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PUSD and Pasadena Arts Community Support Common Core Learning
Education Aug 08, 2013
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Pasadena’s arts community is supporting the transition to the new California Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in the Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) with a three-day summer arts institute for classroom teachers August 5-7. Sponsored by the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens and developed in collaboration with Pasadena Educational Foundation and PUSD, “Arts Integration and the Common Core” will focus on using the museum’s collections and gardens to develop lesson plans that foster the four “C’s”: critical thinking, collaboration, communication and creativity in today’s classrooms. The CCSS, adopted by 45 states including California, arrive in PUSD classrooms in 2013-2014 and emphasize writing, comprehension and problem-solving skills.
During the three-day session, PUSD teacher teams will research paintings, sculptures and books in the Huntington’s collections and use dance, music, theater and the visual arts to present their findings, lessons that will be taught to students once school begins. For instance, K-12 teachers might explore the biology of the Huntington’s gardens and then compose and perform a song about it, or study Harriet Goodhue Hosmer’s 1859 marble sculpture, Zenobia in Chains, and perform a response that reflects the challenges that women experienced in 19th century America. Participating alongside PUSD teachers in parts of the three-day institute will be representatives from the city of Pasadena Cultural Affairs Department, Kidspace Museum, Gamble House, Armory Center for the Arts, Pacific Asia Museum, California Art Club, Junior League Pasadena, Side Street Projects, Pasadena Museum of History and Pasadena Museum of California Art. Actress Jane Kaczmarek will also join the group to give feedback on presentations.
“The Department of Education at The Huntington has a long history of school programs that use the skills called for by the new Common Core State Standards,” said Catherine Allgor, Ph.D., the Nadine and Robert A. Skotheim Director of Education for the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens. “We think we are in position to really help both teachers and students make this important transition. We look forward to working with PUSD, our neighbor and long-standing partner in the My Masterpieces program, on this new and exciting challenge.”
With the start of the new academic year August 14, PUSD will begin to use a teacher-driven revision of a curriculum that incorporates 21st century learning skills and the Common Core Standards. Years in the planning, the curriculum employs project-based learning, a dynamic “learning-by-doing” approach to teaching that actively engages students and inspires them to seek deeper knowledge of the subject they are studying.
“PUSD is transforming our approach to teaching from the simple acquisition of academic content to one where students take ownership of their own learning, collaborate in groups and solve real-world problems – vital skills that our graduates need to be successful in the 21st century economy,” said PUSD Superintendent Jon R. Gundry. “I am grateful to the Pasadena arts community for its willingness to share its vaunted collections and resources with our classroom teachers.”
