Before a Teaching Artist meets with Classroom Professionals for the initial residency planning meeting, some decisions have already been made. Below is the standard flow of information and some questions that may already have been generated in advance of this meeting.
First, School Administrators and Arts Program Managers Decide:
- What art form(s) and why?
- What are the goals for students to take away?
- What grades and classes will participate?
- How many sessions/weeks in the residency?
- What are the dates (generally)?
- Where will the sessions be held?
- Will there be visits to external performances/a plan to coordinate an internal performance?
…share information with Classroom Teachers
From this information, Classroom Teachers may have the following questions:
- What are the learning goals? What do we want our students to know, understand, and do?
- Will there be an open-class invitation for parents/caregivers to observe, or an in-class community showing of work to coordinate?
- What room will this residency take place in? A traditional classroom, an auditorium, etc.?
- How can I best collaborate with the Paraprofessionals and Teaching Artists through this residency?
…share information with Paraprofessionals
From this information, Paraprofessionals may have the following questions:
- What do I want out of this residency for my students and/or class?
- Is there a question I may want to consider for my students working with this art form to allow my student(s) to reflect throughout this process?
- What are the learning goals – what do we want our students to know, understand, and do?
- How can I best collaborate with the Classroom Teachers and Teaching Artists through this residency?
…share information with Teaching Artists
From this information, Teaching Artists may have the following questions:
- What do I need to know (and from whom) regarding the students that I will serve?
- What are some supports that are successful for the students in this class?
- What are some of the learning goals that the students already have, and how can I incorporate them into my planning?
First Steps after a Residency Assignment
Know your goals for your students: “What do I want my students to know, understand and do?”
- Prepare your sample lesson plans, and prepare for the Classroom Teachers and Paraprofessionals to articulate other goals.
Ask questions at the planning meeting to better understand your students’ learning goals, needs and wants
- What do I need to know and who will provide the information regarding the students I will serve?
- What are some of the students’ learning needs and how might they best be met? (e.g., What are you doing in Common Core that I can incorporate in planning my lessons?)
- Will there be a Core Theme developed in connection to the art form or a specific theme introduced outside of the residency in connection to the art form?
- Can you tell me about the strengths of the individual students and what sort of supports they benefit the most from?
- What might I consider in planning my lessons that would benefit all students in the class?
- When planning my lessons, how can I best reach all the students in the classroom?
- What accommodations can be made, depending on the individual needs of each student? (e.g., ramps, large print, audio, video feeds, quiet areas, assistants)
- Is it possible to observe your class before our residency so that I can get a sense of your team dynamic and the students in the room?
- Are there curriculum coordination meetings or planning sessions?
- What sort of final culminating event will work best for this class? Open-class invitation(s) for Parents/Caregivers, in-class showing of final work or in-school showing of final work (invited student body, Teachers, Paraprofessionals, Administrators, Family, Community)
- Where will I be teaching? In a traditional classroom with desks and rows, an auditorium, or elsewhere?
Be ready to answer any questions the Classroom Teacher or Paraprofessionals might have for you
- What is the best way for Classroom Teachers and Paraprofessionals to engage in the residency?
- What are your skills and techniques to teach all ranges of students with disabilities, English as a new language learners and ….?
- How can we communicate and assess students’ growth and learning?
Troubleshoot less ideal planning meeting scenarios.
Remote Teaching and Learning Tip:
If you are planning a remote residency or workshop, ask what platforms the school currently works with and also check out our resource for Getting Started with Remote Learning.
If you are planning a remote residency or workshop, check out our Remote Learning Planning Meeting Agenda.
