Chapel Hill, NC− July 30, 2015− VIF International Education, a global education partner of K-12 schools and districts, announced that the organization has partnered with A+ Schools to provide globally themed arts-integrated professional development to teachers through the VIF Learning Center.
The A+ Schools Program was established in 1995 by the Kenan Institute for the Arts and is now administered by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources. The program’s goal is to help schools build enhanced, arts-integrated learning opportunities for all students. By doing so, students in A+ Schools develop innovative ways of thinking, learning and presenting information they’ve acquired.
“Both VIF and A+ have years of experience incorporating global and arts into instruction,” said Anamaria Knight, VIF’s director of curriculum and instructional design. “It’s powerful that these two organizations with such long histories of working in education can come together to create a unique partnership that will benefit both students and teachers.”
The partnership will foster teachers’ ongoing professional development as they discover how to enhance global learning while seamlessly promoting the arts across different subjects. On Aug. 4, Knight will join A+ Teaching Fellow Carrie Wagner to present on global learning through the arts at A+ Schools’ upcoming 20th anniversary conference.
In the first A+ Schools professional development module in VIF’s Learning Center, teachers will explore how to inspire global inquiry by introducing various art forms – dance, drama, music and visual arts – and how art’s common vocabulary provides a basis for global learning. This challenges educators to discover how the arts can enhance global learning in their classrooms. Upon completion of the module, teachers will earn the Global Arts digital badge, which can be shared with principals, colleagues and peers around the world through online portfolios.
The VIF Learning Center features professional development, digital badging, curricular resources and a social community of more than 13,000 educators around the world.
About VIF International Education
VIF International Education partners with districts and schools to develop global-ready teachers and students. Educators use VIF’s professional development and curriculum, language acquisition and cultural exchange programs to create engaging learning environments that integrate technology, cultural literacy and other 21st century skills into classroom instruction. VIF is a certified B Corp and ‘Best for the World’ honoree headquartered in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
About the A + Schools Program
The A+ Schools Program is a whole school reform model that views the arts as fundamental to how teachers teach and students learn in all subjects. A+ Schools use the arts as a catalyst for creating connections and making schools engaging, meaningful and enjoyable places to teach and learn. There are 46 A+ schools in N.C.
