The Smithsonian Institution, established in 1846 "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge," is a group of museums and research centers administered by the United States government.
This online program consists of four online workshops, “Science: A Work in Progress”, “That’s So Meta(cognitive)!!”, “Fired up about Energy”, and “Conceptual Change: How New Ideas Take Root?”, supporting important ideas on the science of teaching science. Each workshop is based on ideas presented in Good Thinking! an original animated series developed by the Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC) and FableVision Studios as a professional development resource for K-12 science educators. Good Thinking! brings viewers into the classroom of science educator Isabella Reyes as she explores “the science of teaching science.” Drawing from peer-reviewed research in science, cognition, and pedagogy, Good Thinking! distills valuable findings from hard-to-access journal articles to reveal common student misconceptions and promote effective classroom practices.The format and organization of the workshops are designed to allow individuals to successfully complete the online learning activities independently as a self-paced class, without the need for outside input or feedback.At the same time, this format was designed to flexibly fit into PLC meetings, PD workshops, or any time that you and your colleagues can meet to absorb some new ideas and discuss your experiences as educators. While the content of the series is relevant to all levels of instruction, teachers working at the oldest and youngest ends of the K-12 range may need to include additional discussion during the post-viewing conversation that addresses the implications of the videos for their specific grade level.Each workshop stands alone as a complete activity and can be taken in any order.
In this course, you’ll discover how museum objects and works of art can broaden our perspectives, reveal silenced stories, and make relevant connections to our world today. Museum educators will explore connections among their collections and model teaching strategies that participants can implement with their students, whether online or in the classroom.Teachers, join six Smithsonian museums for 14-weeks of teacher professional development from home. We’ll introduce the Smithsonian Learning Lab, a free, online platform for accessing digital museum resources and creating interactive learning experiences with them. Participants will discover how to teach with museum resources to engage students in deeper thinking and support content learning across disciplines.Over the duration of the course, you will reflect on what you have learned and workshop ideas to create a learning experience for your classroom.
The Designing for Textiles workshop provides those who work in traditional crafts-based media with an introduction, or refresher, to design education through the lens of Armenian textiles. Based on an in-person training program that took place in 2018 through the My Armenia program, this workshop is a series of lessons and extension activities that build upon one another and encourage you to innovate in your own textiles-based design work.I will introduce the design process, each step to effectively take an idea into a finished product. You will explore the elements and principles of design by identifying how they are used in traditional Armenian textiles. Color theory will be introduced along with an activity that has you testing numerous color relationships. For more inspiration, I will highlight several artists and organizations who are transforming traditional art forms into new textile-based products. Additional activities will include an overview of construction techniques on the sewing machine as well as an introduction to natural dyes. Each element of this workshop is designed to provide an introduction to ideas and techniques that you can integrate into your own practice and strengthen your work as a designer.
This course introduces the basics of climate science and communication strategies to help empower educators, volunteers and individuals to talk about climate change as a means to inspire action. This course is part of a climate communication training program for volunteers at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) that integrates content and strategies from NMNH, Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Network for Climate Change Interpretation (NNOCCI), Visualizing Change, and the Alliance for Climate Education (ACE).This self-paced course is divided into four lessons:Why we should communicate about climate changeClimate science - Earth’s past climate, today’s drivers, climate change impacts and solutionsHow people perceive climate changeFacilitation strategiesEach lesson takes approximately 20 minutes to 1 hour to complete and contains a short non-graded quiz. The first lesson introduces the need for climate change conversations in learning venue settings. The second lesson covers climate science concepts through an introduction to Earth’s past climate history, drivers of climate change, and examples of impacts and solutions. The lesson also features examples of Smithsonian climate work. The third lesson dives into the current research around public perceptions and beliefs of climate change, and how this perception has changed over time in the United States. The last lesson introduces several strategies for meaningful conversation about climate change.
