Director's Dispatch Getting with the Programs

In the past year, we’ve begun teaming up with Pennsylvania school districts to help educators effectively teach difficult topics and meet their students’ needs through a trauma-informed lens. As a starting point in these exciting collaborations, we work with our partners to customize professional learning (PL) programs to achieve district goals.

While our programs tend to differ from one another in scope, topical focus, length, and logistics, they all utilize an inquiry-based approach to help teachers effectively address difficult topics such as the Holocaust and racism.

Our programs align with state standards and help participants fulfill PL requirements by earning Act 48 credits, building and implementing Student Performance Measures, and/or preparing for evaluations.

In the coming months, we plan to expand and refine our programmatic offerings, which so far include:

YEARLONG: In this program, which starts with a summer launch and concludes in the late spring, cohorts of about 20 participants engage in three inquiry cycles. They choose difficult topics, come up with compelling questions, gather and analyze data, apply their learning in their classrooms and schools, and share their findings. Through this process, they hone their leadership skills, empower their students to adopt an inquiry stance, create a community with fellow participants, and generate a ripple effect among district colleagues.

SEMESTER-LONG: This program resembles the yearlong program with a couple of exceptions. Besides involving one inquiry cycle, it starts with a summer or winter launch and concludes in the late fall or late spring.

WORKSHOPS: These programs, which serve as entry points to sustained partnerships and often take place during districts’ professional development days, offer educators an opportunity to learn, grow, sharpen their difficult-topics instruction, and gain initial insight into inquiry.

Integrating Trauma-Informed Practices in K-12 Classrooms: An Inquiry-Based Approach. Participants gain an understanding of trauma and how it can affect students, reflect on their practices through a trauma-informed lens, and use inquiry to apply their learning in their classrooms and schools.

Using Media to Propel Inquiry-Based, Trauma-Informed Learning. This workshop assists educators with incorporating documentaries and other media into their difficult-topics instruction. Participants learn how teaching with media, teaching about media, and teaching media production can fuel student inquiry. They create effective lesson plans and incorporate trauma-informed practices into their classroom media utilization.

Difficult Topics: Facilitating Responsible Classroom Discussions. This workshop assists educators with fostering productive civic discourse in their instruction. Participants improve their facilitation, identify what constitutes a difficult topic in their context, and learn ways to frame student discussions.

ONLINE MODULES: Our asynchronous modules offer educators an opportunity to earn Act 48 credits in their own space and on their own pace.

Trauma-Informed Practices. Like its in-person counterpart, this published module assists educators with understanding trauma and how it can affect students. It offers concept explanations, case studies, useful tips, eye-opening stories, robust resources, and quiet moments for reflections.

Using Media to Propel Inquiry-Based Learning. Like its in-person counterpart, this in-the-works module assists educators with incorporating documentaries and other media into their difficult-topics instruction. For instance, it demonstrates how documentaries can support student inquiry.

Please stay tuned as we continue to develop our offerings in close collaboration with Pennsylvania school districts and educators.

We greatly appreciate our partners. They enable us to grow and develop, as well.