Educators invited to apply for innovative arts & humanities program at Va. museum

The Virginia Museum of History & Culture is now accepting educator applications for the first year of the Virginia Declaration of Learning program.

This prestigious year-long program is exclusively for educators in the state of Virginia who work in 4th-12th grade art, social studies, language arts, gifted & talented, special education, and ESL / ELL classrooms as well as those who teach as school librarians and media specialists. This immersive teacher professional development program seeks to bring arts and humanities subjects to life and shares the importance of civic engagement through object-based learning. Teachers selected for the program will gain digital access to historical art and objects from state and national partners and receive training on integrating these resources into their curriculum.

Virginia is the first state selected for the national program’s expansion and will serve as a model for other states. The program has run for six years with great success in Arkansas and will also expand to Washington, D.C. for the 2020-2021 school year.

The program is managed by the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Reception Rooms in partnership with George Washington’s Mount Vernon, the American Civil War Museum, the Chrysler Museum of Art, and the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.

Virginia teachers and librarians selected for the program will have the possibility of earning 35 professional development hours for participating and will receive stipends as programmatic goals are achieved. Participants will begin the program with a teacher development program at George Washington’s Mount Vernon Aug. 10-14, 2020 and will work throughout the school year in regional teams. Participants will be mentored by former program participants who will provide assistance as they develop units, lesson plans, and civic engagement projects during the school year. Units and lesson plans may be selected for publication on a national website, although this is not a guarantee.

Applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Feb. 23, 2020, at the following link:  https://forms.gle/FibKpRjYDXt52P8U6

To learn more about the VDOL initiative, visit https://www.mountvernon.org/plan-your-visit/calendar/events/virginia-declaration-of-learning-professional-development-program/

To hear from previous Arkansas participants, as well as students and administrators, visit. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLj2vxyuu8hVCelfMgswP9jgdPwbTs-6cm