About PILA Welcome
to the Program for Interdisciplinary Learning through the Arts (PILA)
website. This site was developed to provide a place for discussion, interaction
and resource sharing on the topic of arts in education. The Michigan Standards
and Benchmarks are an important source for the development of all aspects of
the Program. PILA is located within the Department
of Theatre at Michigan State University.
The Program has teaching,
research and
outreach components.
This website forms an organizing umbrella for the projects of the Program for
Interdisciplinary Learning Through the Arts. We invite you to become a member
of PILA and work with us to create a rich range of resources for teachers, students
and parents. Enter and know that your contributions to this site add to the
growing number of voices who are informed and and excited about the possibilities
of interdisciplinary learning through the arts! If you have questions about
joining PILA or using this site, please Contact
Us. Funding
for this project came from The Michigan
Department of Education, and the site was designed in collaboration with
MATRIX: The Center for Online Arts, Letters,
and Social Sciences Online.
PILA Research The
teachers and students who participate in PILA programs have contributed
to the ongoing debate regarding the place of the arts in schools. Publications and
presentations have disseminated the results of PILA programs and projects
in local, national, and international venues.
PILA Teaching Creative
Dramatics (THR 421), Children's Theatre (THR 422), and Creativity
the Arts and Education (IAH 241 E) are courses designed in various
ways to focus on the role of the arts in education. The Creative
Dramatics course provides students with knowledge and experience
with theatre techniques that are appropriate for use in the preschool
and elementary school classroom. Children's Theatre is focused on
performance techniques that involve performances with and for young
people. Creativity
the Arts and Education encourages creative problem solving, with
in-depth knowledge of arts in education history and policy.
PILA
Outreach Professional Development
for In-Service teachers is an important component of PILA. Each summer teachers
gather at Michigan State University for a Summer Institute that focuses on creating
and maintaining an arts integrated curriculum. Michigan
State University students
selected to become a part of the Artsbridge
Scholars Programwork
in classrooms with elementary and secondary teachers. They bring their knowledge
of their art form to the classroom teacher, and together they create interdisciplinary
projects. The Kinetic Energy Touring Company creates and performs standards
based theatre/dance performances for elementary schools all over Michigan.
The productions have included "Water
Works, Tales of the Hydrosphere," "Spark
and Pop the Adventures of Light and Sound", and "The
Kaleidoscope of Life". Resources based
on the productions and developed for teachers are available on this website.
Welcome
to the Program for Interdisciplinary Learning through the Arts (PILA)
website. This site was developed to provide a place for discussion, interaction
and resource sharing on the topic of arts in education. The Michigan Standards
and Benchmarks are an important source for the development of all aspects of
the Program. PILA is located within the 
The
teachers and students who participate in PILA programs have contributed
to the ongoing debate regarding the place of the arts in schools. 
work
in classrooms with elementary and secondary teachers. They bring their knowledge
of their art form to the classroom teacher, and together they create interdisciplinary
projects. The Kinetic Energy Touring Company creates and performs standards
based theatre/dance performances for elementary schools all over Michigan.
The productions have included "