Professional Learning Institute: Artful Beginnings
2024 Virtual Professional Learning Institute
Teaching Infants and Toddlers through the Arts
2024 Virtual Professional Learning Institute
Teaching Infants and Toddlers through the Arts
From March to May 2024, Arts for Learning will host a series of four virtual Professional Learning Workshops for early childhood educators and child care providers who work with children from birth-3 years old.
Participants will learn dynamic theatre, music, and dance strategies that they can easily replicate and integrate into the learning of core subjects such as literacy, math, science, and social emotional learning.
Participants can earn up to 8 Core of Knowledge hours through the Maryland State Department of Education's Office of Child Care.
Cost: $15 per workshop or $50 for all four workshops.
Professional Learning Institute Workshops
Dance Baby Dance!
Join Wolf Trap Master Teaching Artist LAURA SCHANDELMEIER for an immersive workshop where you'll journey into the world of transforming books into songs and dances. Participants will discover innovative techniques to infuse narratives with vibrant energy, taking the story beyond the page. Experience the art of storytelling through a fresh perspective, breathing life into stories and crafting unforgettable moments of expression through dance.
WORKSHOP COST: $15
Register for all four workshops and save $10.
Registration has closed.
Playful Pedagogy: Harnessing Books, Rhymes, and Songs for Classroom Success
Participate in a dynamic workshop led by Wolf Trap Master Teaching Artist KOFI DENNIS designed for early childhood professionals. This engaging session will focus on integrating drama and music arts into the learning environment. Discover how to effectively employ books, rhymes, and songs as powerful tools for enhancing early childhood classroom management strategies under the guidance of an experienced expert.
WORKSHOP COST: $15
Register for all four workshops and save $10.
Rhythms of Resilience: Nurturing Social-Emotional Skills through Music and Drama
Join Wolf Trap Teaching Artist CAROLINE FERRANTE as she guides educators to explore the transformative influence of music and theatre in nurturing social-emotional skills. Engage in a dynamic and hands-on workshop exploring five prevalent classroom emotions: sadness, anger, fear, curiosity, and joy. Through uncomplicated songs, expressive movements, and imaginative drama techniques, participants will learn how to assist students in recognizing and articulating profound emotions, fostering a shared emotional vocabulary.
WORKSHOP COST: $15
Register for all four workshops and save $10.
The Dance of Development: Building Foundations for Infants and Toddlers
Participate in an interactive workshop led by Wolf Trap Master Teaching Artist MARIA-INES TRIPODI designed to integrate fundamental dance principles into the daily curriculum of educators. The workshop will be a vibrant exploration, leveraging the power of music, the magic of children's literature, and the boundless realm of imagination to foster a dynamic learning environment in the classroom.
WORKSHOP COST: $15
Register for all four workshops and save $10.
Professional Learning Institute Workshops
Dance Baby Dance!
Join Wolf Trap Master Teaching Artist LAURA SCHANDELMEIER for an immersive workshop where you'll journey into the world of transforming books into songs and dances. Participants will discover innovative techniques to infuse narratives with vibrant energy, taking the story beyond the page. Experience the art of storytelling through a fresh perspective, breathing life into stories and crafting unforgettable moments of expression through dance.
WORKSHOP COST: $15
Register for all four workshops and save $10.
Registration has closed.
Playful Pedagogy: Harnessing Books, Rhymes, and Songs for Classroom Success
Participate in a dynamic workshop led by Wolf Trap Master Teaching Artist KOFI DENNIS designed for early childhood professionals. This engaging session will focus on integrating drama and music arts into the learning environment. Discover how to effectively employ books, rhymes, and songs as powerful tools for enhancing early childhood classroom management strategies under the guidance of an experienced expert.
WORKSHOP COST: $15
Register for all four workshops and save $10.
