Around 160 art educators will meet on campus for RMCAD’s hosting of Jefferson County Professional Development Day, Monday, August 14 from 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Participants will take two workshops over the course of the professional development event. The event is an opportunity to support teachers during a time where budgets are constrained, teacher expectations are more complicated, and the education system is reshaping. The professional development day is funded, in part, by the district.
Workshops
“Design Thinking” with Miranda Ziegler
Educators will immerse themselves within a given problem and be tasked to think creatively to find solutions. Collaboratively, educators will focus on listening, experimentation, and user empathy to explore options over a structured timeframe.
“Relax and Unwind While Winding” with Juliette O’Brill
Participants will strategically hammer nails into a wood surface in the shape of a design, then twist colorful string around the nails to render that image. Individuals will work on their own piece and also collaborate to create one large-scale piece to showcase in the JeffCo community.
“mindSpark for JeffCo” with Mary Lisa Harper
mindSpark Learning is a nonprofit dedicated to elevating educators and igniting teaching through game-changing professional learning experiences. In this workshop, educators will explore ways to reimagine classroom space and foster growth through innovation and creativity.
“E-Textiles” with Theresa Clowes
In this workshop, educators will learn the basic knowledge of sewing circuits with electronic thread to form a circuit between a battery and an LED to create one-of-a-kind soft sculptures. The intent of this workshop is to help teachers and other instructors learn programming through e-Textiles so they can then introduce students—especially girls—to computer science in an engaging way.
