Each certificate consists of four three-credit graduate courses. Teachers can use these credits toward their MA degree or for the 30 credits beyond the MA that are used for a salary differential in the New York City Department of Education.

The School of Professional Studies is pleased to announce a new certificate program, Drama in the Classroom, offered in collaboration with the Paul A. Kaplan Center for Educational Drama and the Creative Arts Team. Through this certificate program, SPS students interested in working in educational settings will examine highly effective and creative methods for putting students, no matter what age, at the center of their learning. Students will be able to enliven academic curricula and also address city and statewide educational standards using classroom drama as a mode of instruction.Experts in the field of educational drama will lead these classes. All instructors have produced educational theatre programs and classroom drama work through the Creative Arts Team, which works with more than 30,000 students annually in NYC public schools. They have also providedprofessional training to teachers and artists locally, nationally, and, in some cases, internationally.

Students may take courses individually or complete a certificate comprised of the following four graduate courses:

Successful development and production of original theatre with young people requires a thorough understanding of student-centered pedagogy and the devising process, actor-centered directing skills, and comfort working with young people. Moreover, educators and artists engaged in this work must be able to apply all of this in practice. This graduate-level certificate program, consisting of four three-credit classes, will offer students a solid grounding in the educational theory related to creating theatre with young people as well as its practical applications. The program also focuses on developing skills in arts administration and youth development, particularly in the context of after school programming. It is designed for pre-service and in-service teachers, teaching artists, and community and youth group leaders. The goal of the certificate is to give students both practical and theoretical training in these areas. Students will also work with members of the Creative Arts Team Youth Theatre over a sustained period of time.

In the introductory course, students will study group facilitation and theatre skills through the lens of student centered pedagogy. Students will gain additional skills in the three advanced courses to prepare them to devise, direct, rehearse and present original youth theatre productions. One of the advanced courses is an intensive apprenticeship that provides students with an opportunity to observe experienced youth theatre leaders and consider logistical and administrative issues involved with leading youth theatre groups.

The four graduate courses in the program are:

Recent New York State and New York City Department of Education efforts to develop arts curricula and standards stress the importance of integrating teaching and learning the arts into K-12 education. The delivery of such curricula will require the participation of artists called upon to share their craft in the classroom. While teacher education programs offer some arts-related content, there are few graduate education opportunities for professional theatre artists engaged in formal educational settings who wish to study education pedagogy and practice to maximize their effectiveness as educators.

This graduate-level certificate program, consisting of four three-credit courses (selected from two required and three elective courses), attempts to fill this gap by offering professional theatre artists an opportunity to learn education pedagogy and practical teaching skills. The certificate program is designed for those who wish to teach about theatre in formal classroom settings, as well as for those interested in providing instruction in more informal settings in the community. Teachers, administrators and other professionals from related arts or education fields may also benefit from participation in the program.

Through the introductory course, students will study education and arts pedagogy and organizational issues as well as gain exposure to the perspectives and practices of educators who work with teaching artists in theatre and the other arts. Students are also required to take the Theatre of the Oppressed course, which will build their skills in teaching through theatre, and introduce them to theatre arts education theory and methodology of Augusto Boal, an international leader in the theatre arts education field. Finally, students will gain enhanced teaching skills and experience by taking two of three available elective courses. The entire program is rooted in a constructivist educational perspective that leans heavily on the pedagogy of Paulo Freire.

The two graduate courses in the program are:

The three elective courses for the Theatre Teaching Artist Certificate Program (two must be completed for the certificate) are: