The Teaching Artist Training Institute (TATI) is a robust combination of weekly classroom observations and professional development workshops designed to provide a cohort of 20 participants with a greater understanding of working with students with physical and developmental disabilities. Over the past 17 years, TATI has served nearly 300 teaching artists, museum educators, librarians, classroom teachers, graduate students and arts administrators united by the desire to provide better arts instruction for students of all abilities.
TATI offers participants a unique opportunity to observe Master Teaching Artists first-hand as they plan and implement lessons, assessing student needs and making adjustments in real time. Working closely with classroom teachers and related service providers, Master Teaching Artists model teaching strategies and demonstrate how to further students’ development of social, communicative, sensory-motor and critical thinking skills through the arts. In addition to observing classes, TATI participants attend weekly Professional Development workshops led by Master Teaching Artists on a range of essential topics, such as lesson planning, differentiated instruction, understanding neurodiverse behaviors and more. Additional workshops are also offered outside of weekly sessions for those who wish to participate.
TATI is supported by generous funding from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in partnership with the New York City Department of Education, District 75. This program is also supported by the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA), the Emily Davie and Joseph S. Kornfeld foundation, the New York Community Trust Alma Timolat Stanley Fund and our loyal donors.