The mission of the Pedagogy Arts Collective at Berklee is to foster a collaborative and dynamic community of educators in the pursuit of effective and innovative teaching. Through the pragmatic exploration of pedagogy, educational psychology, technology, student/educator demographics and self-evaluation, the Pedagogy Arts Collective fosters and maximizes holistic excellence in the science and art of education.
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Designing for Intrinsically Motivated Students Using Fink's Taxonomy
Kerry Foley and Pedagogy Arts Collective
When courses emphasize meaning over coverage, students’ intrinsic motivation and capacity for lasting learning deepen. This session presents Fink’s Taxonomy of Significant Learning as a practical framework for aligning goals, experiences, and assessment—expanding beyond traditional cognitive domains to include caring, the human dimension, and learning how to learn. Through a constructivist lens, we’ll explore approaches to designing assignments that spark engagement and foster enduring learning, alongside strategies for clarifying grading criteria and streamlining feedback. The focus is on giving faculty tools to cultivate richer learning without added workload or loss of autonomy, connection, or impact.
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Resonant Minds: Using Mindful Action through Music for Teaching, Learning, and Connection
Sara Sherman and Mort Sherman
Music reaches parts of the brain—and heart—that words alone cannot. In this interactive session, we will explore how music, paired with mindful action, can boost focus, strengthen executive function, and deepen social-emotional awareness for teachers and students. Drawing from Resonant Minds and their work with Mozart for Munchkins, Mort and Sara Sherman will share practical tools for integrating music into teaching, community building, and leadership. We’ll also explore how these same practices can counter burnout—helping educators and artists reset, reframe, and rediscover joy in their craft. Like great improvisation, the more we master our tools, the greater our ability and freedom to personalize our use of mindful actions through music.
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Joyful Teaching in Every Class: Why and How to Promote Flourishing for All
Flower Darby and Pedagogy Arts Collective
How can college faculty promote their own and their students' well-being in a time of unprecedented disruption and challenge to the educational enterprise? Given the rise of AI, increasingly polarized societal narratives, and widespread faculty burnout and stress, how can we nourish our teaching joy and find strength in so doing? Join us to explore the benefits of, and practical strategies for, intentionally promoting flourishing in our class and campus communities.
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Navigating the Artificial Intelligence Landscape: Leadership, Ethics, and Practical Impact
Ken Shelton and Pedagogy Arts Collective
You have probably heard of this "new" thing called artificial intelligence. In fact, you may have gone to one of the more popular large language models and asked it a simple question or to do a more complex task. The technology is already impacted us in many ways both knowingly and unknowingly. This interactive presentation will focus on how we can maintain a human-centered approach to using artificial intelligence. We will focus on what ethical leadership, systems thinking, and responsible, practical use look like.
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Curiosity about Cultures: The Intentionality and Responsibility of Curricular Planning
Velina Hasu Houston and Pedagogy Arts Collective
Broadening and deepening of students’ perspectives of global and domestic humanity cannot be accomplished without equally deep and broad exploration of cultures, class standings, and sociopolitical backgrounds that differ from that of the mainstream. Teachers must be curious about such differences and, with intentionality, provide curricula that integrate these differences. Such efforts contribute healthfully and comprehensively to students’ education and support their cultivation of society.
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Developing Our Students' Creation-Driven Mindsets
Betsy Newman and Pedagogy Arts Collective
As faculty and educators, we are all responsible for creating an environment that will foster our students’ personal, creative, and artistic growth. This session will introduce a research-based framework that explains how students develop a creation-driven mindset; and the ways in which the educational experiences we provide (or don’t provide) influence it. Through the exploration of five developmental domains—(1) recognizing the unintended consequences of success-as-prescribed; (2) discovering creative drive; (3) building creative agency; (4) negotiating degrees of creative freedom; and, (5) catalyzing creative growth—we’ll explore some practical considerations for designing—with greater intention—educational experiences that advance each student’s development journey.
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It's Not the World We Grew Up In: A Conversations About Skills for Learning and Thriving
Ellen Galinsky and Pedagogy Arts Collective
Over the past 20 years, the science of what helps students and adults learn and thrive has become increasingly clear and irrefutable, revealing that strong executive function (EF) skills of the brain are predictive of achievement, health, well-being, and quality of life—often even more so than IQ or socioeconomic status. These are the skills we all need to foster positive mental health, achieve academic and career success, and contribute to a thriving workforce. In this session, we will discuss these skills and how you can apply them to your own teaching and learning.
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Power and Empowerment: Honoring Students in Instructional Design
Andratesha Fritzgerald and Pedagogy Arts Collective
Equitable and inclusive learning environments are built on the choices of individuals. This session will explore the notions of power and empowerment that are made evident in our decisions, our designs and our outcomes. Participants will: Explore the definitions of honor and power Evaluate power filled choices and examine the implications of power in equitable access to learning. Begin co-creating a community of educators who are conscious of how to use power to honor learners in instruction and assessment.
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In Search of Dynamic Balance: Making the Most of Critical Incidents in Teaching and Learning
Dennis Shirley and Pedagogy Arts Collective
Even the best and most experienced of educators sometimes get stuck in cul-de-sacs where we don't know how to engage our students or how to respond to unexpected situations. In this interactive workshop we'll explore the complex blend of challenges and opportunities that can surface in and out of classes, and the ways that we can use our creativity and curiosity to transform initially awkward encounters into deep and transformative learning experiences.
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GO-PAC Culture Capsule: Elevating Our Understanding and Support for Colombian and Latin American Students
Pedagogy Arts Collective
The Global Open - Pedagogy Arts Collective (GO-PAC) extends Berklee’s pioneering arts pedagogy worldwide, embracing all facets of creative arts education. Through comprehensive pedagogy training and community engagement, GO-PAC is dedicated to innovative pedagogy, educational psychology, and technology integration, preparing arts educators to excel in n ever-changing learning landscape. GO-PAC embodies teaching excellence while amplifying unique cultural perspectives and facilitating ongoing collaboration within a transformative global network.