What we do?
Express-a-Book was created to serve as the Maine Arts Leadership Initiative’s (MALI) approach to collaborating, connecting and sharing reading, podcasts, talks etc. MALI believes in the power to share and generate ideas through the ARTS!
We have successfully used Express-a-Book at conferences and gatherings in Maine and beyond in a variety of ways. The format has been shared in workshops, videos, short articles and highlighted inTeaching Strategies That Create Assessment-Literate Learnersby Jeffrey Beaudry and Anita Stewart McCafferty.
Why we do it?
Express-a-Book supports learners to:
* Share ideas and resources through an active process
* Use the arts to make information accessible and engaging for learners
* Learn together as a community
* Allow for individuals who do not often engage in art making processes to experience the potential of the arts to enhance learning
* Offer a low cost, simple, scalable and refreshing approach to a 'book club'
* The process has practical applications for a variety of classrooms and settings. Express-a-Book can be applied across disciplines or in professional learning communities, it can take place face to face or electronically, within or across schools, districts, across a region/state/country/ and even the globe.
* Individuals must be willing to stretch and be vulnerable
* The process is an example of teachers teaching teachers and provides the structure for learners of all ages to freely share their voices and ideas.
Express-a-Book was created by members of the Maine Arts Leadership Initiative (MALI), an eight year old statewide (Maine, USA) organization who is committed to the development of Teacher Leaders to ensure deep understanding and meaningful implementation of high quality teaching, learning and assessment in the Arts for all students. Using a Logic Model MALI educators develop ideas, take on challenges, solve problems and implement and share their at the local level and beyond. The ongoing work impacts hundreds of classrooms, schools and most importantly students and their creative beings.
Special thanks to Chris Pinchbeck for brainstorming and helping us with the innovative name Express-a-Book.
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