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Professional Development

Professional Development

Our education team currently offers a variety of professional development opportunities for educators each year:

  • The Weinstein Properties Story of Virginia Teachers Institute is a week-long program that is offered twice each summer. Due to the ever-evolving guidelines around COVID-19, and with our primary concern being everyone's health and safety, we have decided to take our 2021 program virtual. Save the dates of July 26th - July 30th. Preview the schedule 

  • The dates and subject of  Primarily Virginia, the VMHC online institute, varies from year to year. All institutes are open to private and public school teachers of any grade level. 

  • The Virginia Declaration of Learning Professional Development Program is an immersive teacher professional development program that seeks to bring arts and humanities subjects to life and shares the importance of civic engagement through object-based learning. Due to the ever-evolving guidelines around COVID-19, the 2021 program will be going virtual during the week of July 19th - July 23rd. Check back soon for information on 2022 applications. 

  • We also offer private teacher workshops using primary sources. 

  • Interested in seeing us more often? Consider serving on our Teacher Advisory Council!
     

Weinstein Properties Story of Virginia Teachers Institute

"Exceptionally well-planned, executed institute that provides a history teacher with superb tools, regardless of the subject he/she teaches. My enhanced knowledge of archaeology, anthropology, ethnology, and linguistics will definitely benefit me in my World History classroom." - Milondra Coleman, teacher

In conjunction with Longwood University, the Virginia Museum of History & Culture presents its Weinstein Properties Story of Virginia Teachers Institutes. Earn re-certification points while exploring the history of Virginia, project-based learning, and teaching with primary sources! 

Each of the Weinstein Properties Summer Teachers Institutes are held at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture with a day-long field trip to the Robert Russa Moton Museum in Farmville, Virginia. Throughout the week teachers will examine stories from Virginia's past through primary sources. Experts from the Virginia Museum of History & Culture and Longwood University will provide examples for project-based learning, performance-based assessments, and tips and techniques for engaging students in grades K-12. 

The cost is $50, which will be refunded upon completion of the class. In addition, we require a letter of recommendation from your supervisor. Materials are provided free of charge, and participating teachers will be eligible for CEUs and recertification points. For more information, contact Manager of Museum Programs Maggie Creech at 804.342.9652  or mcreech@VirginiaHistory.org.

Due to the ever-evolving guidelines around COVID-19, and with our primary concern being everyone's health and safety, we have decided to move our 2021 summer session (July 26th - July 30th) virtual. Preview the virtual schedule here. Register here.

Primarily Virginia: Westrock Online Teachers Institute

Primarily Virginia is an online course designed for K-12 teachers to explore Virginia’s past by examining objects and primary sources. These pieces of the past will be used as a lens to examine different historical eras in Virginia history. All course work is to be completed through the course website, and there are no required in-person class meetings. Upon completion of the course, participating teachers will receive up to 45 re-certification points. The course is offered three times a year and is free of charge to Virginia teachers, thanks to the generous support of the WestRock Foundation. 

Registration for the Summer 2021 Session of Primarily Virginia is now open! Please register by June 25. The course will begin on June 28, 2021. Register today!

For additional information, please contact Hailey Fenner at 804.342.9689 or hfenner@VirginiaHistory.org.

THE VIRGINIA DECLARATION OF LEARNING Professional Development Program

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.

This program is exclusively for educators in the state of Virginia who work in 4-12th 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. As a participant, teachers will gain access to historic art, objects, and resources from George Washington’s Mount Vernon, the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Reception Rooms, the American Civil War Museum, the Chrysler Museum of Art, and the Virginia Museum of History & Culture. Learn more about the Virginia Declaration of Learning Program.

Upcoming interactive webinars

No public teacher webinars currently scheduled. Please view our calendar of events for upcoming students webinars and public programs. 

TEACHER WORKSHOPS USING PRIMARY Sources

These programs are designed to strengthen the analytical abilities of K-12 teachers. Teachers will learn historical thinking skills—sourcing, contextualization, corroboration, and close reading—by using primary sources and teaching techniques from the museum's collection and education programs. These workshops can be conducted at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture, in your school, or virtually. 

For more information, contact Manager of Museum Programs Maggie Creech at 804.342.9652 or mcreech@VirginiaHistory.org.