stuart Stotts, John F. Kennedy Center trainer who trained music teachers in the district to use music to teach science and reading comprehension during the morning session which was followed by afternoon  training for Pleasant Hill Elementary Teachers on the definition of Arts Integration.

On January 3^rd and 4^th, teachers had an opportunity to observe Mr. Stotts working with students from Pre-K through 5^th grade using music and storytelling to strengthen student learning in comprehension and science.  Stotts’ presentation demonstrated student engagement, class room management and discipline principles at work.

Anita Arnold, Executive Director of BLAC, Inc. said the organization’s Arts Education workshops for teachers will focus on more effective ways to teach America’s targeted areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, also known as STEM.  “By using the Kennedy Center’s approach to teaching using the arts, our schools will reap the benefits of the new national STEAM concept in action.  Research has shown that by adding Arts as a foundational piece in the learning process, students are able to think more critically and problem-solve more easily,” Arnold stated.  “We know that we are on track and are better preparing students for global competition for the workplace that demands innovation and creativity,” she stated. 

Training will continue on January 24^th and 25^th at Wilson Elementary Schools in the Oklahoma City Public Schools District with Kennedy Center Trainer, Marcia Daft, who specializes in using Music to teach Math.  Other schools receiving training include Dove Elementary School, Martin Luther King Elementary School and Douglass High School.  The year long program is funded in part by the Oklahoma Arts Council, Kirkpatrick Foundation, Oklahoma City Public Schools and Southwest Urban Foundation

From the press release