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Teacher Training in Folk Arts, Folklife, and Oral History
SUMMER 2008

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Local Learning: The National Network for Folk Arts in Education, funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, advocates the inclusion of folk and traditional arts and culture in the nation’s education. Find Summer 2008 training opportunities for K-12 educators in folk arts, folklife, and oral history below. Many are open to educators nationwide; others are for local participants. Contact Local Learning Director Paddy Bowman paddybowman@verizon.net with additional listings.

Alabama
June 20-29, Alabama Community Scholars Institute, University of South Alabama, Mobile, led by Joyce Cauthen, Lesley Williams, Kern Jackson. This intensive training program for those who want to research, document, and present aspects of Alabama's traditional culture is valuable to educators and others. The fieldwork focus is Mobile’s Mardis Gras. Contact joycecauthen@bellsouth.net, 205/822-0505, www.alabamafolklife.org.

California
June 12-14, 13th Annual LEGACY Oral History Program, San Francisco Performing Arts Library and Museum, led by Jeff Friedman and Basya Petnick. This workshop provides the training necessary for participants to launch their own oral history projects. While drawing on references and examples in the performing arts, the workshop will be equally appropriate for those involved in anthropology, institutional history, social history, family history, personal history, master’s or doctoral studies, or other projects. Contact legacy500@gmail.com, 415/255-4800, x*823, www.muse-sf.org/legacy.html.

District of Columbia
July 13-18 or August 3-8, Race and Place: African Americans in Washington, DC, 1800-1954, Decatur House Museum and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, directed by Katherine Malone-France. Faculty for this NEH seminar includes folklorist John Vlach and sites include the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, LeDroit Park, and Howard University. Contact raceandplace@nthp.org, 202/842-0920, www.decaturhouse.org/workshop

Library of Congress Institutes provide educators in grades 4-12 across the nation the opportunity to engage in intensive study and exploration of a specific topic using the staff expertise and facilities of the Library of Congress, including the American Folklife Center. Participants may only attend one session and must have experience using the Internet for research. There is no charge for the institute or materials, but participants are responsible for transportation and lodging. Contact summerinstitute@loc.gov, apply by March 15, http://memory.loc.gov/learn/summerinstitute. The four sessions are:

June 18-20 • Creating the United States
July 22-25 • Advanced Session: Using Library Resources to Create Lessons
                 is for those who have attended previous institutes or were American Memory Fellows.
July 30-August 1 • Incorporating Primary Sources into the Teaching Process
August 13-15 • Immigration

Florida
June 10-12, 6th Annual Arts for Learning GETsmART Summer Institute, Miami, directed by Janet Evans. Based on the belief that the arts address multiple learning styles and provide opportunities for students to build meaning and community, Arts for Learning works to advance teaching learning through the arts and community cultural resources. Participants learn arts-integrated teaching strategies and work with local artists to acquire hands-on experience in developing arts-integrated learning units and lesson plans. Participation is by invitation. Contact janet@a4lmiami.org, 305/576-1212 x30, www.a4lmiami.org.

June 15-21, June 22-28, or June 29-July 5, Jump at the Sun: Zora Neale Hurston and Her Eatonville Roots, Rollins College, Winter Park, directed by Ann Simas Schoenacher. Educators from across the U.S. will join historians, folklorists, architectural historians, and literary scholars for a week-long NEH-funded workshop examining Hurston in the context of Eatonville. Contact aschoenacher@flahum.org, 727/873-2010, www.flahum.org/zora.

Georgia
July 13-18, Slaves, Slavery, and the Individual in America’s Past, National History Day Summer Institute, Savannah. This institute will improve the teaching of history by introducing participants to the most up-to-date scholarship on the history of slaves and slavery, familiarizing them with the range of primary sources available for studying and teaching about an institution that played an integral role in shaping this nation, and modeling effective methods by which to encourage active, engaged learning. Apply by March 15, contact ann@nhd.org, 301/314-9739, www.nhd.org.

