FAQ

**Please note many of the answers in the FAQ refer to a normal school year. Due to COVID we will be teaching virtually. AIA has provided as many up to date answers for COVID as possible.

What are my responsibilities as a Docent, Docent Assistant, or Mounter?

Docent:

  • Teach Art in Action lessons in the classroom, 2020 Modification - Via Zoom for 2020. Docents will be invited to classroom Zooms with teacher.
    • Prepare for the lesson before class using the AiA Online Lessons .
    • 2020 Modification - Prepare all materials for each student by packing individual bagged lessons for each student. Coordinate with teacher regarding classroom materials hand out timeline.
    • Lead the discussion of the masterpiece and show students how to do the project.
    • See the Resources page, for more information on teaching lessons.
  • Schedule
    • Most classrooms have one lesson every two weeks. 2020 Modification - One lesson per month.
    • Lessons last about 60-90 minutes, depending on classroom schedules. The time can vary depending on the ages of the students and the media used. 2020 Modification - Docents are encouraged to focus only on the necessary aspects of the masterpiece and get to the project as soon as possible.
    • Coordinate lesson schedules with the classroom teacher. Share curriculum and any integration ideas. Teachers may reorder lessons to match their curriculum plans.
  • Attend a fall training or webinar if available. Additional resources and ideas are found in the Online Lessons.
  • Art Shows - Coordinate with your art show curator (volunteer). Help select and mount artwork for: 2020 Modification - Art Shows will be virtual. We are hoping to post a moving carousel of pictured art on the Cipriani home page. More details coming soon.
    • One monthly Art Show at a public venue like a library (each grade is assigned a month)
    • The School Art Show at your school
  • Work with your classroom teacher. If needed, ask for help with classroom discipline. Ask to hang student art in the classroom.

Docent Assistant: 2020 Modification - Good idea to utilize assistants to keep track of students who are raising their hands or asking questions in the chat. If not assistants available, tell students how you would like them to get your attention; un-mute, use the hand raise function, etc.

  • Review the lesson before class and assist with setup.
  • Prepare classroom for the lesson and help students as necessary with the project.
  • Clean-up the classroom. Ask the students to help.
  • School Art Show - Assist with setup and cleanup.

Mounter: 2020 Modification - No Mounter required

  • Mount all finished AIA projects for your class so they can be displayed at Library Shows and during the Spring Show. This is done throughout the year as projects finish up. This can be done at home or at school.
  • Labels are found under the Resources Tab, under Forms. Blank labels for printing can be found in the MUR.
  • Mounting paper can be found in the Office workroom or in the MUR.

How do I sign up to become a docent or assistant?

To volunteer for AiA, you can do one of the following:

    • Konstella - On the left side of your Konstella screen scroll down to Committees. Scroll down, under Enrichment you will see Art In Action. Scroll down under Docents and find your classroom. Please sign up for your student's classroom. YES you can volunteer in more than one class!!
    • During Back to School Night - Each teacher will have a list of sign ups in their classroom
    • Let your teacher know and he/she will contact us.

How do I get access to the AiA Online Lessons ?

The official Art in Action website provides Online Lessons with detailed information and training on each of the lessons included in the program.

To get access to the online lessons and other resources in the official AiA website, you will need to register at the site (http://teach.artinaction.org/) using an authorization code. The AiA Coordinators will give this information out at the Kick Off Meeting. You can also find this message in our Konstella Committee.

The online lessons provide the docent with the following:

  • Overview - gives an overview of the lesson objectives
  • Artist - provides background on the artist and their work
  • Discussion - explains the structure and technique of the masterpiece with videos.
  • Planning - explains how to plan a lesson and integrate it into the curriculum, great to give to teachers as it has Common Core alignments.
  • Setup - shows what materials you need for the art projects and how to set them up
  • Directions - has videos showing how to do the art projects
  • Assessment - has ideas on how to assess student learning after the project
  • Resources - provides pointers to books, music and video for further exploration

How to sign up for AiA training at the beginning of the school year ?

**These have been suspended for 2020-2021.  The Cipriani AIA teach is always available to answer questions and will be holding a training soon.  Please keep your eyes open for it on Konstella**

Free group training is provided for each program level at the AiA Menlo Park campus. Docents will need to attend one three-hour class, from 9 am to 12 noon at the beginning of the school year. In this training docents will review all 12 program lessons, participate in several hands-on lessons, learn discussion techniques, classroom and materials management and meet other docents from around the area.

For the clay lessons, there is a separate two hour session where you will learn the basic clay techniques used in the Art in Action lessons. It is required that you to attend this training if you plan on being the docent for a clay lesson. You will work hands-on with clay and practice making projects from all program levels. Get tips from the experts about best practices for working with clay and learn how to dry and finish projects.

Please go to http://artinaction.org/training/ to view training dates and register to attend one of the sessions for your grade.

How do I get started with the lessons ?

The AiA Coordinators at Cipriani will hold a Kick Off meeting during September to meet all the volunteers, review the program, and provide basic at-school training. Group training at the AiA Menlo Park campus is required for all new docents and recommended every year for returning docents. Again group trainings for 2020-2021 are suspended. Please email your coordinator for support if the online lessons and instructions are unclear.

Each group of classroom docents and assistants will work to set up a classroom schedule, make a sketchbook & portfolio for each student, and learn where all the needed materials are stored. For additional information on these tasks, please see the Resources page.

Do I have to teach all 12 lessons ?

**2020 Modifications - Many AIA lessons involve tempura paint and we cannot send that home. Our Coordinator is working hard to find alternatives for most lessons. Each grade level should have at least 8 lessons that they can teach.  Please work with your teacher on a schedule that works for both of you***

Our hope is to have at least 3 volunteers per classroom so that each only has to teach 4 classes during the year. If this is not the case for your classroom please let your coordinators know. We will try to think creatively to get lessons done in your classroom. Averaging 8-12 lessons is the goal but we do what we can do.

Where do I find information specific to teaching AiA at Cipriani?

You can find several documents with tips & instructions under the "Instructions" folder on the Resource page. They include tips & tricks for clay lessons, how to set up for your lesson, how to get started for the year, and where to find AiA supplies and materials to teach the lessons.