Progressive Education InstituteProgressive Education InstituteThe 8th Annual Progressive Education Institute, in partnership with EarthWalk Vermont. Join us for a powerful experience in holistic experiential education, living and learning in a community, while camping out on the land in Plainfield, Vermont. Opening: 12:30 pm, Friday, July 13, 2012 Closing: 12:30 pm, Tuesday, July 17, 2012
The Progressive Education Institute brings together like-minded educators for renewal and connection and will be offered in partnership with EarthWalk Vermont, a non-profit inter-generational nature-mentoring school, founded in 2005 and located on the land of Goddard College.
EarthWalk speaks to the overarching understanding that as a culture we must foster ecologically sustainable and compassionate forms of education if we wish to live such values in our daily lives and communities. We invite you to join us for this exciting and engaging five-day camping residency adjacent to the Goddard College campus.
A regional leader in nature-mentoring and community-building, EarthWalk Vermont seeks to inspire and empower children, families and communities to reconnect with and care for one another and the Earth. The EarthWalk Institute is a camping residency in Hawthorn Meadow Commons, an approximate 5-10 minute walk into the woods from the Goddard campus. Our ‘classroom’ will be the diverse local ecosystem which offers opportunities for exploration, deep learning and reflection in 175 acres of woodlands and meadows bordering the Winooski River in Central Vermont.
Wild-harvesting, outdoor communal cooking, late-evening storytelling and shared experiences with one another and the land are an integral part of the EarthWalk Institute. Although appropriate time will be allocated to individual reflection as well as group discussion, most of the EarthWalk Institute will be experiential.
Currently, matriculated Goddard students, graduate and undergraduate students interested in education and other educators seeking professional development opportunities are encouraged to participate in the Institute. The EarthWalk Institute also welcomes teachers, counselors, home-schooling parents, community organizers and activists. Our goals for the Institute include the renewal of our basic values, which include honoring the learner, trusting professional wisdom, engaging in meaningful inquiry, honoring ecological and Elder wisdom, and assuring safe, inclusive learning communities.
Participants who wish to enroll in the Progressive Institute and earn three college credits –undergraduate or graduate- will register through Goddard College.
All other Participants should enroll directly through EarthWalk (www.earthwalkvermont.org) and can receive a certificate of 40 professional development hours.
NOTE: Participants who elect to register for Goddard College credit will work with a Goddard faculty member to complete an Individual Study Plan based on the question/problem of most interest to them. Included in the plan are the resources you will use (books, articles, journals, activities, etc.). Following the Institute, you will work independently to complete a Culminating Project and a reflective essay. This Culminating Project is due by August 13th, 2012. A faculty member will assess the Culminating Project and write a narrative evaluation of the study. The title of the participant's Culminating Project, the number of semester credits and the faculty’s narrative evaluation are included in the student’s official transcript and will be on record at Goddard College.
For general information about the Progressive Education Institute and accreditation, contact:
Susan Fleming, Education and Licensure Program Director 802-322-1647 Goddard College 123 Pitkin Road | Plainfield, VT 05667
For more information about EarthWalk and the EarthWalk Institute, go to www.earthwalkvermont.org or contact: Angella Gibbons, EarthWalk’s Executive Director and Institute Facilitator 802-454-8500 PO Box 21 | Plainfield, Vermont 05667 |