Amy

Vecchioni

SESSION TITLE: Leonardo’s Workshop: Passion Projects and Choice-based Studios in the Art Room

SESSION TIME: 15 minutes

SESSION DESCRIPTION: We will examine how to navigate Design Thinking, Genius Hour, Passion Projects and choice-based studios in the art room to enhance student voice and choice while supporting STEAM and arts integration models of education. We will demonstrate how Design Thinking and National Core Arts Standards can be adapted to all STEAM areas and can be paths for cross-curricular collaboration. Additionally, we will explore how to create scaffolding and documentation for small and large design projects while working through time, space and budget constraints. We will conclude by discussing how the Maker Movement can transform arts education and expand students’ ideas of creativity and concepts of college and career readiness.

PRESENTER BIO: Amy Vecchioni has been a visual arts teacher and fine arts lead educator in Chicago Public Schools for fifteen years. She is the current visual arts teacher, Arts Liaison and fine arts community outreach coordinator at her school. Her goal as an arts educator is to link student experience to STEAM initiatives, the arts integration model and choice-based art instruction in order to enhance core curriculum objectives, build global citizenry and create personal ownership of student learning. She has continually worked to create meaningful fine arts opportunities for her students—garnering support from external resources and reaching out to numerous organizations to expand the cultural community for her students in addition to working as a consultant and professional development leader throughout the Chicago area. She and her students have created arts-in-action partnerships in six continents and have utilized the arts to make change and promote social justice across the globe. Additionally, Amy’s arts integrated visual arts projects have been featured in a variety of print media including The Chicago Tribune, Teaching the Best Practice Way (Daniels and Bizar, 2005) and Best Practice: Today’s Standards for Teaching and Learning in America’s Schools (Zemelman et el.,2005). Amy has a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Design and lives in Chicago with her husband. She has one son who is a graduate of Chicago Public Schools.