Teacher Trainging - Summer 2006

Teacher Training in Folk Arts, Folklife, and Oral History
SUMMER 2009

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 2009 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 at paddybowman@verizon.net with additional listings.

Alabama
June 21-27 or July 12-18, “Stony the Road We Trod”: Alabama’s Role in the Modern Civil Rights Movement, Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, led by Martha Bouyer and Glenn Eskew. This NEH-funded institute examines the pivotal role that Alabama played in making the promises of the U.S Constitution a greater reality for more Americans. Teachers will trace the role of protest as a tool to obtain civil liberties and civil rights. Birmingham will serve as the host city and participants will travel to Selma, Montgomery, and Tuskegee. Contact nehworkshop@bcri.org, 205/328-9696, x233, http://bcri.org.

California
June 11-13, 15th Annual Legacy Oral History Workshop, Museum of Performance and Design, San Francisco. This workshop, led by Jeff Friedman and Basya Petnick, provides the training necessary for participants to launch their own oral history projects. While drawing on fascinating 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 and Power Point or other presentation software. There is no charge for the institute or materials, but participants are responsible for transportation and lodging. Contact summerinstitute@loc.gov, and see http://memory.loc.gov/learn/summerinstitute. The four sessions are:

July 7-19, Advanced Session: Using Library Resources to Create Lessons

July 15-17, Women’ History
July 29-31, Going Global: Locating International Resources at the Library of Congress
August 5-7, Incorporating Primary Sources into the Teaching Process

Florida
June 14-20 or June 21-27, Jump at the Sun: Zora Neale Hurston and Her Eatonville Roots, Rollins College, Winter Park, directed by Ann 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.

Idaho
August 9-14, Arts Powered Schools Institute, North Idaho College, Coeur d’Alene, presented by Idaho Commission on the Arts and Idaho Department of Education, directed by Ruth Piispanen and Peggy Wenner. This annual residential institute immerses elementary teachers, principals, and arts education administrators in strategies for teaching and learning through the arts. This year folklorist Carol Spellman leads a folk arts component, Voices Sharing Traditions: The Art of Interviewing Tradition Bearers, featuring artists from regional tribes. This studio session will enhance the teachable moments from guest artists' visitations while helping students experience a deeper understanding of the traditional arts, learn life lessons, and compare these cultural traditions to those in their own family and community." Contact ruth.piispanen@arts.idaho.gov, and see www.artspoweredschools.idaho.gov.

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 rebecca@appalshop.org, 606/633-0108, http://appalshop.org/ami.

Massachusetts
June 30-July 3, 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, immerses teachers in Puerto Rican art, music, dance, literature, language, and foodways. Daily Spanish lessons help teachers learn classroom-related phrases and artistic terms. A resident curriculum specialist helps shape lesson plans. Live performances and fieldtrips to community sites introduce participants to local artistic and community leaders. Contact David Marshall, David.Marshall@state.ma.us.

Mississippi
June 15-20 or July 13-18, The Most Southern Place on Earth: Music, Culture, and History in the Mississippi Delta, led by Luther Brown and Lee Aylward, Delta State University, Cleveland. This NEH-funded institute takes participants through the heart of the Mississippi Delta. Contact Lbrown@deltastate.edu, 662/846-4311, www.blueshighway.org.

July 12-16, 11th Annual Mississippi Whole Schools Institute, University of 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 16-19, Prairie Visions Institute, University of Nebraska, Omaha, directed by Shari Hofschire. The 2009 theme is “Public Art: Defining and Redefining Community Identity.” Participants will engage in exploration and interpretation of regional public art works in Omaha and Council Bluffs, IA, and connect understandings through social studies, language arts, science, and mathematic curricula. Activities will include innovative experiences in visual arts, music, and dance/movement. Participants can be any educator, any subject area or grade level, classroom teacher or arts specialist, or arts organization educator. Contact shofschire@mail.unomaha.edu, 401/554-2402, www.unomaha.edu/~fineart/art/edcenter.htm.

New York
July 7-10, Nations in Neighborhoods, St. John’s University, New York City, directed by Anika Selhorst and Amanda Dargan. With funding from a U.S. Department of Education Model Development and Dissemination Program, City Lore sponsors this institute, which features traditional musicians, dancers and artists; fieldtrips, scholar lectures, and workshops for classroom teachers on integrating community resources and traditional arts in the study of Latin America. Contact anika@citylore.org, 212/529-1955, x303.

North Carolina
May 18-22, 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, http://cds.aas.duke.edu.

July 13-17, 11th 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/education-courses.htm.

July 20-31, 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/education-courses.htm.

Ohio
June 2-4, Catching Stories, Oral History Institute, Kenyon College, Gambier, led by Howard Sacks, David Mould, Steve Paschen, Craig Simpson. 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. To develop these skills, participants will work on a practice project that encompasses all stages of oral history and will also have time to consult with experts about planned projects. Sessions will also be available on using technology in oral history and on fundraising. The Ohio Humanities Council offers partial scholarships for Ohio residents, application deadline is May 4, find application on the web site. Contact Frank Dunkle, frankd@ohiohumanities.org, 800/293-9774, www.ohiohumanities.org.

