Professional Development for Teachers
This partnership provides opportunities for classroom teachers and Museum educators to work closely with each other to develop and implement interdisciplinary curricula that will connect classroom learning to the art on view, and the community we live in.
Fun with Shapes and Geometry
This two-hour workshop focused on the exhibition David Smith: Cubes and Anarchy and provided classroom teachers with several ideas for integrating art into their math curriculum. The simplified geometry of Smith’s monumental Cubi and Zig sculptures of the 1960s started a conversation about balance, scale, and proportion. Teachers were particularly drawn to Smith’s drawings and paintings. His myriad rearrangements of geometric shapes sparked discussion about pattern, design, and geometric abstraction.
Gallery-Based Activities
The purpose of this workshop was to introduce teachers to non-discursive strategies and gallery-based activities that they can use in their classrooms in addition to verbal description and discussions. They were excited to learn that activities such as responding with poetry, creating a comic strip, or even becoming the work itself, were different ways to deepen students’ understanding about works of art.
