Chicago Teachers as Scholars is a collaborative professional development program. TAS strives to reconnect Chicago Public School teachers with the world of scholarship and inspire them to model the love of learning for their students.
Chicago Teachers as Scholars (TAS) offers a series of intellectually stimulating, content-based seminars led by scholars from area universities and colleges. Participants can expect engaging discussions on a broad range of topics with the seminar leaders and other participants. Seminar topics focus predominantly on the humanities, are related to the Newberry’s collection, and align with the Common Core Standards in English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies. Science, math, and current events topics are also incorporated into the seminar schedule.
During the 2011-12 program year, nearly 135 teachers from 45 Chicago public schools attended TAS seminars. Participants in the 12 seminars examined such diverse topics as Lincoln, slavery and the Civil War, Chicago’s transforming shoreline, art and exploration in 19th and 20th century America, Shakepeare’s dysfunctional families, Mark Twain, Huckleberry Finn, and the racial dilemma, and envisioning the colonial metropolis in early Latin America.
Seminar Format
Seminars take place over a one or two-day period during the week and are held at the Newberry. Seminars begin at 9 am and run until 3 pm each day. Participants receive up to five CPDUs credit hours per seminar day towards their State of Illinois certification renewal.
Program Costs
All program costs affiliated with participation in TAS, including program materials, meals, and seminar readings, are covered by grants and private donations. Principals are asked to cover the cost of substitute teacher coverage for the first day of the first participant from each school; TAS covers all remaining substitute teacher fees.
Acknowledgements
The Newberry and the Chicago Public Schools are grateful to the Polk Bros. Foundation for a major grant that enables Chicago Teachers as Scholars to help enhance public education by offering high-quality professional development programs for CPS teachers. A thanks is also owed to the Albert Pick, Jr. Fund, Peoples Gas, and the Terra Foundation for American Art for the continued support of TAS. Again, the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Chicago has provided partial funding for the Latin American civilization-based seminars.
Register for 2012-13 seminars.
For questions or more information contact Rachel Rooney, Program Director, at rooneyr@newberry.org.
2012-13 Seminar Schedule
In this seminar, we will analyze how the war affected conceptions about battle, the human body, identity, nationalism, and collective memory, as revealed through American visual culture. Further, we will explore its profound impact on journalistic and artistic practices through careful readings of objects and primary source documents.