Oregon
July 20-24, The Lives of Others, Northwest Writing Institute, Lewis and Clark College, Portland, directed by Joanne Mulcahy (with guest faculty writer Lauren Kessler).
Biography, oral history, literary portrait, cultural journalism, ethnography—these genres rely on the stories of others. How do we create frames to bring such stories to life? How do we blend the personal voice with writing about someone else? We will look at how varied writers address these issues and explore the craft of nonfiction as well as ethical concerns as we write portraits of others that may include visions of ourselves. Participants with oral history or interview materials to work with are invited to bring them but no preparation is necessary. Contact mulcahy@lclark.edu, 503/768-6167, www.lclark.edu/dept/nwi.

Pennsylvania
June 22-25 and June 30, Hidden in Plain Sight: Traditional Folk Arts of Our Region and How to Teach Them in Your Classroom, Allegheny Intermediate Unit, Homestead, led by Julia Throckmorton of the Rivers of Steel Heritage Center. This two-credit course introduces teachers to the ethnic arts of their communities and how these can be taught in a classroom setting. In addition to hands-on experiences such as studying traditional dance and foodways, field trips will take teachers into various communities. Additionally, teachers will learn folklore and fieldwork activities they can teach to their students so they can research community customs, traditions, heritage, and ancestry. Contact jthrockmorton@riversofsteel.com and see www.riversofsteel.com for information; register at www.aiu3.net.

July 7-August 13, 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.

South Carolina
July 7-10, Arts Integration Retreat, Beaufort, led by Paddy Bowman and Jada Gray. As part of a U.S. Department of Education Model Development and Dissemination Program grant, educators, Gullah community scholars, and teaching artists will collaborate on fieldwork experiences and integrating the arts and traditional culture across the curriculum. Contact Jada.Gray@beaufort.k12.sc.us.

July 13-25, 5th 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 supports 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@penncenter.com, 843/838-2474, www.penncenter.com.

Tennessee
May 27-29, 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
July 20-24, Community Works Institute on Service Learning, Shelburne Farms, directed by Joe Brooks. The institute supports K-16 and community educators—beginner to advanced—at the classroom and program level and at the site level. Emphasis is on educating for sustainability. The large and diverse multi-state faculty of experienced practitioners will share tools and exemplars and are available for direct support to participants throughout the week. Faculty includes veteran practitioners who have worked as a team for Community Works Institutes for many years. Contact jbrooks@communityworksonline.org, 802/999-9052, www.communityworksonline.org.

June 22-26, Discovering Community: Students, Digital Media, and Place-Based Learning, Vermont Folklife Center, Middlebury, 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 7-9 and Fall dates TBA, Connecting Classrooms to Communities Through the Arts, Southeastern Vermont Community Learning Collaborative, Brattleboro, directed by Kari Smith. This place-based institute explores how the cultural resources of our local communities, and our own lives, form the basis for constructing classroom curriculum. Contact kari@svcable.net and see www.learningcollaborative.org.

Washington
May 223-25, 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
June 28-July 3, Listening for Change: Oral History and Appalachian Culture, 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. Contact kline@folktalk.org, 304/636-5444, www.folktalk.org/events.html.

Wisconsin
June 15-July 12, Field School: Vernacular Architecture in Southwestern Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin-Madison, taught by Anna Andrzejewski (Art History), Janet Gilmore (Folklore/Landscape Architecture), and Tom Carter (University of Utah/Architecture). Middle and high school teachers will find this immersion experience in cultural heritage research and writing history "from the ground up" useful for learning to document historic sites in their locales. The course will provide training in site documentation, primary source research, and oral history. Group travel, documentary equipment, and supplies will be provided, but students must fund their own meals and modest lodging accommodations while in the field. Contact jgilmore@wisc.edu, 608/265-8270.

August 3-7, Making It Home: A Wisconsin Cultural Tour for K-12 Teachers, Kickapoo Valley, sponsored by Wisconsin Teachers of Local Culture in cooperation with the Kickapoo Valley Reserve. This tour is based on the premise that resources and content for teaching exist all around us—in the local environment and landscapes, family stories, local music and artistic expressions, community history, and contemporary social issues. The tour explores a beautiful and rich cultural area of rural southwestern Wisconsin examining land and water issues and seeking a deeper awareness of how people connect with the land. Participants will be immersed in a variety of multi-disciplinary indoor and outdoor experiences. Tour faculty and guest speakers include scholars, cultural and natural resource specialists, artists, musicians, and local residents. Contact WTLC Coordinator Debbie Kmetz, dkmetz@wisc.edu, 608/265-5594, http://csumc.wisc.edu/wtlc.

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