These twelve juniors and seniors, who attend high school in New Bedford, were chosen from a pool of sixty applicants.  They will be working after school, Monday through Thursday through May and will return in the summer for a six hour work day. Mayor Scott W. Lang, Museum President James Russell, returning Apprentice Ryan Wotton, and Robert Rocha, who directs the apprentice program, will address the gathering.

Overseen by the Museum’s Education Department, the Teen Apprentice Program provides a unique opportunity for local youth to learn a variety of museum skills and expand their scholastic horizons. It is funded in part by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Innovation and Improvement/Education through Cultural and Historical Organizations (ECHO), the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, the Howard Bayne Fund, the Women’s Fund of the Community Foundation of Southeastern Massachusetts, the United Way of Greater New Bedford, the City of New Bedford Community Development Block Grant Program, and Bank of America.

For more information, contact: Robert Rocha, Science Programs Manager, Tel. (508) 717-6849. rrocha@whalingmuseum.org

The first crew of Apprentices, at their Museum commencement in May.

The Teen Apprentice Blog: Greenhands
Check out photos from the Youth Apprentice Program on the NBWM’s Flickr Page.

Selected volunteers are invited to participate in a 10 week training course at the Museum, held Wednesday mornings throughout the fall beginning in early September. Prospective volunteers are asked to fill out an application available at http://www.whalingmuseum.org/volunteer/index.html (dates of course to be determined). Volunteers are not required to have previous knowledge about whales, the whaling industry or the history of New Bedford. During the course they will receive material covering all pertinent information.

Address all questions and comments to:

Brian Witkowski
Education Programs Assistant
18 Johnny Cake Hill
New Bedford, MA 02740
Tel (508) 997-0046 ext 185
Fax (508) 717-6883
bwitkowski@whalingmuseum.org

Louisa M. of Rochester, docent for 2 years: “One of the most rewarding experiences I have had since retiring from teaching has been volunteering for the New Bedford Whaling Museum. Being new to the area, this opportunity has given me a wonderful perspective on the South Coast and the rich history of this part of the state. The volunteer work is not just rewarding but is also a learning experience. Each time I am in, I learn something new or interesting from the other docents/volunteers, staff, and the wonderful visitors to our museum. I have also made some great new friends. I would highly recommend volunteering for the museum.”

Place-Based Learning connects students to their immediate surroundings and heritage. This method, sometimes called “pedagogy of place” allows individuals to teach and learn through observation and doing, using personally relevant resources as the context for their academic growth.

Place-Based Learning brings forth several questions. How does Place-Based Learning compare to other models of teaching? Is it the best method to reach today’s youth? How do we evaluate its effectiveness? Can informal learning centers be leaders in the creation and promotion of effective Place-Based Learning programs?

In an effort to explore best practices by leading educational and cultural institutions nationwide, the New Bedford ECHO Project invites proposals for presentations and papers on Place-Based Learning to be delivered at a symposium held in New Bedford, MA on December 1-3, 2010.

The symposium will focus on four main themes:

• Leveraging regional success stories on a national scale
• Successful Place-Based Learning programs and partnerships
• How standardization of the current educational system creates disparities in the educational attainment of native/underserved/minority students
• Value and shortcomings of Place-Based Learning including assessment and evaluation

The New Bedford ECHO Project (NBEP), a combined effort from the New Bedford Whaling Museum and the New Bedford Ocean Explorium, works locally with the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, and our ECHO partners in Alaska, Hawaii, Massachusetts and Mississippi to address the educational needs of our respective populations. Through its focus on history, culture, arts and environment the NBEP, allows students and educators alike to engage in a variety of content and context based teaching and learning opportunities. Examples include the Whaling Museum’s popular history, language arts and culture based school programs, the Ocean Explorium’s Enviro-Lab, which allows school and youth groups a chance to go out into Buzzard’s Bay for hands-on research and the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park’s “From Hampton to New Bedford: A Network of Freedom” program which is a set of curriculum-based activities and materials that brings the story of the Underground Railroad to life.

Submissions should broadly fit into one or more of the above themes. Presentations should be submitted as an article for review and publication in symposium proceedings. All submissions should follow the style outlined in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2001, 5th edition).

Submit proposals to: Sara Meirowitz c/o New Bedford ECHO Project at 18 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford, MA 02740. Web: www.whalingmuseum.org. Proposals should be submitted in abstract form (less than 100 words) and are due by August 31, 2010. Honoraria and travel stipends may be available.

Sponsored by the New Bedford ECHO Project and the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park

ECHO (Education through Cultural and Historical Organizations) is a major, federally funded educational and cultural enrichment initiative, administered by U.S. Dept. of Education, Office of Innovation and Improvement. Locally, the New Bedford ECHO Project is a unique collaboration between the New Bedford Whaling Museum and the New Bedford Ocean Explorium. Initiatives include cultural exchanges, collections sharing, internship and apprentice programs, and ocean learning activities.

This event, which is free and open to the public, will take place from 4-5:30 at the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park’s new education center, the Corson Maritime Learning Center.  The discussion will be followed by a dinner at 6:00 ($12; call ahead, 508-997-0046) and a free lecture by Melville Society President, T. Walter Herbert at 7:30, both at the New Bedford Whaling Museum.  The Marathon–a continuous reading of Moby-Dick–will begin at noon on Saturday, January 9th, and finish up around noon on Sunday, January 10th.

Teachers walking through exhibit at the New Bedford Whaling Museum

Students from New Bedford to Tulsa, Okla., to Seattle will get a taste of the sea this fall as their teachers return to school with lesson plans influenced by a summer study of New England maritime history and the art of Winslow Homer.

The oil paintings, watercolors and illustrations of the 19th-century American artist and New Bedford’s working waterfront served as focal points for a UMass Dartmouth summer teacher institute exploring maritime history of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Twenty-five school teachers, ranging in age, discipline and geography, participated in the four-week institute, which was funded by a $168,805 We the People grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The institute addressed a variety of themes from the age of Homer, including the transition from sail to steam technology, new immigrants crossing the Atlantic, and the changing perspective of seacoasts and waterfronts from dangerous work environments to recreational destinations.

Institute co-director Dr. Arlene Mollo, professor of art education at UMass Dartmouth, said the most rewarding part of the program was “the genuine enthusiasm of teachers for new learning.”

….The group made at least four trips to the New Bedford Whaling Museum and its research library, where teachers perused shipboard logbooks and journals from whaling voyages. During one visit, the museum’s education director Sara Meirowitz taught the group how to best integrate museum visits into their curriculum.

…read rest of story at South Coast Today