This online workshop: “Fired up about Energy ” is based on ideas presented in Good Thinking! an original animated series developed by the Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC) and FableVision Studios as a professional development resource for K-12 science educators.In this workshop, we’ll analyze a video in which Ms. Reyes is introducing her students to the concept of energy. Energy is a very important concept in science. The NGSS K-12 Science Framework identifies Energy as one of major disciplinary core ideas (DCIs) in physical sciences and it is also identified as one of the crosscutting concepts (CCCs) that can be used to connect all science content areas together. Because energy is such a common idea in many parts of our lives, the term energy is often used in many ways, which creates confusions and misconceptions about energy. However, it is important to remember that fundamentally all energy is the same. Energy can exist in many forms or types and can be transformed or converted from one form to another. Conservation of energy can also be a confusing concept. Students start by learning that energy is always conserved, even when it is converted from one form to another. Then later, they also learn that every time there is an interaction in a physical or biological system, that some energy is lost from the system. Both statements are true, the total energy is always conserved even if some energy in a specific system dissipates into the environment due to heat loss or other interactions. Understanding this concept hinges on understanding and clearly defining what is in the system and what counts as the outside environment. This workshop looks at the scientific concept of energy and at some of the challenges of helping students build a more complete understanding of energy as a property of a system.
Why has Star Trek , which began as a failed network series, become so influential? Instead of fading away, the Star Trek universe now encompasses feature films, additional television series, and a universe of fan conventions and memorabilia. What about the shows and movies resonate with so many people? The powerful vision of futuristic space exploration drew on real history and contemporary issues to enhance its storytelling. Star Trek inspired audiences to ask fundamental questions about who they are and how they relate to the world around them. When you enroll in this course, you will examine how Star Trek ’s live action television shows and motion pictures affected audiences around the world. With your hosts, Margaret Weitekamp and Scott Mantz, you will discover the connections between Star Trek and history, culture, technology and society. You will hear from experts, watch clips from the shows and films, debate with fellow fans. and explore your own perspectives on and understanding of Star Trek 's lasting impact. Through critical analysis and object exploration, you will examine how Star Trek tackled controversial topics, such as race, gender, sexuality, and ethics. Then, the mission is yours. Join the community to engage in civil discourse. Use evidence to understand how Star Trek shaped and still influences our technology and society. This course is offered under license by CBS Consumer Products.
