Friday, June 22, 2012
4 Weeks Remaining Until My Journey Begins!
There are now 4 weeks to go until I cross over to the other side of the pond (aka...Atlantic Ocean). Since I first started this blog, I've begun teaching Driver's Education (Behind the Wheel) and I became engaged to my girlfriend (now fiance), Sarah K. Smith on June 19. However, I still have found the time to begin packing/preparing for my 3 week trip, but I also wanted to provide everyone with some updated information about where I will be visiting and working this summer. I also just completed my introductory PowerPoint that I have to present upon arrival at the welcoming session about the Farmwell population/community.
Below are the links to some U.K. Museum websites that I and the other members of my summer residency program will be visiting and doing research on World War II
Websites
Imperial War Museum – iwm.org.uk
National Army Museum - http://www.nam.ac.uk/
RAF Museum - http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/
National Museum of the USAF - http://www.nam.ac.uk/
Smithsonian – www.si.edu
The Museum of Flight - http://www.museumofflight.org/
For all of you history lovers out there, stay tuned for additional information on WWII books and articles!
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Overview of my 3 week trip
In January 2012, my Social Science Supervisor (Bill Brazier) sent me an email about a summer program encouraging me to apply; therefore, I applied and I found out on March 3rd that I was accepted into the program. The three week summer program is called the American Air Museum Summer Residency Program it will occur in London, England from July 21 - August 12. I was one of 10 United States teachers accepted into the pilot program (the other US teachers are from Seattle, Kansas City, New York City, and Fairfax County, VA) and I will be working with other middle school history teachers from the US and the UK to share teaching practices and collaborate in creating World War II lesson plans, activities, and strategies to incorporate into my classroom next year.
This program will mirror the wartime alliance between both countries during World War II and provide me with a chance to work with other educators and learn about different experiences from another culture as well as different perspectives on World War II history. For the duration of my stay in England, the majority of my time will be spent working at the American Air Museum located at the R.A.F. Duxford base; however, several museum visits (such as the Chruchill War Rooms in London) and several other trips including a weekend trip to London, where I will be able to walk in the footsteps of the airmen who visited the city during their leave in the 1940s. My trip to England also happens to coincide with the 2012 Summer Olympics which will be in London, which I just recently found out that we will be going to the Olympic Park to view the opening ceremonies.
My 3 week itinerary is as follows:
Week 1 - Museum professionals, re-enactors and veterans will deliver sessions about Duxford's history to highlight the range of sources that can be used as effective teaching tools (from hairstyles to object handling). I will take part in exclusive tours and special lectures at the museum and at significant sites in the area. Trips will include Chislehurst Caves (a labyrinth of underground tunnels that sheltered over 15,000 people during the Blitz) and Bletchery Park (site of the British code-breaking activities during World War II).
Week 2 - Deals more with classroom instruction, implementation, and planning where I will be working in small teams of educators, drawing on primary sources and the week 1 sessions to create learning activities. The best of these will be published online!
Week 3 - The final week allows us to put our new skills and knowledge into action by leading a Summer Camp with young people from the local area. I, along with the other educators, will be responsible for applying and testing out the activities that we created during week 2, as well as some developed by the museum, in a practical/classroom setting. There will be an opportunity for reflection and support from UK students to help us hone our teachings so that we can implement that into our classrooms in the fall.
Please tune back in starting on July 21st as I will be editing my blog daily so that you can follow me along on my once-in-a-lifetime trip/experience!
This program will mirror the wartime alliance between both countries during World War II and provide me with a chance to work with other educators and learn about different experiences from another culture as well as different perspectives on World War II history. For the duration of my stay in England, the majority of my time will be spent working at the American Air Museum located at the R.A.F. Duxford base; however, several museum visits (such as the Chruchill War Rooms in London) and several other trips including a weekend trip to London, where I will be able to walk in the footsteps of the airmen who visited the city during their leave in the 1940s. My trip to England also happens to coincide with the 2012 Summer Olympics which will be in London, which I just recently found out that we will be going to the Olympic Park to view the opening ceremonies.
My 3 week itinerary is as follows:
Week 1 - Museum professionals, re-enactors and veterans will deliver sessions about Duxford's history to highlight the range of sources that can be used as effective teaching tools (from hairstyles to object handling). I will take part in exclusive tours and special lectures at the museum and at significant sites in the area. Trips will include Chislehurst Caves (a labyrinth of underground tunnels that sheltered over 15,000 people during the Blitz) and Bletchery Park (site of the British code-breaking activities during World War II).
Week 2 - Deals more with classroom instruction, implementation, and planning where I will be working in small teams of educators, drawing on primary sources and the week 1 sessions to create learning activities. The best of these will be published online!
Week 3 - The final week allows us to put our new skills and knowledge into action by leading a Summer Camp with young people from the local area. I, along with the other educators, will be responsible for applying and testing out the activities that we created during week 2, as well as some developed by the museum, in a practical/classroom setting. There will be an opportunity for reflection and support from UK students to help us hone our teachings so that we can implement that into our classrooms in the fall.
Please tune back in starting on July 21st as I will be editing my blog daily so that you can follow me along on my once-in-a-lifetime trip/experience!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)