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Teachers Professional Development Workshops

Join your colleagues and curriculum experts to learn new tips and techniques to enhance your professional skills and improve classroom learning. Our workshops are affordable and conveniently scheduled on Thursday evenings or Saturday during the day.

The New Jersey State Museum is a registered Professional Development Provider for the New Jersey Department of Education Professional Standards Board (#2241); Teachers' Professional Development Courses fulfill the requirements for continued certification on a credit/hour basis. Certificates will also be provided to teachers from Pennsylvania & Delaware.

Advance registration is required. For reservations and more information call (609) 292-6310.

REMEMBER 9.11
Reflections and Memories from New Jersey

On view September 8, 2011 through September 30, 2012

On September 11, 2001, the world watched in horror as terrorists used commercial airplanes as weapons against the United States, killing 2,979 people, destroying the World Trade Center, and damaging the Pentagon in their brutal coordinated attack. On that fateful day, nearly 700 New Jerseyans - the second highest casualty toll after New York - perished at the World Trade Center (WTC), Pentagon, and aboard United Flight 93, which crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

In the fall of 2011, the New Jersey State Museum will commemorate the ten-year anniversary of September 11 with a major exhibition, Remember 9.11 Reflections and Memories from New Jersey, which explores the impact of the terrorist attacks on the people of the Garden State. The exhibit will revolve around New Jersey's reflections and responses to 9/11 and will include artifacts conveying the human dimension and enormity of the attacks complete with oral histories of 9/11 families, survivors, rescue workers and volunteers.

The opening of Remember 9.11 will coincide with the beginning of the new school year. In connection with that, the museum will offer several new educational programs throughout the academic year to help teachers educate their students about 9-11.

9/11 Education/Teacher Training Workshops

Teaching students about 9/11 and its continuing impact can be challenging. When school starts in September, it is likely that a majority of middle and high school students will not have a first-hand recollection of the terrorist attacks. That makes teaching imperative, and yet many teachers feel ill-equipped to teach 9/11.

To help prepare teachers, the state museum will sponsor a series of professional development workshops with the first being held at the State Museum on Aug. 18. Entitled, “Teaching September 11th in the Classroom, the 90-minute workshop includes 9/11 lesson plans and archival interviews and 9/11 specific resources. The state museum is a registered professional development provider for the New Jersey Department of Education Professional Standards Board.

The 9/11 Teachers' Professional Workshop will also be presented at the State Museum in March 2012.

Registration is required; call (609) 292-6347 for more information.

Learning from September 11th

Date to be announced - Museum Learning Center, 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm - $5 per person

NEW PROGRAM - This workshop will present a variety of educational resources and tools - including lesson plans recently developed by the New Jersey Department of Education - that will enable teachers to incorporate curricula inspired by the attacks on September 11th throughout the school year. The workshop will provide specific subject matter knowledge in English - reading, writing, and oral presentation skills - as well as in world and U.S. history, government, and civics. Critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making skills are integral elements of the lesson plans - as is the ability to understand the impact of world events on broader context of society. Opportunities for collaboration between students and other teachers/students within the school will be explored.

Grades: 4-12. NJSM is a registered Professional Development Provider #2241 for the New Jersey Department of Education Professional Standards Board. Teachers' Professional Development Courses fulfill the requirements for continued certification.

YANJ: Draw to Learn

March 15, 2012 - Museum Learning Center, 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm - $5 per person

NEW PROGRAM - No experience necessary! This workshop is specifically designed for classroom teachers with little or no drawing experience. Teachers will explore how problem solving strategies can emerge through art creation, and how to connect to learning in other subject areas. Participants will learn strategies to stimulate creativity, enhance communication skills, and motivate reluctant learners. Work from the Museum's exhibition American Perspectives: The Fine Art Collection will be used while exploring the lesson plans.

Designing a 9/11 Memorial

March 29, 2012 - Museum Learning Center, 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm - $5 per person

NEW PROGRAM - Teachers will learn how to design a fitting memorial of remembrance for the victims of the 9/11 attacks at the site of New Jersey memorial to the attacks of September 11, 2001 in Liberty State Park (Jersey City, New Jersey). This lesson plan explores how a memorial to the 9/11 attacks can be based on careful analysis of other memorials and suggestions from victims' families, architects, and public officials. Teachers will model student activities and create a memorial design as well as a civic action plan for implementing their ideas. Participants will be able to tour the newly completely memorial at Liberty State Park.

Using Google Earth for the Classroom

April 19, 2012 - Museum Learning Center, 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm - $5 per person

NEW PROGRAM - Google Earth is one of the finest and most versatile teaching aids ever created! Students can learn about geology, meteorology, geography, ecology, conservation, biology, astronomy, and much more. This free software allows users to learn volumes of information from stunning up-to-date satellite imagery and real-time data posted by world-leading researchers and research institutions. Any teacher - from elementary school to university professors - can use this software. In this workshop, we will explore how Google Earth offers can help you advance your classroom objectives in the sciences described above and many other areas including your suggestions.

Using Archaeology to Teach Native American Pre-History

May 17, 2012 - Museum Learning Center, 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm - $5 per person

A NJSM ORIGINAL PROGRAM - Teachers will work with Museum staff in the archaeological investigation of Native American primary source material. This class focuses on New Jersey and the Middle Atlantic region and is designed for social studies teachers in grades 3-12. Teachers will experience the process of archaeology and receive training in regional history through classroom lectures and analysis of material objects in the Museum. Current research information and resources will address the advantages of object-based learning, using a museum as an educational resource. Participants will update their understanding of Native American history and foster working relationships with Museum scientists and researchers.

Grades: 3-12. NJSM is a registered Professional Development Provider #2241 for the New Jersey Department of Education Professional Standards Board. Teachers' Professional Development Courses fulfill the requirements for continued certification.

Arts for Learning Lessons: An Arts-Based Approach to Literacy

June14, 2012 - Museum Learning Center, 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm - $5 per person

NEW PROGRAM - Arts for Learning Lessons is a nationally designed and scientifically tested series of "Lesson Units" - classroom-ready materials and references which target crucial points in the language arts curriculum. Dance, music, theater, and visual arts help students learn by making abstract literacy concepts concrete through the use of images, sounds, movement, language, body, and voice. Skills reinforced through the curriculum include: understanding character, perspective, making inferences, summarizing, and determining importance. Work from the Museum's exhibition American Perspectives: The Fine Art Collection will be used while exploring the lesson plans.