Kentucky
Dates TBA, Appalachian Media Institute, Appalshop, Whitesburg. This annual opportunity for young people to learn documentation media culminates in community screenings. Other workshops available for educators. Contact ami@appalshop.org, 606/633-0108, http://appalshop.org/ami.

Massachusetts
July 14-18, Explorations in Puerto Rican Culture, presented by Springfield Public Schools and the Massachusetts Cultural Council, managed by David Marshall (MCC) and Julie Jaron (SPS), and funded by the U.S. Department of Education Model Development and Dissemination Program. Recognizing that Puerto Rican students sometimes disengage from an educational process that ignores their heritage, this institute, part of a three-year project, will immerse teachers in Puerto Rican art, music, dance, literature, language, and foodways. Daily Spanish lessons will help teachers learn classroom-related phrases and artistic terms. A resident curriculum specialist will help shape lesson plans. Live performances and fieldtrips to community sites will introduce participants to local artistic and community leaders. Contact David Marshall, David.Marshall@state.ma.us.

Mississippi
July 20-24, Celebrating Our Creative Spirit, 10th Anniversary Mississippi Whole Schools Institute, University Mississippi, Oxford, directed by Judi Holifield. This annual gathering for over 200 teachers is sponsored by the Mississippi Arts Commission. Contact jholifield@arts.state.ms.us, 601/359-6040, www.mswholeschools.org.

Nebraska
June 10-13, Prairie Visions Institute, University of Nebraska, Omaha, directed by Shari Hofschire. This year’s theme is Crossroads: How the Past Becomes the Future. The focus is object-based and site-centered learning, connecting the past and present through historical objects and artistic works. Using regional curriculum delivery sites will model connecting innovative and exciting off-site experiences to classroom learning and meaningful curriculum. Activities will show how students can experience learning through exploration of diverse populations and authentic voices, interpretation of artifacts and artworks, and understanding through thematic relationships. Contact shofschire@mail.unomaha.edu,  401/554-2402, www.unomaha.edu/~fineart/art/edcenter.htm.

New Hampshire
July 8-29, Celebrating Heritage: Creating and Producing a Community Festival, Plymouth State University, Concord campus, directed by Millie Rahn. This course is part of the graduate Heritage Studies Program, which includes many K-12 teachers. It will use regional festivals as case studies, looking at components such as local history, occupational and domestic crafts, foodways, oral histories, and traditional and ethnic music, all of which highlight and reinforce a strong sense of place. Note: required fieldtrip to Lowell, MA, Folk Festival July 26 or July 27. Contact club47@aol.com, www.plymouth.edu.

New York
July 8-11, Heartland Passage: The Erie Canal in American History, CUNY Graduate Center, New York City, directed by Amanda Dargan. This NEH-funded institute is sponsored by City Lore and the Gotham Center for New York City History and will feature traditional music, local architecture, historical documents, fieldtrips, and an array of scholars. Contact adargan@citylore.org, 212/529-1955, x302.

July 14-18 or August 4-8, Immigration, Religion, and Culture on New York's Lower East Side, directed by Annie Polland. This NEH-funded seminar will take participants to historic sites, including the Eldridge Street Synagogue, Museum of the Chinese in the Americas, Little Italy, African Burial Ground, and Schomburg Institute. Contact Pfreed@eldridgestreet.org, 212/219-0888.

North Carolina
July 7-12 or July 14-19, Not Just a Scenic Road: The Blue Ridge Parkway and Its History, Appalachian State University, Boone, directed by Neva Jean Specht. An NEH-funded workshop on the history and culture of this American landmark. Contact brpasu@appstate.edu, 828/262-6879, www.history.appstate.edu/NEH/NEH.html.

