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Professional Development
Professional development in all four disciplines is critical to successful implementation of the new arts curriculum. In 2002, the national co-ordinators of dance, drama, music, the visual arts, and ngā toi will help to implement programmes aimed at supporting teachers, building their confidence, and nurturing their long-term teaching capability. These programmes will include a focus on the new teaching and learning material being published by the Ministry.
Regional development
There are six regional professional development programmes, each based at a college or school of education in Auckland, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin. The structure and content of each programme is based on two main considerations:
- the need to present whole-school professional development;
- the need to develop curriculum leaders in each discipline and in each region to help ensure ongoing support and networking.
The programmes have been developed independently to match the existing expertise in each institution as well as regional requirements.
There are also two national arts professional development programmes - Pasifika Teachers and The Arts Online
The National Exemplars Project
All four arts disciplines are included in the National Exemplars Project (see Curriculum Update 47). A number of teachers have been involved in developing exemplars, which will be trialled this year. This involvement has had many positive spin-offs as teachers and students encounter new and challenging activities.
I took my first class group for dance yesterday and we got so into it that we ended up "moving and grooving" for the whole afternoon! ... I actually felt quite emotional to see children who find it so hard in other areas of the curriculum really taking hold of what I asked them to do and shining. It made me realise why I am a teacher.
| Amanda Porter, year 5/6 teacher, Stanhope Road Primary School |
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Today was great! We learned another great thing. We did mirroring movements, where you have to get a partner and copy what one of them is doing. Then we did shadowing, which is a locomotion movement. I added speed, which is slow and fast, and I used levels Æ high, medium, and low Æ and I used symmetrical, asymmetrical, and contrast. Ha! See how much I've learned. I get better every time!
| Excerpt from the dance journal of a year five student, Stanhope Road Primary School
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