A.I.M.'S PROGRAMS
Arts Integration Menomonie (A.I.M.) offers programs in which pre-service teachers at UW-Stout and early career teachers in regional school districts have access to hands-on arts learning and teaching opportunities which they may integrate into their instructional practices with students.
As a focal point for interaction and capacity building, the arts offer new models and modes of teaching via co-creation with teachers and students.
Collaborative by design, A.I.M.’s programs offer hands-on explorations of arts integration and mindfulness through which emerging and new teachers embrace risk-taking as an avenue for professional growth while they also focus on their own personal health and well-being in order to manage the stressors which come with being a teacher.
A.I.M.’s programs include P.A.I.N.T. (Program for Arts Integration for New Teachers), Mindfulness, and Art Labs and Camps.
P.A.I.N.T. - PROGRAM FOR ARTS INTEGRATION FOR NEW TEACHERS
hands-on TEACHING practice
Program for Arts Integration for New Teachers (P.A.I.N.T.) connects the university to school and community organizations through internships in which UW-Stout students gain professional experience through applied learning, collaboration, and arts integration. UW-Stout pre-service teachers teach arts classes in regional schools, the community, and/or on campus. P.A.I.N.T. interns grow their teaching capacity and confidence through hands-on practice.
MINDFULNESS
support for WELL-BEING
Mindfulness training for personal and professional use.
The demands of today's classrooms continue to increase, as teachers are faced with more expectations and fewer resources. While mindfulness doesn’t reduce the demands of teaching, it provides tools to manage stress and see clearly in the present moment to support problem solving and emotion regulation. Mindfulness can help teachers weather the joys and challenges of teaching, reducing burnout and emotional exhaustion.
ART LABS & CAMPS
ARTS INTEGRATION skill building
Learning to teach in and through the arts.
Teachers approach instruction in new ways by exploring the arts as avenues for meaningful student engagement and deeper understandings. In AIM’s art labs and camps, teachers learn to integrate the arts into their teaching through observation, exploration, collaboration, and practice with professional teaching artists. Learning to teach in and through the arts, emerging and early-career teachers build their competence, confidence, and joy in their teaching.
EXPLORe - INTEGRATE - REFLECT
The first part of learning is discovery, and learning to teach is no different.
A.I.M. participants discover the artists and teachers within themselves through programs that involve exploration, integration, and reflection.
EXPLORE.
Teachers EXPLORE making and performing artful creations with training, support, and opportunities to practice. Hands-on making and/or performing opportunities expand teachers’ personal capacity to use (and eventually teach) the arts.
Teachers EXPLORE teaching through added practice with students. Practicing how to teach- methods of instruction, student engagement, writing lesson plans, creating instructional materials, and reflecting on one’s teaching- significantly impacts an emerging teacher’s competence and confidence.
Teachers EXPLORE mindfulness as a practice that supports personal well-being amidst the demands of teaching which they may call upon as they transition from the role of student to classroom teacher. Formal training in mindfulness practices gives them real tools they can use to juggle the many demands of school, practicums, family, friends, jobs, etc. and to bring balance into their lives.
INTEGRATE.
Teachers INTEGRATE the arts as process and product for students to problem solve, brainstorm, and communicate content area learning tied to teacher’s curriculum; students learn about both the subject area and the art form, while arriving at an understanding of ideas and values that extend beyond the classroom.
Teachers INTEGRATE skills of mindfulness into their daily lives (and potentially into their classroom practices) as a way to manage stress, regulate emotion, and promote a positive classroom environment.
REFLECT.
Teachers REFLECT on the impact of their arts, teaching, and mindfulness experiences in relation to their development as teachers. Through A.I.M.’s programs, new and emerging teachers analyze their competence, confidence, and well-being in the process of becoming a teacher and take ownership in shaping their experience.