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Welcome to the Customized Arts Learning Toolkit

The Customized Arts Learning (CAL) toolkit supports personalized learning in arts education and promotes culturally affirming and sustaining instructional practice in arts education. The CAL toolkit is intended to provide educators with resources to support the needs of diverse populations, thus addressing gaps that impair learning. CAL focuses on inclusivity through arts learning as a bridge to academic learning and interpersonal development. 

How To Use the Toolkit

The CAL toolkit is meant for use in PK-12 settings. Teachers may utilize all or parts of the toolkit to create dialogue and build consensus to address the needs of your unique context. While the Toolkit was created with the National Arts Standards (Anchor Standards 10 and 11) in mind, consider your state standards and/or local learning outcomes. 

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Toolkit Overview

Several students are picture from above painting on a teal-colored table

 Key Terms 

  In order to effectively implement this toolkit, it is important to  
  begin with common definitions for the following key terms:  

CULTURE

  1. the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group 
     

  2. ​the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization
     

  3. the set of values, conventions, or social practices associated with a particular field, activity, or societal characteristic

CULTURAL
INSIDER

An individual that shares a sense of belonging within a defined cultural group, institution or organization with a deep understanding of its customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits. A cultural insider represents their own viewpoint within a culture, and does not necessarily speak for the diverse viewpoints of others within any cultural tradition.

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