The St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate, will host Dr. Sharon Shaffer, Executive Director of the Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center, for a two day educator training seminar entitled “Teaching and Learning with Objects” on January 25 & 26.
Teaching & Learning with Objects
The St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate,
Welcomes Smithsonian Educator, Dr. Sharon Shaffer
For a One of a Kind Educator Training Opportunity
About the Seminar
This seminar will actively engage participants in educational techniques that reflect a museum-based approach to teaching and learning. Participants will explore strategies that extend learning beyond the textbook and heighten students’ sense of excitement and personal connection to learning. Personal experiences in the classroom and application of strategies in the galleries of St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum will help participants develop skills for teaching with objects and understand how this approach mirrors real-world strategies employed by scientists and historians. This seminar offers insight for object- based learning in the classroom or at the museum.
About the Facilitator
Dr. Sharon Shaffer is the Executive Director for the Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center (SEEC). As the founding Director for SEEC in 1988, she was given the challenge of developing a program for young children that utilized the rich resources of the Smithsonian Institution and the surrounding museums. The Smithsonian’s model is built on the most current research in early childhood education and museum practice, leading the field in arts-based education for young children.
Dr. Shaffer oversees the SEEC program, which includes a child development center, preschool, and kindergarten, and provides leadership for educational outreach. She is responsible for designing seminars for training early childhood educators and museum professionals in object-based learning and arts-centered curriculum, consulting with schools and museums, and presenting at conferences and seminars nationally and internationally. She has been a guest lecturer for the graduate program in Museum Leadership at Bank Street College, George Washington University, Gallaudet University, and the University of Virginia. In addition to her
work at SEEC, Dr. Shaffer is teaching as an adjunct professor at the University of Virginia.
Dates and Times
Place: The St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum, 81 Lighthouse Avenue
Dates: January 25, 2011 – Early childhood to elementary-aged based learning
January 26, 2011- Middle school to high school-aged based learning
9:00 am-4:00 pm. Mornings will focus on concepts of teaching with objects
Afternoons will focus on using objects in a museum’s collections.
Cost: Members are Free, $40.00 for non-members, $20.00 for students
A confirmation letter will be sent to each participant. Space is limited.
Contact Brenna Ryan at 904-829-0745 ext. 208 or visit staugustinelighthouse.org for more information.
Download Registration Form