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Professional Development

Professional Development

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

  • Partner Programs: The Virginia Museum of History and Culture frequently partners with other cultural institutions to reach more educators across the Commonwealth. Past programs have included a  "Secession and Civil War" workshop in partnership with Teaching American History, a workshop in partnership with five Richmond area museums entitled Monumental Moments: Public Art and Public Memory, and workshops with the Library of Virginia on the power of the average Virginian to impact political change. Check back for future programs!

  • The Weinstein Properties Teachers Institute is a week-long program that is offered twice each summer. This paid institute includes stipends for all participants in addition to a limited number of travel scholarships. 

    • Join the VMHC Education team for the July 10th - 14th Weinstein Properties Story of Virginia Teachers Institute focusing on general Virginia history in the K-12 classroom. Participants will enjoy a mix of exhibit tours, primary source analysis, object-based activities, guest speakers, and self-guided time to explore. Learn more & register here: SOV Institute 

    • Join the VMHC Education team from July 24th - 28th for our Weinstein Properties Teachers Institute focusing on VMHC’s newest permanent exhibition – Our Commonwealth. Participants will learn to approach Virginia’s vast history from a geographical and cultural perspective while enjoying a mix of exhibit tours, primary source analysis, guest speakers, object-based activities, and time to explore. Learn more & register here: Commonwealth Institute 

  • 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. Registration for the Summer 2023 session is open through June 23, 2023. Register Today!

  • The Virginia Museum of History and Culture isn’t just for upper elementary and beyond! We have a wealth of exhibits and programs that can be incorporated into the early elementary classroom. Join us for an Early Elementary exploration of our resources on July 19th from 10:00-4:00. Participants will receive a free lunch and certificate recommending 6 hours of recertification credit as well as close-up looks at some of our collections. This program is open to K-2 public & private school teachers. Learn more and register here! 

  • 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

"I truly enjoyed my experience at the institute. I loved having time to explore the exhibits independently and think that time better allowed me to absorb all the information that we were learning. Y'all did an incredible job providing something each and every day that we can take back into our classrooms and implement with ease."

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 in-person at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture. Throughout the week teachers will examine stories from Virginia's past through primary sources. Experts from the Virginia Museum of History & Culture and guest speakers 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.

NEW Scholarships and Teacher stipends!
Thanks to the generosity of a donor, the 2023 Weinstein Properties Teacher Institute included stipends for all participants in addition to a limited number of travel scholarships.

  •  Stipend: $250 | Upon successful completion of class requirements, participants will receive a $250 dollar stipend in addition to reimbursement of the $50 registration fee. Each session will be limited to 20 educators. 
  • Travel Scholarship: $750 | A limited number of travel scholarships are available for teachers that live more than 75 miles outside of Richmond, Virginia, and can be used to cover travel and lodging expenses. After registering to attend, please email mcreech@virginiahistory.org to apply. A total of 10 travel scholarships per session will be awarded.

These institutes and the attached stipends/travel scholarships are intended for active K-12 public and private school teachers. Materials are provided free of charge, and participating teachers will be eligible for CEUs and recertification points. For more information, contact Director of Education, Maggie Creech, at 804.342.9652  or mcreech@VirginiaHistory.org.

Primarily Virginia: Westrock Online Teachers Institute

Primarily Virginia is an online course designed for K-12 teachers from around Virginia 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 coursework 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 40 re-certification points.

The course consists of an introductory module and six content modules. In addition to the introduction module (worth 4 recertification points), the remaining modules can be completed individually for 6 recertification points each-- they are not all required. In each module, a series of activities will allow the participants to engage in the historical inquiry process, and provide opportunities to examine how the course content can be applied in the classroom. Each module will require teachers to write reflections about the objects & historical content and provide lesson ideas for incorporating primary source material in the classroom.

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 2023 session of Primarily Virginia is open! This asynchronous course will run from June 26, 2023 - August 18, 2023. Please register by June 23. Register today!

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

Upcoming interactive webinars

No public teacher webinars currently scheduled. Please view our calendar of events for upcoming students webinars and public programs. If you would like to schedule a virtual teacher PD please contact Hailey Fenner at 804. 342.9689 or hfenner@virginiahistory.org. 

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 Director of Education, Maggie Creech, at 804.342.9652 or mcreech@VirginiaHistory.org.