The Summer Institute in the Arts
Presented by Maureen Miletta
I am one of those
people who believes that everything happens for a reason, so when Professor Libresco asked me to act as notetaker for the
Summer Institute in the Arts session, I felt compelled to agree. Before attending
the HNET Arts Institute presentation, I admit that I had been looking forward to spending my summer unwinding at the beach
after a tough semester of student teaching. However, after watching the videotape
of last years Institute and listening to Dr. Maureen Milettas dynamic and inspirational description of the program, I left
with an application in hand. Ive since traded in my SPF 45 sunblock for a shiny,
new binder, and Im hoping to attend this summers session!
The Summer Institute
in the Arts is a month long summer school for middle school students held at Hofstra University. Funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, the program studies the role of arts in education
while fostering creativity in students and providing a learning lab for teachers. The
video of last years program included snippets of lessons presented by professional artists from the Lincoln Center Institute
who worked closely with the students to actively engage them in the arts. The
professional artists hailed from each of four creative disciplines including dance, drama, music, and visual arts. In addition to the artists, several professors and middle school teachers share the teaching of additional
subject areas. The program promotes multidisciplinary learning and helps students
understand the connection between the creative arts and math, science, technology
and literacy.
As part of this
Institute, Hofstra University invites teachers with current elementary or high school certification to apply for scholarships
that will enable them to complete, free of charge, the six credits needed to receive certification for middle school teaching. The teachers observe the Summer Institute in the Arts program as their field experience
component, while attending graduate course sessions held several days a week from 4:30 to 8:30 PM between July 7th to July 31st. If
you are interested in learning more about this program, please contact Dr. Maureen Miletta.
Hope to see you there!
By: Shari Dorfman
