DepEd to train teachers for art lessons

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Education (DepEd) and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) will be training teachers to better prepare their students who are inclined to take up the arts for a living after graduation.

Education Secretary Armin Luistro said the training workshop by the Sanayguro National Arts Training for Special Program in the Arts or SPA will equip them with comprehensive skills on developing regional heritage-based lessons. 

They will also be trained in facilitating integrated and multi-art workshops, in providing their students with artistic guidance, and the production of instructional materials as well, Luistro added.

"Part of the K to 12 program is opening career options for our youth who are oriented toward the arts. If they choose to pursue arts to earn a living, then we will provide them the tools to prepare them for the job as artists," he said.   

The NCCA will provide scholarship with free registration and workshop kit for the first 25 participants in SPA for drama and scholarship grants for the first 20 participants for other art disciplines.

The SPA courses are drama, music, creative writing, dance, visual arts, architecture and film and drama. 

Target participants are teachers who will handle SPA subjects in Grades 7, 8 and 9 in school year 2013-2014. 

They will be trained in teaching the production and processes of original arts through a creation process that reflects the core values of SPA which is aligned with the K to 12 curriculum.

The specialized training for SPA teachers in drama will be on May 20 to May 24 at University of the Philippines-Los Baños (25 participants) and Ozamis City in Mindanao (25 participants). 

The Visayas leg will be held on June 3 to June 7 at the Dr. Cecilio Putong National High School in Tagbilaran City for 25 participants. 

Integrated multi-arts which include music, creative writing, dance, visual arts, architecture and film and drama, will be held at Teachers Camp in Baguio City on May 27 to May 31. Only 20 teacher-participants for each art discipline will be accepted.