The DoSeum is proud to announce a new alliance with the San Antonio Museum of Art, San Antonio Zoo, McNay Art Museum, and the Witte Museum in the creation of Museo Institute, an exciting new professional development opportunity for San Antonio educators. The newly launched initiative is a year-long professional development program that invites formal educators to explore informal learning and teaching approaches, discover opportunities for collaboration, and create lessons and activities that merge the best practices of informal and formal education to the benefit of students. Upon successful completion of the program, educators will receive up to 85 CPE credit hours, research-based curriculum resources from leading institutions, and new methods for teaching STEM and STEAM in each educator’s unique setting. The year-long program is currently accepting applications and is set to begin this July, ending in June 2022. (The DoSeum, 2021)

The program was established to bring the vast resources of these organizations together for the teachers of San Antonio. Participating Museo Institute organizations recognize the value cultural organizations bring to educators and how many institutions have offered CPE programs for educators over the years. However, this is the first time so many institutions have come together to design a year-long program in benefit of San Antonio educators. Educators infuse their STEM/STEAM teaching curricula by implementing approaches and methods learned from the informal educators at each cultural organization. A more detailed program description and timeline are available online. 

The cohort learns through virtual and on-site training. Fall training will cover topics including:

• Maker-Centered Learning, Constructivism, and Digital Literacy – The DoSeum
• STEAM & Art Conservation – The McNay
• Using Art & Thinking Routines for Interdisciplinary Content Learning – San Antonio Museum of Art
• Unlocking Classroom Exploration Through Citizen Science & Service Learning – San Antonio Zoo
• Integrating STEAM Learning into Other Content Areas – the Witte

The spring practicum will be a hands-on/minds-on project during which each educator receives more training along with coaching from educators at the cultural organization with which they are placed.

By engaging with each organization’s education staff and a cohort of peers from across the San Antonio area, participants will design and implement projects to pilot new pedagogy and lesson/activity plans. By the end of the experience, these select teachers will implement the new curriculum and pedagogy to students in their local learning environments. Each cultural organization will provide a separate syllabus covering the details of their practicum.

Deadlines and How to Apply

• Applications are available now on The DoSeum’s website and will close on April 16, 2021
• 40 educators will be selected and notified on May 24
• Program begins in July
• One-day training sessions, one per museum scheduled on Saturdays: August – October
• Spring practicum: December – May
• Open house events, open-office hours: January – May 2021
• Showcase celebration: May/June 2021

“After an unprecedented and challenging year in the field of education, we passionately believe it is of utmost importance to partner with educators and share educational tools and resources that can enhance and update their curricula.” – Richard Kissel, Vice President of Education at The DoSeum