Professional Development Workshops at the Rubin Museum of Art
Participating educators meeting at the Rubin Museum to discuss their experiences learning about and practicing different forms of meditation
In preparation for this summer's field studies in the Indian Himalayas, teachers have been gathering every other Friday for two hours at the Rubin Museum to participate in a series of workshops designed to introduce them to Himalayan culture. Continue reading for details on the teacher training curricula...
NYC Educators Workshop Curriculum
Learning objectives: Participants will be guided to connect the work in the museum collection to their own lives and to the themes of Teaching, Beauty, Peacefulness, Wrathfulness, Meditation, and Enlightenment. Informed by gallery and studio activities, mindful observation of art work, and travel experiences, teachers will create interdisciplinary lesson plans for integration into their classroom instruction at their host institutions.
I April 7, 2006 - Introduction
A. RMA mission, collection
B. Program goals and schedule
C. Journal keeping
II April 7 – June 16, 2006 - Examining Themes and States of Being that are represented in the works viewed at the Rubin Museum of Art
A. April 7 - Beauty
1. Guided viewing - learning to look slowly in an informed & educated way
2. Making notes & sketches in journal: work credits, colors, composition, symbolism, personal responses
3. Sharing personal narratives, "What is beauty?"
4. Reflection
5. Homework: write about your experience of being in a state of beauty. Write a poem about beauty (language arts) as related to the above
B. April 21 - Peacefulness
1. Guided viewing - symbols, composition, dynamics
2. Journal notes & sketches
3. Sharing personal narratives, "What is peace?" (how is it represented visually? - drawing activity, group grawing collage)
4. Reflection
5. Homework: write about your experience of being in a state of peacefulness. Web research on notable figures in RMA collection (social studies). ExploreArt – http://www.exploreart.org and Himalayan Art Resources – http://www.himalayanart.org
C. May 5 - Teaching
1. Guided viewing - mudras, history, geography
2. Journal notes & sketches
3. Sharing personal narratives, "What is teaching?" (peer teaching activity & presentation, groups)
4. Reflection
5. Homework: write about your experience in being in a state of teaching. Write lesson plan drafts for beauty, peacefulness & peer teaching (interdisciplinary) Final plans to be published on the RMA Education Web site.
D. May 19 - Meditation
1. Guided viewing - mandalas, symbolism, usage
2. Journal notes & sketches
3. Sharing personal narratives, "What is meditation?" (mandala making on floor w/tape, creating movement for each cardinal direction, 4 groups)
4. Optional ½ hour of meditation instruction
5. Reflection
6. Homework: write about your experience in being in a state of meditation. Bring in music to accompany your movement (performing arts).
E. June 2 - Wrathfulness
1. Guided viewing - deities, history, etc.
2. Journal notes & sketches
3. Sharing personal narratives, "What is wrathfulness, and why do we need it?" (tangka painting activity)
4. Reflection
5. Homework: write about your experience in being in a state of wrathfulness. Count the ways wrathfulness can be manifested in our lives & create a math word problem for your grade level (math).
F. June 16 - Enlightenment
1. Guided viewing - terminology, iconography, etc.
2. Journal notes & sketches
3. Sharing personal narratives, "What is enlightenment? (selecting images/text from your journals & making relief prints on rice paper for group bookmaking activity)
4. Reflection
5. Homework: write about your experience of being in a state of enlightenment. Experiment w/ natural products to color bookmaking papers: acids & bases: teas, coffee, barks, fruit & vegetable juices, etc. (science)
Write lesson plan drafts for meditation, wrathfulness, and enlightenment
(interdisciplinary).
III Conclusion
A. Lesson Plan Review
B. Pre-program Preparation – What you will need to do
IV July 1 – 15 – Study portion in India
V July 21 - Post Travel Debriefing
A. Field notes, sketches, photos, etc.
B. Culture Shock
C. Homework: Final drafts of lesson plans on 6 states of being
VI Independent preparation to implement curriculum in the classroom & follow up activites