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Iowa Conservatory embraces Project-based learning (PBL) at the heart of our curricular design.
This 21st-century approach to learning is student-centered and brings real world applications to arts education. The teacher acts as a facilitator for student learning, scaffolding deep engagement in artistic content as students engage in collaborative and interdisciplinary learning opportunities.
The role of the teacher-artist is to guide students as they develop mastery of their art form, providing scaffolds to students as needed. Our faculty is trained to carefully design courses with intentional team-building and project outcomes in mind, with the most important content-area skills and concepts embedded in student activity. All of our teachers value the person first, and aim to build highly responsive, trusting teacher-student relationships.
Our arts program design is grounded in Project Based Learning (PBL). At the heart of PBL is a deep understanding of content, mastery of skills and personally satisfying, relevant student project outcomes. We strive to facilitate authentic arts experiences, growing students’ skill and expertise through hands-on, innovative projects, centered both within their own discipline and across majors. Arts-rich PBL contexts build 21st century skills: critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity.
Participation in PBL leads students to engage deeply with the content and with their peers in the arts community. As they delve into the work, steps to reach personal and group goals and bring projects to fruition stimulate a deep and intrinsically satisfying learning experience. Participation in our program inevitably grows the identity of the student-as-artist.
We put students in charge of their own learning. Student innovation and divergent thinking is encouraged, drawing on individuals’ interests and goals to shape project outcomes: real-world artistic experiences with other artists. Unlike more traditional educational settings, PBL asks students to bring the full force of their invaluable resources and attributes to the center of the learning experience.
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