Statewide Conference Highlights Arts Integration, Power of Play

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Teachers take part in an exercise at the conference.

Last month, over 90 educators from across Arkansas came together on scenic Petit Jean Mountain to think hard about play. The result was a richer understanding of art, creativity and student learning — all part of the University of Arkansas' fifth annual ARTful Teaching Conference.

Organized by the Center for Children and Youth in the College of Education and Health Professions and the Brown Chair in English Literacy in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, the ARTful Teaching Conference invites professors and pre-service teachers from a dozen Arkansas colleges and universities for two days of workshops and presentations on arts integration — practice of teaching across classroom subject in tandem with the arts. 

The event was held at the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute. This year's theme "The Art of Playful Learning" examined the connection between art and play in the classroom.

"Play has received a lot of attention from educators, both past and present," said Hung Pham, director of the Center for Children and Youth. Pham also served as the conference coordinator for the ARTful Teaching Conference. "More and more research is showing the vital importance of play for student learning and development, and yet many children are getting fewer and fewer opportunities to play during the school day — whether at recess or through playful classroom activity. Art is a natural conduit for playful pedagogy, so it was a great fit for the conference."

The 2016 ARTful Teaching Conference featured an array of expert facilitators, including college professors, K-12 teachers, professional artists, game designers and nonprofit educators. Presentation topics ranged from teaching with improv games, to using Legos to develop writing skills, to exploring how video game design can inform teaching methods.  

Attendees came away with a wealth of new concepts and practical applications for using art and play in the classroom.

"This conference has been truly eye opening for me as a future educator," said Hilary Blackburn, an early childhood education major from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. "I haven't been this inspired to play since I was a kid myself!"

"The ARTful Teaching Conference is an excellent resource for teachers to learn about the multitude of ways that arts can be incorporated into curriculum," added Rynnett Clark, student teaching supervisor at Hendrix College. "It is a reminder to us all that the arts bring joy to learning."

A recent addition to the conference has been the introduction of workshops led by returning attendees. Professors Sara Davis of the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith and Sharla Felkins of Arkansas State University at Mountain Home, who have both attended previous years, led separate workshops involving playful learning.

"I loved sharing ideas with others on creative teaching ideas," said Felkins of her experience. 

Pham hopes to see even more universities take on facilitation roles in the future.  

With the success of this year's event, organizers have set their sights on spring of 2017.

"The ARTful Teaching Conference is one of my favorite events to be part of," said Pham. "I really prize the chance to collaborate with current and future educators from all over the state who share a commitment to deep, layered learning experiences through the arts."