Professional Development for Teachers

A core group of teachers from the PLACE community are invited to participate in professional development workshops such as the annual Principles & Practices of Place-Based Education workshop at Shelburne Farms and/or the regional Promise of Place Conference. Here they are given the tools they need to integrate local themes and outdoor activities into their standard curriculum. These summer workshops also provide an opportunity for educator teams to collaborate on the creation of specific curriculum plans for the upcoming school year.

UVM graduate students and Shelburne Farms educational staff meet with teachers during the school year to provide them with hands-on knowledge of their landscape and demonstrate accompanying activities that they can then use with their students. Field walks led by naturalists and local historical experts are often used to give teachers the local background knowledge they lack, and in the past, teachers have used these resources to incorporate local/native plants into their science curriculum, developed civics lessons around current community development issues, and incorporated local history in social studies, language, and creative arts activities. Teachers trained in Place-Based Education are encouraged to share their expertise with their wider school communities, and additional professional development support and encouragement is often available.