Rhythms of Resilience: Nurturing Social-Emotional Skills through Music and Drama
Join Wolf Trap Teaching Artist CAROLINE FERRANTE as she guides educators to explore the transformative influence of music and theatre in nurturing social-emotional skills. Engage in a dynamic and hands-on workshop exploring five prevalent classroom emotions: sadness, anger, fear, curiosity, and joy. Through uncomplicated songs, expressive movements, and imaginative drama techniques, participants will learn how to assist students in recognizing and articulating profound emotions, fostering a shared emotional vocabulary.
WORKSHOP COST: $15
Register for all four workshops and save $10.
The Dance of Development: Building Foundations for Infants and Toddlers
Participate in an interactive workshop led by Wolf Trap Master Teaching Artist MARIA-INES TRIPODI designed to integrate fundamental dance principles into the daily curriculum of educators. The workshop will be a vibrant exploration, leveraging the power of music, the magic of children's literature, and the boundless realm of imagination to foster a dynamic learning environment in the classroom.
WORKSHOP COST: $15
Register for all four workshops and save $10.
Workshop Presenters
Laura Schandelmeier
Art Form: Dance
Laura Schandelmeier is a Wolf Trap-trained Early Childhood teaching artist with Arts for Learning Maryland. She is a Certified Movement Analyst (C.M.A), Master Teaching Artist for the Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts and Co-Artistic Director of Dance Box Theater with her husband, Stephen Clapp. Conducting residencies and facilitating Professional Development Workshops regionally and nationally, she has been with Wolf Trap since 2001 and with A4L’s Maryland Wolf Trap program since 2013. She was one of eight Wolf Trap Teaching Artists to participate in a Pilot Program funded by the National Endowment for the Arts to align residency strategies and content to support children’s arts learning related to pre-kindergarten arts standards. She was one of four Dance Artists to participate in stART smART, a project that focused on professional development for teachers teaching Dance as an art form in the early childhood classroom. She also participated in Early Childhood STEM Learning Through the Arts, a research project funded by the Department of Education, teaching Pre-K and Kindergarten math standards through the arts.
Kofi Dennis
Art Form: Music
Kofi Dennis is an Early Childhood Arts Integration Specialist who has been presenting Family Involvement Workshops and Professional Development Workshops for Arts Professionals and Educators, as well as Residencies in schools and libraries all over the country. As a Wolf Trap Master Teaching Artist, Kofi has also been leading New Artists Training since 2005. He’s a well-known Storyteller and Musician who frequently performs in museums, libraries, and schools. Kofi is a graduate of the School of Performing Arts at the University of Ghana and also studied Early Childhood Education at Komenda College, University of Cape Coast.
Kofi Dennis
Art Form: Music
Kofi Dennis is an Early Childhood Arts Integration Specialist who has been presenting Family Involvement Workshops and Professional Development Workshops for Arts Professionals and Educators, as well as Residencies in schools and libraries all over the country. As a Wolf Trap Master Teaching Artist, Kofi has also been leading New Artists Training since 2005. He’s a well-known Storyteller and Musician who frequently performs in museums, libraries, and schools. Kofi is a graduate of the School of Performing Arts at the University of Ghana and also studied Early Childhood Education at Komenda College, University of Cape Coast.
Caroline Ferrante
Art Forms: Music + Theatre
Multi-disciplinary artist and educator Caroline Ferrante brings twenty years of classroom experience to her arts-integrated classes, workshops, and performances. Ferrante is a certified Montessori Director and earned a Masters Degree in Curriculum Design. She loves to explore the social-emotional power of the arts to develop empathy and cultural competency. Ferrante received a Certificate of Promoting Social Emotional Resilience in Teachers from Loyola of Maryland, and completed Responsive Arts in School Education (RAISE) through the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and the US Department of Education. Ferrante celebrates her Potawatomi and Pawnee ancestors through music, movement, native american storytelling, and creative drama. Her highest aim is to create opportunities for empathy and cultural competency while providing educational equity in her community.
