Summertime!

So, what happens with the Fellowship during the summer? Our current Fellows are busy working on their plans for the fall. They will all be taking at least one group of students to a museum, as part of a class assignment related to both the class and our 2017 theme of Social Justice. This might involve visiting various Smithsonian museums, looking at online resources and working with the Smithsonian Digital Learning Lab for use as a class resource. Some of our Fellows will get together and make these visits together, and in talking with each other about their respective projects, get some innovative ideas for their own students. This interdisciplinary sharing of ideas is one of the real benefits of the Fellowship experience.

As for Mimi and Denise, they are hard at work developing our 2018 theme which we promise will be very timely! (hint: think Democracy) , This also involves multiple museum visits, writing and rewriting ideas, and working with our Smithsonian partners as we develop the theme, and get it ready to unveil during our faculty professional week in August. Sara oversees all of this activity, and continues to work on expanding the reach of our program. Some of you might have attended the Learning Lab workshop last month. If so, I am guessing you found it a valuable experience.

We hope many of you will consider applying to become a Smithsonian Faculty Fellow. Those who have been through the program agree it is one of the most, if not the most, valuable professional development opportunity Montgomery College offers.