July 7-12, 10th Annual Cherokee History and Culture Institute, Museum of the Cherokee Indian and Western Carolina University, Cherokee, taught by Barbara Duncan and Cherokee artists and presenters. This intensive institute offers a multidisciplinary approach to Cherokee studies by covering archaeology, anthropology, history, literature, folklore, and geography. Includes daily discussion, reading, field trips, and presentations by Cherokee people on the Qualla Boundary, home of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Teachers may receive CEUs or graduate credit through Western Carolina University for additional fees. Contact Barbara Duncan, bduncan@cherokeemuseum.org, 828/497-3481, www.cherokeemuseum.org/html/education_courses.html.

July 14-25, Cherokee Language Immersion Class, Museum of the Cherokee Indian, Cherokee, directed by Bo Taylor and Cherokee elders. This course teaches conversational Cherokee language and will immerse participants in Cherokee language through classroom activities, interaction with elders, and field trips. Contact Bo Taylor, botaylor@cherokeemuseum.org, 828/497-3481, www.cherokeemuseum.org/html/education_courses.html.

August 4-8, Literacy Through Photography Basic Workshop, Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University, Durham, led by Katie Hyde, Elena Rue, and Wendy Ewald. The LTP workshop is open to anyone with a desire to learn how to bring together photography and writing. Educators, artists, community workers, and researchers have adapted LTP methodologies in communities and schools around the world. This is an opportunity to engage photography as an art form and educational medium, a mode of self-exploration, a way to connect visual literacy to verbal and written communication, and a tool to facilitate community dialogue. Contact ltpworkshops@duke.edu, 919/660-3655, http://cds.aas.duke.edu.

Audio and Video Documentary Institutes occur throughout the summer at the Duke Center for Documentary Studies, Durham. Classes are open to all. Learn through hands-on immersion in audio and video recording, digital mixing, ethics, and production from accomplished documentarians. Contact Duke Continuing Studies 919/684-6259, se http://cds.aas.duke.edu.

Ohio
June 3-5, Ohio Oral History Institute, Kenyon College, Gambier, directed by Frank Dunkle. The Ohio Humanities Council and Rural Life Center at Kenyon offer this annual opportunity to learn all stages of oral history through hands-on activities. Topics include framing questions, interviewing techniques, transcribing and archiving, and devising public programs based on oral history. The Ohio Humanities Council offers partial scholarships for Ohio residents, application deadline is May 1. Contact Frank Dunkle, frankd@ohiohumanities.org, 800/293-9774, www.ohiohumanities.org.

Oregon
July 13-18, 8th Annual Oregon Teacher Arts Institute, Portland State University, Portland, led by Don Hudgins. The Oregon Alliance for Arts Education invites classroom teachers from Oregon and southwest Washington for intensive training. Participants study in workshop and studio formats, attend performances, and network with peers and professional arts organizations. Special emphasis is placed on multicultural learning, arts integration, and Native American arts traditions. Teams of teachers from schools are encouraged. Workshops are taught by master teaching artists. Contact info@oregonarts.org, 503/587-0220, www.oregonarts.org.

July 21-25, Translations: Writing Between Cultures, Lewis and Clark College, Portland, directed by Joanne Mulcahy. How do language and culture frame our worlds? What is found as well as "lost in translation" as we move between different languages and cultures? The annual Writing Culture Summer Institute looks at linguistic and cultural translation in literary works, social life, and  writing. Participants will write from their own cultural frameworks and explore diverse Portland settings. Visiting faculty include poets, translators, and a children’s book author. Background in translation or bilingual fluency is not necessary. Anyone eager to delve into language and culture is welcome. Contact mulcahy@lclark.edu.

Pennsylvania
May 12-June 21, Anthropology of Education, School of Education, University of Pittsburgh, taught by Linda Deafenbaugh. This course introduces educators to the intersection of the fields of anthropology and education. Core topics, explored cross-culturally, include formal and informal cultural transmission, sense of place, identity, metaphors and story, cultural congruence and conflict in schools, community and school celebrations as vehicles for moral education, and folk, popular, and elite cultural processes operating in schools. Contact lindadeafenbaugh@yahoo.com, 412/915-6382.