Maria-Ines Tripodi
Art Form: Dance
Maria-Ines Tripodi is a Wolf Trap-Trained Early Childhood Teaching Artist with Arts for Learning Maryland. She began working with children while living in San Francisco, where she earned her Montessori Teaching Certificate. She holds a BA in Performance and Language Arts and a Masters in Teaching from Bennington College. Currently, Maria works as a teaching artist for different arts organizations in the area, such as Wolf Trap Institute (2004- present), summers at Levine School of Music (2006-2017), Sitar (2013-2017), and Kennedy Center for the Arts (2017-present). She is a graduate of the Teaching Artist Institute, Arts Education in MD Schools (AEMS) and Arts for Learning Maryland, formerly Young Audiences of Maryland. Having grown up both in Washington DC, and Argentina, Maria is a native speaker and conducts classes in both English and Spanish. Her goal is to continue writing curricula that will enhance and support the arts, education, and community to a wide group of people.
Maria-Ines Tripodi
Art Form: Dance
Maria-Ines Tripodi is a Wolf Trap-Trained Early Childhood Teaching Artist with Arts for Learning Maryland. She began working with children while living in San Francisco, where she earned her Montessori Teaching Certificate. She holds a BA in Performance and Language Arts and a Masters in Teaching from Bennington College. Currently, Maria works as a teaching artist for different arts organizations in the area, such as Wolf Trap Institute (2004- present), summers at Levine School of Music (2006-2017), Sitar (2013-2017), and Kennedy Center for the Arts (2017-present). She is a graduate of the Teaching Artist Institute, Arts Education in MD Schools (AEMS) and Arts for Learning Maryland, formerly Young Audiences of Maryland. Having grown up both in Washington DC, and Argentina, Maria is a native speaker and conducts classes in both English and Spanish. Her goal is to continue writing curricula that will enhance and support the arts, education, and community to a wide group of people.
Professional Learning Institute
FAQ
General Questions
Yes, prepayment is required. Each workshop costs $15 OR $50 for all four workshops.
All workshops focus on educators who are working with early childhood-aged children ranging from birth-3 years old. If you work with children who are slightly older than that age range, you are still welcome to attend and consider the accommodations you would make for the children in your care.
All workshops in this professional learning institute are virtual. Upon registration, you will receive access to the Zoom link PLUS a calendar invite.
To protect the integrity of our artists’ work and to ensure that all participants are able to participate fully and authentically without fear or judgment, none of the workshops will be recorded.
If you cancel at least two weeks before the professional learning workshop, you may request a refund by emailing Shana Teel at [email protected]. Otherwise, you will not be eligible for a refund or credit.
Core of Knowledge (COK) Hours Questions
The Maryland State Department of Education’s (MSDE) Division of Early Childhood offers opportunities to individual child care providers who want to increase their qualifications through the Maryland Child Care Credential Program. Arts for Learning Maryland can offer MSDE-approved training hours to participants through this Professional Learning Institute. If you have any questions on whether or not you are eligible, please check with your supervisor.
Participants seeking COK hours will receive 2 hours for each workshop they attend. If you attend all 4 workshops, you will receive a total of 8 COK hours. If you only attend one workshop, you will receive 2 COK hours.
To receive COK hours for the workshop you attend, participants are required to have their cameras on and participate fully in the workshop. Attendees will be asked to log into the workshop at 9:45 AM, using the same name and email used to register. At the end of the workshop, attendees will be asked to fill out a short post-assessment, using the same name and email used to register.
No, participants do not need to register for all four workshops to receive COK hours! Participants can register individually for the workshops they're interested in, and they will then receive 2 COK hours for each workshop they attend and complete all participation requirements.
Since this is a Professional Learning Institute that includes 4 workshops over the course of 3 months, participants will receive their certificates at the end of the Institute—no later than June 29, 2024.
Additional Questions?
Feel free to reach out to Valerie Branch, [email protected], Education Director, Early Childhood, for further assistance and information.
