Arts Integration is the backbone of our practice in education which is why we partner with schools and teachers to provide professional development in teaching with the arts.
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What is Wolf Trap?
Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts (Wolf Trap) is a nationally recognized program with over 35 years of experience utilizing the performing arts to promote young children’s school readiness and cognitive, emotional, and physical development by enhancing the instructional skills of educators through effective professional development on arts integration. The program integrates performing arts-based techniques to enhance ALL areas of development including: language and literacy, social/emotional growth, and STEM skills (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). 21st Century skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, communication, collaboration, and creativity are also developed through the Wolf Trap model.
The heart of the program consists of a 16-session residency. During the residency, a local Teaching Artist is paired with a classroom teacher to develop lesson plans and customize the experience to meet the needs of the individual teacher and classroom. This program is effective in teaching young children of multiple learning styles and provides the foundation for all future learning for all young students. It also provides teachers with innovative and effective arts-integrated strategies that they can use in their classrooms.
In a controlled study conducted over four years by the American Institutes for Research, Wolf Trap's Early Learning Through the Arts program was proven to have a statistically significant, positive impact on students' math achievement.
A very significant piece of recognition by the Department of Education, that speaks volumes to the reputation and impact of Wolf Trap programs is the inclusion as a case example on page 19-20 of the guidance for Title IV, under allowable uses of funds for Activities to Support Well-Rounded Educational Opportunities in the recent ESSA, Every Student Succeeds Act report, section 4107.
How San Antonio Wolf Trap Early Learning is Impacting Classrooms
- Integrating the performing arts is a powerful teaching strategy that unlocks children's innate desire for joyful, active learning.
- High-quality early education is essential to giving children the best possible start in life.
- Studies have shown that activities grounded in the performing arts help students develop critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, and collaboration skills.
- "It assists in developing and building vocabulary through movement. It was a benefit, as a professional, to allow me to explore other avenues to produce a system in classroom management, interacting through literacy and incorporating other content areas." -Mrs. Cameron, Teacher/ Heritage Elementary, Southside ISD, CT Rhames, San Antonio Wolf Trap Teaching Artist
- "The residency provided new insights of subject matter by using different types of puppets, singing songs, and using different body movements/gestures (while incorporating the literature being studied) to help them to learn new vocabulary words, accommodate their different learning styles, and help students fully understand and retain information." -Mrs. Stefanie Escobar, Teacher/ Gallardo Elementary, Southside ISD, Katrin Blucker Ludwig, San Antonio Wolf Trap Teaching Artist
FAST FACTS:
- San Antonio Wolf Trap (SAWT) is the only Wolf Trap Education affiliate in Texas and one of 21 affiliates in the United States improving early childhood learning through teachers' professional development.
- SAWT has 7 professional performing artists, all have been trained by a Master Teaching Artist from the Wolf Trap Early Learning Institute in Virginia in the Wolf Trap method. Professional artists are recruited, interviewed, and chosen by San Antonio Wolf Trap to attend the week-long training in San Antonio.
- SAWT provides 12 hours of professional development to teachers and establishes a working partnership between Teaching Artists and Early Childhood Teachers by using the coaching model in their classrooms
- The Wolf Trap Institute's performing arts-based teaching method taps into children's innate desire for active, multi-sensory learning. Children make STEM learning visible by singing, dancing, and engaging their imaginations through interactive puppetry, story dramatization, and role play. Students are able to question and engage daily because of the safe space that is created by the teacher.
- Bringing San Antonio Wolf Trap Early Learning Through the Arts residencies to school districts throughout the city establishes a much-needed connection between arts and education.
- San Antonio Wolf Trap is investing in children through the arts, building connections that provide the foundation for all future learning, behavior, and health.