July 5-August 8, Voices Across Time: Teaching American History Through Song, Center for American Music, University of Pittsburgh. This NEH institute is open to full-time teachers in all disciplines. Contact Kathy Haines kmill@pitt.edu and see www.voicesacrosstime.org.

July 7-August 10, Writing and Culture, Place Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, taught by Miriam Camitta. This course looks at writing as several variable, multiple, diverse, and changing practices contingent upon specific cultural and social contexts. We want to understand what writing means to the individual, to his or her community, and to larger social entities. The approach and readings draw on the theory and methods of anthropology, folklore, sociolinguistics, and the new literacy studies. Contact Penny Creedon, 610/898-8434, or mpcamitta@aol.com.

July 7-11, Developing Cultural Awareness and Sensitivity I, Allegheny Intermediate Unit 3, Homestead, led by Linda Deafenbaugh. This workshop focuses on understanding cultural differences, the processes that lead to prejudice, and the basic concepts underlying multicultural education program models. We explore the range of cultural issues that confront English Language Learners and approaches to working with all students and teachers to help these newcomers to our schools adjust. Contact lindadeafenbaugh@yahoo.com, 412/915-6382.

South Carolina
June 30-July 3, Gullah Art and Culture Institute, Beaufort, directed by Paddy Bowman and Jada Gray. As part of a four-year U.S. Department of Education Model Development and Dissemination Program grant, educators, Gullah community scholars and local traditional artists and teaching artists will collaborate to develop frameworks for a three-year arts integration project. Contact Jada Gray, Jada.Gray@beaufort.k12.sc.us.

July 13-25, 4th Annual Penn Center Gullah Studies Summer Institute, St. Helena Island, directed by Rosalyn Browne. Introduces the history and culture of African Americans in the Sea Islands, particularly at Penn School, the first school for emancipated slaves. Content will support state standards in grades 5, 6, 8, and 11. History, heritage workshops on Gullah art forms, cultural immersion, and field studies will be presented by distinguished faculty and experts on Gullah studies. Teachers may earn continuing education and graduate credit through South Carolina State University. Onsite residences are provided in the historic buildings of the Penn Center National Historic Landmark site. Contact Info info@penncenter.com, 843/838-2474, www.penncenter.com.

Tennessee
May 28-30, Folk Arts, Oral History, and Narrative Stage Workshop, Jubilee Community Arts, Knoxville, led by Gregory Hansen. This workshop series for teachers of grades 4-12 focuses on folklore, folk arts, oral history, and narrative stage. Day 1 is a required introduction, which teachers must complete before enrolling in the oral history or narrative stage workshops. The second day will focus on basic necessities for conducting folklife and oral history interviews. Training will encourage the exploration of teachers' and students' communities and the development of listening skills, note taking, researching, and oral and written language arts skills. On the final day participants will learn to interview traditional artists who may visit their classrooms. Workshops are free to East Tennessee educators. Contact info@jubileearts.org, 865/522-5851, www.jubileearts.org.

Vermont
Place as the Context, Service Learning as the Strategy, Sustainability as the Goal is a series of unique opportunities for professional development. Each institute represents an opportunity to make deep connections between curriculum and community. Events are offered in partnership by Community Works, Shelburne Farms, the Sustainable Schools Project, and the Vermont Folklife Center. Each is distinct in content, while sharing purpose, conceptual unity, and a nationally recognized faculty team. All are appropriate for K-16 teachers, administrators, and community-based educators. Graduate credit is available for each event. See www.TheInstitutes.org.

June 22-24, Principles and Best Practices of Place-Based Education, Shelburne Farms. This session provides a practical framework for creating and using place-based curriculum. Contact Pat Straughan, pstraughan@shelburnefarms.org, 802/985-8686, x 43, www.shelburnefarms.org/educationprograms/professional.shtm.

