Record-Breaking Attendance At This Year’s Literary Conference


9/11/2007 11:16:44 AM


Expanding Literacy Through the Arts: A Closer Look An Arts Integration Conference and a Huge Success

**Extensive Images Available Upon Request**

BROWARD COUNTY, FL – Broward County Cultural Division, Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Dillard Center for the Arts and the School Board of Broward County FL presented the fourth annual arts integration conference in August. Expanding Literacy Through the Arts: A Closer Look captivated and inspired more than 850 teaching artists and educators from the School Board of Broward County and independent programs.

Due to its overwhelming popularity last year, the conference was held at two venues this year – Dillard Center for the Arts and Broward Center for the Performing Arts. Such well-known local artists as Romero Britto and David Chang conducted workshops on painting, drawing and multi-media art forms; James T. Perry, president of the Center for Fine Arts Education in Tallahassee, spoke about America’s drive toward ‘The Creative Mind’ as a future tool in the technological race between America, Asia and India; Mayor Josephus Eggelletion spoke of his days as a teacher at Dillard High School.

Reports from Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts teaching artists Sean and Melanie Layne, who conduct teaching conferences all over America, say they “have never seen such an extensive level of presenters of both local and national stature and such a large group of local teachers at the same time.”

Expanding Literacy Through the Arts: A Closer Look, focused on literacy instruction through the visual and performing arts. New this year were workshops designed specifically for teachers of English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and Exceptional Student Education (ESE). With much interactive participation, the workshops translated the power of the arts in enhancing learning in all academic areas, and is the only free event of its kind in Broward County. It is a project of the 1993 Kennedy Center Partners in Education Team.

The conference, aimed toward teachers, artists, principals, community arts providers, and others who work with children and teens, consisted of 17 interactive workshops and seven Kennedy Center-trained teachers who introduced educators to the use of the arts to help students acquire the knowledge of word order, phrasing, and punctuation that contribute to the meaning of a written sentence.

Sponsors for the event were Bank of America, Kaplan University and Offerdahl’s without whom, this successful event would not have been possible. For further information call Patricia Zeiler, Cultural Division at 954-357-7321; e-mail pzeiler@broward.org.


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