Educators, K-12

PEM Teacher Institute

Tuesday–Thursday, July 31–August 2, 2012
9 am–3:30 pm daily
Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts

Learn museum teaching strategies to use in your classroom while exploring how PEM’s renowned collection and exhibitions inspire and deepen student learning and promote 21st-century skills. Through guided tours, guest lectures, group discussion, art making and independent work time, participants develop new expertise and design individual lesson plans for their classrooms. (See below for additional details.) Teachers earn 25 hours PDP credit, including follow-up assignments and implementation of their lesson or unit. $50 participant fee. Coffee and treats provided. Priority given to teachers of grades 3–8; all educators are welcome to apply.

Click here to apply. Applications due by May 21, 2012. Questions? 978-542-1546 or emily_scheinberg@pem.org. Please fill out the application and email to emily_scheinberg@pem.org (save the completed form by using the disk icon in the upper left corner), or print the application and fax to 978-741-8793 or mail to Emily Scheinberg, Peabody Essex Museum, 161 Essex St., Salem, MA 01970.

Overview:

• Day 1: Explore Identity and Object-Based Learning: Get to know fellow participants and create artwork together. Consider the theme of identity while comparing objects and historic houses across cultures and centuries. Practice object-based teaching techniques and develop object-based classroom activities that promote 21st-century skills.
• Day 2: Global Trade Then and Now: In the context of PEM's Asian export art and Maritime collection areas, discover FreePort contemporary art installations by Michael Lin and Peter Hutton, exploring global trade past and present. Uncover Salem's unique history and visit the Friendship merchant vessel in partnership with Salem Maritime National Historic Site (160 Derby St.). Delve into interdisciplinary lesson planning that connects art and history/social science. NOTE: This will be a joint day with Salem Maritime National Historic Site's "A Coast for Every Classroom" teacher institute.
• Day 3: Focus on Photography and Writing: Immerse yourself in two stunning photography exhibitions at PEM, Ansel Adams: At the Water's Edge and Natural Histories, Photographs by Barbara Bosworth. Link visual analysis with English language arts skills building and make connections to science and the environment. Express yourself through digital photography. Brainstorm with colleagues on how to transfer ideas from the museum to the classroom. Devise individual lesson plans to implement in the 2012–2013 school year.

Requirements:

• Actively participate in three days of workshops, group discussions and independent work time.
• Develop and implement a lesson plan or unit related to content and pedagogy covered in the program. Submit the lesson plan to PEM staff for review and document classroom implementation (e.g., photos, examples of student work).
• Pay $50 fee.
• Complete evaluation surveys at the end of the Institute and after implementing in-classroom lesson.

It is our hope that participants will visit the museum with their students during the school year, ideally in relation to the lessons they develop.

We look forward to working with you!

Ongoing Professional Development Opportunities for Educators

Earn PDPs and advance your classroom teaching! We offer professional development opportunities for teachers throughout the year. Topics include such themes as Arts Integration, “Write at the Museum!" and “Discover the Art of Object-based Teaching!“ These sessions and customized professional development sessions can be provided to groups of 15 or more teachers in the museum or at schools. For more information, e-mail emily_scheinberg@pem.org.

Interdisciplinary Learning in the Museum and Classroom

Explore arts integration against the backdrop of PEM’s exhibitions and collections. Inspired by works of art that link the visual arts to social science/history and other disciplines, teachers take part in lively discussions, make connections to classroom teaching and practice developing arts-integrated lesson plans with other participants.

Write at the Museum! Making Objects Come Alive to Promote Literacy Skills

How can objects tell a story? This workshop looks at objects in the museum’s collection as inspiration for writing and how object-based learning can be applied to classroom teaching. Teachers learn how to view objects with students and how students can develop a variety of written responses to works of art.

Discover the Art of Object-based Teaching!

Through the use of open-ended questioning strategies, objects and artwork come to life. Explore the educational potential of objects in PEM’s collection and learn how using objects in your classroom can engage students in inquiry and collaborative learning while building observation and communication skills.

The Peabody Essex Museum is certified by the Massachusetts Department of Education to offer PDPs.

Education programs at PEM have been funded in part by:
Lloyd G. Balfour Foundation, The Halfway Rock Foundation, William Randolph Hearst Foundation, W. Bradford Ingalls Charitable Foundation, Institute of Museum and Library Services, Massachusetts Cultural Council, Thomas Anthony Pappas Charitable Foundation, Salem Five, The Van Otterloo Family Foundation, Cabot Family Charitable Trust and JPMorgan Chase Foundation.