Museums as Resources

Registration for the 2024 Museums as Resources Summer Institute for Educators is Open

REGISTER

The 2024 Museums as Resources course will take place Friday August 2 through Friday August 9.

This 6 day course is based at Bennington with travel days to the Clark Art Institute and MASS MoCA.

Earn Professional Development Credit (45 hours) or 3 Vermont State University graduate level credits with Final Project.

Instructor of Record: Jennifer Welles White, Social Studies Teacher, Mount Anthony Union High School
Host: Deana Mallory, Director of Public Programs, Bennington Museum
Cost: $950 if taking for graduate credit. $475 if taking only for professional development
We must receive payment or a purchase order from your supervisory union or school district prior to the start of the course.

Course Description:  Curriculum Standards, including the Common Core Learning Standards and C3 Framework, emphasize the importance of inquiry and the use of primary source documents for developing skills such as critical thinking, citing evidence, considering multiple perspectives, and engaging in discussion. Museums have been using these techniques for many years and are excellent resources for important primary and secondary documents, images, and the art and objects that help us engage students in every kind of learning. Through this course, educators will gain a deeper understanding of the resources available at museums, how to access them, and how to use them in their lessons.

The course takes place primarily at Bennington Museum, but also includes visits to two other area museums.

The 6-day course is open to all Early Childhood and K-12 educators. In the past, librarians, art teachers, and diverse educators have enjoyed this course. The vertical and horizontal diversity of participants creates valuable opportunities to connect with and learn from colleagues.

Teachers’ Institute Course: Museums as Resources

A Quick Overview

August 2 through August 9
Most days start at 8:30AM and end at 3:30PM

  • This six day program is geared for early childhood through Grade 12 educators.
  • Ten participants will be accepted.
  • The program will include gallery tours, field trips and an array of guest speakers who will delve into various methods of discovering, understanding, and using the art and objects of museums in lesson planning.

Supported in part by the Vermont Humanities

Participant Feedback

All of this course was helpful! This is the best PD course I have EVER taken. Seriously.

– Pamela Johnson-Spurlock, Library Media Specialist, Green Mountain Union High School

Your guest speakers were phenomenal. The knowledge available to us was amazing and I feel like it was only the tip of the iceberg of what they could offer us.

– L. O.

I value the exposure to a broad range of talented, passionate professionals. Everyone was so generous with their creative ideas.

– Jill Van Orden, MAUHS Art Teacher

Overall the course was very, fun, useful, and engaging. It provided me with many tools and ideas as well as established new relationships and understanding roles/resources within out community. I really enjoyed going to museums and having a real-life experience. It provided me with a perspective we can share with our students.

-K.C.