སློབ་ཚན་འདི་དག་གིས་ཉམས་ཞུགས་པ་རྣམས་ལ་མདོ་དབུས་ཁམས་གསུམ་གྱི་མི་སྡེ་ཁག་གིས་ལག་ལེན་དུ་བྱེད་བཞིན་པའི་རིག་གནས་སྲོལ་རྒྱུན་དག་བསྡུ་འཇོག་དང་ཉར་ཚགས་བྱེད་པའི་སྐོར་ལ་ཁ་ཐོག་ལག་བཞག་གི་ལམ་སྟོན་བྱེད་ཐུབ།རིག་གནས་ཞིབ་འཇུག་མཁན་དང་གློག་བརྙན་བཟོ་མཁན་དག་གིས་ཕྱོགས་གཉིས་ནས་ཉམས་ཞུགས་པ་རྣམས་ལ་མཚམས་སྦྱོར་བྱེད་རྒྱུ་ཡིན།གཅིག།ཡུལ་དངོས་ཞིབ་འཇུག་ཅི་ལྟར་བྱེད་པ་དང་།ཁྱིམ་མི་དང་མི་སྡེ་་ཞིག་གི་མི་སྣ་ཁ་ཤས་ལ་བཅར་འདྲི་ཐོ་འགོད་ཅི་ལྟར་བྱེད་པའིསྐོར།གཉིས།བསྡུ་ལེན་བྱས་པའི་རྒྱུ་ཆ་དག་ཅི་ལྟར་ཉར་ཚགས།གཅེས་ཉར་དང་དཀར་ཆགས་ཏུ་འགོད་པའི་སྐོར། རིག་གནས་བསྡུ་འཇུག་བྱས་པ་བརྒྱུད་ནས་ང་ཚོའི་འདས་ཟིན་པ་ལ་ཤེས་རྟོགས་བྱུང་ཐུབ་པ་མ་ཟད།ད་ལྟ་དངོས་ཡོད་ཀྱི་ཉིན་རེའི་འཚོ་བའི་རིག་གནས་སྟེ།བཟའ་བཏུང་།དུས་སྟོན་མཛད་སྒོ།ལག་བཟོ།རོལ་མོ།ལས་འཛིན་དང་ལག་རྩལ་གྱི་སྐོར་སོགས་གསར་རྙེད་དང་ཤེས་རྟོགས་བྱུང་སྲིད།དེ་མ་ཟད་རྒྱུ་ཆ་འདི་དག་གིས་མི་སྡེ་ཞིག་གི་འཚོ་བ་དང་དེའི་རིན་ཐང་ཤུགས་ཆེན་པོར་མཚོན་ཐུབ། སློབ་ཚན་ཚང་མ་བོད་ཡིག་བོད་སྐད་ནས་ཡིན་ལ།དཔེ་དེབ་ནི་ཨ་རིའི་སི་མེ་ཟོ་ཉན་གྱི་དམངས་སྲོལ་དང་ངག་བརྒྱུད་ལོ་རྒྱུས་ཀྱི་བཅར་འདྲིའི་སྣེ་ཤན་དེབ་ཆུང་ཞེས་པ་བོད་ཡིག་ཏུ་བསྒྱུར་བ་གཞིར་བཞག་བྱས་ཡོད།སློབ་ཚན་འདི་དག་གིས་ལྟོས་བཅོས་ལས་གྲངས་ཀ་ཉུང་ཉུང་ཡིན་པའི་བོད་ཀྱི་དེང་རབས་ངག་བརྒྱུད་ལོ་རྒྱུས་ཐོ་འགོད་དང་ཉར་ཚགས་བྱས་ཟིན་པའི་རྒྱུ་ཆའི་སྟེང་ཁ་སྣོན་བྱེད་མཁན་གྱི་ངག་བརྒྱུད་ལོ་རྒྱུས་ཞིབ་འཇུག་མཁན་མང་པོ་ཞིག་གྲ་སྒྲིག་དང་གསོ་སྐྱོང་བྱེད་ཐུབ་ལ།ངག་བརྒྱུད་ལོ་རྒྱུས་འདི་དག་གིས་མདོ་དབུས་ཁམས་གསུམ་གྱི་མི་དམངས་ཀྱི་འཚོ་བ་ཅུང་ཆ་ཚང་ཞིག་མཚོན་ཐུབ་པའི་རྒྱུ་ཆ་མཁོ་འདོན་བྱེད་ཐུབ། This course offers participants a practical guide for documenting, preserving, and archiving the traditions and cultural practices of communities on the Tibetan Plateau. Cultural researchers and filmmakers will share their methods for conducting fieldwork and recording interviews with family members and community figures, and preserving, cataloging, and archiving these materials for future generations. By documenting culture, we discover and learn not only the past, but also the vast reservoir of living culture—the foodways, celebrations, crafts, music, occupations, and skills—that are part of daily experience. These materials powerfully express community life and values. They anchor us in a larger whole, connect us to the past, ground us firmly in the present, and give us an undeniable sense of identity, belonging, and purpose. This course is conducted entirely in Tibetan with the Tibetan translation of the Smithsonian Folklife and Oral History Interview Guide as its text. It will prepare researchers to add to the relatively limited number of recorded and achieved contemporary Tibetan oral histories, which create a more holistic image of life on the Tibetan Plateau and beyond.
