SP8: The Arts, 2013 – 2014

Cohort Description

SP8, The Arts, is designed for Intermediate/Senior teacher candidates with a keen interest in drama, music, dance, and/or visual arts who wish to focus on the creative and artistic life of schools. In addition to developing an understanding of teaching and learning through an "arts lens," teacher candidates gain a sense of what it means to be an arts educator, and to educate using the arts in a secondary school.

Program/Curriculum

As in all SP's, teacher candidates in the SP8 cohort take their three foundations courses together: Teacher Education Seminar, Psychological Foundations of Learning & Development, and School & Society. Discipline-based courses are taken with other instructors and with candidates across the Intermediate/Senior program.

The Internship

In all OISE programs there is a field-based internship in late April to the end of May. SP8 teacher candidates can spend this time working in a chosen classroom setting, or in an arts-based non-classroom setting, which might include parallel education sites such as museums, performing arts organizations, or community and culture-specific arts organizations.

Additional Field Experience Days

Teacher candidates in SP8, The Arts, participate in scheduled activities over a period of 4 days during the academic year. These special days are scheduled during the week when students are not attending regular classes.. Activities take place in the community, with a focus on teaching and learning, in and through the arts. Students must be able to commit to being available for 4 days (approximately 20-24 hours) during the academic year.  Special days may take the form of the following: field trips, mini-conferences, workshops conducted by members of the SP8 cohort, field work in the educational departments of cultural organizations and schools, and/or workshops given by professional artists, arts managers, and museum educators.

Who Should Apply to SP8?

Successful SP8 applicants will give evidence of the following, in the space provided on the Cohort Selection and Candidate Information form (200 words maximum):

• An interest in using the arts as a strategy for teaching in many subject areas
• A willingness to learn from others, and engage in regular classroom discussion, seminars and workshops
• Some experience in one or more of the arts disciplines such as: dance, drama, music, film, and visual art. Preference is given to candidates who express a keen interest in learning more about the connection between teaching using the arts and student learning.
• A willingness to travel to placements in SP8 partner schools, and participate fully in the additional field experience days.

Further Info

Please contact Janet Markus, SP8 Coordinator.