Storytelling with Puppetry, Technology and the Arts
Presenters
- Jahidah Diaab, Creative Arts Director, ECC
- Dr. Tova Ackerman, Founder / CEO, Puppetry-in-Practice
- Luciano Cohen, Puppeteer / Pre-K Specialist, Puppetry-in-Practice
- Jason Leinwand, Art Education Director, Puppetry-in-Practice
Session / Time
- Breakout Session III
- Thursday, April 26, 2:45 - 3:45 p.m.
- Amersfort Room
Description
Puppetry in Practice believes that through the magic of storytelling and puppetry, a foundation of imagination, curiosity and excitement is laid. With engaging storytelling, children transform into the characters in their play and they personalize a characters experiences based on their own. Soon, the classroom can marvelously transform into any setting with simple props and building materials creating an entire world for dramatic play and artist explorations. In the end, the children will create an entirely new world for the characters. A world that is entirely theirs and one that exists beyond the words on a page.
PiPs goals are to demonstrate that the effectiveness of interactive storytelling and puppetry are aimed at giving children a jump off point to become the storytellers themselves. When teachers and adults transform inanimate puppets into speaking, feeling characters, it resonates deeply with children and provides affirmation that their play is valued.
In recent years PIP has developed and piloted a variety of early childhood programs at the Brooklyn College ECC that have then expanded to Pre-K programs throughout NYC public schools and additional CUNY ECCs. This workshop looks to demonstrate PiPs commitment to storytelling as the foundation for a variety of exploration in puppet play, art-making, dramatic play, photography and animation.
This workshop will show examples of PiP programs in pre-school and Early Childhood sessions in which storytelling, puppetry and technology are part of interactive activities based on the children’s interests. The goals are to empower early childhood educators to provide an arena where, in the end, their students are the storytellers.
Goals / Content / Intentionality
The intention of the workshop is to show ways in which the class environment can be enriched through interactive, arts-based connections with storytelling and to empower teachers to feel confident with the arts and technology.
Jahidah Diaab—Creative Arts Coordinator
Presenter Bios
Jahidah Diaab, Creative Arts Director, ECC
Jahidah Diaab has been working with young children ranging from severely autistic to the gifted for the past 20 years. Her teaching journey has taken her to various educational and diverse settings across the New York City area. She began her first introduction to children at the Herbert G. Birch School. She then went on to teach the arts at Hunter Elementary School for the Gifted, The Dalton School, Beginnings Nursery School and Ethical Culture Fieldston School. She joined the team of teachers at the Blue School during its developing stages. She now teaches as a Head 2's teacher at Chelsea Day School. Her role at the center is to make the children's learning visible through videography and documentation. Jahidah Diaab has a B.A. in fine arts and a master's in early education—birth through second grade. She enjoys writing and producing plays and short films in her spare time. She is raising two wonderful loving boys and enjoys all things that revolve around nature.
Jahidah Diaab is the Creative Arts Director and Curriculum Developer / Documentarian at the ECC.
Dr. Tova Ackerman, Founder / CEO, Puppetry-in-Practice
Dr. Tova Ackerman, Founder / CEO, Puppetry-in-Practice
Dr. Tova Ackerman holds a doctorate in TESL from New York University and has taught in New York City schools, Brooklyn College, Lesley College and Jiao Tong University in Shanghai. Tova founded PiP in 1980 and has tirelessly pursued the artistic enrichment of core curricula in schools ever since. She was a teacher of English as a Second Language (TESL) and Special Education for several decades.
Luciano Cohen, Puppeteer / Pre-K Specialist, Puppetry-in-Practice
Luciano Cohen, Puppeteer / Pre-K Specialist, Puppetry-in-Practice
Luciano Cohen is a storyteller-puppeteer native of Argentina specializing in young audiences since 1999. After studying scriptwriting, Luciano started his career in Buenos Aires while celebrating birthday parties, promoting books and toys for children through a set of interactive shows with puppets. In 2006, Luciano moved to the USA, branded his name as “Mr. Lu” and expanded his horizons into the educational field while becoming an early childhood educator. Soon after he created his own company called “Mr. Lu and Friends”. This allowed him to design shows dedicated to children's behavior, in which they would interact, practice or watch real life situations without feeling stress in a fun environment with puppets, acting and music.
Jason Leinwand, Art Education Director, Puppetry-in-Practice
Jason Leinwand, Art Education Director, Puppetry-in-Practice
Jason Leinwand is a visual artist and a teaching artist with an MFA in Studio Arts from NYU and a BA in Studio Arts from Wesleyan University. He has been a teaching artist with various organizations for over 15 years. Jason is currently the Art Education Director at PiP and spends most days teaching stop-motion animation, puppetry and mural painting to kids ages 2 - 18. During the summers, he can be found directing the Children’s Circus of Middletown in Connecticut, a 5-week circus arts program for 150+ youth performers with Oddfellows Playhouse. Jason is currently an Adjunct Lecturer at Brooklyn College and teaches in the Early Childhood Arts Education Department.
