How The DIA Helped Prepare Michigan Teachers This Year

DETROIT, MI — Educators from across the state gathered at the Detroit Institute of Arts in August for professional development workshops to prepare for the upcoming school year.

“DIA workshops show educators creative, effective new ways to teach while fulfilling professional development requirements,” said Kathleen Pawlowski, a kindergarten teacher at St. Clare of Montefalco. “The museum values both student and teacher success and provides resources for educators to help their students grow.”

The DIA recently offered several full-day workshops for teachers, including a crash course in Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS), a research-based method that uses art to facilitate open-ended discussions. Teachers learned how to facilitate classroom discussions and use VTS on non-art subjects, such as maps and graphs. They also learned to use VTS to help inspire students to write.

“The DIA’s professional development workshops for educators focus on showing how art can be used to start conversations and make connections to students’ daily lives,” said Salvador Salort-Pons, DIA director. “The DIA’s educational programs support teachers and help them find new ways to incorporate art, history and culture into lesson plans and classroom activities.”

Through the workshops, the teachers also could earn State Continuing Education Clock Hours (SCECH), which are earned by attending professional development activities approved by the Michigan Department of Education.

“Visual thinking strategies are invaluable for helping students communicate, actively listen and build a classroom community,” said Lesli Svoke, an elementary art teacher serving several schools in Farmington Hills. “I’m looking forward to using what I learned to create a safe space for students to tell stories and share their opinions. These are skills that can be used for the rest of their lives.”

The museum offers a variety of SCECH-approved professional development workshops and other educator events throughout the year that can be found on the museum calendar. Group workshops can also be booked online.