Lincoln Center Education (LCE), the education division of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York, held a learning lab at Pao School the first week in October that sought to provide Pao teachers with new ideas for incorporating arts into their lesson plans.
If Albert Einstein is right, then imagination is limitless. We as educators need to ensure every child everywhere has the highest exposure to the highest quality of dance, music, theatre and visual art.
Said Russell Granet, Executive Vice President of Lincoln Center Education, Community Engagement and International, speaking at an arts-education forum held on 30 September at Pao School, which was attended by more than 200 parents.
Following his keynote presentation, Mr Granet participated in a panel discussion with Cai Jingping, President of the China Welfare Institute Children’s Theatre, and Miriam Sun, Chief Executive Officer of the Shanghai Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA).
From 1st October to 5th October, LCE held its learning lab at Pao School. The lab was a great success, earning acclaim from both participants and observers. Philip Sohmen, co-founder of Pao School, said: ‘The workshop, which has been run successfully over many years at Lincoln Center, gave teachers across all disciplines (maths, science and arts teachers) training which will allow them to help their students think like an artist and build their imagination and creativity’.
The workshop provided rich learning opportunities for Pao teachers. Through experiential learning over the course of the five-day lab, Pao teachers gained an understanding of LCE’s aesthetic education approach to teaching and learning. They learned key teaching concepts and strategies to engage with works of art, including art making, questioning and reflection. The training programme also provided Pao teachers with opportunities to think like an artist while experiencing the value and joy of individual creative choice making and collaborative learning.
During the 5-day educational lab, LCE instructors Dacia Washington and Dan Pratt introduced Pao teachers to LCE’s innovative pedagogy. ‘It was amazing how well the arts were incorporated into the five-day programme’, said Shane Vey, Director of Pastoral Care. ‘We all came away with new insight on how to incorporate this pedagogy into our own teaching and daily lives’.
‘This course opened a door for me to appreciate works of art, both music and visual arts’, said Michelle Wang, Primary Language Support Teacher. ‘Instead of lecturing, the trainers offered many interesting activities for us to observe deeply, try freely and work collaboratively. I went through those experiential activities in a comfortable and reflective environment and I discovered some teaching methods that can be applied in my own learning and interactions with students’.
Philip Sohmen concluded:
‘We are delighted to have partnered with Lincoln Center in New York, the world's premier performing arts venue and education hub, to launch Lincoln Center Education's Creative Education Lab for the very first time in China. Pao School believes in the importance of the arts in developing imagination and creativity for all students as key 21st century skills’.