In the Sant Ocean Hall at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, our goal is to teach the public that that the ocean is a global system essential to all life on our planet, including yours. In this course, we will explore the ocean from the coast to the deep sea, and from our planet’s beginnings to its function today. Though this course, you will discover why we truly live on an “ocean planet,” as well as your role in our shared responsibility to protect our global ocean and all of the life it supports.__This short course was developed by Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History educators and reviewed by scientists at the Smithsonian and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
This online workshop: That’s So Meta(cognitive)! is based on ideas presented in Good Thinking! an original animated series developed by the Smithsonian Science Education Center(SSEC) and FableVision Studios as a professional development resource for K-12 science educators.Metacognition, the thinking about our thinking as well as acting on our thinking that is so important to learning, is a skill that can be taught, practiced, and learned. Helping students develop the skills to become self-directed and independent learners will enhance their learning experiences in school. In addition, improving metacognitive strategies related to students' schoolwork also provides young people with tools to reflect and grow in their emotional and social lives. When students are metacognitive, they can take a step back and observe their thinking. This is called the reflective process. When using this approach, they might ask themselves questions like these: What is the problem to be solved? How should I solve the problem? How well am I doing? How well did I do? How can I do it better the next time? Being good at science is not simply remembering a lot of facts and vocabulary or providing correct answers quickly to questions. Rather, science starts from curiosity and questions around the world. And, doing science requires the ability to use appropriate science and engineering practices to formulate scientific questions, to plan investigations, to search for answers, to analyze data to find answers, and to present evidence to support the final conclusions or claims. In this, workshop we look at what metacognition is, and how one teacher is helping students reflect on what they know and don’t know, and then on what questions to ask, and how to answer them. Common abbreviations in the text§ Science and Engineering Practices (SEP)§ Crosscutting Concepts (CCC)§ Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)§ Framework for K-12 Science Education (Framework)§ Nature of Science (NOS)§ Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC)
In this course, learners will join the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian to explore the impact of problematic narratives of Native Americans on U.S. society and education and learn ways to recognize and share more complete narratives both inside and outside the classroom.In addition, learners will explore Native Knowledge 360° (NK360°), the National Museum of the American Indian’s national initiative to inspire and support transformative teaching and learning about Native Americans.This course, based off a three-part live webinar series, is designed for education professionals who are new to incorporating more complete narratives about Native American histories, cultures, and contemporary lives into their teaching. Educators whose primary teaching focus is social studies, English language arts, or library sciences and who work with students in grades 4–12 are encouraged to enroll. Homeschoolers, parents, and others looking for digital educational resources about Native Americans can also register. This course will be especially helpful for educators who are just beginning to advance their practice of bringing Native perspectives to their curricula or anyone who wants to learn more about the importance of bringing Native perspectives and voices to the study of the country's history, cultures, and current events ~~~~
This course, produced with The Great Courses, will look at four key themes in the History of America as presented by Dr. Richard Kurin, Undersecretary for History, Art and Culture at the Smithsonian.American Icons – from the Star Spangled Banner to the Statue of Liberty – how have these become iconic symbols for Americans? What do these icons represent in a global context?Rights and Liberties – from the Declaration of Independence to the Greensboro Lunch Counter, how have Americans defined, and continue to define, their rights and governance?America the Beautiful – From evidence of the continent’s first inhabitants to the conservation efforts of the Smithsonian’s scientists, how have the American people – both native and settler – envisioned, explored, worked and protected the land and its resources?Spirit of Invention – from the Model T to the space program, how have America’s pioneering inventions changed the world?In this course you will gain a unique perspective on American history and culture by learning the stories behind objects that were, and continue to be, an essential part of U.S. history. Most importantly, you will reflect on what objects have personal meaning to you, and the role that symbolic objects play in your own histories.This course is adapted from the video lecture series produced by Smithsonian and The Great Courses, Experiencing America: A Smithsonian Tour Through History.
