Episode 202: Inclusion & Liberated Spaces
Applying action research to your art classroom can help students feel included. Join us for another episode where NAEA’s Connected Arts Networks (CAN) members Rachel Murray & Malissa Baker share how they apply their action research to their art classrooms. From exploring strategies for fostering a sense of belonging among all students to building a community where creativity thrives, making thoughtful adaptations to the environment ensures that every learner feels seen and valued. Listen in as Rachel and Malissa share practical and insightful tips on how small changes can lead to big impacts, empowering students to be their creative selves.
About Connected Arts Networks (CAN): The National Art Education Association (NAEA), in partnership with the Educational Theater Association, National Association for Music Education, National Dance Education Organization, and NYC Department of Education’s Office of Arts and Special Projects has launched a nationwide initiative to create virtual Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). The goal of this Connected Arts Networks (CAN) is to build a sustainable model of professional learning to help teachers better serve students.
Resources
Guests
Dr. Mi’Jan Celie Tho-Biaz
Oral Historian and Co-Host
Rachel Murray
Theatre Teacher/Arts Coordinator
Rachel Murray is currently in her 18th year as a public school dance teacher. She received her bachelor’s degree in dance and dance education from Empire State College, where she was a recipient of the Richard Porter Leach Fellowship for Performing Artists, and her MFA in dance at UT Austin. She danced with Betty Jones’s Dances We Dance in Honolulu, HI, The Mark Morris Dance Group in Brussels, Belgium, and New York City, NY, and The Aztlan Dance Company in Austin, TX. She currently teaches at Elk Plain School of Choice, K–8. Rachel’s Action Research for CAN is focused on transformative SEL, whereby students explore aspects of their identity, through dance, as a process to deepen understanding of self and others.
Malissa Baker
Music Teacher
Currently in her 25th year as a music educator, Malissa teaches orchestra and chorus at Buffalo Creek Middle School in Manatee County, FL. She is certified in Music Education K–12 with both ESOL and Reading Endorsements. She has been named a High Impact Teacher by the Commissioner of Education, she has been a panelist and presenter at the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) Pre-Conference in 2019, and she has had the privilege of working on the Florida Music Education Association (FMEA) Emerging Leader Committee with Chairperson Dré Graham.
CAN Partner Organizations
- National Art Education Association
- National Association for Music Education
- National Dance Education Organization
- Educational Theater Association
- NYC Dept. of Education’s Office of Arts and Special Projects (OASP)
Links
- Connected Arts Networks information on NAEA website
- CAN Press Release
- Tip Sheet
- School Reform Initiative Protocols
- NAEA ED&I Hub
- Meet the new CAN Teacher Participants!
- Center for Leadership and Educational Equity (CLEE)
- Michigan Arts Education Instruction & Assessment
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