On-site sessions of the Bob and Marion Wilson Teacher Institute of Colonial Williamsburg are cancelled for summer 2020 due to coronavirus concerns.
Teachers who received scholarships for 2020 can defer them to 2021. Special summer 2020 online programs are also under development for the scholarship recipients and other interested teachers, according to a news release from Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
“We’re inspired every day by the work of our nation’s teachers, particularly during the COVID-19 crisis,” said Tab Broyles, Colonial Williamsburg’s Peter L. and Patricia O. Frechette director of teacher development. “Cancelling the 2020 Bob and Marion Wilson Teacher Institute of Colonial Williamsburg is a difficult decision but one based on public health guidance, and it is the best solution for the safety of teachers, staff, students and our communities.”
Since 1989, the Teacher Institute has hosted more than 10,000 primary and secondary school educators for week-long sessions and three-day themed seminars, immersing them in an interdisciplinary approach to teaching social studies with a focus on American history, according to the news release.
“We are grateful to the program’s dedicated teachers for their patience, and to the generous donors who funded 2020 Teacher Institute scholarships,” Broyles said. “We look forward to hosting our 2020 scholarship recipients next year.”
Teacher Institute participants experience includes:
- Presentation of primary source-centered, standards-based historical content.
- Immersive living-history experiences with classroom applications.
- An inclusive approach to analyzing people and events of the past from multiple perspectives.
- Innovative, engaging teaching strategies to bring history to life in the classroom.
- Collaborative idea sharing with Colonial Williamsburg staff and fellow teachers.
Additional information about the Teacher Institute is available by visiting colonialwilliamsburg.org/cwti, by calling 855-296-6627 toll-free, and by following Colonial Williamsburg Education on Facebook.
Colonial Williamsburg public sites are closed through May 31.
A growing library of virtual program content and resources for parents, teachers, other educators, lifelong learners and lovers of history is available by visiting the “Explore from Home” section of colonialwilliamsburg.org, by following Colonial Williamsburg on Facebook and @colonialwmsburg on Twitter and Instagram, and on the Colonial Williamsburg streaming channel, which is free to account holders via the “Education” sections of Amazon Fire TV and Roku TV.