This online workshop: Science: A Work in Progress, *is based on ideas presented in Good Thinking! an original animated series developed by the Smithsonian Science Education Center *(SSEC) and FableVision Studios as a professional development resource for K-12 science educators.In this workshop, we will be observing Ms. Reyes’s classroom as she works with her students to change their understanding of how science works, from the step-by -step scientific method they have memorized, into an understanding of science as a way of learning about and understanding the world.The idea of a “scientific method” that all scientists use to plan and conduct investigations or pursue improved designs to solve problems is a persistent idea in the teaching of science. Although the understanding that science is a process that can take many pathways has been part of the science standards for the recent past, the steps of the scientific method have persisted in our teaching and our textbooks. Only in some of the most recent editions, has the scientific method been replaced by references to flexible application of the science practices as ways to investigate and explore solutions to new problems and questions. In this workshop, we will follow Ms. Reyes as she looks for additional information and new ways to present the process of scientific investigation and the nature of science to her students.The format and organization of the workshop are designed to allow individuals to successfully complete the online learning activities independently as a self-paced class, without the need for outside input or feedback. At the same time, this format was designed to flexibly fit into PLC meetings, PD workshops, or any time that you and your colleagues can meet to absorb some new ideas and discuss your experiences as educators. While the content of the series is relevant to all levels of instruction, teachers working at the oldest and youngest ends of the K-12 range may need to include additional discussion during the post-viewing conversation that addresses the implications of the videos for their specific grade level.Common Abbreviations in the text§ Science and Engineering Practices (SEP)§ Crosscutting Concepts (CCC)§ Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)§ Framework for K-12 Science Education (Framework)§ Nature of Science (NOS)§ Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC)
Why has Star Trek , which began as a failed network series, become so influential? Instead of fading away, the Star Trek universe now encompasses feature films, additional television series, and a universe of fan conventions and memorabilia. What about the shows and movies resonate with so many people? The powerful vision of futuristic space exploration drew on real history and contemporary issues to enhance its storytelling. Star Trek inspired audiences to ask fundamental questions about who they are and how they relate to the world around them. When you enroll in this course, you will examine how Star Trek ’s live action television shows and motion pictures affected audiences around the world. With your hosts, Margaret Weitekamp and Scott Mantz, you will discover the connections between Star Trek and history, culture, technology and society. You will hear from experts, watch clips from the shows and films, debate with fellow fans. and explore your own perspectives on and understanding of Star Trek 's lasting impact. Through critical analysis and object exploration, you will examine how Star Trek tackled controversial topics, such as race, gender, sexuality, and ethics. Then, the mission is yours. Join the community to engage in civil discourse. Use evidence to understand how Star Trek shaped and still influences our technology and society. This course is offered under license by CBS Consumer Products.
Teachers, don't miss this special opportunity to learn with four Smithsonian museums from home! Register for this 14-week course and join an online community of educators for an immersive exploration of teaching with museum objects and works of art. Museum educators will explore connections among their collections and model teaching strategies that participants can implement with their students, whether online or in the classroom. Participants will discover how to teach with museum resources to engage students in deeper thinking and support content learning across disciplines. They'll learn to use the Smithsonian Learning Lab to curate digital resource collections, and share lesson ideas among a new network of colleagues.Which Smithsonian Museums Will You Learn From?National Museum of African American History and CultureNational Museum of American HistoryNational Portrait GallerySmithsonian American Art MuseumWho Should Enroll?Teachers of all subjects and grades are welcome to register. The program content will be most readily applicable to humanities teachers.What is Required of Participants?The course is self-paced, designed to be taken over the course of 14 weeks, with one to two hours of content assigned per week. Participants are expected to view all recorded video sessions and respond to reflection prompts using a discussion board. Participants will also be expected to create a digital resource collection using the Smithsonian Learning Lab.
"Managing Museums in the 21st Century" is a course brought to you by the Smithsonian Institution with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Parts of this course were developed for the My Armenia Program, a collaborative program of the people of Armenia, USAID, and the Smithsonian Institution. This course provides a broad introduction to various aspects of operating a museum. It considers the myriad ways that museums attract and engage visitors onsite and online. It also considers ways museums must be creative in seeking funding. Though museums have existed for hundreds of years, they are always changing, and that change has only accelerated over the last few years as content generation has increased, demands on people's time have increased, audience expectations have evolved, technology has changed, and new approaches to museum exhibitions and programs have taken shape. This course is made up of four sections, each designed to share information and perspective, while offering moments for thought and reflection that you can apply to your work.: Exhibition Design and Interpretation, Public Programs, Social Media and Outreach, and Fundraising.We’ve designed this course to address content with a range of audiences in mind, with particular focus on early-career museum professionals or mid-career professionals who have an interest in refreshing their understanding of function areas outside of their core expertise. This course is not intended to serve as a primer for operating a museum, but rather as a resource for thinking about different approaches to museum operations and activities as shared by a number of diverse Smithsonian professionals.