TRINIDAD & TOBAGO CENTRE
FOR ARTS EDUCATION & INTEGRATION
Eugene Joseph, director of the Trinidad Dance Theatre and a former Director of Culture for the Ministry of Community Development and Culture, contacted SCEA in 2006 to inquire about professional development in arts integration. Discussions led to the development of a comprehensive plan to establish a Trinidad & Tobago Centre for Arts Education & Integration, which would facilitate ongoing professional development for university arts and education faculty, primary and secondary school administrators and teachers, and practicing artists.
Proposed components include:
• Conducting demonstration workshops to acquaint educators throughout the Caribbean nation with SCEA’s approach to arts education and integration.
• Introducing arts integration programs at several schools where SCEA consultants would serve as mentors working with teachers and their students.
• Collaborating with the teacher education department at the University of Trinidad and Tobago.
• Partnering teachers with practicing artists to develop a common language and understanding of one another’s needs.
• Establishing primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary laboratory schools throughout Trinidad and Tobago as sites for exploring and demonstrating arts education and integration strategies and curriculum.
Discussion is underway to begin the work with a programme designed to satisfy the needs of teachers being trained by the University of Trinidad and Tobago.
Eugene Joseph
Trinidad Dance Theatre
