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Change of Heart:
Artistic Alternatives to Violence


Puppetry

Conflict Resolution
Early Childhood Package:

Penny Jones and found-object set for Shoe Box Puppet Shows
The puppet set for the Three Bears


Steps of the Package:
  1. Initial Planning Meeting: The success of the Change of Heart requires a unified effort. Therefore the initial planning meeting of 45 minutes to 1 hour requires a Program Planning Team which includes, at minimum, the following stakeholders: the CES artist for the program, the school principal or assistant principal or early childhood coordinator, the school guidance counselor or SAPIS, and either the school parent coordinator or other parent representative.
    Goals for the meeting include:
    • understanding of the goals of the program and the individual components of the Program Package;
    • Initial scheduling of all components
    • Recommendation for program evaluation procedures.

  2. Staff Development workshops: The first hands on activity with participants includes 1 staff development workshop with up to 30 teachers and parents. This 2 hour workshop addresses the topic of using puppetry to approach behavioral issues and conflict resolution. Teachers and parents will learn the skills of creating their own puppet shows to address a prevention theme.

  3. Show: A 1-day show component is scheduled.
    Goals include:
    • introduction of elements of the program to the school participants (students, teachers, administrators);
    • demonstrating excellence in practice of puppetry performance to school participants;
    • establishment of the artist as a credible expert and role model. Maximum number of participants in audience: 120. Teachers will fill out final evaluations on the program component, identifying observations, insights and principles learned.

  4. Artist residence/ mentoring: Artist engages 2 teacher-partners and their students in a residence to demonstrate the use of in-class puppet shows to deal with conflict resolution and other Change of Heart principles, and to mentor teachers in applying the principles of the Change of Heart approach and to design their own puppet performances. The basic Package includes one artist working with 2 classes a day (maximum size 30 students) for a total of 2 contact hours per day with students. The artist works for 5 days with these classes, 2 days as model, 3 days as mentor of the teachers preparing their own shows. Before the residence program begins, the artist engages in a planning meeting with the teacher-partners to:
    • clarify the goals of the program,
    • design the curriculum and
    • review evaluation procedures.

  5. Evaluation meeting: The artist, the two teacher-partners, and the guidance counselor, principal or assistant principal, and the parent coordinator or parent representative will meet to discuss progress and make an overall program evaluation.
    • Evaluation:
      Teachers and parents will be required to
      1. fill out evaluation forms at the end of the staff development session. These will be reviewed by the Program Planning Team.
      2. Journal entries by teacher partners will be required after each session, describing
        • what participants learned,
        • their responses to in-class sessions, and
        • any issues they have or problems they are experiencing which they wish to see addressed and these will be used to develop the final program evaluation.


The full program, as described, costs $6,265.

For more information on this powerful program, email us at programs@creativeeducationalsystems.com

To look at other types of Puppet Programs from the Early Childhood Puppet Theatre click here

To receive a free copy of the Change of Heart Curriculum Framework email us at programs@creativeeducationalsystems.com

To look at other types of Preventions Services of the Change of Heart program click here

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