THOUSAND OAKS, CA - California Lutheran University will provide free hands-on training for using art, dance, drama and music to teach a variety of subjects on Saturday, Nov. 3, at Rio Vista Middle School in Oxnard.

The Third Annual Arts and Learning Symposium: Creating Collaborative Partnerships, which is co-sponsored by the Rio School District, will be held from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Jatila van der Veen, an educator for NASA and the University of California, Santa Barbara, will give the keynote address on “Art as a Path to Understanding Physics.” She is researching the use of interdisciplinary strategies and media-arts technology in physics and astronomy education.

Van der Veen and others will lead interactive breakout sessions for educators. Michael Berns, a television producer earning a teaching credential at CLU, will demonstrate how to transform everyday lessons into unforgettable group performances with teachers and students collaborating as writers, directors, actors and audience. Carla Walter, an associate professor of marketing at CLU, will share her research into dance in advertising and its effect on consumption, and discuss the implications for incorporating dance performance into teaching. Nan Young, the executive director of ArtTrek Inc. will explore mathematics and the body, shapes and biology and the modern mind. John Zeretzke, the founder and director of Flutes Across the World and recipient of the 2009 Medal of Honor from the United Nations for peacekeeping, will lead educators through a science and music activity.

Participants will develop action plans during roundtable discussions and leave with a variety of tools and ideas that they can use in their classrooms. The program will also feature lunch, a continental breakfast and a performance by the Rio Mesa High School Dance Team.

The event is part of the Susan Greiser Price Arts Integration Program, which was funded by a $150,000 gift to CLU’s Graduate School of Education. Through the program, CLU trains educators to use drama, music, art and dance as teaching strategies in all subject areas. It expands on Project ACT (Active, Collaborative, Transformative), a program run by CLU and the Moorpark Unified School District and funded by a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

Rio Vista Middle School is located at 3050 Thames River Dr.

Space is limited. To register, go to http://www.callutheran.edu/artslearning or contact Christina Houston at chouston@callutheran.edu or 805-493-3423. For more information, contactMaureen Lorimer at mlorimer@callutheran.edu or 805-493-3836.