TBA early July, Education for Sustainability Institute, Shelburne Farms. This session focuses on curriculum development, community partnerships, campus ecology, and collaboration. Contact Jennifer Cirillo, jcirillo@shelburnefarms.org, 802/985-8686, www.sustainableschoolsproject.org.

July 14-18, Discovering Community: Students, Digital Media, and Place-Based Learning, Vermont Technical College, Randolph Center, led by Gregory Sharrow. This institute offers educators the opportunity to explore the power of field research as a means to facilitate student engagement with their home communities. Over the course of an intensive, week-long program, participants will work with cultural researchers, documentary media specialists, artists, and fellow educators in a learning environment that models an ethnographic approach to community inquiry. The institute brings together place as the context, sustainability as the goal, and service learning as the strategy. Contact gsharrow@vermontfolklifecenter.org, 802/388-4964, www.discoveringcommunity.org.

July 21-25, Community Works Institute on Service Learning, Shelburne Farms. This premier national event has helped educators from more than 35 states and abroad work together to put service learning best practices into action within their own programs. Contact Joe Brooks, jbrooks@vermontcommunityworks.org, 802/655-5918, www.vermontcommunityworks.org.

Virginia
June 23-July 25, Roots: African Dimensions of the Early History and Cultures of the Americas, Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, Charlottesville, an NEH-funded institute led by Joseph Miller. Contact dunderlucy@gmail.com, 434/924-6395, www.virginiafoundation.org.

Washington
May 23-26, Northwest Folklife Festival, Seattle, includes dance and music workshops useful to educators and hands-on activities for young people. Residencies and workshops also occur throughout the school year. Contact education@nwfolklife.org, 206/684-7281,  www.nwfolklife.org.

West Virginia
July 27-August 1, Listening for Change: Oral History and Appalachian Culture, Augusta Heritage Center, Davis & Elkins College, Elkins, led by Michael and Carrie Kline. Learn to document life stories and community experience through the art of deep listening. This class will explore spoken testimonials enhanced by live music. The course offers techniques for seeking out and recording the voices of local citizens. Through field trips to West Virginia hillside farms and general stores, learn about Appalachian customs from elders whose lives have been shaped by conventions unheard of today. For questions on course content, contact kline@folktalk.org, 304/636-5444, www.folktalk.org. To register, contact augusta@augustaheritage.com, 800/624-3157, x1209, www.augustaheritage.com.

Wisconsin
June 16-August 8, Ethnic Representations in Wisconsin and Public Folklore Collections in the Upper Midwest, University of Wisconsin, Madison, taught by Janet Gilmore. Meets Mondays and Wednesdays, 1:30-4:30 p.m. K-12 teachers may find this course interesting for learning about ethnographic materials in the region's archives that may be used to develop curricula in Literature, Social Studies, and the Arts, and activities that introduce high school students to the dynamics of cultural programming for nonprofit cultural organizations. First four weeks will explore the history and description of ethnic groups in Wisconsin, notions of ethnicity, and methods of symbolic representation through food, handwork, music, dance, dress, festival, and exhibits. Contact jgilmore@wisc.edu, 608/265-8270.

Ashland/Chequamegon Bay Area, June 23-27, and Milwaukee, August 4-8, Wisconsin: Making It Home--Cultural Tours for K-12 Wisconsin Teachers, led by
Debbie Kmetz, Ruth Olson, and Anne Pryor. Wisconsin Teachers of Local Culture is a partnership of the Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures, Wisconsin Humanities Council, and Wisconsin Arts Board. This third year of cultural tours as professional development opportunities for K-12 teachers will focus intensively on two distinct areas of the state: the Ashland area in the far north by Lake Superior, and the city of Milwaukee in the southeast by Lake Michigan. This year's tours focus on sense of place and conservation in Wisconsin, especially Aldo Leopold's "Land Ethic." Making It Home asks, How do people here make Wisconsin their home? What is their relationship to the land and the water where they live? Contact Debbie Kmetz, dkmetz@wisc.edu, 608/262-8180, http://csumc.wisc.edu/wtlc.

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