The main obligation that follows last summer's residency at George Washington's Mount Vernon is to present a professional development session after returning. My first opportunity to do so arrives today when I finally get to share my experience, some educational concepts, and resources from Mount Vernon with my peers before, hopefully, getting the chance to share at the state level, next summer.
What follows is a tentative outline for the first training, which, fully titled, should read as follows:
What follows is a tentative outline for the first training, which, fully titled, should read as follows:
It should be more than enough.
Act One (25 Minutes)
Bull's Eye Graphic Organizer
Fill out the bull's eye, with the title (bold, above) in mind.
The first principal (Mr. Shelton) observation of my teaching skills went something like this:
An educator does not always receive quality professional development - even when paying for it, even when traveling to receive it, even when it comes from a celebrated and entertaining public speaker - but this summer and fall, I sat on the receiving end of some of the best professional development of my 29-year career.
It might be surprising to see how everything comes together, makes sense, and works.
John Antonetti:
Fill out the bull's eye, with the title (bold, above) in mind.
The first principal (Mr. Shelton) observation of my teaching skills went something like this:
- "That Wasn't a Lesson."
- "Now You're Ready to Play with It."
- Today, we call it a lack of engagement.
An educator does not always receive quality professional development - even when paying for it, even when traveling to receive it, even when it comes from a celebrated and entertaining public speaker - but this summer and fall, I sat on the receiving end of some of the best professional development of my 29-year career.
- Crystal Bridges Teacher Institute
- George Washington Teacher Institute
- John Antonetti, Rigor is not a 4-Letter Word
It might be surprising to see how everything comes together, makes sense, and works.
John Antonetti:
- Engagement
- Cognitive Rigor
- Posting Objectives - Speed Limit
Students must be given opportunities to bring something new to the material at hand. "Rigor comes before truth." Let's use some things we learned at Crystal Bridges, applied to material about George Washington, to learn something about Cognitive Rigor.
OPTIC Organizer
Fill in with Parson Weems’ Fable, Grant Wood, 1939, in mind.
Questions to Inspire Cognitive Rigor:
When I was in elementary school:
When the curriculum shifted, I rediscovered those old passions, and I pursued them. Enter George Washington Teachers Institute. While I loved the romance of the founding era, I did not remember or know very much about it.
OPTIC Organizer
Fill in with Parson Weems’ Fable, Grant Wood, 1939, in mind.
Questions to Inspire Cognitive Rigor:
- What do you notice?
- What do you wonder?
When I was in elementary school:
- Biographies of Founders
- Flags of the U.S.
- Fife and Drum Wallpaper
When the curriculum shifted, I rediscovered those old passions, and I pursued them. Enter George Washington Teachers Institute. While I loved the romance of the founding era, I did not remember or know very much about it.
Act Two (40 Minutes)
Rigor for the Teacher - Bringing Something New to Something True - I cannot follow someone else's script - Don't we all march to the beats of our own drummers?
MVLA Mission: Restoration, Respect, Relevancy (Photos and Examples)
b. What do you wonder?
c. Washington pooped...
George Washington “was born with his clothes on and his hair powdered and made a stately bow on his first appearance in the world” (Nathaniel Hawthorne).
My Virginia Experience:
Trivia Scratch-Offs from Mount Vernon
We've brought something new to material about George Washington, and we've established that George Washington was a human being, not a superhero; now let's apply George Washington to Growth Mindset OR let’s apply Growth Mindset to George Washington. He is Georgier in his early years and becomes Washingtonier later.
MVLA Mission: Restoration, Respect, Relevancy (Photos and Examples)
- Rustication
- Greenhouse
- Necessary
b. What do you wonder?
c. Washington pooped...
George Washington “was born with his clothes on and his hair powdered and made a stately bow on his first appearance in the world” (Nathaniel Hawthorne).
My Virginia Experience:
- Access (security – open doors?)
- Photographs (Slide Show)
Trivia Scratch-Offs from Mount Vernon
We've brought something new to material about George Washington, and we've established that George Washington was a human being, not a superhero; now let's apply George Washington to Growth Mindset OR let’s apply Growth Mindset to George Washington. He is Georgier in his early years and becomes Washingtonier later.
- May 28, 1754: George Washington, Governor Dinwiddie, Half King (Tanacharison), and Ensign Jumonvillé (Self-Motivated)
- Jumonville’s brother at Fort Necessity – Articles of Capitulation (Consequences)
- Photos of Documents at GW Library (vault photos, including Journal of Major George Washington)
- Councils with Generals (Less of Self)
- December 25/6, 1776: Crossing the Delaware/Trenton and the Hessians/Colonel Rall
- October 19, 1781: Yorktown/Cornwallis
Act Three (20 Minutes)
Stephanie DeMichele, an educational consultant, speaker, and instructional coach in Cleveland, Ohio: “The mixtape curator becomes less a listener, instead adopting the role of archivist, editor, and active participant in creating a remixed product that meets and suits the desire of the listener.”
Look at our classroom website to see how I have done this with the Colonial/Revolutionary era: hoggatteer.weebly.com/these-united-states.html
Just about every aspect of Washington's life is intriguing. Let's take a look at the resources on the Mount Vernon website:
Encouragement to pursue your own professional development, develop your own strengths, and strengthen your own skills
Online Evaluation from cards provided by GWTI
Look at our classroom website to see how I have done this with the Colonial/Revolutionary era: hoggatteer.weebly.com/these-united-states.html
Just about every aspect of Washington's life is intriguing. Let's take a look at the resources on the Mount Vernon website:
- Lesson Plans
- Teaching with Objects
- Teaching with Biography
- Teaching with Documents
- Teaching with Music
- Teaching with Place
- Teaching with Food
- Teaching with Visual Resources
Encouragement to pursue your own professional development, develop your own strengths, and strengthen your own skills
Online Evaluation from cards provided by GWTI
